How these DJs are bringing back the 'raw rave energy' of the Phoenix EDM scene
Headlining a downtown Phoenix show at the Van Buren amounts to a full-circle moment for BIJOU and Drezo, two Valley-spawned DJs who met in 2011 while promoting shows for Hades Entertainment.
As Ben Dorman, whose stage name is BIJOU, recalls, “We were both street promoters. We’d hand out flyers and sell tickets for Relentless Beats shows. We also worked as local DJs for them.”
Andre Haglund, or Drezo, has been living in Los Angeles since 2012, but he and Dorman kept in touch after the move.
“He started to blow up and actually was one of the first guys to ever take me on shows out of state,” Dorman says.
The Phoenix EDM scene of 2011 was 'very raw rave energy'
The Phoenix EDM scene has undergone a lot of changes since Dorman and Haglund were working the streets for Hades Entertainment.
“It was very raw rave energy,” Haglund recalls.
“It wasn't as established with businesses sinking their teeth into the scene there yet. And really, across the U.S. It was still relatively new and exciting. And now, it’s evolved to where it's not just for the ravers who want to go to a warehouse in downtown Phoenix at 4 a.m. on a weekend. There are proper parties being thrown at proper venues. And it just seems a lot more official.”
BIJOU credits Relentless Beats with building up the Phoenix EDM scene
A lot of that comes down to what Relentless Beats has done to transform metro Phoenix from the days of warehouse raves into a thriving EDM scene.
“Relentless Beats has done a really, really good job building up the scene here and creating a space for anyone and everyone to feel like they can be a part of it,” Dorman says.
“You have multiple shows every single weekend and multiple venues where, like Dre said, you would have to look for a rave in a warehouse or the desert. There just weren't a lot of options.”
Dorman is managed by Thomas Turner, Daniel Rivera and Josh Hough at Relentless Beats.
“Thomas is actually the one who started Relentless Beats, and I was fortunate enough to build a relationship with him over the years. We do a lot of stuff together, primarily in the Southwest.”
Photos: Decadence Arizona takes over Phoenix Raceway for New Year's Eve
BIJOU says his Lights Out show at the Van Buren will be 'epic'
The Van Buren show on Friday, Feb. 2, should be “epic,” Dorman says.
The performance is part of a new party series called Lights Out that Dorman is doing to bring something new to his brand while including the people he’s worked with in the past.
“It's a brand new production,” Dorman says.
“We debuted it in Denver a couple of weeks ago, but we didn't do the full production. So Phoenix is gonna to be the first city to see the full Lights Out production. Tons of new music, insane lineup. We got Dre on it, another guy, Corrupt UK, and some really cool locals. So it's just gonna be an overall brand new, exciting experience.”
Haglund says he’s happy to part of his old friend’s new series.
“Anytime I can jump on and be a part of what he's doing, I'm always grateful,” Haglund says. “And it’s very cool that we get to do it back at home after 10 years. It's a full-circle moment.”
Dorman lives in Scottsdale. He’s been based in Arizona the whole time.
“I'll never leave,” he says. “Arizona is home. I'm here for good.”
BIJOU and Drezo collaborated on a track called 'Goons' in 2023
Dorman and Haglund collaborated (as BIJOU and Drezo) on a track released last summer titled “Goons” that was based off a sample of Lil Kim’s “The Jump Off.”
“We had been messing around on a few ideas for the last couple years,” Haglund says.
“I've definitely been more of the hermit and kind of like the picky one. We finally came together on this idea, and once Ben sent it to me, we went back and forth on it and within two days, it was done. And we were both super excited about it.”
Dorman is quick to credit his friend for the bulk of the super excitement he's feeling.
“Once I sent it to him, he sent it back and it was a million times better than the song I actually sent him,” Dorman says. “I was like, 'I'm glad I sent this to you, because this is way cooler than I could have imagined.'”
The track was inspired in part by a desire to shake things up on the EDM scene.
“What's going on in dance music right now, a lot of the stuff sounds the same,” Dorman says. “So we wanted to create something that was different, unique and diverse. And I think from the response, we've definitely done that. The people were kind of like, ‘OK, this is something new and forward-thinking that no one's really doing right now.’’
It’s not their first collaboration, but it is the first collab they’ve released.
“Producers are constantly working on tracks,” Haglund says. “And there's some people who they'll put out whatever they cook up. But I think we took our time, and it paid off.”
As to whether we’ll see more collaborations in the future, Haglund says, “It's an organic thing with us. Like, we've always been friends. And I think that'll translate again, more than a few times, probably.”
Dorman agrees.
“That's the cool part about working with your friends,” he says. “There's no pressure. Maybe one day Dre sends me a song he's working on and I'm like, 'Yo, I want to work on this' or vice versa. It's really natural and organic when you work with your friends, because you don't have to force anything. And I feel like that's how the best music really comes together.”
'I want to take it back to the old-school warehouse rave days'
Their show at the Van Buren is the first time they’ve performed together in the Valley since Relentless Beats launched Body Language in 2022.
“Dre played,” Dorman says. “And I came just to hang out, but I got there and he goes, 'You want to play with me for, like, half an hour?' So it was, like, very impromptu. And super fun. It's cool to do stuff like that, because the crowd never expects it. Someone just kind of comes up and starts playing. And you get something special and different.”
Something special and different is exactly what they’re hoping to achieve at the Van Buren.
“I wanted to kind of take it back to, like, the old-school warehouse rave days where it's just lasers and lights,” Dorman says.
“Everything in music right now is about the biggest production and the most LED walls. I purposely did no LEDs. It's all lighting and with the staging, it's cool, we did barbed-wire fencing. You're getting specific strobe lights and specific colors. And there's gonna be a bunch of lasers.
"We wanted to create the space where you felt like you were at this old-school renegade warehouse rave like we used to do back in the day. And it's something that I haven't really seen anyone do yet in the current space.”
The lineup also features local acts Medicine Mike and Orenda.
“Dude, the local scene's popping off right now,” Dorman says. “So it's cool. There's a lot of people coming out of Arizona and we're not so slept on anymore.”
BIJOU and Drezo at the Van Buren in downtown Phoenix
When: 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2.
Where: The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix.
Admission: $41.75 and up.
Details: 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on X @EdMasley.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix EDM scene: 'It was a very raw rave energy'
