Disco Donnie did it again! Another extraordinary weekend filled with sensory overload of electronic goodness. Luckily, there was no rainstorm this year and the festival carried on all weekend long.
Production
This year’s Ubbi Dubbi showcased small spurts of pyro and special effects throughout the event. Each night, a firework show followed by an exciting finale dazzled above the city of Fort Worth. Even better – a drone show featuring the characters, Ubbi & Dubbi, danced in the night sky.
The Dubbi stage had incredible sound and was almost secluded from the rest of the fest, allowing its own area of bassheads to become unrestrained and liberated into the dubbi-weirdness. The Zoom Room stage was pretty hard to beat, though. The area was wide and the sound filled up the entire space. Whether you were up close to the stage or far across chilling on the hill, the house music echoed across and bounced into your feet & chest. The main stage, Ubbi, was not my favorite. There was a lot of movement in the crowd (more than normal), so it was difficult to stand with your crew for a long period of time without getting bumped and having to reposition. The Ubbi stage had a fainter sound than the other stages and I could hear other people’s conversations more than the music. Once you found a good spot where the speakers were more effective and made friends with the kind people around you though, it became more enjoyable.
Photo: Tyler Church
Performances
One of the best sets of the weekend was without a doubt, Timmy Trumpet. His high energy and strong kicks energized the entire crowd. His samples featuring pop/hip-hop hits and classic favorites gave fans something to sing and dance to. And per his unique grand exit, he finished his vodka and smashed the bottle on his head.
Closing out the fest, Rezz captivated fans with her hypnotic sound aligned with her own, dedicated drone show that displayed her name/logo, her goggles, a spider, and more. This was such a surprise and was a performance no one had ever seen before. She also teased a couple unreleased tracks on her record label, HypnoVizion.
Kayzo was also a showstopper. He maxed the speakers out with his intense set, blending punk rock/metal and EDM. His set incorporated more drum & bass than I would expect from him, but he didn’t shy away from his classic dubstep and sneaked in some nasty hardstyle. He was also accompanied by Ray Volpe, who performed only hours before, for a couple tracks.
Although I did not personally attend any Ubbi Dubbi after parties, I heard nothing but positive remarks for Adventure Club’s set. I heard it was both heavy & euphoric, and from videos, it looked like the lasers were very vibrant, especially because the set was held in a tent.
Photo: Rukes
Experience
The first night was windy & dusty and got uncomfortably cold by night time if you weren’t dressed appropriately (face mask or pash, sweatshirt, etc), but that’s April in Texas! Ravers were very grateful day two didn’t get canceled for rain/storms and they didn’t have to refund or reschedule (for Freaky Deaky), similar to previous years.
It’s nothing new for Disco Donnie festivals – the vendors were great again, especially for alcohol (Beatbox, White Claw, Monaco, and more). There were also fun rave items to shop for and there were quite a few options for Ubbi Dubbi & artist-specific merch. The DDP staff was enthusiastic and helped curate an enlightening environment, as always.
Lines moved fairly fast and getting in/out of the festival grounds was very effective. Everything was well spread out without being too far from one point to another. There were many ravers returning to Ubbi Dubbi, but there were also some newbies. Everyone was welcomed and the excitement reciprocated from one person to the next. Friends were met and memories were made. Ubbi Dubbi 2023 was a success! View photos from the amazing weekend here.
