The First Annual Body Language Music Festival brought house and techno fans from far and wide to experience jaw-dropping sets all weekend long. The festival, held March 4-6, 2022, in Tempe, Arizona, served as a fresh, new experience for the Arizona music scene and house and techno festivals alike.
Here’s a breakdown of Body Language’s highlights.
The Grounds
Body Language Music Festival was hosted in Downtown Tempe, Arizona. The festival had a fun, block party feel to it. All of the stages were very close together. There were two main stages, The Labyrinth and The Mirage. The Labyrinth was located on South Maple Ave facing South. The Mirage was on 5th Street facing West.
Local music venue Sunbar was between the two stages, featuring a locals stage upstairs. Sunbar’s patio provided a nice getaway for festival-goers to relax between sets. Sunbar also served local Arizona draft beer.
The festival was close to the Arizona State University Campus and Tempe Butte, also known as “A Mountain” by locals. Check out the festival’s Saturday recap below for day and night visuals of the festival grounds.
The Music
The entire weekend was filled with impressive headliners including Adam Beyer, Carl Cox, Boris Brejcha, and Kaskade (redux). Aside from the main headliners, there were several other must-see acts over the weekend such as Kyle Watson, Township Rebellion, Walker & Royce, Eats Everything, Hannah Wants, Lee Foss, Drezo, SOHMI, and ANATTA.
Overall, the lineup was excellently curated to showcase legendary acts for both house and techno genres, while some artists eloquently blended the two genres.
One of the major highlights of Body Language was Boris Brejcha’s closing performance Sunday evening. The German producer dubs his musical style “High-Tech Minimal,” entrancing fans with a flavor of electronic music entirely his own. Boris took Body Language attendees through an intense, near psychedelic closing set Sunday night that you’d expect to experience in a European club or major festival rather than the streets of an Arizona city.
Several headliners performed after-hours sets at Sunbar, including Walker & Royce who played for an additional three hours after their main slot at The Labyrinth Stage on Sunday. Walker & Royce shook the roof off Sunbar with classics such as their “Controller” remix.
The Vibes
The vibes were high all weekend long at Body Language Music Festival. This is definitely one of those festivals where you can let your freak flag fly. Attendees were all happy and bouncing to the beats, decked out in their kandi and other colorful, eclectic ravewear.
Body Language’s playful vibe was accented by performance artists and dancers who switched costumes each day of the festival. On Saturday, during the golden hour sunset, a giant multicolored parachute was brought out in front of the main stage to allow attendees to connect with their inner child.
This was a fun throwback to grade school activities.
The Takeaway
The first-ever Body Language Music festival served as a high-vibing, quality music festival for house and techno lovers. The festival grounds were convenient, the music was outstanding, and the overall vibe of the festival was playful and fun. It’s a treat to experience globally renowned house and techno music in Tempe, a college city that has put itself on the map as an electronic music destination.
Check out additional photos of the festival below.
