Arizona was one of the biggest benefactors of the mining rush way back in the mid-1800’s and now 200 years later we are about to have another gold rush, but this time, it is courtesy of Relentless Beats. About a month ago, Relentless Beats announced that they would be putting on a music festival, unlike anything we have ever seen.

While many people believed it was all hype, the phase one lineup quickly erased any doubts that Goldrush will be less than insane. The lineup boasts some of the biggest names in music such as Marshmello, Migos, Dillon Francis and RL Grime and Rawhide is a trusted venue for all of EDM’s large scale productions in Arizona.

I got a chance to interview Thomas Turner, the mastermind behind Relentless Beats, and talk to him about Goldrush and what he has planned for the future of Arizona EDM. Now, my first impression when they announced the name, Goldrush, was a slow appreciation of its historical roots.

As many people know, Arizona was home to many miners during the 1800’s during and after the South West gold rush, and it just so happens, Arizona’s most famous EDM venue is a western themed town. Rawhide during the day is a detailed Westworld style theme park with less murderous robots and more live shows and western entertainment.

Thomas Turner said he knew this concept of blending the Goldrush Music Festival name and Rawhide Western Town would work because of, “the authenticity of 1880's western town at Rawhide. It’s quite literally like being transported back in time to another era, but while surrounded by modern comforts and entertainment.”

Some of you, like myself, might be wondering how this will compare to Phoenix Lights in terms of scale, production and the overall vibe. The stage designs were pretty amazing at Phoenix Lights but Thomas Turner assured me that, “the stage designs will fit the overall vibe of the festival and we are really stepping up our creative efforts for this,” but also that, “Gold Rush, while similar in scale to Phoenix Lights, is a much different experience”.

So far, I am very impressed with the lineup of Goldrush as Thomas Turner and his team over at Relentless Beats have mixed Rap and Hip Hop into the EDM heavy norm. Relentless Beats has been a huge entertainment company in the EDM scene for awhile now so it would make sense to branch out into multiple genres and bring them together into one festival.

I asked Thomas Turner what his plans were for the future of Goldrush and of course, he said, “The future of Gold Rush will include camping, more days, & more stages with more musical genres.” The most important aspect that I look forward to in that sentence is the promise that Goldrush could indeed turn into a full fledged music (emphasis on music) festival, boasting many different genres that fit everyone’s musical taste and preferences. It would prove that the Relentless team has grown into their experiences and is capable of putting on events that could rival Insomniac some day.

Relentless has teamed up with Universatile Music to put on Goldrush which is promising considering that they worked together on last year’s Mad Decent Block Party. Goldrush will definitely need a special creative touch to properly incorporate all the aspects that Thomas Turner has in his vision. While Rawhide is a Western Town, it will still take an artistic mind to tie together all of the vibes to the venue. The Relentless Team is no newcomer to Rawhide which is why I have faith that Goldrush will be a must go festival this year.