Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Bass Rising @ Gothic Theatre in Englewood, Colorado (Review) [4/28/18]


Review By: jdrightright

Photography By: Emma Ceaglske


For the final Saturday in April the Denver dubsteppers went ham at The Gothic Theatre. An annual bash known as Bass Rising from Rebudz and Reload Productions stacked up a monster line up for the people. There were six artists that came through: Synoid, Hi Im Ghost, Chime, Hekler, Infekt, and Midnight Tyrannosaurus headlined the show. This was a perfect blend of premium wub and everyone loved it.


Previously Rebudz and Reload Productions had not held an event at the Gothic Theatre, this was a night of many firsts. A number of the artists had never played in Denver before either. Nexus Productions brought their brand new HD-LED panel walls and boy were the crispy! The visuals were top notch for this event with a big wall behind the booth with a slight concave curve. In front of the booth was a smaller panel wall with a slight convex curve creating an aesthetic effect. Surreal Laser also brought a pair of laser boxes to add even more to the optical splendor. The stage looked absolutely beautiful and the skilled technicians did an awesome job matching up with the music.







First up was Synoid, a fine dubstep producer out of Florida. In the future he may end up here in the bass capital, he was telling me he would like to move out here to Colorado. He got the place pumped up with immediate vibes. The lower tier of the venue was full right away and they were ready to get down to some Synoid bass. His style is full of wubs, and he got the people involved chanting to the beat "Hey! Hey! Hey!" Towards the end of his set Synoid went down into the crowd and entered the mosh pit himself. He went super hard to close out an excellent opening set.

Next up was a duo called Hi I'm Ghost, made up of Nathan Davis and Tiago Nunez. Nathan is the son of the Korn front man Jonathan Davis, and Tiago was formerly producing under the name iNexus. They always keep it spooky together and put on a hell of a show. They got into some classic Skrillex stuff with this set and went full flex on the crowd like a rude boi should. When one of them was hyping up the crowd the other would keep the decks kicking out drops. Lots of energy on the microphone, and they orchestrated some solid mosh pits. Towards the end of the set Hi I'm Ghost got the laser treatment as Surreal Laser fired up the beams.


The room really got shaking as Hekler took the stage. He is a bit mysterious and was a new artist for many to see live and he showed out. Now the graphics and lasers were going strong, the stage productions was A+ rated by the better bass bureau. Hekler has a ton of big tour dates right now, he is playing at festivals and all over the country in venues of all sizes. His set was so wobbly, he went deep down low and all over the place with bass. Dirty dubstep was a theme as he weaved together a superb set, I remember hearing some Flux Pavilion remixes and other intense drops. I always enjoy seeing an artist for the first time and this was a pleasure to rock out with Hekler.


A very exciting Denver debut performance was up next with Chime taking control of the sound waves. This was highly anticipated by many in the bass fam, and Chime brought a super fire flower to enable him to throw fireballs. I love his nintendo style, mixing some chiptune sounds with intense dubstep drops. A special guest was in the building, none other than Stabby from the Never Say Die Black Label. Stabby was here to help promote a new track that he and Chime worked on together, and to headbang of course. This new track is now out on Buygore and is called Permadeath. Chime also just recently put out a brilliant EP called Experience Points which I have had on repeat ever since it dropped. Chime was very animated on stage bouncing around and the people followed suit. He would punch the air to the melody on his drops. His progression was infectious, I didn't miss a moment of his time on stage. The music forced you to dance along it was so intoxicating.


Getting back to that riddimy hard dubstep the room adjusted their undies for an epic set from Infekt. He went one deeper than anyone prior and Infekt completely rekt the room, in a good way. He was putting down some of the most grimey raunchy bass music and all of my squad was freaking out. Mosh pits throughout the set and it was awesome to see that in a venue that doesn't mind it happening. Also some dedicated strong necked individuals flung their hair all over the place to Infekt's mix. The speakers were blaring out bass right until the end of his hour.


Right away the people noticed when Midnight Tyrannosaurus took the stage, and everyone started screaming. Dude is definitely a legend in the Denver bass family, and he always comes through with a prehistorical dope set. Recently Jason moved out to Colorado, so we should be seeing him even more which is awesome! The Gothic Theatre is a perfect venue for his electrifying bass productions. Sicko mosh pits were continuous for Midnight Tyrannosaurus, he kept it hype and went hard at the same time. I love watching him react to the drops on stage, he deals out bass playing cards at the crowd like a dubstep Gambit from X-Men. As always his energy is out of the atmosphere, constantly moving a dancing around in the booth. Towards the end he brought Synoid back out and gave him props on a killer set, also acknowledging all the others who threw down at Bass Rising too. To close out the night he went into some Dubloadz and other extra strength drops.


What a night at the Gothic Theatre, tons of firsts and all of the coolest people were in the house for this stupendous line up. Bass Rising has never been this massive, and it's going to be tough to top it next year. I have every confidence in the world that Rebudz and Reload Productions will always one up themselves with bigger and bigger shows as they have for years. Shout out to Nexus Productions and Surreal Laser again for providing a top notch stage production. Also big thanks to Emma Ceaglske from Eyediola Photography for her lucid images from the night. Next up is the Never Say Die Black Label showcase on June 9th at Summit Music Hall, follow the link for the line-up and tickets. I hope to see you all there. 

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

The Breakout Tour @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver Colorado (Review) [2/8/18]


Review By: Maddi Shea

Photos By: Emma Ceaglske


Denver proved once again to be the blessed Bass Capital after another Rebudz and Reload Productions show hit Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom last week. On Thursday, the official 2018 Breakout Tour with Bandlez and Xaebor headlining was a heavy hitter and heated up the entire ballroom when freezing cold temperatures blew winds outside. Any lover of naughty bass music in Denver was at this show, some of the people in the crowd have been following Xaebor on his Soundcloud profile for six years or longer and were happy to see him come to Denver again and start to blow up as an artist. The first time Xaebor came to town was a show at The Black Box on October 24. Denver was lucky enough to catch the unmistakable duo Bandlez as they headline the tour, which started in January in Illinois and the Midwest before hitting Dallas, San Fransisco, and more. A stacked tour with very selective cities, you know Rebudz and Reload had to throw down again.


  
Opening up for the headliners were some of the freshest locals in Colorado, starting with a set to warm up the night from NJoy, followed by an abrasive riddim-dubstep set from the twin duo BloodHound. None other than Denver’s own T.O.C. (Totally Outta Control) opened up for Xaebor with a heavyweight bass set filled with low, hard basslines and some smooth-as-butter transitions into some of the heavy dubstep tunes to know and love.







The energy became increasingly more and more noticeable in the room as the sets continued and the entire room was moving around at this point. The crowd was also growing and moving closer into the stage by now, the people at the front of the stage moving closer and closer in, because things were about to get real heavy.


The next set by none other than San Diego native and one of the youngest members of BUYGORE Records and NSD Black Label, Xaebor. The set combined gritty elements of rap and hip-hop beats with chops of just the most insane sound design of riddim and dubstep drops you’ve ever heard. The set moved smoothly into each transition and was overall such a nice production from such a young artist, Xaebor is definitely on the come on and not one to miss next time he rolls through Denver if you like heavy beats. The stage production itself was minimal, but sometimes, in my opinion, the music speaks for itself. The entire room was bouncing and headbanging to these insane sounds. It was definitely an awesome place to be last Friday, and the performances from every artist up to this point were really structured to sound like the perfect night of some heavy-flowing bass. Each set seemed to really move smoothly from artist to artist and Xaebor really threw it down as the co-headliner of the show with some insane production skills.

The duo Bandlez closed the show, last but of course, not least. They are some of the funniest guys out there, they call themselves “DiDi" and "ViVi” and are from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They release music on an independent record label, and nothing stops them from being themselves and creating some fire dubstep and trap tunes in the process. A recent release through TWONK and a never-ending list of remixes from some of the biggest artists in electronic music (Herobust and Monxx, Getter, and Tisoki, to name a few) have Bandlez circulating the web and Soundcloud universe with their unique sound to dance to for hours. The night ended with the crowd dancing and headbanging until they couldn’t move their necks anymore. It was a stout night of dubstep for sure, at an awesome venue, Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, which won’t be forgotten for years to come. 


Until the next time, Denver will eagerly wait for the comeback of Xaebor and Bandlez. Shout out to Emma Ceaglske of Eyediola Photography for her acclaimed images of the night. Also be sure to keep up on upcoming hard bass shows by following both Rebudz and Reload Productions as well as Q-vents on social media. If you want to relive the sets yourself, be sure to check the awesome artists who played this show out on their Soundcloud feeds below and give them a follow.




Sunday, December 31, 2017

Bass Storm @ Summit Music Hall in Denver, CO (12/23/17) [Review]

Review By: jdrightright

Photography By: Emma Ceaglske


Twas the Saturday before Christmas and all through Denver, a Bass Storm was brewing, and the whole fam was lit. A new installment in the branded shows from Rebudz and Reload Productions. This was the first annual Bass Storm held at the Summit Music Hall in Denver. The line up was loaded with seven heavy armor piercing bass snipers. Headlining were Kai Wachi, and Phiso, with a number of producers from the Savage Society; Definitive, Bloodthinnerz, and Blankface, this along with the perfect opener Shank Aaron. Unfortunately Aweminus was not able to make it to Denver for the show, but his fellow label mates made up for his absence well with a raunchy set. This was the first real snowy night for the Denver metro area, and the people took longer than usual to make it out, but in the end the place was packed. Had it not been snowing outside, and very cold, there would have been a huge line at the door before doors opened like all other Rebudz and Reload shows. It was fitting with the flyer and title of this new gathering being Bass Storm that there was a bit of a snow storm in Denver. The room gradually filled up as the people all carefully made their way to Summit for a hell of a show.

The stage was equipped with a beautiful display of lights, lasers and LED walls. One large LED panel wall was installed behind the booth, and two lasers were positioned at the front feet of the DJ booth. The graphics were warping and shifting to the music wonderfully. The two full color lasers zapped upwards from a low stage position making a nice field up into the balcony section of the room. This was my first time eating at the Summit Music Hall and they had great NY style slices. Oh course I managed to get it on jeans, but no one noticed. The Summit Music Hall is becoming a new mainstay for these electronic throw-downs in Denver.

Starting of the night was a friend of mine and Denver darling, Shank Aaron. He was a brilliant opener for this show, fitting in well with the musical talents that would follow him. Shank Aaron has been busy with a lot of big tracks dropped in 2017, including a special Disciple Round Table release What It Is with his good homie Dirt Monkey. He went hard and tight right off the bat, satisfying both sexes who endured the weather and made it out on time. It was so lit even a blow up doll with big titties was headbanging in the front row! Shank Aaron dropped some killer tunes including a remix of Excision and Datsik's Swagger. He even had a transition from Green Day into some thumping riddim. Shank Aaron is one of the supreme producers that we are beholden to get to see often here in the bass capital.

Next was a big chunk of time dedicated to the guys repping Savage Society Records. Three substantial names from the squad went b2b2b for almost 3 hours of straight fire. Starting out was BloodThinnerz with a fitting Savage Society opening sequence, and then started a game of tag as Blankface, and Definitive would pop on the decks and mix things up. They got into a bunch of tracks and even a dubstep remix of Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like Its Hot. The Savages shouted out a ton of big names as they blended in music from their favorites. Excellent job of building up to wobbly drops, and they all worked very well together in the b2b2b format. You could see the wheels turning in the heads of the upcoming tag, each of the guys would continue to one up each other with the next track and it got pretty intense. Closer to the end of the set each of the guys spun an ill drum and bass song and the people reacted just as expected, hyphy! It was really cool to see BloodThinnerz, Blankface, and Definitive all incorporate their flow together for a massive b2b2b set.

It was a big task to go even harder, but Phiso was ready with bass cannons. He came out and said, "Ay! I'm Phiso. Yo!" He got it going with a hard dubby mix of GTA's Red Lips and that was litty. Phiso got the room filled up and ready to mosh the emotions out. Phiso is good with his timing, he always knew when it was necessary to spin the decks back and restart the build for dramatic effect. Then he would bring overwhelming bass at the drop, always strong hitting dub. The crowd was very active during Phiso's set just as he orchestrated. Phiso went proper hard for his outro, and this lead nicely into the final performer, Kai Wachi.

Last on stage closing out the first annual Bass Storm with a blizzard of low frequencies was Kai Wachi. He opened his set with his track Demons and the people wailed out at the drop, "I got demons in my head bitch!" For the most part during his set the room was lit up by only lasers and graphics, making a sicko visual aesthetic. He was a dark figure masterminding the decks with a scintillating flavors of riddim, dubstep, and more. Kai Wachi would come out in front of the booth a dance with the people in the laser beams. Definitely made the room dance to his music with a naughty string of songs. He went on the mic and said, "Yo, if you feeling this shit I need you to make some fucking noise!" Accordingly the public screamed for more. Kai Wachi got into some brand new beats and let everyone know when it was a fresh bass line coming. Back on the mic again Kai Wachi let the people know, "This shit here is for the headbangers." He never let up for his whole hour on stage, it was breathtaking right until the end.


What a night, despite the snow Denver showed up ready to get moving. The first ever Bass Storm made an impression on the souls of the bass fam, and they won't soon forget it. Summit Music Hall has not seen the last of these compelling displays of electronic dominance. It has only just begun, and I'm sure if Bass Storm becomes an annual show even more hype will come in the future. Much love for Emma Ceaglske from Eyediola Photography for again catching the best moments of the night in crispy images. Make sure to follow both Rebudz and Reload Productions on all social outlets in order to stay on top of show announcements and contests for tickets. Shouts to all my friends who made this such a fun night, you know who you are.


Monday, December 4, 2017

Monxx and Synoid @ Cervantes Other Side in Denver, Colorado (11/25/17) [Review]


Review By: 
jdrightright

Photography By: 
Emma Ceaglske


Another get together went down on Saturday as Monxx came through Denver as part of his Stay Wonky Tour. Held by the deadliest duo of promoters in the city Rebudz and Reload Productions. Along for the ride was Synoid, Swayd, Bloodhound, and NJoy. Tickets were completely sold out the day before the show, and some were salty that they slept on it. Cervantes Other Side was in store for a busy night.


The young crowd always shows up super early and this was no exception. Right when doors opened a good hundred plus die hard bass enthusiasts were in the building and ready to get down. Cervantes Other Side is a nice long room with the majority of the place being a dance floor. In the back corner there is a small elevated area with a few tables for taking a break. Also they serve tasty food out of their small kitchen called "Pass The Peas." The stage was loaded up with extra lights and a set of four full color lasers. The lasers were arranged in a clever layout with two positioned high on each side of the both beaming straight out and slightly upward, the other two were sitting lower and angled more upward. It looked extravagant and this added to the aesthetic of the room. Outside in the back is an beautiful area for people to chat and get fresh air. The outdoor area is constantly being modified with more tables and seating, all of which is made from natural wood.





To get things going NJoy was spinning some flappy bass and wubs. NJoy is a Denver DJ with a growing resume, opening for a number of shows in a number of venues. He had the people moving and the stage was surrounded early as the attendees wanted to secure spots up front. NJoy threw out some shout outs to homies as he dropped their tracks in his mix. Along with NJoy was Aarbear for a special back to back section that went rather hard. The two blended some dope drum and bass into the set and got the collective hearts beating faster. Hell of an opening set for NJoy, and he is definitely someone to keep an eye on as he emerges in the Denver bass scene.


The duo Bloodhound came up next and they started with a throwback Etta James At Last. They got on the mic and said, "Shout out to all my lovers out there." Then right at the proper time transitioned into a dirty dub drop, and the people loved it. Bloodhound had the crowd yelling, "Hey, Hey, Hey" all together. Another crowd favorite was a bass remix of Lil Uzi Vert's All My Friends Are Dead. Later in the set Bloodhound brought up their friend and fellow producer Bace Ventura to add to the essence. He brought some extra wobbles and helped close out a big set for Bloodhound.


Next up was Swayd another talent representing Denver and the Sub.Mission crew. He started with a deep bass intro and kept it going throughout his time on stage. Swayd goes rather hard and the people responded by headbanging to the drops. Mad visuals were displayed in the form of lights and lasers and this added to the impressive mix Swayd was stirring up. The crowd was poppin off and Swayd was fueled by the impressive energy in the room. During the end of his time Swayd dropped this killer Sadhu remix of Aqua's Barbie Girl and it was a big hit with the audience.


To start his set Synoid got everyone attention with some Skillex Kill Everybody. He then shifted into the most riddimy riddim. Synoid brought a ton of very wavey basslines to the table and the overall reaction was to go ham. The theme for his set was sinister drops, a lot of minor chords and eerie sounds bounced around the room. Synoid brings his finger guns everywhere he goes and he isn't afraid to fire them off. He also has a way with mad scientist hands, as if to say, "It's Alive!" Tons of bass yawns of yuh and yai came out of the speakers, which is always an audible delight. During the closing of his set Synoid went back into some Skrillex dropping Cinema, but then fused in some Must Die! For his outro he went off changing up the drop about every 37 seconds, just enough time to cue up the next track.


Headlining the night was Monxx, and he appropriately named his tour the Stay Wonky Tour, because that's exactly what he achieved. He got started with a dope into with shout outs to the bass master Datsik. The bass was so abundant it was shaking the foundation of the building. The congregation was very active and Monxx had the whole place screaming. He played Excision's G Shit and the whole place screamed "All I drop is G Shit!" Monxx went full tilt  with filthy dub and zerps and everyone stayed until the very end of the night. To close out his hour Monxx came out to the front of the stage and signed anything the public asked for him to sign. He even played an extra track just to have some background music to finish up signing merch for everyone. Lots of people left with marvelous keepsakes now enhanced by the autograph of Monxx.




This was an enjoyable night and we can thank the best promoters in the city for that Rebudz and Reload Productions. The Other Side of Cervantes hasn't been this hype for a show in a while, it was magnificent to be a part of. Got to show love to my friend and exquisite photographer Emma Ceaglske from Eyediola Photography for acquiring stunning images of the night. Make sure to keep on the up and up with both Rebudz and Reload Productions for show announcements and contests for forthcoming concerts by following both on all social media. They always have something up their wizard sleeves and I can't wait to see what is in store for the future.



Thursday, November 16, 2017

Bass Control @ Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado (Review) [11/11/17]



 
Review By: jdrightright

Photos By : Stetsen Colt Mathias


Saturday night was full of astounding performances by a group of elite producers representing the Disciple record label. This was the annual Bass Control show held by Rebudz and Reload Productions. This year the venue was Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado. There was a line out the door around the block and almost all the way to Market street before doors opened at 8pm. Everyone came to get rowdy and no one was let down, the place was thumping all night.


The Summit Music Hall is a dope venue with a lot of room to dubstep and a nice open concept, as Randy Marsh would say. There is a small kitchen with pizza and other food for the patrons to purchase during shows. The balcony provides an excellent view of the entire stage from nearly all vantage points. Summit has a powerful sound system which is fine tuned to the specific performances for any kind of music from punk rock to electronic.





The stage production was fairly simple for this show but rather effective. There was one large LED panel wall behind the DJ booth displaying an array of clever visuals. Along with the stage lights were 2 full color lasers installed below the DJ booth in the front and angled upward to hit the gap between the balcony and the main dance floor. This created a nice river of beams above those on the main floor and below the balcony. Much of the night was illuminated by the Disciple label icons, and the logos of the individual performers. One addition to the stage production was a group of go-go dancers, all fashioned in black gear. The girls kept the people on point and danced well to the music for certain segments of the show.


The first producer on stage was Myro and he got it started with an OG set. He got into some classic wobbles, with songs from Circus Records like Doctor P's Big Boss, Roksonix's Music In Me, and some Flux Pavilion too. He ramped up the intensity through out his set and he did a great job to open the night. Myro was a new one for me to see live, but I am pretty sure he will be around for a while with his killer style. Before you knew it a change was being made and Myro did a good job introducing his friend and label mate Dodge & Fuski.















I'm definitely always stoked to see Dodge & Fuski, now just a one man band, but he has built a brand and the name remains the same. Right away when he got on stage he asked Myro, "Have you played this song yet?" When Myro told him he had not played it Dodge goes, "Okay, good. Let's fucking do this!" Dodge & Fuski got into some of his fire tracks like Yeti and Big Riddim Martian and accordingly everyone yelled "Yo Dodge!" Lot of headbangers in the front row did their best to keep pace with the beat by flinging their hair synchronized to the drop, it was fun to watch.


Next a new artist off my bucket list was Oolacile. He has been coming on strong lately for Disciple with a ton of releases and collaborations. He started with a custom introduction made for his set, and the people perked up as he got to the drop. Oolacile goes hard af, lots of people were wide mouthed yelling and screaming to the bass. His set could be described as a riddim video game, but he really has a unique flow to his set. Disciple is adding amazing talent to their squad all the time example, Oolacile.


Probably my favorite producer right now was the next in line to awe the people. That being Virtual Riot, a young guy with immense production talent. He's only 23 years old but he already has 7 years in the game and he has continued to stay on the cutting edge the whole time! Virtual Riot is very versatile with his live sets, I have seen him about 5 times now live and he always comes with the freshest music in multiple sub-genres. He got into some bass house dropping a raunchy Chicken Soup remix, and Joyryde's Hari Kari along with a bunch of sneaky underground bangers. I try to make a point to see Virtual Riot every chance I get, and now that he has been touring the US he has been coming to the Bass Capital a lot.


Next up on stage was Barely Alive, another bass slayer. We are so spoiled with good music in Denver and Barely Alive comes to town every few months. He always brings a very crispy set with a ton of new music to share. Barely Alive had one section where he started with Van Halen's Jump and then, just at the right point, he switched up into the illest dubstep drop. He is great at change up drops and sneaky blends during his live performances. For this show Barely Alive was not rocking his angry eyes TV helmet, just all natural bass face. He has no reason to be shy, we all adore him here in Denver.


Closing out the night was crowd favorite and audible mad scientist Dubloadz. He came out and immediately asked, "You guys want to hear a brand new one I made with Datsik!?" We all screamed yes. He then said, "You are the first fucking people ever to hear this live!" Got to love that, and my god was this some heavy stuff. Dubloadz proceeded to crush out a very wonky set with nice chunky bass drops. He did a bunch of good video game sounding beats, one was straight up Sonic the Hedgehog theme. Dubloadz seems to always have a great time hanging in Denver for shows. Towards the end of his set he got back on the mic and said, "I fucking love Denver. Let's get really dubsteppy for these last ten minutes." We all agreed, and one last burst of energy went through the crowd. Dubloadz had a very deep outro with some stretchy bass and then he slowed it all the way down and out.




This was a very successful night for Rebudz and Reload Productions. Once again coming through with some of the heaviest hitters in electronic music. The bass fam was famished after a long night of dub steppin. Summit Music Hall was a perfect place to get together and break necks with friends. Coming up soon is another one for Rebudz and Reload productions as they have Monxx and Synoid at Cervantes Other Side on November 25th check the link for tickets. Big ups to my homie and splendid photographer Stetsen Colt Mathias for his dazzling images of the night. Thanks for all the vibes everyone, see you next time.



Friday, August 11, 2017

Bass Works @ Cervantes in Denver, Colorado (Review) [8/5/17]


Review By: jdrightright

Photography By: Emma Ceaglske


Last Saturday was absolutely nuts for the annual Bass Works show at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side. Rebudz and Reload Productions went extra large for this show taking over the entire venue for the first time. Even the back patio area was bumping with live mixes on a third stage. Shortly after the show started it became apparent that a sell out was emanate. In the nine o'clock hour the final tickets were sold and Bass Works was officially sold out. The lineup included a huge display of talented producers: Eptic, PhaseOne, Far Too Loud, Midnight Tyrannosaurus, Ray Volpe, Stabby, Fury, Efemel, Tyro, Duplikit, Mport, Lynch, Aarbear, and Baaker. Crystalize was originally booked for the show also, but he had issues with his connecting flight being canceled and couldn't make it out unfortunately. We will most likely see a Rebudz or Reload Productions show in the near future with Crystalize on the docket. This night was one for the record books and possibly the busiest night for bass music ever at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side.


There were three different areas to hangout for Bass Works, the Masterpiece Ballroom, the Other Side, and the back patio. All three spots had custom stage setups with the three L's - Lights, Lasers, and LEDs. The biggest room is the Masterpiece Ballroom and accordingly that was the most intricate stage setup. Two large LED panel walls one in front of the booth and one behind the booth provided trippy graphics to go with the music. Also two full spectrum lasers were installed on each side of the DJ zapping a river of light over the crowd. The lighting rig was arranged with the main pillars on an angle covered in special stage lights that would pivot and turn to create a plethora of beams to illuminate the performer. On the Other Side similar lighting arrangements were made and a single full spectrum laser was installed at the top and center of the lighting pillars. Outside in the patio is an awesome covered wooden stage that takes up the far corner of the section. More aesthetically pleasing wooden structures are being added to the patio all the time, new to me was a sound control booth area with a small storage room. Cervantes is an excellent place to be, it remains my favorite place to see a show downtown.

Starting of the night in the Masterpiece Ballroom was Mport a local DJ representing Denver. He was accompanied by a good two to three hundred die hard bass advocates that got in right when doors opened at seven o'clock. He got into some trap with fast snares and deep kicks, and also blended in some dubstep and more. The crowd was juiced and when Mport threw down a drop they liked, everyone screamed out with happiness.

The homie Tyro was next in the Masterpiece Ballroom, and he is always good for a fresh dubstep set. It was still early in the night but the crowd was already headbanging so hard! Tyro was representing a ill Damascus black on black Muse tee. Lots of crowd reaction during Tyro's time on stage as he mixed a masterful brew of music. He has been starting a trend among the Denver bass crew where they sing along to the drop by yelling out the melody of the womps. This happened a couple times during Tyro's set and it was awesome. Towards the end he gave a big shout out to Boogie T and dropped some of his wobbly dub.

Back over on the Other Side was a special first time performance for a new name in the scene Duplikit. The duo consists of Nate Ramirez (formerly Finesse) and Justin Cotrell. Together these two are making quick moves with their first release coming out soon, a song called "Frozen Heart" on UltraG Recordings. Duplikit went super hard on the Other Side foreboding what was to come throughout the entire night. It was really cool to see the start of something brand new right before my eyes.

After Duplikit another Denver dubsteppa took over on the decks, his name is Aarbear. He is all over the game with a huge knowledge for new electronic music, and it shows with his extensive collection of drops that he layed on the people. Aarbear went into a lot of wompy bass, lots of big sound waves bounced invisibly around the Other Side activating ear drums. You could say he is a dope dub selecta, he does a great job concocting multiple beats for maximum bass.

Over in the Masterpiece Ballroom another first was taking place as Stabby was making his Denver debut. He starting his set by saying, "This is my first time in Denver, so I want to see you go harder than ever!" Stabby got started with a long melodic build and then at the apex he pulled out the bass knives. He has a sinister sound that reminds me of Catstlevania, and he sort of looks like a vampire hunter. Dude has super long hair and you always know when to head bang because you will see him partaking. Stabby was superb live, I was enamored by his mix and so were the people. At the end of his time Stabby let us know that he loves Denver and we certainly love him too.

Outside on the patio stage BAAKER was laying down a thumping bass house set to change up the pace a bit from the stages inside. He jammed out the Habstrakt and Skillex song "Chicken Soup" and a number of other slammin house beats. BAAKER had a squad outside with cute girls shuffling to the music. He did a really good job kicking out the funky beats for the people to enjoy on the patio.

Now Ray Volpe was crushing the system in the Masterpiece Ballroom. His sound was very strong and the speakers were accommodating to his flavor. During Ray Volpe's set the stage production amped up a bit with lasers shooting out over the crowd and face melting graphics. Karate chops of bass were being thrown at the crowd and they were reacting to every change. Slow head bobs for a section of riddim and then switch ups in and out of different levels of dub. Ray Volpe had the whole room screaming, "All my friends are dead" and then jumped right back to the meanest bass drops.

The Other Side in the meantime was being transformed into a jungle as Fury put those drum and bass bangers through the air. He was accompanied by his favorite MC Dino for some of the set adding an extra live element to the excellent music. Fury kept it fast paced for the most part but at times he reduces the tempo for those who have to have their dubstep fix. Fury is always a pleasure to rock out with, he is such a pro, doing whatever he can to increase the good vibes for every concert he is a part of.

Up after Fury was Croxz on the Other Side stage. He got into some deep and stretchy bass lines with a lot of excitement. He would also stick to the theme of the night dropping some hard screaming dubstep. For parts of his set Croxz fused in some trap jams as well. It was a tough slot having a Denver crowd favorite Midnight Tyrannosaurus right next door.

Jason Figlioli aka Midnight Tyrannosaurus has been coming to through for a few years now, I first met him at a Rebudz show back in 2013 when he played at Cervantes with Roksonix, Brown and Gammon, Jantsen, and Tyro. He is a really funny guy its enjoyable to converse with him about anything. He was telling me about how stoked he is for a future Carnage film that is coming out soon. No, not the DJ Carnage, but the marvel super villain. Midnight T is more extreme than mountain dew in Denver! I appreciated every minute of his mix it was perfectly on point. He has amazing energy on stage, while backstage he is super mellow and relaxed. When he takes the decks he gets right in your face finger guns, and he has a fast trigger finger firing many sound bullets though out the room. Midnight Tyrannosaurus is very tricky on the tables with a lot of sneaky drops, keeping it unpredictable and spontaneous.

As the midnight hour got closer many decided to head over to the Other Side for PhaseOne. So many in fact that there was virtually a stampede in between the two rooms! I got caught up in this and for a few minutes I couldn't move, I had to retreat up the stairs to make it into the Masterpiece Ballroom. PhaseOne was in rare form and the audience knew it, this was the rowdiest the Other Side has ever been for a show. It was overwhelming to see how much support PhaseOne has in the bass capital. PhaseOne had the crowd in the palms of his hands. He absolutely stole the show and set a new standard for how much hype can be achieved on The Other Side of Cervantes. In Mortal Kombat terms he had a flawless victory and a fatality.

While most of the attendees were over on the Other Side a lot of room opened up to dance to another huge name in electronic music, Far Too Loud. He had to run the CDJs with only one hand because his right arm was in a sling with a broken collar bone. Look Ma one hand! Far Too Loud loves the fluttery, yawning bass which he incorporated into most of his set. He put together some truly unique weirdo double drops that were very enjoyable. To close out his session he sped things up with a bit of drum and bass. Far Too Loud may not have had the biggest fam representing in the Masterpiece Ballroom, but he did put down the most radical compound of music that night.

The closer on the Other Side was taken by Efemel, he too brings a variety of styles to the tables. He has a library of trap, drum and bass, dubstep, and just about everything in between. Efemel represents Houston, Texas where dubstep is a precious commodity. He definitely knows how to bring it to the people. He fit in well with this lineup and even though he was over shadowed by Eptic he kept the party alive on the Other Side until closing time.

A similar rush hit the door after PhaseOne as a large portion of the crowd wanted to close out the night with Eptic. All custom graphics were used for Eptic's set, and as I have mentioned before he creates his own cartoon graphics to accompany his music. He always has a mischievous smirk on his face when performing. Eptic represents with a huge arsenal of Never Say Die remixes and mash ups, he is starting to get on that top notch level of mixing like his boss SKisM. The transitions are impeccable and inventive, one I remember in particular he went from "Face Down Ass Up" into "I Can't Stop." There were a number of times where you could hear the audience feel the flow almost like a firework show with audible owwws and ahhhs. You can tell Eptic is having a great time in the bright lights as he goofs around with the photographers shooting him and the crowd. He was super generous and threw a bunch of his dope merchandise into the crowd for the people to wear proudly. I have been able to see about five performances by Eptic now and each time he takes it to another level.


Man was this a loaded night! The first ever dual venue show for Rebudz and Reload Productions and they sold it out. I can't wait to see what is next for their future shows. Much love for Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side maintaining their spot as illest venue downtown in Denver. Special thanks to Emma Ceaglske with Eyediola Photography for again capturing memories of the night forever in her beautiful images. Make sure to be on top of all upcoming shows thrown by Rebudz and Reload Productions by following them both on all social media outlets. As the hype grows the quicker these shows will sell out and you don't want to miss it.