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.

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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.

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Bass Station @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom (3/12/16) [Review]

Review By: jdrightright

Photography By: Emma Ceaglske




Saturday was another huge show put on by two of the best promotion companies in Denver, Rebudz and Reload Productions. The line-up had a little something for everybody with Aarbear, Detrace, SQUNTO, Crissy Cris, LAXX, and Eptic all on the docket. The show of course sold out, and for those who didn't have a ticket I feel bad you missed out on such a superb night.



First up was a local Colorado producer Aaron Jackson aka Aarbear, he was the winner of the DJ contest to open the show. He was met with a quickly growing crowd as the people rapidly filled the Masterpiece Ballroom. Aarbear represents Fort Collins with a hard dubstep/trap style. He did a great job getting the place warmed up.

The next producer Detrace is an awesome talent also out of Colorado and representing Denver. He caught my attention recently with a bunch of dope releases on Kill The Copyright. Detrace has collaborated with a bunch of up and coming producers too and with each new song he advances the game a little bit. I am a big fan of Detrace music, he uses a lot of my favorite video game sounds in his productions. Also Detrace is rather versatile with a wide range of electronic genres covered. Keep an eye on this guy he is going to blow up soon, mark my words.


SQUNTO the bass dragon got up on stage and immediately started breathing fire bass. He is an east coast producer coming out of Holliston, Massachusetts. SQUNTO is quite elite when compared to a lot of producers in how he prepares for a live set. I was able to talk with him a bit and he was explaining to me how he blends up to eight tracks for a single drop when he performs live! SQUNTO threw down such a naughty set, completely unpredictable, and extra mean bass pumped into the people's hearts.

The next set was a bit of a switch up with Crissy Criss and his sick jungle beats. I always enjoy having a nice variety of artists in a single show and for the most part the crowd did too. Crissy Criss had a few trick drops up his sleeve, transitioning sometimes into Drumstep and Dubstep to keep the people on point. Drum and bass is such high energy music and it always gets me bopping around the room. This was the first time I have seen Crissy Criss and I thought he layed it down like a boss.

The Never Say Die boys would close out the night starting with LAXX. He has been on top of the scene lately with a bunch of bangers and collaborations with everybody in the industry. LAXX has a hybrid style he goes in between trap, dubstep, and genres not even invented yet. He definitely has killer production skills, and he is also very good on the decks live. I have had the pleasure of hanging out with LAXX in the past and he is a very humble guy, focused on the task at hand; making the people bounce.


Eptic was the finale for this intense line-up at Bass Station and he mixed a brilliant set. It started off with a special fake-out drop that went right into my favorite song, "Spellbound" from his Immortal EP. You could hear everyone yell "I don't give a fuck" as that part of the track played. I love the music Eptic puts out into the world, it's very unique and his sounds are so crisp and clear. Eptic is also a graphic designer, and every monster or alien sort of image that he posts along with each song he created himself. He has been designing graphics of his own to accompany his live sets on the LED boards as well. Eptic is infinitely inventive and I can't wait to see what he has in store for his next release.

Bass Station was an amazing time, and lots of feels were shared with the bass fam. Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom has a mystical way of bringing people together united in bass. Big thanks to Eyediola Photography for providing these excellent concert photos. Coming soon Rebudz and Reload Productions are announcing another show called Bass Rising set for May 7th, again at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom. Stay tuned for more details, and this time get a ticket right away because you know it's gonna be a sell out. 

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