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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Neckbreaker Tour @ Cervantes Other Side (5/21/16) [Review]

Review By: 
jdrightright

Photography By:
Stetson Colt Mathias


The Neckbreaker Tour made a stop at Cervantes Other Side this past Saturday night. Once again Rebudz and Reload Productions came together to bring an awesome display of electronic music. The line-up included local talent Detrace, Coult45, and DJ Fury, as well as Tempest, and Habstrakt, with Dirty Phonics headlining. The moon was full, the Other Side was nearly sold out, and an energetic squad came out to rage.


The room at Cervantes Other Side is super intimate, there is no barricade in the front row so you are right up to the stage. You can basically reach out and touch the artists if you wanted to it's really cool. Rebudz brought out Surreal Laser to add some extra visuals. They had two lasers installed onto pillars on each side of the DJ booth and when the bass dropped the lasers zapped. Out back is a large smoking area with a wooden second stage structure. Early in the night out on the wooden stage, separate from the Neckbreaker Tour show inside, was a group of Christian rappers preach-styling. No one knows why.

Starting off the night was Detrace an up and coming artist representing Denver. He has direct ties to Rebudz and is a resident at Beta Nightclub. Detrace is a smart live DJ and also a very skilled producer, he got things started with some chill and melodic music and throughout his set he ramped up the hype meter slowly. I like how he puts his live sets together, he is very inventive and mixes clever transitions that blend two songs to create a whole new build up. You have to check him out if you haven't already, dude is ahead of the curve.

DJ Fury took the stage next with a special guest MC Dozha and he immediately got the collective heart-rate thumping with drum and bass music. His set also had plenty of dubstep and drumstep drops too, and MC Dozha added a bit of flavor with some freestyles on the mic. Fury always brings a massive arsenal of music, he has been around the electronic music scene for a long time. He is responsible for a lot of the amazing artists that come to Denver. Fury is a pivotal part in the Reload Productions machine, and he never disappoints. This set was extra dirty and dubby, which worked perfect to get the crowd kickin.

Next up was an impressive producer formerly from Colorado but now out in California, Danny Kim aka Tempest. I was able to chat a bit with Tempest and he's a really nice guy, always willing to talk to fans. I thought he might have gotten his DJ name from the old school Nintendo game, but he told me he had never played it. He makes deep dubstep and he put together a bangin live mix. The room started to really fill up during Tempest's set, and he got them all bouncing. Tempest did a lot of sneaky drops, where he would play the build of one song and then drop a much harder track. One drop that was exemplary united Zomboy and Flosstradamus with both drops playing at the same time. Tempest slayed the crowd and they kept coming back for more. 

Coult45 took the controls and layed down a raunchy set with a trapstep, dubstep, and drum and bass. On select Gravity Fridays Coult45 is another DJ you can find at Beta Nightclub. He got his flow started with music from the new Cookie Monsta EP, and the song "Death Wobl." Coult45 used a lot of the new music I love to create this live set, so I stayed right up front. Some of the loudest bass of the whole night came out of Coult45's mix. Lots of finger guns were shot during this set and I was one of the shooters. Coult45 closed out his set with a drum and bass segment which primed the people for Habstrakt.

A special guest headliner Habstrakt from the Never Say Die Records crew joined the Neckbreaker Tour to show Denver how a true house DJ does it. Habstrakt has been pumping out the house beats for years and he is one of the pioneers of the rather popular bass house genre blowing up right now. Habstrakt accidentally cut the music right at the beginning of his set and he said, "Alright, I just made a big mistake, great way to start the night. I've got the biggest headache since 1972!" He is a comical guy on the microphone, and full of dance moves on stage. Habstrakt likes to jump-shift around on stage to the beat, and he makes it look like so much fun to be a DJ. During his set he made a point to shout out some of the producers that created the music he was mixing, producers like Eptic, DJ Snake, and Trampa all got props. Habstrakt spun in between house, dubstep, and bass house mostly but he covered almost everything. One drop in particular cracked me up, he built up to Zomboy's "Like A Bitch" and then right at the drop switched it up to Enya "Only Time." He then yelled out, "Enya!" It was hilarious to see the reaction of the people. To close his set Habstrakt changed gears and spun into some Moombahcore. The whole set was magnetic you had to get up bop around to the beats.







Dirty Phonics was the featured act on the Neckbreaker Tour and they showed us why they are so elite. The band started out as four guys all adding a little something different to their live sets. Just last year Thomas left the band so now it's down to three Charlie, Pitchin, and Pho. For this night it was two of the three Charlie and Pitchin, and they came just as hard as when it was four guys. Charlie was hopping all over the stage and built up a sweat, he showered himself and most of the front row with bottled water throughout the mix. Pitchin mostly stayed in the booth and kept the beats going hard. This was a bit of a different set than I would have expected involving a lot of genres other than drum and bass. Charlie and Pitchin blended into some dubstep, drumstep, bass house, and even trap. They played a new song of theirs still unreleased which crushed, it was a bass house and dub hybrid. The headbangers were going off for Dirty Phonics especially the girls in the front row. There wasn't much time for an encore but the guys made the people headbang with a metal-step track to close. After their set Charlie and Pitchin stayed around and autographed items for the fans, it's such a cool gesture for artists to come out after performing to meet the people who support them.

The Neckbreaker Tour came through with a rowdy night of hard bass. Cervantes Other Side hasn't been that vivacious in a long time. Denver very well may be the Bass Capital when we show out like that. Check out more of the ill photography from Stetsen Colt Mathias, and help me thank him for his visual documentation the night. It takes a special kind of promoter to put these events together, much love goes out to Rebudz and Reload Productions for all they do. More awaits Denver bass fam, stay sharp for show announcements, there are big things ahead.

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TNERTLE with Party Pants and Skydyed @ Cervantes Other Side (Review) [11-20-15]

Review by: 
jdrightright



Friday night The Other Side of Cervantes had a special get together and record release party for TNERTLE. The line-up brought out a big squad of Denver talent including: Sassfactory, Alixir, Skydyed, and Party Pants. The Other Side was nearly sold out and the people got weird with their friends.


The festivities started off around eight and first up was Sassfactory. She would do a chill, bassy, and future type of set to open and also a tweener set between Skydyed and TNERTLE. Next up was Alixir another talented Denver DJ. Alixir did a good job mixing up some funky and dubby beats too.



Skydyed would take the stage next and they always kick out the jams. I love Skydyed because of their interesting style, they incorporate elements of jam band funk and add in electronic bass and glitches. Skydyed always comes through with a lovely sound that is very uplifting. The three guys each contribute in different ways. They have an excellent percussionist, and two guitarists who also add synthesizer and other electronic production techniques to their live show. I have been a fan of the band ever since seeing them kill at Arise Festival back in 2014. Every show they do you can tell that Skydyed gives it their all and they love to play together.

Michal Menert joins in with TNERTLE

The purpose of the party was a big celebration for TNERTLE who just released their debut album called Matamata on Super Best Records. Michal Menert was in the house Friday night too, he is the big dog at Super Best Records and he knows good talent. This was very exciting for the members of TNERTLE to finally be able to share their passion with the people. For part of the set Michal Menert would join the band for a special jam session.

TNERTLE has amazing energy on stage, they are a big band with a beautiful full sound. The musicians in the band can switch up instruments to create new flavors in their live set. For example the saxophonist had at least three different versions of the sax. She played an alto sax, a baritone sax, and another was an electronic type of sax. There were accordions used for other songs, and the guitarists had multiple axes to use for different twangs. TNERTLE played an hour and a half long set, and the whole time the crowd was mesmerized. They make awesome jammy and funky songs, and also they put their own style on other popular songs they cover. One memorable track they covered with a TNERTLE twist was an old classic from Outkast called "Spottieottiedopaliscious." This was an unforgettable set and a perfect record release showcasing the band and all their versatility.

Mikey Thunder (left) and ProJect Aspect (right) - Party Pants

Closing out the night were two of the illest producers Denver has to offer in a new collaboration band called Party Pants. The duo is a combination of Mikey Thunder and Project Aspect both from the Mile High Sound Movement. Each of them alone have a unique live show; Project Aspect adds his guitar skills to his sets, and Mikey Thunder is a scratch-ologist with his decks. This set was really cool because it allowed each of them to contribute a third element into the live mix. It started off with Mikey Thunder laying down the beat on his two digital turntables, and Project Aspect whaling out on his guitar. Then about half way through it would switch up to Project Aspect on the mix with Mikey Thunder adding samples and scratches over top. This collaboration is still very new, but the skills both guys bring forth makes it work very smoothly.


Cervantes Other Side had a fabulous feel with such good funky jams flowing Friday night. It's always a favorite spot to go see some of the best local bands, and also big names from all over the world. Congratulations to TNERTLE on their record release! Mad love vibes for everyone else who contributed to this awesome night.   

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Exmag, Krooked Drivers, Mikey Thunder and SoDown hit Cervantes' Other Side this Halloween

As we we inch closer and closer to Halloween, you will need to make sure you have two important things planned out – a costume and a place to party.

We will leave the costume up to you but, if you are still looking for plans, Lowtemp recording artist Exmag (Eric Mendelson, Mike Iannatto, Tyler Dondero) is set to throw it down this Saturday night at Cervantes' Other Side!

Exmag will be joined by Krooked Drivers, Mikey Thunder and SoDown.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Don't sleep on tickets because the last thing you want is to be shut out on Halloween!

Get your tickets here ---> http://ticketf.ly/1MwG5mC

Doors @ 8 p.m.
Show @ 9 p.m.

Event Page --->

https://www.facebook.com/events/146417032368022/

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GAUDI, Kaminada, Caulli and Digital Vagabond set to take over Cervantes' Other Side

This Saturday, Oct. 24, international dub/electronica DJ, GAUDI, will make a pit stop on his U.S. tour at Cervantes' Other Side in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

The Italian-born Daniele Gaudi is no stranger to the art of electronic music. Beginning in 1981, GAUDI has a professional music career spanning more than 30 years with experience in a wide range of genres. His work as a solo DJ is an accumulation of different styles showing that he truly is a master of his craft. 

GAUDI will be joined at Cervantes' Other Side by Kaminanda, Cualli and Digital Vagabond. Come out early and catch some sweet dubalicious tunes! 

Buy Tickets: http://ticketf.ly/1JTRGeS

Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/412542575598935/

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RE:CREATION @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side (Review) [6-7-14]

Review by: Justin D'Amico

Saturday night was one of the funnest times I've ever had at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side in Denver, CO. Euphonic Conceptions and Cervantes' put on a dual venue event dubbed Re:Creation with a huge line up. Marty Party headlined in the Masterpiece Ballroom with support from Snublock, Unlimited Gravity, and Ana Sia. The Other Side featured Late Night Radio with a special set to celebrate his new album release. The openers on The Other Side were Reed MT, Mikey Thunder, JK Soul, Artifakts, and Mux Mool. Cervantes' was bumping the whole night.

The Other Side opened up a bit early with a patio set directed by Mikey Thunder and JK Soul from 7:00-9:30. For Re:Creation the back patio area was used for a BBQ pit as well as a third stage to start the show. The patio area was busy with most of the crowd hanging out there early on in the night. The awesome wooden stage structure is now covered with a beautiful canopy. The patio is a great spot to go and converse with friends without having to scream over the music.

First up in the Masterpiece Ballroom was Snublock, a Denver dude representing an original Nintendo controller cap - my kind of guy. He got things started with what he calls his left field hip-hop and future beat music. Snublock is someone to keep an eye on, he is making some really cool new music a bunch of which is up on his official soundcloud page here.

Over on The Other Side there was another Denver native and turntable mix master, Reed MT. He makes all of his music by sampling vinyl records and he also preforms with two turntables and a mixer, the old school and highly respected way of doing things. His finished mix comes out to be a smooth hip-hop beat and with carefully timed interesting samples placed within accordingly. Following Reed MT was Artifakts a young producer hailing from Wisconsin with a chill down tempo glitch hop style. Artifakts was a perfect fit with all of the acts on The Other Side.

For the most part the majority of people were hanging out on The Other Side until one specific turning point, Unlimited Gravity taking the stage in the Masterpiece Ballroom. Unlimited Gravity completely filled the room within ten minutes, it was pretty remarkable. He was in rare form going extra hard on stage and the people couldn't help but join in and dance. The most notable part for me about Unlimited Gravity's set was how he was able to transition from glitch hop into drum and bass, two genres which are typically not mixed back to back. All of his transitions were seamless, and it was an insane set to watch and dance along to. You can stay up to date by liking and following Unlimited Gravity on his official facebook page there you can find links to his other social media outlets as well.

Ana Sia followed Unlimited Gravity switching up styles to house music, but she does it differently than many other DJs. For her set Ana Sia uses only two CDJ machines and a mixer, no laptop. She then loads music onto flash drives to create her live mix with. Ana Sia was completely killing the room with a fresh set, but for whatever reason about half way through her time she watched one of the CDJs short out and go blank! She could no longer transition between songs! This was detrimental having no back-up CDJ in the booth, and Ana Sia was forced to quit her set early. It was a bummer because Ana Sia was on point.

This led to a boost in the population of The Other Side, but not for long as Marty Party came out early. Some of the people stayed and jammed out with Mux Mool the last act before Late Night Radio. Mux Mool does mostly hip-hop and glitch-hop with a bit of funk mixed in, he was really good live. Mux Mool is not only a musician he also creates some awesome artworks, check out Mux Mool's official website to have a look at his galleries.

Late Night Radio with A.C. Lao

Late Night Radio had an exclusive set planned for Re:Creation because it was also a record release party for his new album Soap Box. Late Night Radio headlined with nearly a two hour set on The Other Side. He makes music that is full of soul with many deep layers and complex melodies blended. For the second half of Late Night Radio's set he was accompanied by live drums. The drummer was the same guy who played with Michal Menert at the Winter Warmer Festival a few months back, his name is A.C. Lao. Definitely go check out the new Late Night Radio album Soap Box if you haven't already. You can stream Soap Box on Late Night Radio's official soundcloud and you can download it here on bandcamp for whatever you would like to spend, it's a name your price download.

Marty Party took the Masterpiece Ballroom stage around 11:45 about a half hour early from what was scheduled, and he was expected to close out Cervantes'. It was going to be an extra long set  for Marty Party with very little down time being on stage alone. Luckily for him Ana Sia was itching to get back out there, even with only one CDJ available she formulated a plan to help Marty Party. Ana Sia re-took the stage, and for the last 45 minutes of the Marty Party set there was an exclusive tag team between the two! Using the one working CDJ and a mixer Ana Sia would cue up a song to blend with Marty Party's set and back and forth they went. It was a lot of fun to watch Marty Party and Ana Sia adjust and learn each others technique. They were feeding the crowd with incredible music and amazing vibes, it was all smiles through out the entire room.




This was a crazy night at both sides of Cervantes', but it all worked out in the end. It was so much fun to get to see a completely new combination of musicians on stage together. Big ups to Marty Party and Ana Sia for putting on an outstanding impromptu tag team performance. Also make sure to check out the new Late Night Radio album Soap Box that just dropped.

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Road to Sonic Bloom Night 2 @ Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom - 5/3/14 (Review)

Review By: Justin D'Amico


There is still a little more than a month until Sonic Bloom takes over South Park, Colorado. Last weekend you could see some of the bands a bit early in Denver at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom. On Saturday night the line up included Zoogma, Paul Basic, The Young Blood Brass Band, Dynohunter, Tiger Party, Yu Yu, Defunk, and Easy Company. The Road To Sonic Bloom brought a good cross section of the artists performing at the upcoming festival. 


Saturday night was the second of two nights of great music at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side. On The Other Side there is now a new outdoor patio stage with a beautiful wooden design. The opposite corner of the area has custom bleacher style seating also made of the same wood. The outdoor patio stage is an awesome addition to the duel venue, making it now a triple venue.

There was a variety of visually appealing live art being displayed and created at The Road To Sonic Bloom. Everything ranging from live painting, to expressive dancing with an LED cape was represented. Aerialists floated on fabric strips above the crowd for certain portions of the night. LED hula hoops twirled creating mesmerizing tracers in the darkness. Also a number of popular local vendors set up booths with custom tee shirts, gems, and pins including my friends Outer Realm Apparel


The two rooms always had someone jamming on stage so there was never an intermission. Every band came in a little different form, some solo artists and some large ensembles. Paul Basic is one of the solo artists, but his performance is not simply a DJ Set because he creates his music live using a few different devices and drum machines. While The Young Blood Brass Band fills the stage with a huge group of players belting out classic brass jams.





To close out the night in the Masterpiece Ballroom was Zoogma. They are a band of four dudes but not just a typical foursome of drums and guitar and bass and keyboard, the two guitarists are also DJs and singers. They put on a great psychedelic rock set and they even did a cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in their own style. The aerialists accompanied part of the Zoogma set and also a vivid lighting display back lit the band brilliantly. Zoogma created and excellent vibe during their performace and the crowd fed off of it.

The Road To Sonic Bloom was a great way to introduce some people to bands they might not yet be familiar with from the upcoming festival. For myself this was the exact scenario, and I found out just how cool the Sonic Bloom Festival is going to be. And at the perfect venue for a duel, or now triple concert; Cervantes' in downtown Denver.

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Mobb Deep @ Cervantes' Other Side - Denver, CO - 4/25/14 (Review)

Review By: Justin D'Amico


Last Saturday was An Intimate Evening with Mobb Deep at Cervantes' Other Side in downtown Denver. The line-up for the night included a bunch of good hip-hop groups like Proximity, Livedlife Movement, and Prime Element. The infamous Mobb Deep, one of the most prolific and original hip-hop groups ever, showed Colorado a great time. 


A lot was going on with a separate show next door at the Masterpiece Ballroom. On that side DJ Abilities, Phife Dawg of Tribe Called Quest, and Z-Trip were all performing. Those who wanted to have access to both venues could upgrade to a duel concert pass for just $20. The duel venue pass made the night like a mini festival with a stage always bumping.


Mobb Deep jumped on stage around 11:45 and got the place poppin. They layed down a classic set with some tracks from the new album peppered in. Their new album, The Infamous, is available for purchase at all the major music outlets. You can get more Mobb Deep swag and music on their official website themostinfamous.com

Another weekend and another kick ass time had by all at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side. If you love good hip-hop you probably already know to keep an eyes on Cervantes' for upcoming shows.

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