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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Hyper Future Tour @ The Ogden Theater in Denver, Colorado (Review) [4/29/17]

Review & Videos By:
jdrightright

Photography by:
Stetsen Colt Mathias


Saturday was as rowdy as I have ever seen The Ogden Theatre get. Rebudz and Reload Productions brought a tasty line-up to satisfy the appetite of the bass hungry. Showcased on the Hyper Future Tour was Must Die, Eptic, and Gentlemans Club, with very special guests Dr Ozi and local legend Shank Aaron. This was an extra special show for Rebudz and Reload Productions being the first time ever at The Ogden Theatre. Great vibes flowed through out the room all night as well as amazing music.

The stage was configured with a number of LED panels which displayed mind blowing graphics. The front of the booth held the main portion of the LED panels and for the most part that was where the band logos were visible. Behind the booth hanging up high were three more LED panel walls, two tall rectangles and another square in the center. On the rear walls a number of tripped out artworks created an incredible visual experience. One such picture that was morphing with the music was a clip of the show Seinfeld, showing Kramer and Newman screaming, it really got the people smiling. Along with the graphical displays were four full spectrum lasers, two on the front corners of the booth, and another two on stands lifted up behind the booth on the left and right ends of the stage. Together these four lasers zapped the whole room with two separate zones. Having such a beautiful production model is nothing new, as Rebudz and Reload Productions always come through with a colorful array to accompany the music.

Starting off on stage was the homie, and very talented producer Shank Aaron. Lately he has been busy getting things going with his own brand Forest Service, showcasing underground Denver sound and more. Shank Aaron did a great job of setting a chill vibe early on with a bit of reggae to begin his set. He was proudly displaying his new custom shirt, and a lucky few patrons were able cop Shank Aaron merchandise for sale in the lobby of the Ogden Theatre. Slowly he would build up more and more until it was all filthy bass drops. He really started to get things poppin around 9pm as most of the people outside in line began funneling in. Shank Aaron got provocative up there and he primed the people for a night of dirty dubstep.

Up next was a very special guest and crowd favorite Dr Ozi. He made a point to let the people know how much he loves Denver. Very complimentary towards the crowd saying, "You guys are the most beautiful crowd ever! I love coming here." Dr Ozi represents the Canadian bass family, and is a part of the label Never Say Die Records. He literally turned the place into a huge mosh pit immediately, throwing straight fireballs of bass into eardrums. Non-stop ferocious drops for his whole set, and the people went ham. Two of the lasers started beaming out and shifting to the music for Dr Ozi's set. You could tell he genuinely loves Denver and that was a heart warming feeling. Before Dr Ozi left the stage he introduced Gentlemans Club with huge props talking about how they inspired him to become a producer.





For the next hour the people were slapped with trap and bass as Gentlemans Club turned it up to eleven. The full band is a trio of very talented producers: Coffi (Lewis Pittham), Soloman (Saul Mountford), and 50 Carrot (Amani Haskins). For this event there were two of the three in the building 50 Carrot and Coffi. Their energy on stage was awesome, it was fun watching them tag team on the decks, and also hyping up the crowd dancing in front of the booth while punching the air. They did a excellent job keeping you guessing the next drop, with last second switch ups. One part I remember was the build to Flux Pavilion's "Got 2 Know" and then right as it would have normally dropped they blended in a mega hard drop. Gentlemans Club also rocked their dope "Bass Cannon" remix, and that went so hard! It was an unpredictable set with a big variety of styles represented in the mix. For Gentlemans Club all four lasers fired up and the full color spectrum was unleashed. I couldn't help but dance and flail karate hands watching Gentlemans Club slay.





This was such a fun night that before you knew it Eptic was taking the stage and he really knows how to make the bass scream. He plays mostly his own music and remixes during his live sets. However he has collaborations with all the best in the game. If it's not one of his tracks he is representing the Never Say Die crew, the Disciple collective, and Circus Records. He got into some Zomboy, Skism, Dodge and Fuski, Funtcase and more. He also mixed in some Flux Pavilion with the classic "I Can't Stop" but this version brought the roof down it was so mean. Eptic is a talented cartoonist as well and it was cool to see his illustrations used for his graphical background during much of this set. That was something I talked to him about in the past, and he has plans to add a full visual cartoon to his live sets in the future. Eptic was on straight inferno mode, and I wouldn't expect anything less from a champion like him. He finished out his hour by giving a big shout out for the closer and friend of his saying, "Who the fuck is ready for Must Die!?"

Right off the bat Must Die asked, "Who is ready for some new shit?" It was officially time to break your neck, or at least sprain it. I even saw a girl going so hard that she bashed her head into a dude's nose behind her and she may have broken it! Battle scars are to be expected during a Must Die set. His music straight up electrifies your soul, like some sort of cosmic jolt. At one point Must Die was going so hard that he messed up the mix, and all sound cut out. He got on the mic and said, "You guys gotta forgive me for that one. That was my bad, a genuine fuck up." Then he went right back to blowing minds with raunchy bass. It was hilarious, and of course, we all forgave him. Another memorable moment of the set Must Die asked for all of the house lights to be turned off, and asked the crowd to hold up their phones. An eerie bluish light illuminated the room in a whole new way, twas literally lit. He closed out the night with his remix of Flux Pavilion's "Emotional" and it was just that. I had chills from just how moving Must Die's set was, he is so elite.

This was a historic night for the Rebudz and Reload Productions combined squadrons. Finally for the first time taking over The Ogden Theatre, and they did it just right, like Goldilocks. I'm certain they will be invading The Ogden Theatre more often with how successful the night was. The vibes were indescribable, so many smiles, and infinite friendships bonded by the bass. Shout out to my friend and excellent photographer Stetsen Colt Mathias for his crispy images, he has a way of bringing still photos to life like no one else. I can't wait to see what is in store for the future with both Rebudz and Reload Productions. Follow both on all social media platforms so you don't miss out on any future show announcements and contests. They have been on a rocket ship blasting to the sky, and with every show a new faction of Denver bass crew comes through to share in the enjoyment.

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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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!Tyro - "More Love" - Song of the Day - [8/18/15]

This is a naughty dubstep banger from !Tyro. He is a Denver dabstepper, as he calls it, and he has hooked up with Kairos Audio to release some new stuff lately. You can find !Tyro on stage a lot of times opening shows for big names in electronic music in the Denver area. Recently !Tyro was a part of the big Rebudz Presents show that brought out Eptic and Habstrakt. Denver dabstep is blowing up, and vaporizing all over the place, so definitely get down with !Tyro and his raunchy beats. You can follow !Tyro on soundcloud here. Also look for him next time a your favorite dubstep DJ comes thru, most likely !Tyro will be there too.

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Eptic - "Spellbound" - Song of the Day - [7-7-15]

Just last week Michaël Bella aka Eptic dropped a superb EP called Immortal. This song "Spellbound" is from the new Immortal EP, and it has been stuck in my head ever since first hearing it. Eptic has an excellent range of styles, and he shows it on this new release. "Spellbound" displays a prime example of the type of dubstep Eptic creates. There are always a lot of elements that are mixed into Eptic tracks, he puts a beautiful blend of sounds together. And his bass drops are absolutely stunning, impossible to not bob your head to. You can listen to the new Immortal EP and a lot of other Eptic songs on his official soundcloud page here.

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Eptic - "Oh Snap" - Song of the Day - [2-12-15]

This is a naughty dubstep track from Eptic, one of the elite producers on Never Say Die Records. Eptic kicks out the bass harder than most, and he always knows how to insert a bad ass sample in just the right spot. You can get more music from Eptic through his soundcloud page here.

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SKisM - "Experts" - Song of the Day - (10/25/14)

You can't mess with SKisM, the guy is an electronic music mogul. He's one of the founders of Never Say Die Records and an incredibly talented producer too. His label has some of the best producers represented including - Zomboy, Eptic, HeRobust, Far Too Loud, LAXX, Habstrakt, Megalodon, and more. This song "Experts" is a hard dubstep jam, a perfect representation of what SKisM is all about. He likes it mean and grimey, although still with high production quality and amazing bass. Go check out the Official Never Say Die Website for new music and touring information from their team of sicko producers.

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