Red Rocks is now open for business, and many clubs and venues have events loaded with electronic acts to help us dance our way into summer. Take a look at the best of what's happening in the electronic scene in May.
1. Wave Racer
Wednesday, May 3
Cervantes' Other Side
May's electronic festivities begin with the the chill Wave Racer. An Australian DJ with an affinity for futuristic and, at times, tropical sounds, Wave Racer brings bouncy dance tracks and inventive remixes that pair well with his wavy aesthetic. His sound combined with thevapor-wave style of late-’80s/early-’90s visuals and a neon-beach feel make Wave Racer a fantastic way to welcome the summer.
2. Anjunabeats Night
Friday, May 5
The Church Nightclub
Anjunabeats, the trance record label hailing from London, is bringing its crew for a night of trance and progressive electronic music to the Church. Anjunabeats, founded by Above and Beyond, has over 100 artists signed to its label, including Audien and Mat Zo. The headliners at this event, Andrew Bayer and ilan Bluestone, have been climbing the Beatport trance charts and have recently released some hot new tracks.
3. Dada Life
Friday, May 5
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Dada Life will bring its annual Land Before Time set to Red Rocks. This iteration will include a full lineup, including Slander, Pegboard Nerds, Kill Paris and Bassrooks. The Swedish electro-house duo encourages an absurd party atmosphere (including holding the Guinness World Record for largest pillow fight) with their fun dance songs.
4. Ed Rush and Optical
Saturday, May 6
The Black Box
Veterans in the drum-and-bass scene, Ed Rush and Optical bring the underground scene to one of Denver's best small venues. Ed Rush has 25 years of drum-and-bass and jungle records to his name, and in 1998, he joined forces with Optical and has not looked back, dropping slammers and bangers for their record label, Virus Recordings. Their high-bmp, aggressive bass music will leave you shook.
5. Nick Murphy (Chet Faker) DJ Set
Thursday, May 11
Club Vinyl
At his official Red Rocks concert pre-party, Nick Murphy, formerly known as Chet Faker, will be hitting the decks at Vinyl. Murphy is known for adding his melodic vocals on top of electronic tracks – particularly Flume.
Read on for more of the best electronic dance events in May.
6. Bonobo and Nick Murphy (Chet Faker)
Friday, May 12
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Nick Murphy will take to the microphone for his show at Red Rocks with Bonobo. Murphy will be performing his hits released as Chet Faker, which typically include a cover of melodic pop songs. While working under the moniker Chet Faker, he collaborated with Flume; Nick Murphy has been working with south England DJ and producer Bonobo. Bonobo will employ a live-band setup to combine with Murphy, with strings, saxophone, guitars, drums and often lingering solos. This won't be your typical electronic show, but will instead showcase two talented artists exploring their inventive careers together.
7. Knife Party
Thursday, May 18
Beta Nightclub
Face-melting bass is Knife Party's M.O. This dubstep duo originally began as a side project for the mega-successful Aussie drum-and-bass act Pendulum. But after receiving wide acceptance and critical acclaim, the act began touring and continued turning out some of the heaviest dubstep songs of this decade. Expect head-banging.
8. Flux Pavilion
Saturday, May 20
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Flux Pavilion will headline Global Dub Festival. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a full lineup featuring Templo, Armnhmr, Wilkinson, Spag Heddy, Crizzly and Illenium. The festival is a diverse mix of dubstep, drum-and-bass, house, future house and global electronica. Flux Pavilion is constantly on tour and takes top slots at some of the largest electronic festivals during the summer, from EDC to Creamfields.
9. RL Grime
Friday, May 26
Beta Nightclub
For the ninth anniversary of Beta's opening, the club is celebrating with RL Grime, who straddles multiple electronic genres including future bass, house, electro and hip-hop. RL Grime's most popular work comes from remixes of chart-topping rap and electronica. He's remixed the likes of Big Sean, Drake, Rihanna, Kaskade, Avicii and the Weeknd. Expect a dynamic electronic set laced with hip-hop vocals.
10. Odesza
May 27-28
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
The first electronic act to sell out Red Rocks this season, Odesza had another concert added to meet the demands of fans. In anticipation of its few shows scheduled this summer, Odesza has released two songs, "Line of Sight" and "Late Night," to quell fans' thirst for more music after the successful reception of In Return three years ago. The Seattle duo wows audiences with its indie approach to electronic music, using drums, drum machines, and — if you were at Vertex Music Festival or Odesza's Red Rocks show last year — even the University of Colorado drumline.
Kate Simko will bring entrancing old-school minimalism to Bar Standard.
Kate Simko's Facebook page
Wednesday, May 31
Bar Standard
Before jetting off to London, Barcelona and Lebanon, Kate Simko will bring her Chicago-infused house to STEAM Wednesdays at Bar Standard. Her music is entrancing old-school minimalism. Currently, she's working on BBC film scores as well as developing her next EP. No doubt, this up-and-coming prodigy will be making an impact in the music world.
