EOTO started as a String Cheese Incident side project between Michael Travis and Jason Hann, a studio musician who also played with Dr. Dre and was a member of Isaac Hayes's band. Out of the practicality of the living situations of both musicians, EOTO began as more of an electronic project that initially made forays into downtempo-oriented music. But when the duo saw DJ Skream's set at Shambhala in Canada in 2008, they were so inspired by the sheer impact of that aggressive dubstep sound that they immediately changed the trajectory of their own songwriting.
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EOTO has also since maintained its roots in live improv with no backing tracks, and the band has never been content with playing just one style of music. Both Travis and Hann have diverse musical backgrounds, and as such, their sets tend to be cross-genre affairs rather than focusing on one style for a show. We recently spoke with Hann about playing drums on Dr. Dre's 2001, performing in Isaac Hayes's band for ten years, and how EOTO's crowd and String Cheese's fans are as eclectic as the music. Read the full interview here. -- Tom Murphy
Continue on for more on the weekend's best dance music
SAT | SASHA at BETA | 12/7/13 Few DJs are as synonymous with their craft as Sasha (aka Alexander Coe). Throughout the '90s, Sasha and his partner, John Digweed, did more to legitimize the art of deejaying than perhaps any other performers. They sold untold thousands of records and CDs and opened up markets that hadn't previously been exposed to electronic music. Indeed, clubs where the duo played were widely seen as having "made it," whatever that means, and not much has changed since then. Sasha has remained one of dance music's biggest draws.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
It's a big night at NORAD: Climbers joins Keepers and Uncle Buck on the main floor for some house action, and Monoloc takes dark techno to a new level with Paul Fleetwood in the lounge for what's bound to be a dancefloor-crushing experience. (9 p.m., 21+, $5-$10)
Denver Disco presents Samples and Mikey Thunder as Disco Dragons at Bar Standard, with support by Sam Warren. (9 p.m., 21+, $3-$10)
Get UNDERGROUND at Milk with Ryan Mack and Jolby -- underground sounds for an underground experience. (9 p.m., 21+)
Getter joins Fury and Mystical Influence on the main floors at Beta. In the Beatport Lounge, you'll find Jaceo & Vedic and Andre Orcutt. (9 p.m., 18+, $10)
Catch Chris Fortier, Seth Nichols, Rod Sim, Ryan Rushing, L.L. Bishop, Dagan, Bryan Christian, Rick Roberts, Mark Edward, Greenie, secret agent, Oknet, Phenetic, DOH, JDouble, PushRESET and Domina at the Fusion Factory for house, techno, drum-and-bass and breaks. (10 p.m., 21+, $10)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
Alan Fitzpatrick joins Andre Orcutt for some techno action by way of the UK at NORAD -- come get some. (9 p.m., 21+, $10)
Antiserum headlines Vinyl with K-Mac, Filthy Disco and Vinnie Maniscalco for some sassy, dirty bass action.
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