DECADENCE NYE at COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER | 12/30-12/31 Just to tease a few of the artists: Bassnectar, Beats Antique, Keys and Krates, Tiesto, Dada Life, Pretty Lights, Odesza, Above & Beyond, Paul Basic and 12th Planet. Need we say more? Decadence landed in Denver as a result of Triad Dragons' consistency in delivering the best dance music to Colorado, and each year, they step up the game just a little bit more. This year, Decadence has expanded to two days, and with the lineup that's in store, it could have easily spread it out over three.
See also: All upcoming concerts in our constantly updated concert calendar
THURS | PRETTY LIGHTS at OGDEN THEATRE | 12/5/13 In advance of his highly anticipated New Year's Eve appearance at this year's Decadence, Derek Vincent Smith, the mastermind of Pretty Lights, is playing a rare performance at the Ogden Theatre, an appearance that is already sold out. The last time Smith performed at the venue, he was still an emerging act, and the show was part of an unprecedented five-day run that included shows at the Boulder Theater, Gothic Theatre and Aggie Theater. Smith, who's grown into an A-list EDM superstar, has come a long way since then, obviously.
FRI | HEROES AND VILLAINS at BETA NIGHTCLUB | 12/13/13 Trap music has been gaining popularity in the dance scene, and the Atlanta-based duo Heroes X (Daniel Disaster and Pete Heartless) isn't just sitting idly by in the shadows of trends. The Diplo-endorsed act is a speaker-blasting dance party that winds its way through dubstep, trap, house music and everything in between.
WED | SUB FOCUS at BETA NIGHTCLUB | 12/4/13 On the heels of his latest release, Torus, Sub Focus brings his melodic yet hard-hitting beats to Denver. Full of lovely vocals with a rat-a-tat spitfire of bass, Sub Focus covers a spectrum of emotion in his take on dance music. His latest release features vocals from Alex Clare, Alice Gold, and Kele, and moves beyond the realm of massive drops. Sub Focus brings a dance party that evokes the golden era of disco, but with a modern EDM touch.
FRI | PROTOHYPE at BETA NIGHTCLUB | 12/20/13 With a gaggle of features on cuts from some of the biggest names in dubstep and trap, Protohype knows how to send a club into a frenzy of slow churning swag. It's hard to play a set of just trap and expect a club like Beta to take it all in, which is why Protohype offers up a platter of drum and bass, trap and dubstep. Keep an ear out for the Paper Diamond/Protohype banger "Paperhype."
SAT | DUB POLICE at OGDEN THEATRE | 12/14/13 Oh, you think know dubstep? Perhaps you've overlooked some of the legends that brought bass to the forefront of mainstream music, acts like Dub Police. Appearing here with Caspa, Trolley Snatcha, Subscape and J:Kenzo (all acts that Sub.mission Dubstep crew has brought to Denver as solo and multi-bills), Dub Police should have the Ogden Theatre rumbling. If you fancy yourself a whomp-aficionado, you'd be remiss in skip out on this show.
FRI | THE WHITE PANDA at GOTHIC THEATRE | 12/13/13 Although this panda-mask wearing duo can throw down in its own right, it's the remixes and mash-ups that really draw you in. Mixing in everything in modern pop music, the White Panda brings a sort of early Z-Trip style of music to the table. You'll hear everything in the pair's sets, and when you think they've tapped the whole keg of tracks, they pull out a rabbit out of the hat again by dropping some Lana Del Ray on you after you just got hit with a Kendrick Lamar cut. You can't escape the party once you're in the cage with the White Panda, and you won't want to.
SAT | ORCHARD LOUNGE at CERVANTES | 12/14/13 Orchard Lounge couldn't be a more appropriate name for this house music trio. Painting a lounge picture with disco tracks, the act never produces the same the set. The three of them take turns behind the decks, and each one brings a different vibe to the table. These are DJs at the top of their game who dig deep in the crates to find the best cuts that will have you grooving nonstop all night.
SAT | OTT & ALL SEEING at CERVANTES | 12/21/13 Arise Music Festival and Sonic Bloom present yet another packed line-up of Denver's best dance acts, as well as OTT (who could easily pack out the place on his own). With Project Aspect (fresh off tour with Up Until Now and a few stops with STS9,) Octopus Nebula, Future Simple Project and a handful of choice picks from Denver's exploding EDM scene, this collaborative effort from two of Colorado's most innovative festival producers will not disappoint.
SAT | MIM0SA at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 12/14/13 There is no doubt about it: MiM0SA is trill as fuck. Bringing a gangsta attitude to dance music, maestro Tigran Mimosa weaves in and out of his own original cuts, while dripping heavy bass onto some hardcore rap. His studio tracks ooze with glitch, and border over-production, but when he steps behind the decks, it's all party and bass. Buckle up, or knuckle up: It's going down at the Fillmore.
SAT | EOTO @ FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 12/7/13 Eoto is the culmination of years of experience in percussion. Both Michael Travis and Jason Hann, who are also the mastermind percussionists in String Cheese Incident, have found themselves immersed in a world dedicated to strict improvisation. There is no set list for EOTO. There are no pre-recorded tracks. Nothing is predetermined except communication and constant production. On the skins, Hann is directly synced to Travis, and the two compliment each other perfectly. With a microphone linked to all sorts of effects, Hann sings and yells and loops and distorts his voice, which is layered over the band's live set.
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