John Templeton

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

SLOW HANDS @ NORAD | SAT, 5/11/13 There are plenty of DJs out there who are skilled at crafting upbeat dance sets to high-tempo music -- after all, it's easy to keep the dance floor moving when you keep the beats-per-minute at a fast-paced 160-180. Even dubstep only slows the tempo to around 140 BPM ... More >>

The 2013 Colorado music festival guide

I know it's hard to imagine now, especially with the temperature outside and the blanket of snow currently covering the Front Range, but summertime is just around the corner, which means the festival season is just getting ready to kick off. We know this because we're in the middle of putting togeth ... More >>

The 2013 Westword Music Showcase ballot

Update 3/21/13: The poll is now open. Let the voting begin! The road to the nineteenth annual edition of the Westword Music Showcase is officially being paved. While we've already announced some of the acts appearing on the Main Stage this year, below are the acts appearing on this year's Showcase ... More >>

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

TINI @ NORAD | SAT, 2/23/13 tINI holds down residencies in Ibiza, London and other high-profile cities all over the world as well as in her native Germany; despite her name, she's clearly a force to be reckoned with. Then again, her moniker is just as likely a nod to her minimalist techno vibe as it ... More >>

The best EDM in Denver this weekend: Rrose, Paul Oakenfold, Forest Green and a bunch more

The sheer amount of talent in the city this weekend is truly dumbfounding. It's like the promotional powers-that-be are testing the boundaries of our dimension by packing as much dance-driven energy into as little square footage as possible. Needless to say, if you're looking for somewhere to shake ... More >>

Weekend's best EDM: VS, Chris Malinchak, Roger Sanchez, Michal Menert and more

Hallelujah! It's finally Friday. Feel like cutting loose this weekend, having a few cocktails and then cutting a rug like nobody's watching? You've come to exactly the right place. As with every week around this time, we've put together a full rundown of the best EDM options available to you, and th ... More >>

Weekend's best dance bets: Emancipator, Orchard Lounge, MONO>STEREO and more

Welcome to weekend! Ready to get down? Good. You've come to the right place. There's plenty of dancing to be done this weekend and we've got the drop on all the best places to get your groove on and who'll be providing the soundtrack: Emancipator's at the Ogden tonight and the Aggie tomorrow night, ... More >>

The weekend's best dance music: Damian Lazarus, Robert Hood, Heidi and much more

There's an extra hour on Saturday night, and we're all going to need it for sure, because there's plenty of dancing to be done this weekend and plenty of folks to help provide the soundtrack, including Damian Lazarus, Robert Hood, Heidi, Ctrl_Alt_Dlt, Insideout and tons more. Keep reading to see wha ... More >>

The weekend's best dance music: Christian Martin, Daniel Bell, Michal Menert and more

Whether your taste is old-school minimalist techno by way of Detroit or bass-driven, glitch-laden tunes that have gained popularity recently, there's something for everybody to love on this weekend's Dance Card: Christian Martin headlines a two-day benefit for Scott Christensen at NORAD, Daniel Bell ... More >>

Great American Techno Festival lineup revealed

See Also: - First annual Great American Techno Festival to hit Great American Beer Festival - The Great American Techno Festival aims to give beer geeks a place to dance - Denver's Ten Best Dance Clubs Technoheads, mark your calendars! The lineup for the second annual Great American Techno Festival ... More >>

#WMS 2012 recap: Vinyl Rooftop

Every year, for the Westword Music Showcase, we enlist our army of Backbeat wordsmiths to host various stages, and in addition to their emcee obligations, we ask them to pull double duty (or triple-duty in some cases) and also write up the acts that appear on their individual stages.

2012 Westword Music Showcase schedule

Alright, it's here! Finally! The waiting is over! The eighteenth annual Westword Music Showcase. You've probably already printed it out, cut it out, copied and highlighted the schedule, but just in case you haven't, here's the most up-to-date version of today's lineup for the Showcase. All of the TB ... More >>

Our complete guide to the June 23 Westword Music Showcase

See also: Twelve types of Denver musicians

2012 Westword Music Showcase schedule

Okay, time to officially start getting excited now. The annual Westword Music Showcase is a little more than a week away. Did you pick up your tickets yet? If not, you can still get them at the discounted rate. Prices go up day of the show. By now, you've already seen the lineup of who's playing the ... More >>

Weekend's best nightlife: Lipgloss, So What!, Damn Gurl, Perc, Zuk, Lazer Sword and more

Drink your water, kids. You're gonna wanna stay plenty hydrated if you're going to be getting down this weekend. The nightlife is red hot in the Mile High City: There are tons of fresh parties, including the first Lipgloss party at Beauty Bar, a special one-night-only edition of So What! at La Rumba ... More >>

Weekend's best dance and party bets: DMCs, Cookie Monsta, Agaric, 2Chainz and more

It's the weekend! As always, there's no shortage of things to get into. If you're looking to twirl and whirl like a dervish all over the city, you've come to the right place. We've got the drop on the hottest dance music and parties going down, from the return of the DMCs and The Skinny Dip tonight ... More >>

Patrik Skoog brings techno skills to a secret party in Denver this weekend

2012 Westword Music Showcase local lineup!

We're just over a month out from this year's Westword Music Showcase, and we've already let you know who we have headlining the mainstage this year -- but keep it locked on Backbeat for another big announcement this coming Monday. Now it's time for us to give up the goods on the local lineup. As you ... More >>

Weekend's best dance and party bets: Guerilla Garden, Choose High On Life, Octave and more

Happy 4/20! Whether you partake in the green festivities or not, this entire weekend will be greener than Kermit. With a slew of album release parties to choose from, enough reggae to keep the bodies winding on the dance floor through clouds of smoke, and more, this weekend is shaping up to be a doo ... More >>

Weekend's best dance bets: Radio Slave, the Others, DJ Carlos and more

Radio Slave is making up for lost time this weekend when he plays an underground party at Artwork Network, so if you were sad he couldn't make it this past July, now is your chance to see what all the hype is about. The Others and DJ Carlos round out the biggest name in electronic music, but that's ... More >>

2012 Westword Music Showcase Ballot

Update 3/14/12: The polls are officially open. Please feel free to make your way to the 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot and register your vote! The 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot is here -- no more waiting. Well, that's not entirely true: You will have to wait another day or so before the ... More >>

Weekend's best dance bets: Doc Martin, Steve Smooth and more

Doc Martin​The biggest news in dance music this weekend is undeniably Doc Martin, who'll play an intimate set at Bar Standard tonight as part of Full Flavor Fridays. But if house isn't your cup of tea, there's plenty of bass, minimalist techno and more to soundtrack your weekend. If you feel l ... More >>

Weekend's best dance bets: Sebastian Ingrosso, Kraddy and more

This weekend's Dance Card is stacked once again. As always, if you feel like dancing, there's no shortage of places for you to get your groove on: DJ Craze and Kraddy return to the area for all you bass-lovers, and Sebastian Ingrosso, one-third of the legendary Swedish House Mafia, comprise this wee ... More >>

Sven Weisemann spins on January 27 at Shine in Boulder

12th Planet, Cassy, Anna Lunoe, Punisher and more on this weekend's Dance Card

12th Planet​Bassheads, tonight's your night: Dubstep king 12th Planet will test Beta's world-class sound system with his wobbly basslines and whompy beats. In the Beatport Lounge, you can catch Berlin's Cassy (with an after-hours party running well into the early hours of the morning); and oth ... More >>

Punisher, aka Michelle Herrmann, spins December 10 at 2200

Great American Techno Festival, Bonobo and more on this weekend's Dance Card.

Without a doubt, the biggest news in dance music this weekend is the inaugural Great American Techno Festival, John Templeton's brainchild that aims to bring top-tier techno to beer-drinkers and technophiles alike. And there's plenty more to round out Dance Card this weekend -- here's what's on our ... More >>

The Great American Techno Festival aims to give beer geeks a place to dance

Bass Invasion 3, GATF Pre-Party, EOTO and more on this weekend's Dance CArd

RJD2.​Snowboard on the Rocks tonight at Red Rocks Amphitheatre will not only feature three world-premiere snowboard films, but also music by Michael Menert, Doomtree and RJD2. It's the perfect way to get ready for winter ... er, fall. (6 p.m., $25, all ages) And if snow sports aren't your thin ... More >>

Alexander East, Sonic Bloom, Justin Long and more on this weekend's Dance Card

​After a weekend full of Pride and the greatest Music Showcase we've presented, how can you even think about enjoying yourself again? Well, we have a few ideas for you. This weekend is as chock-full of dance grooves as ever. Sonic Bloom up in Georgetown is where the big party will be at this ... More >>

First annual Great American Techno Festival to hit Great American Beer Festival

​Techno and craft beer go together like ... well, like nothing we've ever seen before, because oftentimes, craft-beer-lovers and lovers of electronica occupy different spheres of existence. But come September 29, the inaugural Great American Techno Festival, brainchild of local DJ/producer/man ... More >>

Robag Wruhme, techno legend, to play first Colorado set on May 20

Robag Wruhme​The upcoming Robag Wruhme appearance at Cluster Studios is something special in more ways than one. Wruhme was part of the lauded Wighnomy Brothers before immersing himself in his solo career, and the Brothers' wide-spanning sets were the talk of DEMF (Detroit Electronic Music Fes ... More >>

Dance Card: Mark Farina, Make Mistakes, House Warming Party, House Guest Saturdays

​ Tonight, Re:Creation at the Gothic Theatre features San Francisco house DJ Mark Farina performing a Mushroom Jazz set, in the style of his vaunted downtempo mix series for Om Records, currently on its sixth permutation. A longtime Colorado favorite, both Farina and the series remain popular ... More >>

Dance into deep space with gratis Emote label sampler mix

​Did you know Denver's a great techno town? Okay, Colorado in general, since a fair bit of our talent is in Boulder and/or small mountain towns -- damn techno producer recluses and/or hippie freaks. Anyway, the point stands. While we may never rival the eight-hundred-pound gorillas of techno l ... More >>