Female vocalists and EDM go together like 1000-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets in a five-star hotel. It’s an ideal pairing. What’s more, the sweet, sweet vocals many of these ladies offer up are often times what makes the songs stand out. It’s certainly the part of the tune that gets…
Nearly a decade into his career, Armenian-born Tigran Mkhitaryan, aka Mimosa, is settling into his own style, one that pulls elements from multiple genres, from grimy bass lines to smoothed-out hip-hop beats. With his latest album, Future Trill, Mimosa is building a brand that defies categorization. In advance of his…
Welcome back to In the Mix, our brand-new feature in which we spotlight new dance tracks and mixes from some of the hottest Colorado producers and DJs. This week, we’ve got some new tunes from Falcon Punch and Black Amex, Krooked Drivers, Paris Burns and Despise. Continue on to get…
Welcome to In the Mix, a brand-new feature in which we spotlight new dance tracks and mixes from Colorado producers and DJs. This week, we bring you an exclusive house track from Pruitt, a hard-hitting cut from DirtMonkey, Ishe’s take on drum-and-bass, plus a couple more gems from Project Aspect…
For someone who’s been shooting concerts since the ’70s, you’d think Jay Blakesberg would be burned out on music. Not so much, it turns out. On the heels of releasing his latest book, JAM, Blakesberg is still striving to capture the feverish energy that explodes from the stages when the…
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’…
The spectrum of noise delivered on the self-titled debut from EXKXO reveals the multitude of options available in hip-hop beat creation these days. EXKXO drops sixteen tracks with no real theme, and while the beats themselves lie in the safe zone of musical exploration, the album is still a joy…
MICHAL MENERT at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 11/16/13 Taking the stage waving a Colorado state flag bearing his own name, Michal Menert humbly thanked the crowd for coming out and supporting him and then opened up the throttle of samples. With a new custom light stage, AC Lao on the drums,…
In the same way that artists like Rembrandt, Diego Velazquez and Picasso were able to abridge an era through painting, California-based, New York-bred, Justin Bua (due tonight at SoGnar’s Shedded Beats at Cervantes’) has done so with the hip-hop generation. With a trademark style, Bua has transformed a lifestyle of…
“I didn’t know what to say with a gun in my face,” Michal Menert recalls, “but I figured if they were going to kill me, I’d better make my move.” In December 2006, Menert’s means of generating income had brought him face to face with the barrel of a shotgun…
STEVE AOKI at OGDEN THEATRE | 11/12/13 Before Steve Aoki took the stage, as the lights dropped and the crowd chanted the headliner’s name, two human pillars of symmetrical hexagons took the stage on each side, and a digitized voice slowly intoned “A-O-KI.” As soon as the Aoki took his…
Steve Aoki is singularly focused on making sure your ass is partying. As founder of the now-famous Dim Mak record label, Aoki has built his dance party into an empire. Live, his over-the-top antics range from paddling through the crowd on a raft to tossing cake into the screaming audience…
Songs like “Getting Live” — which opens this album and drips with funky guitars and gritty bass lines before reaching a crescendo of futuristic sounds and robust beats — notwithstanding, it’s clear that GRiZ (aka Grant Kwiecinski) is much more interested in letting Rebel Era tell a story with emotion…
SAT | MICHAL MENERT at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 11/16/13 Since his debut solo album Dreaming of Something Bigger, Michal Menert has been steadily touring the country building a grassroots following in the same way Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights did when first hit the scene. Menert has one fans…
Shawn Lee’s music can be heard in everything from snowboard films and video games to documentaries and TV series. Over the course of his career, the Wichita, Kansas, native has released dozens of albums, both on his own and with Ping Pong Orchestra. Tonight, he stops by the Marquis with…
FRI | LOTUS at RED ROCKS | 10/4/13 The jazzy electronic quintet Lotus, known for its precisely timed improvisations during live shows, is celebrating its fourteenth year as a group. From incorporating video-game music to performing David Bowie tribute shows and playing Black Sabbath covers, Lotus has figured out how…
When Big Gigantic played Red Rocks last year, the feeling of hometown pride was unmistakable. As the act went into “Colorado Mountain High,” a giant projection of the state flag draped the rocks, and the crowd went absolutely bananas. The duo ended up delivering its best set ever. That said,…
BIG GIGANTIC @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE | 9/28/13 Last year, Big Gigantic’s show at Red Rocks was the best EDM show of the year, and that speaks volumes considering how many other shows there were to choose from. Their feeling of hometown pride was simply unmistakable as the outfit went…
Opiuo, New Zealand’s liaison to funk, has built quite a following in this country with his Down Under sound. Residing primarily in Australia nowadays, the DJ-turned-producer is healing up from a recent surgery on his ear canal and turning his attention to hitting the road before returning to the studio…
Right now I’m between a rock and hard place,” declares Jay Jaramillo, who was recently laid off from his job at Denver Health. “And there’s a part of me that wants to take my music by the horns and just run with it.” That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing…
HARD RED ROCKS @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE | 8/1/13 In its first year at Red Rocks, HARD Fest brings a boombastic explosion of the biggest names in bass and trap music. Festival founder and curator, Gary Richards, performing under his veteran moniker Destructo, kicks off a stellar bill that includes…
HARD Events founder and twenty-year veteran DJ Gary Richards — also known as Destructo on festival bills — has been putting on electronic-music parties under the HARD moniker since 2007. Richards has developed a following by successfully curating programs that cater to a variety of tastes; there’s always something for…
