Regenerate, the First Festival From 128 Productions, Will Fill Civic Center on April 22

Alex Padgett, the founder of 128 Productions, knew he wanted to host festivals before his company was even off the ground. During college, Padgett loved the escapism of a well-produced festival — and he now pours that passion into his own production company, hosting events in venues ranging from the Ogden Theatre to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. And on April 22, Padgett and the 128 Productions team will present their first actual festival, Regenerate, in Civic Center Park.

Padgett was a self-proclaimed "club rat" in college, going to class during the week and leaving every Thursday to hit the clubs, reveling in house music, techno and the energy of the after-parties. "I fell in love with the genre, and it was like, 'I could do this,'" he recalls. "I have a vision of what I think people would like and want to hear, because it was what I liked and wanted to hear." His love of Denver, house music and the escapist qualities of live shows led to the founding of 128 Productions only five years ago — and Padgett definitely didn't expect the company's first festival to be so soon.

One of the company's other original members, Rob West, co-owner and chief of operations, remembers the struggle putting on their very first show, which they held at Lincoln Street Station. "I think for that show I overdrafted my bank account to pay for the sound system," he says. "To realize that from that day to here in five years — with two of those being COVID — it's just a testament that if you believe in something and work your ass off and be genuine, people resonate with that."

According to West, music is ultimately emotion and can be incredibly transformative, lifting people out of dark places, even for a brief moment. "If we have the fortune to be able to provide that, then we feel it's a responsibility to do so," he says.

Padgett and West frequent Red Rocks — they have already attended five shows there this season — but are excited to host something a little different. With its vast expanse of grass and open space, Civic Center Park is the perfect location for a festival that's meant to be, well, regenerative.

"I was thinking how the seasons change and how everything is cyclical and all that," explains West. "We didn't want it to be too complicated; we wanted it to be pretty simple and kind of based around nature. So I think [the name] was just something that came about organically."

Regenerate will offer a mesh of house and techno music where big-time names like Camelphat and Charlotte de Witte will brush shoulders with local Denver musicians including Decker Rush and Phatjazz. West, aka RC3, is even playing a set. "We are trying to get everyone together on one dance floor, per se," Padgett says. A total of 21 musicians are set to play, making this festival the largest production the company has done.

The event also has an impressive number of vendors — a dozen so far — including Danny Sanzone's Infinite Evolution Art and Hyphy Color. Bigger sponsors include Jack Daniel's, Liquid Death and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

"This isn't just ours. This is Denver's house and techno festival," West emphasizes. "We've got some of the most absurdly talented locals on our lineup." This week, some of those locals — Decker Rush and Thatzhot — even released a track, "Gitdown," on Hood Politics Records' Denver All Stars album. The crew behind 128 Productions is excited to elevate the artists' growing platforms, helping Denver put faces to names.

The company's overall goal is to promote Denver's house-music scene, though the shows dip into other genres and subgenres, including progressive house and techno. While Denver is known as a bass capital, the Mile High City's house music is often overlooked, West says. "It already has been [growing], especially from when I moved here nine years ago, but now we want [local performers] to get on and get out and impact the world like they are here," he adds.

Ultimately, the 128 Productions team just wants Regenerate Festival to be a vibe — one that's inclusive, restorative and a lot of fun. "Our main goal is to put a product out there on Saturday that people are going to have really, really happy, smiley memories of," West concludes, "and to show people what we imagine it to be, what we put all this work in for it to be."

Regenerate will be at Civic Center Park on Saturday, April 22; find info and tickets, $99 to $250, here. Check out Regenerate's Pre-Party on April 21, Official Afterparty on April 22, and Afterparty with Sohmi, also on April 22.