Techno Promoter Steps From the Shadows to Talk Secretive Events

Techno is a global phenomenon. Founded in the suburbs and on the airwaves of 1980s Detroit, it has since expanded drastically, becoming a mainstream sound in clubs throughout the world. It’s the pulse that lights up Ibiza, London, Berlin, Medellín, Paris, Tokyo and just about every international metropolitan destination. Except, that is, for its ancestral home: the United States.

Over the past few years, that has started to change, especially in Denver. Popular international acts have begun playing locally, selling hundreds of tickets in rooms that would have dismissed them as financially unviable only a couple of years ago. For example, techno diva Nina Kraviz recently played an uncompromising, forward-thinking set to a packed Cervantes' crowd. Still, much of the local scene exists off the grid in order to skirt the 2 a.m. closing time at public-facing clubs in the city. Instead, promoters and artists vie to throw their shows in BYOB private venues like repurposed warehouses and art galleries, so that they may go into the wee hours of the morning — like shows in the rest of the civilized world.

Because of the moral police who inhabit the puritanical United States, most “underground” promoters are naturally press-shy. That’s not because what they're doing is illegal — most of the time, everything is permitted — but because they don’t want the attention from suburban Kathys and Karens.

But times are changing, and a new breed of techno promoter has emerged, one who believes that techno is for the people, not something to be hidden for the uber-cool, elitist, all-black-wearing few who know about it.

Enter Pablo Vasquez, who runs the eponymous local events company Pablo V Productions. On November 6, Vasquez will bring Los Angeles techno stalwart Drumcell and Latino Show Award-winning Deraout — considered one of the most influential performers in Colombia — to Denver.

Vasquez took the plunge with Westword and shared his thoughts regarding whether “underground” is even a real concept in the age of mass media, the difference between throwing a warehouse party and a club event, and what inspires him in Colorado.

Westword: It’s uncommon for an underground techno promoter to want to go on the record, since underground shows are traditionally kept secret so as to not attract unwanted attention. What’s with the sudden openness?

Vasquez: The question here is, “What is underground?” Why do people have to keep good music gate-kept? The word "underground" can mean lots of things: Big clubs, festivals and event centers make great shows, and yet somehow they still promote it as an underground event. From my perspective, it’s not really underground when you're promoting on social media, printing fliers, sending emails and texts, and telling everyone you know. Sometimes the "underground" parties are overrated, because if the music is good, why not share it, why not provide someone with a different and safe experience? The way I see techno music is also happiness, and happiness is only real when we share it with others.

The way I see underground parties is that we're featuring people who are not on Billboard, in the Grammys, or whatever. The music is completely different and is underground because people come to dance, be themselves and respect one another. It’s underground because only the people who love the sound will be there, and it’s usually a small number of people. We do this with a love for music and the people, and that’s what makes it underground. Because it's from love, from the people to the people.

You started doing this pretty young, before most clubs in Colorado would even let you in. Yet you ran your first party, on crutches, at the age of nineteen at a well-established club here in Denver. You weren’t even supposed to run that party, but took the reins last-minute, with little experience — for a touring act, no less. Tell us more about that and how this trial by fire set your trajectory.

Since I was a kid back in Colombia, I was always a fan of electronic sounds and how futuristic they were. I was following parties that I couldn’t get into since when I was a kid. I would collect fliers and posters and never be able to get in. Years later, I was in Denver. Once I turned eighteen, I started looking for house and techno parties all around Denver.

I was able to find Beyond Collective, a music collective and record label based out of Denver, which welcomed me with open arms due to my enthusiasm and love for music. Gabriel Tavarez, who is the founder and boss of Beyond, and someone who I saw as my mentor at an early age, taught me how to throw a party, how to promote, and how to do it right. By the age of twenty, I was passed down a lot of knowledge that would have taken me years to learn. Yet every day and every show is a learning experience.

So back to the show on crutches. That was my first event with Beyond, and Gabe had forgotten that he was going to be out of town. He told me what needed to be done, and I ran my first event with international headliners. I was checking people in: guest list, tickets and wristbands. On top of that, I needed to make sure the DJs were comfortable. So I had to go back and forth to the club on my crutches after I had a knee injury playing rugby. That was an amazing learning and humbling experience.

You could have continued to work in clubs and reduced a lot of the liability. What made you choose makeshift venues, like warehouses and art galleries, instead?

Clubs and bars are great, and I have a lot of appreciation for what they do and what they provide in Denver. Changing venues to warehouses and galleries has helped me expand more, learn and bring different techno lovers to a different atmosphere. We like to provide something that's different and unique, with the touch of underground music that our patrons like to experience.

We do everything according to the city guidelines — not breaking the rules, but still providing something different than a normal venue can provide. For example, warehouses and art galleries have that unique spark that stands them out, like being on the edge of the city, having memberships only, art pieces, the big spaces. Some of them are old or even hard to find. Also, just having that trust in the attendees that they will behave in the best way possible, because we were given the opportunity to use a sacred space and we should honor it as such.

Many managers and agents won’t let just any promoter book their techno clients; when dealing with underground parties, there are a lot of factors. How did you get DJs as renowned as Deraout and Drumcell to decide to work with a 23-year-old in a small market like Denver?

I think 23 is just a number, because at this age, I have now done plenty of events [and] weekly parties and had the opportunity to meet lots of successful DJs and promoters who left their ego behind and shared stories with me and helped me grow.

It wasn’t easy at first; I got denied opportunities lots of times. I was looked down on because of my age or because English wasn’t my first language. Regardless of that, I didn’t give up, I kept working.

Booking Drumcell is like a dream coming true. I have brought Deraout twice to Denver, with the first one at Tennyson’s Tap and the second was at Viceroy Lounge. As a matter of fact, Deraout, Colombian engineers and I also worked together in releasing the first-ever song made out of the DNA sequence of the cannabis plant.

Drumcell and Deraout are by far one of the biggest shows we have done so far, and we couldn't be more excited, because we have two worldwide techno legends that are coming together who will put on a techno lesson for us. It's such an honor for us to provide our music lovers with such a unique experience made out of love [and] proper music, and I think these two guys sometimes don't get the recognition that they deserve.

The location for this event will be released the day-of to ticket holders via email. It’s BYOB, 21+, Funktion-One speakers, and, as local support, we have local legend Kevin Callison, who is the boss and founder of The Underground, a collective that has been throwing the longest weekly house and techno nights in Denver.

And as far as a ticket link goes, we would like to keep it "underground" and not publish it on this platform. People can find it easily on social media, and if they're really there for the music, they'll find it.

What have you seen in the Denver techno scene that is promising?

I think Denver has so much potential to make this city a techno music destination just like Medellín, L. A., Berlin, Paris and Madrid. Everything is based on the attendees: They are genuinely excited for the shows, they appreciate it and behave as such. I think it’s the people that make it promising. We wouldn't be doing any of this if it wasn't for their continuous support.

We do these shows with love and good energy, and once that mindset is set, the most simple thing is going to be promising, and I think that's what people see. The love and effort we put to make these happen. Every single show has been better than the last one. We've had acts like Black Asteroid, Julia Govor, Axkan, Shay De Castro and Kike Roldan, and have collaborated with plenty of bigger names.

What would you like to see improved?

The only thing I would like to see improved is the support from other companies, promoters, agencies and DJs. I want to see a community with their ego left behind and pushing themselves in a better way. People take this as a competition about who is going to do better, who is going to make more money, and who has the most people. But we don't really see it as a competition; what we have is special and different. We support all events in the city, and we want every single one of them to thrive and crush it.

How do you see your production company facilitating these?

We want to facilitate an amazing techno warehouse experience for the people with the proper headliners they deserve. Just like it used to be a few years back before I even moved here, with the Great American Techno Festival, Norad and the old Beta.

Drumcell and Deraout will play at an undisclosed Denver location on November 6. If you want tickets, go find them.