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 to evolve its music and have a lot of fun doing it. BoomBox and Break Science share this bill.
See also: The best punk, metal, rap, DIY and jazz shows in Denver in October
TUES | DISCLOSURE at BOULDER THEATER | 10/22/13 U.K. production duo Disclosure is made up of wunderkind brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence, who started releasing music when they were in their teens. And what music! Their chops in the studio give seasoned producers twice their age a run for their money. Spearheading a hot new wave of U.K. garage and bass-music innovation, Disclosure is breaking through the ceiling and taking over pop territory with impeccably polished vocal scorchers. Releases like "Latch" and "White Noise," which climbed to the top of the U.K. singles chart this year, have already made the act a household name at home. -- Sean Levisman
THURS | GRIZMATIK at 1STBANK CENTER | 10/31/13 Grizmatik is the name given to the blessed union of Griz and Gramatik. Griz is Grant Kwiecinski, who grew up in Detroit, Michigan, the American breeding ground for so much great electronic music. Mentored through classes with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Kwiecinski found his sound in the alto saxophone and has managed to hybridize it with hip-hop samples and danceable electronic beats. His affinity for music evolved into an obsession, and before he knew it, he was supporting a Gramatik national tour and promoting his own music under the name Griz. Gramatik, meanwhile, used to be an MC who rapped with his buddies over his beats. He grew up in Slovenia listening to DJ Premier, Guru, Rza, Dre, and an arsenal of hip-hop and break beats fills his catalogue of sample options. Sharing this bill with Grizmatik is A-Trak, Two Fresh and Exmag.
FRI | ZEDS DEAD at 1STBANK CENTER | 10/11/13 Zeds Dead makes music that both sounds good on your speakers and brings a show that you cannot forget. In the past, we've seen the duo play in front of strobed tombstones, but at the Global Dance Festival at Red Rocks last year, it was all LED panels and blasting strobe lights.The act is co-headlining at 1STBANK with Krewella; they'll be joined by Paper Diamond, Seven Lions, Candyland, DJ Green Lantern and Branchez.
FRI | AEROPLANE at CERVANTES OTHERSIDE | 10/4/13 Yes, disco follows a formula. But Belgian-Italian producer Aeroplane (aka Vito De Luca) isn't thinking small when it comes to the genre. He's not even concerned with floor fillers. In fact, he's aiming for nothing short of cosmic disco rapture, taking his cues from '70s prog-rock giants like Pink Floyd as much as he is Italo-disco masters like Giorgio Moroder. The epic musicality of De Luca's productions has been apparent since his 2010 debut, We Can't Fly, which garnered rave reviews from both the mainstream music press and underground EDM critics, meaning he's found that rare balance between pop accessibility and underground cred. But fluff aside, Aeroplane's product is still disco. That said, he's here to make you boogie. -- Levisman
SAT | MORD FUSTANG at BETA | 10/19/13 Mord Fustang has carved out his niche with remixes of popular American Top 40 songs. Earning a nod last year as Beatport's breakthrough artist of the year, Mord Fustang has steadily released a growing catalog of electro-house bangers that explore the depths of the genre with a modern microscope. Signed to Germany's Plasmapool imprint, Mord Fustang recently dropped a complex, multi-layered track called "Taito" that would be equally as potent whether played at the largest massives or rocking the smallest dance floor.
SAT | SIGNAL PATH at BLUEBIRD THEATER | 10/5/13 When Signal Path first started out, over a decade ago, the goal was to bring elements of the jam scene into the realm of electronic music. While the notion of fusing those two sounds may not seem all that novel now, at the time the hybrid was quite a groundbreaking concept. The two styles ultimately proved to be a natural match for the musicians, a lot like their own creative partnership. The other pieces of Signal Path snapped neatly into place when the pair joined forces with bassist Deon Stepanski (who has since been replaced by Matt Schumaker). Signal Path shares this bill at the Bluebird with Mux Mool and RUMTUM, the subject of this week's profile.
FRI | MOSCA at NORAD | 10/4/13 Many DJs who start off on the drum-and-bass/jungle end of things tend to stay toward the bass-oriented end of spectrum. But while Mosca still incorporates a hefty amount of dub/dancehall/reggae into his sets, he's primarily known for his underground house and techno sets, in addition to his production tracks. And he's also a prolific remixer, reworking tunes from both pop and underground artists. Mosca's own signature sound tends to be sassy and sexy, but quite a bit darker than most house or techno artists typically stray. He's a master of maintaining the line between raw, atypical, experimental and dancefloor-friendly tracks, and he frequently packs clubs with his unusual track selection and cutting-edge sensibilities. -- Taufen
FRI & SAT | SONIC BLOSSOM at CERVANTES | 10/11-10/12 If getting lost in a sea of trance-inducing beats and out-of-this-world mixing is what you crave, look no further than Random Rab and Bluetech. Random Rab is proof that auditory stimulation in a large room full of dancing people can evoke emotion like no other, while Bluetech has been creating music for over a decade that challenges listeners to think outside the box and work towards changing the world as a whole. It's a musical pairing of monumental talent you won't want to miss. In addition to Random Rab and Bluetech, the bill for this edition of Sonic Blossom is stacked with the likes of Kaminanda, Desert Dwellers, Janover & reSUNator, Late Night Radio, Marvel Years, the Malah, Skytree, Cualli and Papa Skunk.
SAT | JAMES HOLDEN at NORAD | 10/12/13 James Holden has been a household name in tech house since 1999 when he released "Horizons"at just nineteen years of age. Since then, Holden's gained recognition worldwide by launching the esteemed Border Community label in 2003 and using that platform to release increasingly interesting tracks that flirt with genre boundary lines. And that's what's kept him relevant: The man's ability to produce driving, melodic tracks that incorporate both machine-like and groovy, soulful elements, and then blend those tracks seamlessly into a dancefloor extravaganza that leave music-lovers sweaty and blissed-out by the end of the night. He's also become known for his remixes, placing his unique stamp on artists from Britney Spears to Radiohead. -- Taufen
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