Following a massive sold out Sub.mission 9 year anniversary show this past Saturday night, the vibe was still running high as we welcomed Thelem, The Aliens UK, & Sektah for a serious decompression session at this week’s Electronic Tuesdays. Having seen Thelem perform a handful of times over the years, my excitement was through the roof and I anxiously awaited his headlining performance. Not to mention this would be the Denver debut of The Aliens UK, Sektah would be closing out the night, and the March Winners Showcase battle would also be in full effect to start the night off proper! For well over 5 years now, Electronic Tuesdays presented by Sub.mission has been the hottest electronic music weekly in Denver and if you haven’t been a part of the madness lately, you are definitely missing out! Here’s the rewind!
As many of us were still in recovery mode from the Sub.mission 9 year anniversary party, a massive lineup comprised of both local and international bass music talent would offer the perfect decompression session to wind down and keep the festive spirits running high. The night began with the March Winners Showcase at 8:30pm featuring battle winners: Crimsic, The Toddfatha, & Gumshoe. Each of these 3 acts had won their previous battles at Electronic Tuesdays during the month of March and on Tuesday night they made their return to battle it out once again and show us what they’re made of. The Electronic Tuesdays crowd came out early and made the most out of their Tuesday night as we embraced such an epic battle take place right before our eyes. Performing styles of more aggressive dubstep, deeper styles, and even some UK Grime, this winners showcase battle was very well rounded and once again proved how talented the local scene in Colorado really is. After a heated battle among the 3 selectors, Gumshoe emerged as the battle champion as he beat out his competitors in one of the closest battles to date. His minimal, 140 sound resonated with the entire audience and had the floor rumbling early in the night. No stranger to the Electronic Tuesdays stage, Gumshoe has always proven to be a fierce competitor in the DJ battles and this time he walked away with the crown and earned the title of the March battle champion! Congratulations to Gumshoe on this very well deserved victory among some very talented competitors!
*Disclaimer: Any time an artist starts their set with Skream's tune 'Chest Boxing', buckle up tight! It's about to get SERIOUS!*
GUMSHOE
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
Following the winners showcase battle, it came as a pleasant surprise that Sektah would be playing a 30-minute set and opening up for The Aliens UK! Initially I had thought that Sektah would only be closing out the night but I was excited to see him play 2 sets and hold it down on the primary support slot for The Aliens UK and close out the night as well. Proving his versatility as a DJ and demonstrating his extensive skill set, Sektah took a non-traditional approach to this 30 minute set and began with a deeper, weightier style and later transitioned to his signature wonky style toward the end of the set. It was refreshing to see Sektah perform different styles and set the tone flawlessly for The Aliens UK and now the night was in full swing!
The narrow-hall dance floor was growing steadily by the time that The Aliens UK took the stage in his Denver debut! Rockin’ a T-Shirt that read ‘EXTERMINATE’, The Aliens UK began to unleash those signature hard-hitting bass lines that literally annihilated the dance floor and instigated one of the rowdiest crowds that I’ve seen at Electronic Tuesdays. On Tuesday night Cervantes’ Other Side was under attack from an extraterrestrial life form that was out of this world. The Aliens UK took the decks and amplified the energy in the room to have heads banging, bodies rocking, and fists flying high in the air! Laser-like melodies and bouncy wavelengths erupted the audience and The Aliens UK took no prisoners in his highly anticipated Denver debut! His energy was highly infectious as his supreme mixing abilities and next level track selection combined to make the entire crowd bounce from beginning to end! My favorite part of the set was when he dropped the tune ‘Enough Said’ and had the entire audience losing their minds in an all-out skank zone! After witnessing such an adrenaline-pumping throwdown from The Aliens UK, I am 100% convinced that he is an artist that is not from this terrestrial realm we call Earth. Big ups to The Aliens UK for slaying the dance floor and delivering a performance of groundbreaking proportions!
THE ALIENS UK:
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
The subwoofers were hitting hard, the vibe was thick, and it was now time for the one like Thelem to take the decks in his warmly welcomed Denver return. If you’ve been keeping up with the world of underground bass music throughout the years, ‘Thelem’ is a name that can’t be overlooked. He is undoubtedly one of the most innovative and forward thinking artists in the game today and his experimental sound truly pushes the limits and boundaries of bass music as a whole. Going into Tuesday nights’ show, my excitement was at an all time high and I couldn’t’ wait to see what tricks and surprises Thelem had up his sleeves this time around. Though he is widely recognized for his 140 tunes, Thelem is also known to dabble with Drum & Bass, Grime, Hip-Hop, and ‘Future Bass’ as well. A true DJ possesses the ability to grasp the attention of every soul in the room and take it on a musical journey from start to finish and on Tuesday night that is precisely what Thelem did. Performing some of his classic tunes as well as new-aged dance floor bangers like ‘Haunted Harmonics’, ‘Bring Me Down’ ‘Bokeh (Thelem Remix), & ‘React (Thelem Remix)’. Ever since his emergence to the realm of underground bass music, his tunes have rumbled dance floors throughout the globe and he’s become a true staple in the scene. Tuesday night’s performance was yet another demonstration of just how talented and well rounded Thelem is as both a DJ and a Producer and there was not a stagnant body throughout the entire venue. When it comes to Thelem, no 2 sets are ever the same and they hardly resemble any similarities. His live performances cater to the crowd and offer something for everyone to enjoy and on Tuesday night he only left us wanting more. If you were in attendance, you already know how spectacular his set was and if you ever get the chance to see him perform live in the upcoming future, do not pass it up!
THELEM:
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
Closing out the night, it was now time for Sub.mission x Villainz resident DJ Sektah to make his return to the stage for a 2nd set and finish the night with a bang! Not holding anything back, Sektah took the decks and got straight to business with a bouncier, wonkier set to close out the night and keep the late night Electronic Tuesdays crowd on their toes. When it comes to the local scene in Colorado, Sektah has been one of the fastest-evolving talents over the years and he is known to bring the heat each and every time. Regardless of his time slot, Setkah is a talent that will get the dance floor busy and fully satisfy your urge to dance. Flawless transitions combined with his signature chopping abilities to simultaneously drop 2 tunes in unison are some of the capabilities that set him apart from the average DJ and you should know to expect breath-taking sets when you see the name ‘Sektah’ on a lineup!
Author: Carlos Galvan