It’s taken over a week to truly process what exactly happened. I mean, seriously what the hell was that?! What last weekend represented was a scene and culture proclaiming “We’re not fucking dead!” Bass Invasion this year was, what some might call, the most important event of the year for dubstep in Denver. Just about every spectrum of the sound was represented and the Sub.massive came out in full force to continue to build, support, experience, share and really FEEL the sound system culture here in the Mile High. If you missed it, or don’t remember some of it, then let me pull you up and jog your memory with this “Rewind” of Bass Invasion: Warehouse Edition.
Let’s go back to Night One shall we? Upon walking into The Fusion Factory you can sense in the air that this was going to be a massive event. With camo & ominous lighting guiding you to the main room where the Void Acoustics system was rattling the venue, you couldn’t help but be filled with the anticipation of being shaken to your very core by some of the best “made for sound system” music around. It all started with Subliminal, Caustik, CurlyOne & Dillard going back to back. It was obvious the four Sub.mission residents were no strangers to each other’s style because they complimented each other flawlessly. Even though they each have their own individual sound and style, what was represented during their set was true talent and any aspiring DJ watching would’ve been wise to take a few notes. The master selectors absolutely crushed their set and set the vibe for the night. It was, without a doubt, one of the best resident tag sets that we’ve seen at Final Fridays.
After the residents left the decks it was time for Chestplate badman Mesck to take control. Ever since his set last year in the mountains Mesck has been one of the most talked about and requested lower end artists in Denver. He came out swinging full force with a mash up of old tunes and new material we’ve never heard before. Stacking track after track flawlessly and keeping it deep dark and dangerous, he displayed why Distance selected him to be the one and only American on the Chestplate label. In the back you could see Kaiju, Ganja White Night and even Sleeper feeling the vibe along with the rest of the crowd and crew. Mesck came to truly invade & destroy and he did just that. Once his set ended we had to do a quick reality check because Ganja White night was about to take the stage.
Personally I had been anticipating Ganja White Nights return ever since they last smashed Electronic Tuesdays back in 2013 and I know I wasn’t alone. I was in the back room of The Fusion Factory when the first tune dropped and there was a group of us that stopped what we were doing and headed back into the main room as fast as we could. I never made it to the front for this one because it was packed and everyone was bouncing and absolutely losing it to every tune GWN played. Flawlessly lacing GWN tunes with classics like “Night”& “3kLane”, we were taken back to a time when dubstep was just dubstep and it seemed that for the rest of GWN’s set there were memories and stories of the old days of Denver Dubstep being shared and remembered. They truly moved us forward by taking us back down memory lane.
Finishing off Night One was the one and only Kaiju. One half of the duo, Paul, was to take the decks and everyone was just waiting to see what he had in store for us. I had the pleasure of watching the man sound check and what he did during sound check that set him apart from other artists I’ve seen do a sound check is he played a tune and immediately stood in front of the Void System in various spots around the main floor to see if his sound was dialed in perfectly. He did this for a while and seeing him sound check had me only wondering what he was going to do to us. He started the night pushing the Void System with straight dub music. Lighters and smoke filled the air and Godzilla’s silhouette peeked from behind the sound system as we all began to meditate on bass weight. It wasn’t before long that he worked in some Kaiju classics along with some seriously heavy unheard music that had us all on the floor. He rattled us to our very center and had the entire Fusion Factory’s hands in the air and on its knees begging for more. After the lights came on he played a couple more tunes for us and the night ended gracefully. Outside there was a lot of clamor going on about what Night Two had in store and who had plans between now and then. Knowing it was going to be a long wait it’s safe to say that most of us went home and got some rest. Bass Invading Denver isn’t for the faint of heart.
Night Two had some serious anticipation in the air. Outside you could feel the walls vibrating as the Mile High Club boys were inside doing their sound check. As the doors opened and we all rushed in to find our home bases for the night Aowl, Swayd & Sektah were getting things started off properly easing us into the madness with some deep and dark tunes. As we all settled in and said our hello’s to each other the MHC boys took the vibe in a hard harder and harder direction with each track mixed in. What started as a deep and heavy set was now a full on wonkfest and as people walked in they immediately began to realize that tonight was going to be yet another one for the books.
After Swayd, Aowl and Sektah had warmed us up, and successfully got our blood flowing, it was time to give a warm welcome to Holland’s own Le Lion. This was his Denver debut and at the drop of the first tune he definitely showed us that he was here to rock us to the core. He was exactly what all his bio’s across the web had read, a lion with an afro who likes to show us sounds we’ve never heard before. With each track having a perfect combination of heavy saw and bass wobble, he brought a us back to a time when dubstep was just dubstep. No labels, no sub genres, no gimmicks. Just pure unadulterated dubstep simplly made to come from a sound system and make you move. A Bass Invader had stated later on that night that his set was basically a “One hour long well executed double drop.” And that statement couldn’t have been further from the truth. Manipulating two tracks to make it seem like it was an entirely new track all together is no easy task but Le Lion made it look like it was second nature. You saw it in his face that he was having fun and that he loved the crowd and he left it all on the decks for us to further create the vibe. I know I speak for all of the Denver massive when I say we can’t wait for his return.
The wonk party didn’t stop with Le Lion. Once he was done and had the crowd going crazy it was The Greys turn to take control of the decks. Denver is no stranger to the The Greys, however, I was with a few people that had never seen him before and had only heard maybe one or two of his tunes. Within the first five minutes of his set those friends were hooked and making their way to the front to see what madness he was delivering on the decks. Mid set I decided to get some air and see what the vibe of the party was. I found it hard to leave the main floor though as every time I’d make my way for the back I was pulled back into the dance when he’d drop, or double drop, tunes that properly worked the void system. I did make my way to the back at one point and a few Bass Invaders were talking about how this was the best event of the year. Some were reminiscing of past Bass Invasions while others we’re talking about the 7 and 8 year parties and all the past Fusion Factory events. Everyone agreed that the vibe at each of those past Sub.mission events were very special and that they could not be replicated or recreated and everyone agreed that this Bass Invasion would go down in Denver Dubstep history as one of the best events to fully represent dubstep as a whole. As the few of us that were talking parted ways The Greys continued to rock the crowd and I was walked back where my home base was he finished his set and had the entire Fusion Factory in an uproar. He absolutely crushed it and after watching both him and Le Lion it made us all really excited for people to see them as they continue on their tour. We hope they come back sooner than later.
Next up was Crucial Recordings boss Sleeper. Sleeper was a definite switch up from all the wonky business that was going on that night but for as deep and dark as he was, he was also heavy and fast. A friend I was with said “This is like some hardcore wonk shit without all the crazy synths. This shit is heavy, hard, and melodic and it fucking rolls so smoothly!” As he finished his sentence Sleeper dropped a tune that no one had heard before and as we all made some noise and danced a bit harder he pulled up the tune causing the place to go absolutely mad. Playing it from the top and continuing to stack and lace old, new and unreleased tunes with well timed mixing and style, Sleeper once again proved that he was a force to be reckoned with and that he has, without a doubt, solidified his spot as one of dubstep’s elite. He had us all stuck in a bass fueled trance and by the time his set ended all we could do was make noise and simply thank him for taking us on such a deep, dark, heavy and intimate journey. He pushed the Void System and utilized it to its full potential leaving everyone simply breathless. We were all rattled and ready for the dubplate king to take the decks.
Joe Nice came to party and party he did. He started us off with some DMX and kept that raw “Gonna Give It To Ya!” vibe going all night. Joe Nice is the DJ of DJ’s and he proved that once again from the get go all the way to the end. Flawlessly mixing dubplates with history lessons, party tunes with underground tunes and everything in between. From calling fans out on the dance floor and dropping their requests to placing his headphones on some of the front row crew to get a sneak peek at what’s coming in to showing the labeled sleeve of the dubplate he’s playing to passing his bottles around the crowd; Joe Nice played the role of Selector and soul controller with perfection and pure skill. He ended Bass Invasion with a ton of 90’s R&B and Hip Hop and played until the very last second that he was allowed to play. There wasn’t a soul on the floor that wasn’t moved. Everyone had a smile on their face and they were glowing and radiating pure vibes. As the crew would say, .mission accomplished!
As the night, and the weekend, came to a close and we all funneled out of the Fusion Factory it was hard to let it end. The fact that it was 5am didn’t deter anyone. Denver truly does not stop when it comes to music. After talking with Le Lion, The Greys & Joe Nice outside for a bit and bidding farewell to everyone it was finally time to go home and rest. Sunday would prove to one of the hardest recovery days to date, not because I was hungover or sore from dancing but because I was moved so much solely by the vibe and the sound. The combination of the two took me higher made me feel more euphoria than any substance ever could and I know I’m not alone when I say that the Hallows Eve Party with Goth Trad & Nomine on the Bass Couch System couldn’t come fast enough. As dubstep Godfather Mala once said “You can’t put man in a room with no sub!” and Denver knows that Sub.mission delivers on that statement every time. Bass Invasion will go down in the annals of Denver Dubstep as one of the most important, innovative and most of all, fun events that is put on by the scene for the scene. Whether you’re a dubstep OG or are new to the sound and the culture, Bass Invasion is and always will be the event to experience and feel all the spectrums of the sound system culture. It seems we say this after every Bass Invasion… I can’t fucking wait until next year.