The thing about Denver is that there’s enough talent hanging out on the Other Side on any given Tuesday that if a headliner is turned away by whatever government entity apparently responsible for keeping DJ’s out of the US, Electronic Tuesdays can headline itself. That is essentially what happened this week. Troyboi’s performance is postponed until November 3rd, but with summer in full swing and plenty of tunes to be played, the show must go on. Despite the lack of scheduled headliner, the final E-Tuesdays event of June popped off.
It was a unique Tuesday in many ways. The local artists booked for support – DJ Chris, Castle Keys, and Lidsky – are all regular inhabitants of E-Tuesdays. They were more than happy to take responsibility for satisfying those who were looking forward to Troyboi’s performance. The headlining slot was filled by Sub.mission’s own resident Subliminal. Sandwiched between his set at last weekend’s warehouse party featuring The Others and next Electronic Tuesdays with J:Kenzo, Subliminal might appear to be an odd choice for the night. However, given his historic status as the “godfather of trap”, we suspected the resident might have something special in store for those who came out determined to party.
Electronic Tuesdays are not strictly a dubstep night, but an opportunity for underground artists to showcase their stuff to a Denver audience ready to hear something new. But in the beginning, there was dubstep, and so goes the night’s cyclical journey through bass music as well. DJ Chris blessed the Other Side with deep, heavy vibes that stuck in the floor for the rest of the night. His aggressively dark set was reserved for those who know exactly what they want to hear. From eight to nine a steady stream of bass music fans came through the doors and, predictably, beelined straight for the patio while the devoted dubsteppers nodded their heads to DJ Chris’s set with characteristic fury. The sounds he played are not for everybody. But after the night’s brilliant unfolding, I won’t be surprised if some of the crowd who came out for party music finds themselves stapled to the stage next time they stumble across a dark dubstep set.
A tenant of Electronic Tuesdays walked away with the week’s battle win as well. Dalek One is establishing himself as a crowd favorite in Denver’s dubstep scene, and his set this week only furthered the cause. The thirty minute set was jam-packed with the biggest tunes that you may not have heard yet, including tracks from emerging locals DMVU and Myxed Up. Dalek One will play in next week’s June winners showcase before the legend J:Kenzo takes over the decks.
As Castle Keys mentally prepared for his set from his typical squat on the patio, we noticed that the night’s crowd wasn’t quite like the throngs of dubsteppers we’re used to on Tuesday nights. Underage X’s were in abundance among this young turn-out, and most of them even wore (gasp!) actual colors. For Castle Keys, this is exciting. The Colorado native played the night’s event for a reason. Castle Keys’ bouncy, upbeat dance music is partly a response to the underground dubstep scene he inhabits. The artist believes that genuine music doesn’t need to be inaccessible, and the dance floor’s reaction to his set proved his point. Castle Keys’ style of underground club music is influenced by sounds you’ve probably never heard of (he has a penchant for geo-culturally specific party music), but it’s inspired by universal danceability. His set demonstrated the possibility of making people move to new sounds without sacrificing originality for familiar appeal. And for any dubstep heads still lurking cross-armed in the corner, Castle Keys’ bounce remix of Mala’s “Changes” served as an irreverent nod to the militant guardians of tradition. To most of the audience, the tune was simply a melodic moment of irresistable dance floor energy.
“Trap music” – electronic trap music – picked up a bad rap not long after it borrowed its name. It was inevitable. The familiar re-appropriation of hip-hop was a comfortable party soundtrack for those who matured far past the juvenile cacophony of dubstep. (Typed with tongue planted firmly in cheek). The offensively simple “festival trap” drowned out truly innovative approaches to the style with reliable swiftness... but Lidsky’s set reminded me of the months spent trapping out to pay attention to anything contrived. Mixed into the relentless selection of bass driven beats were tunes that lived in my headphones for long enough to remain reflexively tied to my trap ‘bows. The set wasn’t nostalgic. It was just good.
As he approached the end of his time on stage, it was apparent that Lidsky did not intend to land his set gently. Nope – with the glorious triumph of playing his first set ever at the venue he calls home, Lidsky left the crowd fully wound, sweaty, and reaching skyward. The telltale X’s waving above the floor when Subliminal approached the decks indicated that he had the full attention of fresh ears. And when Gangsta Boo’s voice pierced the venue – “Sub.mission we in this bitch!” – the super exclusive shoutout announced his intent to abuse it. Sure enough, with the full force of bass fuel pushing the audience straight into the stage, EshOne’s “Monopoly” met the unabashed reception that the banger deserves. With the power granted to him by his hard-earned title, the “godfather of trap” turned Tuesday night into a dubstep party.
Few DJ’s can get away with playing three sets in less than two weeks in one small city, but there’s a good reason why Denver (specifically I... and Ben, shoutout to Ben) don’t tire of coming out again and again for Subliminal’s sets. Playing regularly similar crowds means that he must constantly bring something new to the table. Eight years of Sub.mission residency show that Subliminal delivers. But this Tuesday was a little different. Instead of bringing old fans something new, Subliminal had an old gift for the new faces. There was something inspiring about watching a predominantly underaged audience get down to some old dude who isn’t even famous – especially when the audience presumably came for trap music. Maybe many of them weren’t around for the great dubstep explosion of 2011. They might even believe it when the blogs declare that “Dubstep is dead!”. But the dance floor is undeniable, and despite the trends sweeping electronic music, they still love the sound that people like me fell in love with when artists like Caspa and Rusko introduced it to us in the beginning. America didn’t really get bored of dubstep. It is formulaic over-produced mass-marketed unoriginality that we can’t stomach. Even the newest fans clearly felt the difference when Subliminal delivered something genuine. And if I’m not mistaken, I could hear the electricity of their energy mixed up and channeled back into the room – the pure passion of people not yet jaded.
So the night ended in the spot where DJ Chris began: with dubstep. Once again, Electronic Tuesdays was a demonstration of what it looks like to move people through sound, not hype.
Rewind that night? This week's Electronic Tuesdays was too rare to be repeated, but you can read all about the havoc wreaked on the Other Side by DJ Chris, Castle Keys, Lidsky, and Subliminal on Sub.Files. Congratulations to Dalek One for his battle win!
Join us next week as we submerge into the sounds of the legend J:KENZO, along with DMVU -DamnesiaVu, Subliminal, and the June battle winner's showcase!
-Amye Koziel
It was a unique Tuesday in many ways. The local artists booked for support – DJ Chris, Castle Keys, and Lidsky – are all regular inhabitants of E-Tuesdays. They were more than happy to take responsibility for satisfying those who were looking forward to Troyboi’s performance. The headlining slot was filled by Sub.mission’s own resident Subliminal. Sandwiched between his set at last weekend’s warehouse party featuring The Others and next Electronic Tuesdays with J:Kenzo, Subliminal might appear to be an odd choice for the night. However, given his historic status as the “godfather of trap”, we suspected the resident might have something special in store for those who came out determined to party.
Electronic Tuesdays are not strictly a dubstep night, but an opportunity for underground artists to showcase their stuff to a Denver audience ready to hear something new. But in the beginning, there was dubstep, and so goes the night’s cyclical journey through bass music as well. DJ Chris blessed the Other Side with deep, heavy vibes that stuck in the floor for the rest of the night. His aggressively dark set was reserved for those who know exactly what they want to hear. From eight to nine a steady stream of bass music fans came through the doors and, predictably, beelined straight for the patio while the devoted dubsteppers nodded their heads to DJ Chris’s set with characteristic fury. The sounds he played are not for everybody. But after the night’s brilliant unfolding, I won’t be surprised if some of the crowd who came out for party music finds themselves stapled to the stage next time they stumble across a dark dubstep set.
A tenant of Electronic Tuesdays walked away with the week’s battle win as well. Dalek One is establishing himself as a crowd favorite in Denver’s dubstep scene, and his set this week only furthered the cause. The thirty minute set was jam-packed with the biggest tunes that you may not have heard yet, including tracks from emerging locals DMVU and Myxed Up. Dalek One will play in next week’s June winners showcase before the legend J:Kenzo takes over the decks.
As Castle Keys mentally prepared for his set from his typical squat on the patio, we noticed that the night’s crowd wasn’t quite like the throngs of dubsteppers we’re used to on Tuesday nights. Underage X’s were in abundance among this young turn-out, and most of them even wore (gasp!) actual colors. For Castle Keys, this is exciting. The Colorado native played the night’s event for a reason. Castle Keys’ bouncy, upbeat dance music is partly a response to the underground dubstep scene he inhabits. The artist believes that genuine music doesn’t need to be inaccessible, and the dance floor’s reaction to his set proved his point. Castle Keys’ style of underground club music is influenced by sounds you’ve probably never heard of (he has a penchant for geo-culturally specific party music), but it’s inspired by universal danceability. His set demonstrated the possibility of making people move to new sounds without sacrificing originality for familiar appeal. And for any dubstep heads still lurking cross-armed in the corner, Castle Keys’ bounce remix of Mala’s “Changes” served as an irreverent nod to the militant guardians of tradition. To most of the audience, the tune was simply a melodic moment of irresistable dance floor energy.
“Trap music” – electronic trap music – picked up a bad rap not long after it borrowed its name. It was inevitable. The familiar re-appropriation of hip-hop was a comfortable party soundtrack for those who matured far past the juvenile cacophony of dubstep. (Typed with tongue planted firmly in cheek). The offensively simple “festival trap” drowned out truly innovative approaches to the style with reliable swiftness... but Lidsky’s set reminded me of the months spent trapping out to pay attention to anything contrived. Mixed into the relentless selection of bass driven beats were tunes that lived in my headphones for long enough to remain reflexively tied to my trap ‘bows. The set wasn’t nostalgic. It was just good.
As he approached the end of his time on stage, it was apparent that Lidsky did not intend to land his set gently. Nope – with the glorious triumph of playing his first set ever at the venue he calls home, Lidsky left the crowd fully wound, sweaty, and reaching skyward. The telltale X’s waving above the floor when Subliminal approached the decks indicated that he had the full attention of fresh ears. And when Gangsta Boo’s voice pierced the venue – “Sub.mission we in this bitch!” – the super exclusive shoutout announced his intent to abuse it. Sure enough, with the full force of bass fuel pushing the audience straight into the stage, EshOne’s “Monopoly” met the unabashed reception that the banger deserves. With the power granted to him by his hard-earned title, the “godfather of trap” turned Tuesday night into a dubstep party.
Few DJ’s can get away with playing three sets in less than two weeks in one small city, but there’s a good reason why Denver (specifically I... and Ben, shoutout to Ben) don’t tire of coming out again and again for Subliminal’s sets. Playing regularly similar crowds means that he must constantly bring something new to the table. Eight years of Sub.mission residency show that Subliminal delivers. But this Tuesday was a little different. Instead of bringing old fans something new, Subliminal had an old gift for the new faces. There was something inspiring about watching a predominantly underaged audience get down to some old dude who isn’t even famous – especially when the audience presumably came for trap music. Maybe many of them weren’t around for the great dubstep explosion of 2011. They might even believe it when the blogs declare that “Dubstep is dead!”. But the dance floor is undeniable, and despite the trends sweeping electronic music, they still love the sound that people like me fell in love with when artists like Caspa and Rusko introduced it to us in the beginning. America didn’t really get bored of dubstep. It is formulaic over-produced mass-marketed unoriginality that we can’t stomach. Even the newest fans clearly felt the difference when Subliminal delivered something genuine. And if I’m not mistaken, I could hear the electricity of their energy mixed up and channeled back into the room – the pure passion of people not yet jaded.
So the night ended in the spot where DJ Chris began: with dubstep. Once again, Electronic Tuesdays was a demonstration of what it looks like to move people through sound, not hype.
Rewind that night? This week's Electronic Tuesdays was too rare to be repeated, but you can read all about the havoc wreaked on the Other Side by DJ Chris, Castle Keys, Lidsky, and Subliminal on Sub.Files. Congratulations to Dalek One for his battle win!
Join us next week as we submerge into the sounds of the legend J:KENZO, along with DMVU -DamnesiaVu, Subliminal, and the June battle winner's showcase!
-Amye Koziel