This past Tuesday night bass music lovers in Denver were in for a very special treat as Sub.mission presented us with yet another fully-loaded lineup of some of the sickest local, nationwide, and international talent all under the same roof. From the moment that I had found out that Trashbat was going to be making his long awaited Denver debut at Cervantes’ Other Side for a headlining performance at Electronic Tuesdays, my calendar had been marked with great anticipation and I couldn’t wait to finally see Trashbat perform here. Unforeseen circumstances prevented Trashbat from performing at his previously scheduled date in May at a Sub.mission warehouse party and a headlining set at Electronic Tuesdays was the perfect way to make up for it and he surely didn't disappoint! Here is the rewind!
The night began at 8:00pm with the weekly DJ battles featuring performances from Fractured Silence, SANDOS, Domino Trixter, & Bean. Each of the 4 DJ’s made the most out of their 30 minute time slots to showcase their unique styles and set the tone early in the night. This week’s battlers threw down a variety of sounds with genres ranging from deeper dubstep, trap, hip-hop, and aggressive tear-out styles as well. The battle was entertaining and demonstrated how diverse and well-rounded the local scene in Colorado is, and once again proved why it’s important to show up early in the night so you don’t miss a beat! After a heated battle among the 4 selectors, SANDOS beat out the competition and emerged as this week’s winner as his trapper 808 sound blended with Hip-Hop resonated very well with the audience. Catch SANDOS making his Electronic Tuesdays return to spin at the January Winners Showcase taking place on February 9!
SANDOS
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
Following the opening DJ Battles, the crowd grew thick and it was now time for the one like Blind Prophet to take the stage and offer a refreshing switch in tempo the night’s previous flow. Upon taking the decks, Blind Prophet began his set with some rootsy, Reggae Dub sounds that had the crowd nodding their heads and moving their feet. Hailing from New York, Blind Prophet played out to the Denver crowd and transitioned his set into minimal, sub-heavy dubstep that the audience was well accustomed to. Tunes like Amit’s ‘Fatty Batty’, Kaiju’s ‘Justice’, and EshOne’s ‘Ups and Downs’ flexed the sound system at Cervantes’ Other Side and Blind Prophet captured the crowd from beginning to end as he flawlessly set the tone for Trashbat’s headlining performance. From the moment Blind Prophet took the stage, I found myself permanently glued to the front of the dance floor closest to the subwoofers and that spot became my home for the remainder of the night.
BLIND PROPHET
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
Next up it was now the moment we had all been patiently waiting for, the highly awaited Denver debut of Trashbat! Being an avid fan of Trashbat’s tunes over the years, I was curious and eager to see what type of set he would perform, being that he is a producer of many styles and his influences stem from a variety of genres that are not limited to just dubstep. Not surprisingly, Trashbat composed a well-rounded performance packed with a variety of styles that catered to bass music lovers of every spectrum. Accompanying Trashbat on stage as a very special surprise guest was the one and only Ill Chill on the microphone. Some of you may remember Ill Chill from the Mindstep label showcase Sub.mission’s warehouse party back in May when he accompanied label head ‘Crises’ in the mix and on Tuesday night he made his Denver return to drop some vocals to the sound of Trashbat. This was a very pleasant surprise and it was a treat to see one of the most prolific emcee’s in today’s Hip-Hop/Bass scene holding it down with Trashbat on this massive Tuesday night. The jazzy, smooth melodies of tunes like ‘Honey’ and the soothing snares of ‘Takaramachi’ had the crowd vibing nonstop and the Denver crowd loved every moment. Trashbat’s energetic, upbeat stage presence ignited the entire audience and it was impossible to stand still during his performance. Throughout the narrow-hall venue of Cervantes’ Other Side there was a liveliness among all of the attendees and they showed their appreciation for the sound that was being performed with loud cheers and lighters held high in the air during monumental tunes such as Skream’s ‘Midnight Request Line.’ When it was all said and done, Trashbat & Ill Chill sped up my heart rate and over-delivered on every expectation that I had of the night and it was a true accomplishment to finally be able to cross off ‘Trashbat w/ Ill Chill’ from my list of must-sees!
Check out this video of Trashbat grooving out to his classic tune 'Honey'
TRASHBAT
ILL CHILL
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
The vibe was thick, the dance floor was packed, and it was now time for Cord to step up to the decks and close the night out in style. Over the years Cord has become a staple in the Denver dubstep scene and his original production and DJ’ing abilities have stood out to make him a personal favorite and I couldn’t imagine a better talent to finish off the night. While maintaining a focused stage presence that was calm, cool, and collected, Cord proceeded to get Deep, Dark, & Dangerous at Cervantes’ Other Side and kept the late night crowd moving until the end of the night. Sub heavy bass lines combined with dungeon-like percussions induced the crowd into a deep state of mediation and often times I found myself closing my eyes and surrendering my soul to the beat. For those of you that missed Cord’s set on Tuesday night or weren’t able to stay until the very end, you’re in luck! Cord recorded his set from the night and will be posting it within the next few days so keep a close eye on his Facebook & SoundCloud page!
CORD
(EYEDIOLA PHOTOGRAPHY)
Big ups to everyone that made it out and took part in such a massive night in sound presented by Sub.mission. It really is something special that we get to witness such top notch talent all under the same roof on a Tuesday night and every week is unique in its own way. See you all next week for performances from Bommer, AOWL, Dillard & more!
Author: Carlos Galvan