(TJ Jerrod Photo)
The month of February is finally here and this past Tuesday night Sub.mission celebrated the 5th anniversary of their highly acclaimed weekly event, Electronic Tuesdays. For the past 5 years, this event has served as the premier platform to showcase the sounds of the highly talented upcoming locals, as well as top-notch international headliners from around the globe, all under the same roof. To celebrate this monumental occasion, Sub.mission presented us with a lineup completely stacked from top to bottom and the night could not have been more special. Fans and supporters ventured from various corners of the country to take part in this legendary gathering and it was one that won’t soon be forgotten. The bass was hitting hard, the vibe was thick, and this past Tuesday night will go down in the books as one of the best Electronic Tuesdays of all time. Here’s the rewind!
It was 9:00pm sharp when newly added Sub.mission residents AOWL, Ind33p, Trisicloplox, & Bean took to the stage to warm up the decks and set the tone for the massive night ahead. No strangers to Cervantes’ Other Side, this batch of DJ’s have graced the decks at Electronic Tuesdays many times in the past and have become local favorites throughout the scene in Colorado and have proved themselves worthy to hold the title of a Sub.mission resident DJ. Alternating between every 2-3 tunes, each DJ showcased their styles/abilities and joined forces start the night proper and loosen up the early crowd at Cervantes’ Other Side. Accompanied by the vocals and emceeing of The X-Tra Stamina Emcee (X-TS), the group carried us throughout the earlier segment of the night and made a true impact in their official residency debuts.
(TJ Jerrod Photo)
The dance floor was quickly occupied from front-to-back and a sea of both new and familiar faces flooded the narrow hall that is Cervantes’ Other Side just as it was time for the legend himself, DJ Hatcha to take the decks. Known as one of the true pioneers and Godfathers of UK bass music since the earliest days, the story of Dubstep’s origin cannot be told without an honorable mention to DJ Hatcha. Hailing all the way from Croydon, it was a very special rarity to have Hatcha join us on this night to kick a proper lesson in true underground style. From the moment he stepped up to the stage, Hatcha made his presence felt and began to unleash some massive bassweight that had the entire dance floor rumbling with serious low-end frequencies that induced the audience into a state of deep meditation with eyes low and sound up. As I surrendered myself to the sound of the devilish growls and dungeon-like melodies that Hatcha was unleashing, his sound had me questioning whether I was still in Denver or if I had been transported to an underground bunker in the UK where his style originated. Having seen Hatcha perform a handful of times in the past, I knew to expect set that would take me through a journey of sounds with unexplainable track selections and truly masterful mixing abilities. From the moment he took the stage, Hatcha captured the crowd in unison and conducted our every move in a conscious effort to move people through sound, not hype.
(TJ Jerrod Photo)
Following Hatcha’s set, it was now time for London’s very own Youngsta to step up and kick things up notch. Youngsta is no stranger to Colorado and over the years he has become a true crowd favorite. Just like Hatcha, he is considered to be Sub.mission family. Playing a pivotal role in the development of Dubstep from the very beginning, Youngsta has also had an undeniable influence in the industry for many years now and the magnitude of his imprint is immense. Among his highly impressive accolades, Youngsta is internationally recognized for his impeccable skills behind the decks, his weekly Rinse FM streams, founding A&R position at his label Tempa Records, and his club night ‘Contact’. To have Youngsta in the building for the 5 year anniversary was an extraordinary treat and he surely delivered in his Mile High return! Opening his set with Skream’s timeless tune ‘Filth’ , yunx made it clear that he meant business and he brought that raw, uncut UK sound to The Other Side just as we expected him to. The entire audience erupted in excitement as he proceeded to drop classic after classic including some of my personal favorites like Skream’s ‘Chest boxing’ double-dropped with Amit’s ‘Fatty Batty’, SP:MC & Lx One’s ‘Hunted’ and Skream’s ‘Make Me’ , to only name a few. As I looked out into the crowd, I observed an audience packed with bass music enthusiasts of various age ranges and backgrounds, all gathered for the purpose of music and not a single body in the venue was stagnant. Smiles from ear-to-ear and undeniable emotions of excitement flooded the crowd and the night was only midway through.
(TJ JERROD Photo)
Among the various reasons why I was so exited for this night, one of the coolest parts was being able to finally meet friends of mine that I had previously only known virtually online that made it out from places like Minessota, Michigan, Texas, and Utah to take part in this massive celebration. The love and support that is found at Sub.mission shows is extraordinary and it’s powerful to see the amount of dedication and drive that our nationwide supporters fuel us with.
As I weaved through the crowd and said my ‘Hellos’ my focus was redirected to the front of the room as it was now time for Youngsta & Hatcha to blow us away with a massive back-to-back set to amplify the energy in the room. Youngsta b2b Hatcha is a truly deadly combination of talents and this main event feature was almost too good to handle. The duo kicked off their set with Om Unit’s ‘Ruff House’ remix that offered an upbeat change of pace. Throughout the entire set, you could see the lighter crew in full effect as the flames from everyone’s torches illuminated the dance floor and paid homage to monumental tunes such as DMZ’s ‘Anti War Dub’, Coki & Benga’s ‘Night’, ‘Cay’s Cray’ DMZ remix, Mala’s ‘Eyez VIP’ and much more.
Check out this video of the duo dropping Anti War Dub into Eyez VIP
The crowd erupted in excitement and rewinds were being called out like numbers at a bingo conference. They closed out their set on a high note and threw down Coki’s skreetchy, dance floor banger ‘Lucifer’ and the roar from the crowd was at an all-time high. Witnessing two legends like Youngsta & Hatcha going back-to-back in the intimacy of Cervantes’ Other Side seems like a once in a lifetime type of experience and it was surely a sighting that I will never forget.
(TJ JERROD Photo)
Next up it was time for fellow UK-based artist Commodo* to close out the night with an extended set to send us off proper. Over the years Commodo has definitely become one of my favorite producers as his mind-bending tunes have always grabbed my attention and never let go. His sound is unmistakable and truly defies his versatility as both a DJ and a Producer. The tunes that he masterfully crafts do not fit neatly under an umbrella that is meant to be exclusive to a single genre and that is one of the things that I admire most about him as an artists- he does his own thing. Known as one of the most versatile and diverse talents on the Deep Medi roster, Commodo has been making some serious waves with his solo projects and well as his collaborations alongside Kahn & Gantz. Seeing how busy Commodo has been with his music and developing his unique sound made me even more excited to see him perform at the 5 year anniversary and showcase his multi faceted style on this special occasion. I was fortunate enough to see Commodo perform at the Sub.mission 7 year anniversary party as well as his headlining set at Electronic Tuesdays a few days after and those performances left an impression that demonstrate how skillful Commodo really is as an artist. By the time that Commodo took the decks, the entire room had been transformed into a pitch-black abyss for the audience to dwell and get lost in with the music up and eyes low. When the stage set of a performance is blacked out, the setting reverts the listener’s attention strictly to the music that is being projected and the sound is the only thing compelling you to move without a single distraction. Dark atmospheres, small rooms, and big sound systems are critical elements to the sound system culture that Commodo’s sound is synonymous with and the translation between DJ and crowd was pure and wholesome.
The beginning segment of Commodo’s set emphasized heavy Grime & Hip-Hop influences that once again demonstrate how versatile of a talent he really is. On Tuesday night he performed all of his underground anthems that I had hoped for including his ‘Miracles Remix’ , ‘Space Cash’ , ‘FCK Mountain VIP’ , ‘Free Focus Remix’ , ‘All Of The Lights Remix' and many more. The true heads stuck around to witness this intimate set that tested the boundaries of bass music and exceeded the normal Electronic Tuesdays end time of 2:00AM.
Miracles (Commodo Remix)
Going into the night of the anniversary, Electronic Tuesdays was voted the best electronic music weekly in Denver and Sub.mission was voted best promoter in Electronic Colorado's 'Best of 2015' awards so big ups to everyone that voted and help make Electronic Tuesdays so special!
All-in-all, this past Tuesday night will forever be remembered as one of the best Electronic Tuesdays to ever take place and I am truly grateful to have been a part of this special occasion that won’t soon be forgotten. Lineups that feature 3 Grade-A headliners from the UK all on a single night in Denver are a true rarity and hard to come by and we all have Sub.mission to thank for it! Big ups to everyone that came out and took part in such a monumental night in sound and contributed to the vibe of the night. Make sure your calendars are marked for April 9th as Sub.mission’s 9 year anniversary party is going to be on a similar frequency and magnitude and we’ll see you all next week at Electronic Tuesdays for the jazzy, smooth sound of Swindle!
(TJ JERROD Photo)
Author: CARLOS GALVAN