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Weaving one’s way through the rainbow circus masses, through spinning glowsticks and hats with wings, puffs of smoke and glowing attire, Cervantes’ beckons: “Come one, come all.”
Welcome to Denver’s showcase of electro’s savviest new-comers at the Re: Unified Field two-night concert event.
Though doors opened at 8 p.m., the night truly began with Emancipator’s set two hours later. With the help of a violinist, Emancipator, a 20-year-old producer from Oregon who released his debut, Soon it Will Be Cold Enough, exclusively in Japan at age 19, took his grip as he purified the crowd, bending their motions with the flick of his fingers across the vinyl. He skillfully led the audience on a dark and gritty journey through an immaculate experience of sound.
Though Sleepyhead, MiMOSA’s usual “Sexytime” stage partner, was absent, MiMOSA joined Emancipator on Cervantes’ Other Side with a whomping presence before beginning his own set around midnight.
Sweat glistened in the florescent flashes, illuminating girls dressed in scintillating smiles and the boys who paid them no mind as MiMOSA’s heavy bass commanded attention.
“[MiMOSA] gave an emotional and extremely energetic performance; at points the entranced crowd erupted into complete chaos similar to what one might find in a Slayer moshpit,” said DU sophomore Matthew Sidran.
As was apparent during his set, MiMOSA devotes his entire being to live performances, a trait that keeps his fan-base and influence in a constant state of growth.
“With dubstep you follow your heart, counting notes to perfection,” the impassioned producer and performer MiMOSA said Friday evening in an exclusive interview with the Clarion.
Andrei Olenev, better known by stage name Heyoka, headlined Cervantes’ Other Side Friday evening. Heyoka hails from the San Francisco bay area. With natty dreds, the stoic figure stands much taller than his stage predecessor, MiMOSA, and spins a hybrid of robotic music drawing his influence surprisingly from jazz, the blues, horns, 1960s music, electronic and dub.
“I love Southpark and I love playing in Colorado, there is a particular enthusiasm here that is magnetic,” he said to the Clarion before his set.
The headliner Friday night Ott took the Masterpiece Ballroom stage at 1:30 a.m. As the oldest and most experienced of the event’s performers, Ott’s bouncy psychedelic trance style captivated while the expertly crafted “weeblewobbles” kept the crowd raging through the early hours of the morning.
“The crowd that is drawn to this kind of music is all-around crazy,” said attendee Amy Newman, a DU sophomore. “I saw a couple people dancing with fire balls in their hands.”
“There was one woman who stood out front of the men’s restroom, falling asleep,” said Newman. “Her eyes were closed, but somehow she wouldn’t fall over, and she seemed to be doing some sort of slow-motion dance. I like to call her ‘Pass out Lady.'”
Saturday evening’s audience gathered to enjoy Jantsen, Fisk & Samples, Laze Sword, Future Simple Project, Djunya, Nalepa, Vibesquad, Big Gigantic, Alex B and Octopus Nebula. The first large act of the night was local favorite Aaron Holstein, known by stage name Vibesquad. With crunkadelic beats and hyphy whomps, Vibesquad delivered an energy-packed performance, bouncing about the stage with an infectious grin on his face.
But it was another Colorado favorite, Big Gigantic, who stole the show. With a sound that combines elements of dub-step, electronica, funk and jam music, the crowd could not help but dance to the swoons of the saxophone as lights poured from the center stage.
“The artists presented a heddy combination of jazz, dubstep, hip-hop and electronic beats which gave listeners a chance to experience all kinds of music in a two-night event full of bass wobbles and good grooves. It was dope to see them all at once at Cervantes’ awesome venue,” said DU sophomore Bryce Tobin.
