Denver, Colorado is widely considered the “Bass Capital of America.”
Thanks, in part, to Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Located on the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a short 20-minute drive from Denver and offers a one-of-a-kind concert experience. The famed venue, which hosted its first concert in 1941, is located between two massive red rocks (hints the name), and is home to some of the most iconic performances in music history, including The Beatles (1964), Jimi Hendrix (1968), The Grateful Dead (1978), and Daft Punk (2007).
But, in recent years, Red Rock’s annual schedule has shifted toward a more electronic-leaning lineup (especially dubstep), including yearly, multi-day events like Zeds Dead’s annual Dead Rocks, Liquid Stranger’s WAKAAN Rocks and REZZ’s REZZ Rocks.
It all started when Nicole Cacciavillano (founder of the Sub.Mission Agency and owner of The Black Box, Denver’s premiere venue for underground bass music) brought the “Global Dub” event to Red Rocks for the first time in 2012.
“I remember being on stage at Global Dub and looking at the crowd, kind of shocked that dubstep had made it this far,” Cacciavillano said. “But when I saw all the lasers and neon lights, I realised dubstep was changing. It wasn’t underground anymore.”
“Everyone listens to dubstep now; it’s a mainstream thing. Dubstep is on target commercials. 30,000 people gather in stadiums to see a dubstep show. Middle school kids are learning about dubstep in class. And Denver is the mecca for this kind of music and culture.” – Nicole Cacciavillano
In the years since Global Dub’s inaugural event in 2012, Cacciavillano has continued to water Denver’s underground bass community through her nationally recognised “The Black Box” music venue (known for its incredible hybrid Funktion-One sound system) in the heart of Denver’s Capital Hill, and her Sub.Mission agency – which features acts like Ternion Sound, The Widdler, Chef Boyarbeatz, Sicaria, and Parkbreezy.
The Black Box is known as the “home of the underground”; the venue hosts 3-night residencies for artists like Ternion Sound to play 6+ hour sets, and special appearances by UK legends like Skream, Benga, Hamdi, and more.
But The Black Box isn’t just a place for established artists to lead the underground – it’s also where DJs learn their craft, thanks to Electronic Tuesdays.
“Electronic Tuesdays is, and always has been, a platform for bedroom DJs to step on stage and play in front of their first crowd,” Cacciavillano said. “But it’s also become so much more than that. It’s become a local hub for ravers to come together and celebrate the undiscovered talent Denver has to offer.”
Electronic Tuesdays has incubated countless now-mainstream artists before anyone knew their name – including Wreckno, Dirt Monkey, and ILLENIUM, who recently broke the record for the highest-selling EDM headline show in North America. That show, dubbed Trilogy: Colorado, happened right here, in Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
“Denver is where I started my career,” Nicholas D. Miller, AKA ILLENIUM, said. “Driving by the Mile High stadium throughout the past 10 years, playing a show there was always a far-out goal that I never really took seriously because of how large it is. But when it became feasible, I jumped at the opportunity because I knew how special it could be.”
The event sold over 33,000 tickets and set a new bar for large-scale EDM concerts, not only in terms of tickets sold but also in terms of production. “We were able to do things at that show which have never been done before,” Miller said. “It was in its own league, really.”
Why did Miller choose Denver to host this massive event?
Aside from the city being Miller’s hometown, it’s also a place that embraces creativity and community. In these efforts, Denver is virtually unmatched across North America.
“Denver has always had a very special acceptance for creativity, especially when it comes to music,” Miller said. “Also, fans fly in from all over the world to see a show at Red Rocks – it’s such an iconic venue, and that keeps a very fresh and competitive market here.”
“Denver has always been a music city that deeply supports electronic music and DJ culture. From the earliest raves, there was always a fabric of connectivity that made this city special. I was lucky enough to have watched it happen from almost day one. And to see where we are today makes me extremely proud.” – Jonas Tempel, founder of Beatport.
Miller makes a good point – according to Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Boxscore Charts, Red Rocks reportedly sold 1.65 million tickets in 2023, making it the most-attended outdoor venue in the U.S., and the fourth-most attended venue, of any kind, in the world.
No matter who’s playing, the rave scene is alive and well at Red Rocks all year long.
When artists headline Red Rocks, it’s always a special occasion – pre-parties, meet-and-greets, and merch pop-ups happen across the city in the days leading up to the events. Headliners also routinely debut new production and immaculate drone shows.
And, on a sunny day (which, in Colorado, happens 300 days a year) ravers from across the country gather in the Red Rocks parking lots to tailgate, grill, and party to their hearts’ content long before the concert officially starts.
As soon as the venue opens its door, fans are routinely blessed with lineups that include 5+ artists before the headliner steps on stage. When the headliner does eventually come on, the spectacle is always immaculate. The colourful castle Of The Trees (who is also based in Denver) built for his debut Red Rocks headline in 2023 is a prime example
When Morison County’s (where Red Rocks technically resides) strict 11:30 PM sound ordinance swiftly – and sometimes quite suddenly – shuts the music down, 9,000 ravers scatter out of the venue to their cars, party busses, Ubers, and Lyfts to begin their decent into Denver’s metro area.
But the night is young, and people still want to rave, which means it’s time for the after-party. Usually, that means it’s time to go to the OffBeat warehouse.
“I think one of the reasons people love OffBeat afterparties is because we’re always providing a different experience than you get at the main events,” OffBeat’s Co-Founder and Owner, who prefers to be called by his nickname “Bry,” said.
The raves that happen at Denver’s most respected venues like The Ogden, Mission Ballroom, and Red Rocks, are often dominated by massive LED screens and multi-coloured strobe lights – an elaborate spectacle of what The Glitch Mob calls “the EDM production arms race” that accompanied EDM’s rise to mainstream appeal throughout the last decade.
That’s great, but OffBeat wants to provide a different experience – one that represents rave culture’s minimalist warehouse origins.
“When we throw an afterparty, the main thing we focus on is the sound,” Bry said. “Because the earlier shows might have been in a bigger room where the sound gets lost sometimes. We probably won’t have a massive LED screen, but we will always have an insane sound system.”
But OffBeat after-parties wouldn’t exist without the bigger venues that define the weekly agenda for concert-goers and ravers year-round. In fact, Bry says these venues are the main reason Denver has such a thriving rave scene in the first place.
“Denver has the best, most die-hard and committed fans in the country,” Bry said. “I think that’s because the main venues here – Mission Ballroom, The Ogden, The Black Box, and Cervantes – are so incredible.”
Bry, like most of the rave community in Denver, holds a special place in his heart for Cervantes, a venue he calls “the perfect place to see live music.”
“Cervantes has always held it down in terms of paying attention to the up-and-coming artists, nurturing the culture, and fostering the music community in Denver.” – Maddy O’Neal, Denver-based DJ and producer
That’s because, while OffBeat is the king of after-parties, Cervantes is the heart of Denver’s music community at large – and when it comes to bass music, their flagship weekly event series, SHIFT Thursdays, is leading the charge.
“Selling out a Cervantes Ballroom show, especially a SHIFT show, is a rite of passage that many artists who are now headlining Red Rocks have celebrated on their path to stardom,” Evan Marks, the lead talent buyer for the SHIFT Thursday shows, said. “Promoters and agents from all over the country are taking notes about which artists are selling out shows in Denver. That includes SHIFT shows, so these events are taken very seriously from all sides.”
In 2024, the lineup of SHIFT headliners is a who’s-who of the hottest acts in bass music, including Ahee, LYNY, SubDocta, Jason Leech, Moody Good, Canabliss, and Super Future.
But SHIFT events aren’t just about great music – they’re about celebrating the rave community at large. “SHIFT events have a real community vibe,” Marks said. “We have vendors, live painters, things like that, which make SHIFT shows more of a congregation for ravers rather than just a concert.”
“SHIFT Thursdays, and the entire bass music community in Denver, owes a lot to Nicole [Cacciavillano]. In a lot of ways, SHIFT is a by-product of Nicole’s Electronic Tuesday shows, which called Cervantes home for many years.” – Evan Marks, talent buyer for Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Cervantes is one of many beloved music venues in Denver. And, compared to other venues like Mission Ballroom, and clubs like Church and Temple, it’s a relatively small room. When an artist sells out Cervantes (capacity: 1,000), they move up the ladder. Usually, that means their next headline is the Ogden Theater on Colfax.
If you sell out the Ogden Theater (capacity: 1,600), it’s time for the big leagues. Mainly, Mission Ballroom.
Mission Ballroom isn’t just a hometown favorite — it’s a country-wide favorite, for fans and artists alike. That’s because Mission Ballroom (capacity: 3,950) is the blueprint for modern music venues.
Built in 2019, the $28 million, 60,000 square-foot venue has all the bells and whistles: a retractable stage, five full-service bars, a state-of-the-art sound system (d&b Audiotechnik KSLs), and an 800-pound LED disco ball to top it all off.
Mission Ballroom hosts the biggest names in EDM every year — Excision, Zeds Dead, REZZ, and Truth are among the venue’s headliners in 2024. If house music is more your speed, SIDEPIECE, Mau P, and Chris Lake (who has a residency at Mission Ballroom) are also performing this year.
The venues mentioned up to this point are more traditional music venues, but there’s also a vibrant club scene in Denver’s South Broadway neighborhood. If you’re looking to cleanse your sins, The Church nightclub is waiting for you.
The Church is exactly what it sounds like — a nightclub located inside of an actual church building.
Once a traditional St. Mark’s Church, The Church was converted into a nightclub in 1996. Today, artists like San Pancho, Borgore, and Manic Focus deliver musical sermons below stained-glass windows and gothic architecture while ravers worship together on the dancefloor.
Across the street, Temple and Club Vinyl offer similar sanctuaries for club-goers throughout the year, especially during the summer.
During the summertime, when Red Rocks season is in full swing, the raves and dance music concerts are seemingly endless. It’s not uncommon for ravers to attend three to four events in a single weekend, bouncing from a dubstep show at Red Rocks to afterparties frequently hosted at The Church and Temple, then to the late-night spot at OffBeat’s warehouse.
Absent a vicious hangover, ravers might spend the next day at The X Denver, soaking up the sun while Manic Focus (a Denver-based producer and DJ who’s shared stages with Pretty Lights, Zeds Dead, Big Gigantic, and countless others) spins some groovy bass music poolside. Before GRiZ announced his indefinite hiatus last year, he was also known for throwing free, impromptu pop-up shows at smaller venues across the city.
When Sunday finally comes around, Cheeseman Park, one of Denver’s biggest public parks, lights up with hippies, ravers, flow artists, and music lovers while local DJs set up their decks and soundtrack the evening’s affairs.
“There’s always so much going on in Denver, it’s honestly crazy how many shows happen here every week. It feels like every day a friend calls me and says ‘hey, I’m in town to play a show tonight.’ – Chloé Herry, AKA CloZee
But fans aren’t the only people who call Denver home.
It’s also a creative hub for artists looking to escape the high-octane lifestyle of other musical cities in the US like Los Angeles and New York City in exchange for a vibrant, connected musical culture that’s unmatched in the States.
Mitch Draper, aka Tvboo – a bass artist with a redneck flair who grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and moved to Denver in 2022 – is a great example.
“Denver is a passion city,” Draper said. “It’s not the sexiest place, but people want to be here because they know there’s opportunity, and people here actually care about the music.”
This mentality is at the forefront of Draper’s podcast, TVLKS with TVBOO.
On his podcast, Draper chats casually with artists and friends in his Denver studio about life, music, aliens, shotgunning beers, comedy, psychedelics, and everything in between. According to Draper, his podcast is the main reason he moved here – because there’s no other place in the country that lives and breathes bass music like Denver.
“I knew Denver would be the best spot to grow my podcast, because it’s the Bass Captial, right?” Draper said. “Everyone plays here, whether it’s a tour or a special event. I don’t think there’s any other market in the US where an artist will play three times a year.”
Draper isn’t the only artist who feels this way. In the last few years, countless bass artists, both big and small, have migrated to Denver, including Mersiv, Black Carl!, VCTRE, Space Wizard, Smoakland, and CloZee (who moved all the way from Toulouse, France). As Draper puts it, “Denver is like an orphanage – we’re all just looking for a home, and Denver stepped up to the plate.”
Of course, the vibrant rave community isn’t the only reason people move to Denver.
The city also appeals to a whole other demographic of nature lovers, snowboarders, and college attendees thanks to universities like the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the neighboring University of Colorado Boulder – a campus that has incubated countless stars including Disco Lines, Big Gigantic, and Maddy O’Neal.
When Maddy O’Neal moved to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado Boulder in 2008, she had no intentions of becoming a DJ or producing music. She was much more concerned with snowboarding.
“I think the people who move to Colorado for the mountains and outdoor sports are also the people will go out of their way to see three shows a week. Those people are often pretty passionate about music, especially electronic music.” – Evan Marks
But there was a new sound bubbling up in EDM music across the country in the late 2000s, defined by funky rhythms, live instruments (especially the saxophone), and upbeat grooves associated with the electro-soul genre. The epicenter of this evolution took place in Boulder, Colorado, and O’Neal couldn’t get enough of it.
“Moving to Colorado in 2008 changed my trajectory drastically,” O’Neal said. “There was this explosion of sample-based, electro-soul sounds from Colorado artists like GRiZ, Pretty Lights, and Big Gigantic. It was all kind of a new thing, but as soon as I heard it, I was blown away. I knew I needed to figure out how this music was being made.”
Today, Colorado is known as the bass capital of the U.S. However, while Dubstep is certainly a pillar of Colorado’s modern music community, the regional sound remains tethered to the electro-soul and funky bass music genres coined by the state’s most iconic electronic acts like the aforementioned Pretty Lights, GRiZ, and Big Gigantic.
In 2024, the funk-laden bass music that defines the Colorado sound lives on through artists like Maddy O’Neal, Manic Focus, Late Night Radio, and Homemade Spaceship. Still, other Colorado-based artists like Mersiv, ILLENIUM, Smoakland, Space Wizard, Black Carl!, and countless others, continue to push dubstep and experimental bass music to new heights.
Whether you’re headbanging at Red Rocks, jamming to some electro-soul at Cervantes, or grooving to house music under Mission Ballroom’s giant disco ball, the vibes (and the people) are always high in Colorado.
