Location: Cervantes in Denver
Acts: Input, reMINDers, Air Dubai, Paul Basic and Deltron 3030
This place was poppin on Saturday! Sold out show featured some of the best local acts Denver has to offer and a legend playing the classics. One of the more interesting things about this show to me seemed to be how many different ways you can put on a hip hop set.
INPUT
http://www.facebook.com/#!/InputHipHop
Opened up the night with producer Broken on the MPC. I have been a long time fan since I heard some of his work when we both attended UCD for Music Production. This is the first time I have seen him live and was very interested to see how he set it off. Broken I think stole the show, opening on an amazing dubstep remix of the talented and beautiful Lights.
Input then took the stage to play cuts off their new album Never Heard of Ya. The style through out the set remained constant, hard hitting drums and passionate raps. What they were about? I can't say, when rapping the fast paced, at times angry lyrics to the crowd the message did get muddled over the speakers. While I am sure more avid fans knew the set, I was excited to here Oh My God, a single off the new album about partying until the apocalypse. That my friends is the way to go out, on stage and on earth ya heard?
The ReMINDers
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-ReMINDers/71614875812
The second act of the night took the stage next door. Unfortunately due to lack of un contaminated air in the venue, I needed to step outside. I did come in to hear the last 2-3 songs in the set. Now the more conventional set up, 2 emcees and 1 DJ. I must say from what I heard, they killed it. It was like watching Lauryn Hill and Mos Def rock a stage together. A perfect blend of reggae, soul, and hip hop all mixed up with emotion and substance. Check them out if you haven't already.
Paul Basic
http://www.paulbasic.com/
I am new to his music, a Colorado producer doing his thing on the APC and drum pad. Paul like Broken was pounding those pads, but most of the crowd was ready for the headliner, or next door for Air Dubai. I did hear a few tracks, that were unfortunately chopped up due to technical problems. Wasn't sure if this was Paul's doing or the sound man, I believe with all that button mashing a wrong one or two was hit in the set grinding the giant tracks to a screeching halt. From what I heard before moving next door this is a guy on the rise, and am going to check out more of his music online.
Air Dubai
http://www.airdubaimusic.com/
Another great local rap/rock groups that pumped the other side way up. I have heard this group before, this was the first time seeing them live. A full band, drums, guitar, bass, keys and 2 emcees both with some range. They rocked the house for real, it was great to see a front man with that Mick Jagger/Steven Tyler stage presence and flow like oh i don't know, like his own! The last few tracks suffered from a mass exodus to next door for Deltron's set about to take off. Smoking cig's in the spotlight was about as rock as you can get, and they and The ReMINDers killed the other side of the venue!
Deltron 3030
Now for the main event, you would have thought it was 15 degrees out by the way Del took the stage. Winter coat, winter hat, and massive glasses. Accompanied on stage by Dan the Automator, drums, guitar, bass and as I learned from the Westword, DJ P-Love subbing for the unavailable Kid Koala. No better way to start off the set with "Its 3030, I want ya'll to meet Deltron 0, and Automator!" They proceeded to rip through the classics from the album as well as assurances that the new disk is soon to come and several new tracks, set 10 years in the future making him Deltron 3040. The oft-delayed project sounded the way everyone had hoped. Filling the indie rap, concept album hole our hearts have been longing for. The interesting part of the night for me, was seeing a legend of the game, wearing sunglasses inside to hide from the audience we was basically performing Karaoke all night. A prompter with lyrics was taped to the back of the stage speakers flowing through his set. It was a carefully organized show, with Dan the Automator playing the part of conductor. Count downs for the drummers, DJ, and string players matched up with the set laid out in Pro Tools on his lap top. I have heard of Deltron's tendency for getting a little to drunk and not remember words, and I am sure Dan was not having any of that. He looked like the old guy in the room trying to make sure kids stayed off his lawn and kept his rose bush in tact. Mission accomplished, the rest of the crowd that was not on the side of the stage had no idea Deltron was reading all his ryhmes, he hit all the flows, catching up if any line fell off beat. The propped up iPad on stage captured the whole gig, and the night went off without a hitch. The crowd was chanting for 0 to hit the stage after the last track and went nuts when he dropped "Clint Eastwood." This, his launch into the mainstream under the guise of the Gorillaz brought the house down, and burned out what was left of my vocal cords.
