Detox Unit Brings Stacked Audio-Visual Lineup to Cervantes
Detox Unit Brings Stacked Audio-Visual Lineup to Cervantes
SharedViews Editors: Johnny Huddle & Grace Thomas
Cervantes consistently has amazing shows; however, the Detox Unit throw-down presented by the folks at Sub.mission was in a different league entirely. It’s rare for a venue to be packed from start to finish, but that was certainly the case for this stacked lineup in the Masterpiece Ballroom.
Thought Process, or Joe Rich, was no ordinary opening act. The new-comer managed to get the majority of a sold out show to his set, which started at an early 9 p.m,. It was an accomplishment that is quite frankly, rarely seen. With his unique style of playful bass, his intricate sound stood out, especially when he dropped some of his newer work like his track “Indifference”. His funky beats intertwined with tons of hip-hop and they paired nicely with O Z W V L D on visuals. It was very hypnotic, proving exactly why the crowd showed up early to see him. Thought Process is a dreamy delight that you can’t miss. And don’t worry - he’s not going anywhere.
Navigatorz is the new project of Vinja and Sortof Vague. Joining forces in mid-2019, Navigatorz brings out the very best of these two incredible artists. Accompanied by MEZMER (a Denver-based visual artist), the duo created scratch-filled sonic synergy. The pair have no plans of slowing down either. They’ll be doing a day-time New Year’s Eve show in Louisville, KY with Base2 and Jonteal. A couple days later, they’ll be headed to New Orleans for the massive Swamp Ritual show - essentially the pre-party for Tipper’s 3-day NOLA event - featuring DRRTYWULVZ, spacegeisha, Thought Process (b2b pheel.) and more.
We coasted into the next leg of the musical relay with some of Mickman’s chiller tunes. A greyscale brain came into focus on the giant center-stage screen as Cameron Ingraham [Mickman] played from the side and eased us in. Ambient progressions evolved into bumping breakbeats, and soon all eyes and ears were on this funky artist. The ballroom’s wood floor was buzzing under the vibrations. With immersive sound design and an overall simple song structure, Mickman invited us to relinquish the past, the future, and the ceaseless stream of thought we all call consciousness. It’s the details in his songs that make them captivating. Some are downright catchy and others are just plain bonkers. One thing is clear: his tracks are not thrown together overnight. They are labored over and chiseled to perfection. Blessing us with a slew of unreleased tracks in his 100% original set, Cameron Ingraham deepened Denver’s love for Mickman. Expect a headlining set or a bigger venue (or both) the next time he makes a stop here. Cullen Hassel’s visuals incorporated the Mickman marching brain quite a bit as well as some flowy fractals and 3D renderings that appeared just as detailed and labored over as the music.
Joseph Roberts - also known as Detox Unit - has been surging in the scene, and 2019 has proven to be his biggest year to date. Frequently accompanying Tipper, he crushed the festival circuit with performances at Yonderville, Infrasound, Solasta, Resonance, Imagine, Quasar, and Nightmare. He provided direct support for Jade Cicada at Playstation Theater, and he headlined a MASSIVE show in Massachusetts for Rezinate’s 5-year anniversary. He dropped his Deviate EP this past summer and his Recent Works Vol. 4 prior to this show; however, his sparse approach to releasing new music makes the draw to see him live even that much more intense.
Naturally, we heard a lot of new tracks from this year’s releases. The chugging, revving intensity of Detox Unit is one of a kind. It sounds like a dangerous computer gaining sentience and plotting how to destroy us all. We all happily obliged our own destruction and could barely stand by the end of his hour and a half set. The crowd favorite was “Interior Crocodile”, a tune that’s sure to get stuck in your head. The visuals provided by Fractaled Visions were a match made in heaven, a shifting abstract medley of shapes and patterns and colors that blended with Detox Unit’s sound in such a way that felt truly synced up.
This night was one for the books. Filled to the brim with bass lovers, the stacked audio-visual lineup did not disappoint. With a brand new custom Funktion-One rig providing sound, you just had to be there.
