Potent Productions Takeover The Black Box With The Help Of AudioCulture - Full Recap Here
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Takeover this, takeover that. Look around Denver’s music scene and you see the word “takeover” quite often these days. Most recently being in lead-up to last week when hometown heroes, Potent Productions took over The Black Box in Cap Hill.
Along with the help of new kids on the block, AudioCulture Entertainment, Jeff Barlow of Potent and Diana Mallayeva (AC) were the primary organizing bodies on the night The Black Box hosted four of the most popular artists from the Potent Productions lineup as well as a very special headliner stepping in from the Mile High Sound Movement. The venue itself was looking even darker and creepier than ever with spooky Halloween decor on full and vivid display. This included a massive 8’ spider hanging directly from his even larger web, directly in the center of the ceiling.
Halfway To Mars took the stage first. I’m always amazed watching artists play the early slots of a show. To me, they are some of the strongest artists and musicians out there. For those of you who’ve never entertained a crowd, let me be the first to tell you, entertaining for a small crowd isn’t easy. In fact, it’s more difficult than keeping a large crowd happy. To go out there, and give everything you’ve got, to sometimes just a handful of early birds, is truly what ultimately makes or breaks an artist on the rise. This is why I know Kris Artz [Halfway To Mars] will find his way to the later set-times he’s searching for. His music speaks for himself, mixing all sorts of different sounds like the Super Mario theme song with a little reggae backdrop. It’s out of this world, as the name implies, and his enthusiasm, energy, and consistant positive outlook are key ingredients to what will be this artists’ ultimate success.
Underlux took the stage next. What could I say about this artist that his cooky facebook/instagram videos couldn’t say even better? Seriously, go follow him… now! Strap in for daily hilarious and raw examples of this dudes talent. His set last Thursday brought the energy to a new level instantly. He’s got a bit of a heavier, more distinct flavor that strikes your ears hard and demands your attention. He’s heavy, but he mixes it up too. He dropped throw-backs like Hall & Oats - “Rich Girl” from 1977 but then follows it with 2011’s, “Teach Me How To Dougie” which are both admittedly songs I never liked, but I did last Thursday. Note: Did anyone really ever like either of those songs?
Nothing’s better than when an artist gives you a little insight to the song they are about to play. Underlux did just that when announcing the meaning of a song near the middle of his set. “This one’s for everyone out there who’s ever loved somebody, that doesn’t love them back.” We feel you, Lux-ole-bean… we feel you. He closed his set with an awesome version of The Beatles - “Come Together” and the mood began to change yet again as we got ready for the semi-mysterious Ghost Ride who would take the stage next.
Potent’s “poster boy”, MIDIcinal, combines powers with best friend and fellow Potent premium artist, AVRY, for the ominous side-project duo known as Ghost Ride. With their black hoodies and matching sugar-skull masks, the two perfectly fit the role and kept the vibe as Halloween was looming so closely to this show. Though their outfits perfectly matched, their set was far from consistent. It was genre-bending, limit-pushing, and thought provoking. Almost as if the point of this disguised side project is to provide a platform to communicate in ways these artists don’t feel they can do as themselves. I feel this to be a metaphor for so many across our country right now and the way these two present this line of thinking, to me, is just beautiful. Their set was capped off by a guest appearance from Homemade Spaceship, another one of Denver’s rising stars, who brought a bit of that dirty south flavor. It was a welcomed change as yet again, the vibe changed. From head banging to pole dancing, The Black Box really saw it all with this takeover.
The final set of the night was met with anticipation as it was starting to seem difficult to top what we’d already gone through. FunkStatik rose to the occasion as he swapped the energy in the room one final time for his signature melodic bass music with that perfectly funky touch on top. He was on his drum pads almost the entire set, which was just fun to watch as he expelled so much energy and happiness while beating away. He brings out a sort of dark side to some super spacey sounds and makes it really easy for the audience to get lost in the music. He dropped his recent Pretty Lights Remix “Understand Me Now” which seemed to be a crowd favorite, and it was definitely one of my favorite moments of the entire evening.
