The PARTY People Live Up To Their Name With A Little Help From Some Friends
Twas the Friday before Christmas, when all through Your Mom’s House… the dance floor was scurrying, ready to let loose. There’s no question that this time of year can be stressful, but one of the best ways to handle the chaos of the holidays is by dancing it out. The people over at Boogie Groove Entertainment (and Potent Productions) knew that all too well, and they brought out a stellar lineup of funky artists that had the crowd grooving all night long.
Jeff Barlow, the bass and synth player of Telemetry, began the night with Who Gives a F*** following suit. Steve Taylor, or Who GaF, is a Denver-based producer and DJ whose skill set includes “slappin' da bass, dancing with friends, and laying down the boogie and playing that funky music til you die.” With performances that feature live bass guitar, Who GaF has an uncanny ability to move a crowd with his fast-paced and funky beats.
When Denver-based DJ Deezy Le Phunk and Boulder Sound Lab members Collin Thomas (guitar, violin, congas) and Lyle Wilner (saxophone, flute) get together, they form the super group Deezy & The PhunkStars. They followed Who GaF on stage, and their style of electronic music intertwined with live instrumentation makes for a beautiful cocktail of sonic delight. As Deezy stated during their last song of the night, this “that feel good shit”.
Up next was Denver’s own Mark Cooley AKA, Shuj Roswell. He released his debut album, Flying High Above The World, on Michal Menert’s label Super Best Records back in 2015. A self-described “funktronadelic” mastermind, Shuj mixes sample based hip-hop with hard-hitting beats and analog synths. He’ll also play live guitar during his sets. Eric Imbrosciano, a core member of Shuj Roswell, supports him on drums along with Sarah Mount on Sax and Matt Wilkolak on Trumpet. Cooley’s long-time friend and collaborator, Jarrett Allen AKA J. Shook also joined the funky super-band on the mic for what was a very special set.
The live instrumentation delivered non-stop slayage, save only for a moment during Shuj’s killer rendition of Rocket Man by Elton John - at which point they all swayed on stage with their arms over each other and the audience seemed to melt with nostalgia. Shuj’s affinity for space and sci-fi is evident in his original work. For example, his most recent album Setting Fire To The Stars references the great unknown and features space-related samples while diving into some of our deeper feelings (such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness). They played “Ain’t Nothing Stronger” off that album, a sexy slowed-down tune that had the crowd doing a double take. Shuj closed out his set with a funky electro-soul remix by Pretty Lights of Kanye West’s “All Of The Lights” into his edit of “Christmas Time Is Here” (flipped by MIDIcinal).
It’s quite the statement to call yourself The PARTY People, but they certainly live up to their name. The Denver-based trio consists of Mikey Thunder (DJ/producer), Mr. Bugatti (producer/DJ), and Benjamin’s Vibe (lyricist/DJ). They’ve been bringing the party since 2015, opening for acts such as Chali 2na, Michal Menert & The Pretty Fantastics, and Defunk. They’ve also become a Sonic Bloom staple, performing for the last five years at Colorado’s premier electronic music festival. We reached out to them to dive a little deeper.
SharedViews: How did the three of you come together to form The PARTY People five years ago?
The PARTY People: Benjamin Vibe’s beard. It has a particular mysterious, cosmic, and ancient allure that will captivate your heart, mind, body, and soul. I warn you! Do not look directly into it! Legend is it was woven from the golden fleece of the gods blended with fabric of space and time. It will alter the timeline and cause natural disasters when shaven. “It’s mind boggling.” All the top scientists and professors of the smartest colleges. Or... maybe it was our mutual love for funky glitch-hop & mid tempo party breaks. Not quite sure after gazing into Ben’s beard.
SharedViews: Denver has no shortage of live music venues. What are your favorite venues to play at (besides Your Mom's House, of course)?
The PARTY People: CERVANTES
SharedViews: What are some of your dream collabs or who are some artists that you would relish the opportunity to create with?
The PARTY People: Grassroots, The Funk Hunters, Late Night Radio, Manic Focus, Sunsquabi, Opiuo, Maddy O'Neal, and Lettuce
SharedViews: There is a lot of improvisation in PARTY performances. How / to what extent do you plan for a set?
The PARTY People: It’s a top secret formula we have been perfecting for half a decade. If you are a DJ, all you need is a laptop, some talent and one track. That track is your ticket to everything. We also combine 11 herbs and spices and only use the freshest vegetation fed local free range organics in our productions.
SharedViews: What can we expect from The PARTY People in 2020?
The PARTY People: A meteoric rise through the ranks of the entertainment, art, and fashion industries. The team is laser focused on laying down the groundwork for our performance on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Catch us at Gem & Jam festival sipping daiquiris with the home-skillets Tipper & Billy Strings Jan 31- Feb 2 in Tucson, AZ.
When they took the stage at Your Mom’s House, The PARTY People looked right at home. With masterful scratching courtesy of Mikey Thunder, they started their set with two words: “let’s begin.” The multi-talented trio infused their performance with elements of funk, blues, jazz, and hip-hop creating a genre-bending but fluid set. When they dropped their version of “Thank You” by Sly & The Family Stone, Benjamin’s Vibe quipped: “You can be yourself too. Just let loose y’all.”
It’s not a party without your friends. Midway through the set, they started bringing out some special guests including dancer Jdon aka Flotech, Colby Buckler (of Emancipator Ensemble), and Shuj Roswell’s horn section. The more the merrier was certainly the case this evening. With the funky, glitchy goodness provided by The PARTY People and a big band sound courtesy of some killer musicians on top of playful lyricism, this was one party that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Missed out on the night? The PARTY People will be playing a FREE show at Ullrs Tavern in Winter Park, CO on Sunday, January 26, 2020. You can also catch them at Gem & Jam Festival in Tucson, AZ the following weekend. Tickets for Gem & Jam can be found HERE.
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