Entertainment
Denver DJ Despise is helping to cultivate a cannabis-loving drum and bass scene in their city
Denver is well-known for producing and catering to some of the best EDM of all time, so it’s no surprise that in a city so rich in its electronic scene, drum n’ bass should be represented. This now-legendary and extremely influential form of electronic music has been popular since the ‘90s, and is known for its driven and progressive drums and its hyper, introspective sound. Holding down the drum n’ bass scene in Denver is none other than the awesome, unstoppable DJ Despise (aka Maggie Despise), who constantly pushes the boundaries of the live experience with her hypnotizing, pounding and innovative sets.
“My focus is in drum n’ bass and jungle, with a passion for the more obscure and experimental sounds,” Despise told us about the style of music she plays out. “I particularly love the deeper, darker side of the spectrum. I like to encompass both future and classic sounds including a mix of halftime, footwork, minimal, and retro-future jungle. More recently I’ve even been throwing in a little 160 beat-per-minute (BPM) flavor in too. It’s fun finding creative ways to technically blend all these BPMs together. I search out artists and tracks that have unique vibes that push the genre in new and innovative directions. Additionally, I love exposing people to different sides of the genre that they may not be familiar with.”
Despise has been in the scene for a long time, and has been mixing for almost 20 years. “I started collecting drum n’ bass and jungle records back in ‘97,” she states. “Shortly after I got a hold of some crappy belt-driven decks and began to learn to beat match. Originally, I never planned on necessarily becoming a DJ. I just wanted a way to listen to and record mix tapes of the vinyl in my collection. Many of my friends at the time were local drum n’ bass DJs, so they helped hone my skills and eventually pushed me to start playing out.”
In addition to DJ-ing, Despise also runs her own drum n’ bass event production crew, Recon DNB, helping to support other artists in the scene. “Right now, we have two regular monthly events: Every first Thursday at Milk Bar to showcase the local talent, and the third Saturday of each month in the Vinyl Basement where we showcase international and stateside talent,” she explains.
While Despise is not a smoker herself, she is happy with the direction legalization has taken in Denver, and embraces the fact that her fans are avid cannabis enthusiasts. “I don’t have much involvement in the local cannabis scene, outside of providing a place for people to inconspicuously smoke weed while listening to jungle,” she laughs. “But I think the legalization is a good thing. It’s bringing a ton of new people to Denver, which is great for the growth of the music scene.”
You can catch Despise playing out around town at Sub.mission or Recon DNB events, and keep up with her online to see where she will be appearing and what her crew is up to.
