Business
Underground Denver Dub Love
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]T[/dropcap]he underground dubstep scene in Denver has long been flourishing—promotional group Sub.mission brings in acts all over the world for their DJ nights and special showcases, and the city is starting to mirror London as a hotbed for great local producers, but with our own special touch—legal cannabis, mountains and a quickly growing transplant population. CULTURE caught up with one of these up-and-coming producers, DamnesiaVu or DMVU, to hear about his latest projects, passion for producing and love for local cannabis.
“I’ve been playing music pretty much as long as I can remember,” he told us. “When I was in sixth grade, my amazingly supportive parents bought me a drum set. That really changed a lot of things for me, because I love rhythm; I love percussion; I love beats. With the drum set I started drumming over old soul records and blues tapes, and I would play hip-hop style breaks over them. By the time I got to my first year of high school, my roommate at the time downloaded Audacity, and we would use a laptop mic to record me playing drums, while he played the piano. That just slowly led to me realizing how to use a computer to produce.”
DMVU has been busy lately, and there are many things in the works for the local Denver producer. “As far as releases go I have a lot coming up,” he said. “I’ve been working on a project with the amazingly talented Ill Chill for the past year, and that’s going to be big. I’ve got a record coming out on Silent Motion, as well as my usual business with my European friends at Encrypted Audio. Recently I started a much more experimental project called Pocket Rocks, and I will have my first release through Transcendent Tunes pretty soon! A lot on my plate, but I could use more.”
“What really separates Denver from other places is our saturation of talented artists. There are more artists in Denver with raw talent than a lot of places. The music scene here has been blooming quickly and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
When it comes to cannabis and the local music scene, DMVU has nothing but good things to say. “Honestly the best word I could use to describe the local scene is blessed,” he said. “I mean sure, with all music scenes there is drama, there are people who are in it for the wrong reason, and there are people who just don’t care. But in Denver, we are so, so lucky to have what we have. What really separates Denver from other places is our saturation of talented artists. There are more artists in Denver with raw talent than a lot of places. The music scene here has been blooming quickly and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
DMVU is also grateful to live in Denver because of legal cannabis. “For me, I’ve found that weed just makes everyday activities more fun. And I have more fun making music than anything. So when you add weed to the equation, it’s a blast. We even had an outdoor plant at the studio this year; it came out pretty good! Making your own music whilst smoking weed that you grew is a really great feeling. I think the legalization here is amazing and wouldn’t ask for it any other way. I also feel it’s been a HUGE influence on the music scene here. Musicians and pot go hand in hand; its’ always been that way, and now, with pot and music being on almost every block, I think people in Denver are just happier. Now the rest of the country seems to be catching on to the idea (somewhat) that weed is a good thing.”
