Photos and article by: JOHN HOSACK 5/20/12
The threat of rain certainly did not scare anyone away from AEG’s first annual Global Dub Festival at a sold out Red Rocks this Friday. The show was headlined by Flux Pavilion and featured several other big names in dubstep- Doctor P, Datsik, Downlink, and Dirty Loud, all out to give the crowd a good ol’ fashioned face melting. The night is best exemplified by a particular incident- standing near some of the front speakers a friend of mine poured a bit of water into his cupped hand, motioning to me to look at it. The water was visibly and violently vibrating. He says with a straight face, “I don’t think there is enough bass.”
Despite his sarcasm, his comment seemed to match the attitude of all those present. From DJ’s to fans, there was a lot of talk over the night about Denver being a hub for EDM and dubstep in particular, accompanied by other comments about the possibility of this being the largest turnout to any strictly dubstep show ever (Red Rocks seats 9,500). Enthusiasm filled the air, the lights- mesmerizing, and everywhere I looked were beautiful girls wearing almost nothing at all. T-shirts reading “Sex, Drugs, and Dubstep” were also omnipresent, letting Rock and Roll know to watch out before it is exiled to the realm of the well-behaved.
All of the DJ’s delivered with revamps of their biggest hits as well as including samples from big hits like Nero’s “Me and You.” For Dirty Loud, Downlink, and Datsik, the music was a lot of the same, though this is not necessarily a bad thing. The crowd never stopped bobbing with the relentless womp. Downlink’s remixing of “Chain Hang Low” stood out as a crowd favorite. Doctor P’s set was more dynamic, building well to heady drops while mixing in his signature sounds. Flux picked up right where he left off delivering one of the best sets I have had the pleasure of hearing. “Bass Cannon” and Flux’s remix of “Gold Dust” were the highlights of the night, though I’m snubbing way too many moments in saying that. Flux’s set ended a little after 1am, with the MC declaring that the crowd was now a part of history, betting that Dubfest will only be bigger and better in years to come. I wouldn’t bet against him. Most of the excited crowd was not interested in leaving when Flux concluded and while there was no encore, I wager that everyone and more will be back next year. It seems that to Coloradan’s, there is just no such thing as too much bass.
