At last night's Rhinoceropolis show a friend of mine brought up a great point: at Rhinoceropolis conventional club/venue wisdom goes out the window. At just about any other venue anywhere else, there is a sort of code - a set of rules whether written or unwritten that everyone needs to follow to participate in any of that venue's events. But in that respect, Rhinoceropolis is not that kind of place, as this D.I.Y. venue has none of that at all. As long as people are generally considerate to each other everything else pretty much does not matter. People can be exactly who they want to be, and that is perhaps what creates the unique atmosphere of this particular setting - a setting that after this night one of its most beloved inhabitants would no longer call home.

It is not unusual for Rhinoceropolis to host a variety of different acts for a show and party on any given night, so Tuesday's party wasn't really all that out of the ordinary, but what set this night apart from others in the past was that it was a farewell party for Travis Egedy, the man behind Pictureplane. After spending years living and creating in the art space/venue, Pictureplane is making the move to New York, so Rhinoceropolis did what they know best - put on a show - as a farewell party.

Alphabets

Even with a late start on a Tuesday night, people came in steady streams, with a healthy crowd before the opening set from Alphabets. Alphabets is the solo electronic music project of Colin Ward, who creates a sound that is self described as "high altitude dance" and "tree-punk". His performance was a mixture of experimental noise, highly distorted vocals, and highly effective tribal-like beats. Upon seeing Alphabets' performance those self-descriptions made sense - a high energy combination of clunky sounds with an underlying savage attitude - a sort of wild and rebellious punk-rock form of electronic music. Check out Alphabets if you seek the complete opposite of the electronic music that exists in the majority of clubs.

Hollagramz

Next up was a DJ set from another local experimental electronic group, Hollagramz. Hollogramz is the production/DJ duo of Cory Brown and Ron Cole, who create an electronic sound with a raw tropical aesthetic and heavy, sometimes grimey, world inspired beats. When they aren't sharing their original productions, the two collaboratively share their catalog of found sounds that inspire and/or embody the music they like to create. Tuesday night's performance was just that, as the duo took turns laying down two songs at a time, seeing what they could come up with to not only work the crowd, but feed energy off of each other. I'd say they were very successful at accomplishing those goals. Check out a Hollagramz set if you're looking for electronic music that's a little bit darker and a little bit funkier.

Narky Stares

Narky Stares followed next with a DJ set of her own. Narky Stares is Lauren Zwicky, best known for being a co-founder of the monthly all ages queer dance party Damn Gurl - a now award-winning party. Like any good DJ, Narky Stares understands being versatile and adaptable to any situation and can play a variety of sounds. On this night, she provided a set of what she does best - a mid to uptempo mix of high energy dance music that regularly causes sweat fests on the Damn Gurl dance floor that is just one door over from Rhinoceropolis.

ASiEL

Rapper ASiEL came on next, another artist with a Damn Gurl connection as he was a featured performer at the last Damn Gurl party. His performance on this night was very much a reprise of what occurred a couple weeks before - a captivating exhibition of his original songs about queer life driven by heavy beats, earnest presence, and undeniable pride that got the crowd hyped. Not even technical issues could cool down his performance, as he kept his composure and thus the audiences attention through his set.

Pictureplane

If this were a conventional venue, it'd be about time for everyone to head home, but even on a Tuesday night, the party was still well under way at about 2:00AM when Pictureplane was ready for his farewell performance. The energy in the venue was still incredible, and there were still plenty in the crowd to witness Pictureplane's set. The lights went out, save for a pair of flashing tri-color LED light bands on the floor, as Pictureplane went into selections of songs from across his catalog.

Pictureplane

Pictureplane's unique electronic sound consisted of a combination of dark wave, synth-pop, hip-hop, and trance house music that kept the crowd dancing while Pictureplane seemingly poured his all through the microphone. Even though songs would sometimes cut out due to a faulty wire, the party wouldn't stop, somehow growing with more energy as the music and lights came back on after the few brief interruptions. One sure sign of a good party is an audience sprayed with champagne, a trick Pictureplane kept up his sleeve until midway through his set. In between standout songs like "Trancegender" and "Post Physical", Pictureplane was sure to express his love for the crowd and his home, Rhinoceropolis, praising the place for being unlike anywhere he's seen in the world. He ended his set with a song he called the Rhinoceropolis anthem, "Day Glowwwed" from Turquiose Trail.

Pictureplane

As much as I wanted to party deep into the morning hours, I wasn't able to stay for the closing set from DJ Dirt Girl, who likely kept the party as long as people could possibly stand. Still, I was able to see enough to really drive home the fact that Rhinoceropolis is a very unique place - a true departure from conventional club/venue environments. It is just as much a venue as it is a place for like minded do-it-yourself individuals to congregate and hang out. A place where you can watch artists throw amazing performances in the front and then lounge with those same people in the back while chatting by a fire pit. As much as people of Denver will miss Pictureplane, there is no doubt that this place is dear to his heart and he will miss Denver just as much if not even more.

See more pictures from this show in the Facebook photo album. Like the Concerted Effort page to stay up to date.

There's a bittersweet occasion going tonight. The sweet part is easy, as it'll be a show featuring prominent names in the local Denver underground/D.I.Y. music scene and a set from a visiting DJ. The bitterness comes from the fact that this is a farewell show for someone has been incredibly important to Denver music. That person, producer and musician is none other than Pictureplane, who'll be journeying east to New York, hopefully bringing even more attention to Denver music as he continues to make waves across the nation.


Pictureplane is the project of Travis Egedy, who makes electronic music that incorporates a bit of dark wave with synth pop and even hints of trance and house, sometimes being labeled as witch house. It is a combination of sounds that definitely stands apart from anything else, which is why he has garnered so much attention for his craft. Check out "Real Is A Feeling" from his latest album, Thee Physical.




Joining the lineup are a host of local acts that have become important fixtures at the D.I.Y. capitol of denver, Rhinoceropolis; ASiEL, a queer rapper self-described as the king of hip-pop, Alphabets, an experimental electronic/dance group that plays what they call "treepunk", Hollagramz, an experimental electronic group that fuses a hint of dark wave influence with tropical and tribal rhythms, and Narky Stares, a Denver DJ best known as co-founder of the Damn Gurl monthly dance party.


DJ Dirt Girl is a special visiting guest from Santa Fe, NM. DJ Dirt Girl describes herself as an "intergalactic bounty hunter", so keep that in mind when you hear her set. Expect a fluid mix of spaced out sounds, like a zero gravity combination of grime, electro, dance-punk, house and more. Check out her "Summer of Dirt 2011" mix.


Come out to Rhinoceropolis tonight to bid farewell and party down at the same time. Things will get going around 10:00PM tonight.

Steeped in superstition, people are often wary of Friday the 13th, but for a certain monthly dance party this past Friday the 13th was a date to remember. Over the course of just one year, a small upstart queer-friendly all ages dance party affectionately called Damn Gurl had been recognized beyond just its niche, recently winning the title of Denver's "Best Dance Party" from the local publication Westword. Created as a safe place to dance for the GLBT community, the open and accepting atmosphere made the event appealing for anyone that simply wanted to have a good time. This particular Friday the 13th was a momentous occasion, marking Damn Gurl's one year anniversary. I went to check out the celebration and ended up finding a dance party quite unlike any other I've seen before.

Werq

I entered through the unassuming front door to be greeted by smiling faces at a decorated table ready to accept donations for entry. Then I went through a hallway and a small room, where the only hint of a party thus far was the greeter's table and streamers covering the open doorways. But once I passed into the main room, there was no doubt I was in the right place as the lights and decor instantly made it known. I arrived just in time to catch a set from Damn Gurl resident DJ Werq, who was working the decks with house music to coax the early crowd to the dance floor. As Werq provided the soundtrack, I soaked in the surrounding atmosphere, and even early on I could tell this party was quite unique.

Peter Black

It turned out Damn Gurl is a party that happens in various stages, with a steadily growing and ever-changing crowd as the party progresses through the night. The one constant seemed to be the open and accepting atmosphere that felt comfortably judgment-free. As local DJ Peter Black took the decks next, pumping deep house vibes through the speakers, a steady flow of dancers came trickling into the place, until suddenly the dance floor was bustling with bodies - bodies of all shapes, sizes, colors and orientations. The inviting atmosphere of Damn Gurl attracted anyone that wanted to party, allowing individuals to be as expressive and creative as they pleased, making for truly genuine personalities within the venue walls.

CacheFlowe

By the time Denver local CacheFlowe began his DJ set, the next stage was well under way - a full on sweaty dance party with such vivid energy it was almost surreal. CacheFlowe kept the dance floor fed with a steady diet of house music, hip-hop and booty jams, with the dance floor chomping heartily on every single beat. Another effect of Damn Gurl's accepting atmosphere is that people are free to dance as they please - there is no pretension and no one cares how you choose to do it - no wonder Damn Gurl has received the recognition it has for being a great place to dance.

ASiEL

Damn Gurl switched things up a bit around midnight, flipping on the house lights and creating a space on the dance floor for the next local performer, ASiEL. The self-proclaimed "King of Hip-Pop", grabbed the microphone as the crowd surrounded him on the dance floor. Soon, heavy bootylicious beats blared from the speakers as ASiEL began to rhyme over them, spitting unabashedly gay lyrics steeped in truth, humor and pride in a high energy display that much of the crowd adored.

PNut

After that, there was still much more party left in the tank. Where most parties start winding down around this time, Damn Gurl kicked it into another gear. Local DJ Pnut took the decks next, supplying the crowd with a mid-tempo mix. The set was at the perfect balance for it's slot in the night - fast enough to keep people moving but not so much as to overwhelm the dance floor. As the lights went dim and the lasers went back on, the carefree dancers on the floor kept the perspiration flowing.

Mike G

With several acts already come and gone and the energy level already so high, I was curious how the next DJ, Mike G from California, would be able to keep the party going. He kept it going because of two factors: first, the dancers at Damn Gurl are no slouches and they are used to partying through the night so as long as they have fuel they'll be ready to go; second, Mike G brought with him to Denver a highly flammable arsenal of uptempo bangers and slow and low bass-heavy jams. That meant the energy within The Glob shot through the roof as the humidity within the venue walls escalated to a whole new level while Damn Gurl continued to define the true meaning of sweaty.

Black Stares

The last phase of the party that I witnessed began deep into the night - or into the next morning if you see it that way. DJ Peter Black returned to the decks alongside resident DJ and one of the founders of Damn Gurl, Narky Stares. The combination of the two, known as Black Stares, began a marathon mix session that would go as long as people could stand to dance. I'll admit, I couldn't make it for the long haul on this particular night, but I'm sure there were plenty that had no problem doing so.

Damn Gurl

Reflecting on the night, it became pretty obvious to me why this dance party has received the acclaim that it has. The open atmosphere allows for a crowd with good vibes that welcomes anyone who is comfortable with both who they are and with who the people are around them. The variety of performances kept the night flowing steadily - there was never a dull moment. The lack of pretense or judgement made for a place the felt safe and earnest. Damn Gurl may not appeal to everyone, but those that just want to have a good time and leave a world of negativity behind ought to give the night a try - you may never want to leave.

See more pictures from this show in the Facebook photo album. Like the Concerted Effort page to stay updated.