Lipgloss, Denver's longest running club night does more than throw a great dance party every Friday night. Sometimes the prospect of quality acts coming to town can't be ignored, and Lipgloss will help throw a one-off party at another venue. That was the case when The Twelves and The Phantom's Revenge came to Denver, and the result was a wicked Wednesday night dance party that instantly became a night to remember. If you were there, you already know, but if you missed it, check out the video below to see why you should keep your eyes out for the next one. Until then, be sure to catch Lipgloss - still every Friday night, but at their new Beauty Bar location. They'll be hosting a big act in their new digs to celebrate their 11th anniversary with the Junior Boys on June 29 - another sure to be can't miss event!

Lipgloss presents The Twelves from Concerted Effort on Vimeo.

The Lipgloss anniversary party is on Friday, June 29 at Beauty Bar. This 21+ event kicks off at 9:00PM sharp. Tickets are $7 in advance and are available for purchase online here.

It's been a busy month of music here at Concerted Effort, but for the last week of February things will be a little bit quieter...sort of. This weekend I will be out on the town again as usual, but I'll be trading my camera for cocktails for a birthday celebration. Concerted Effort is teaming up with the cities' best weekly Friday night dance party, Lipgloss, to throw a birthday bash for yours truly. If you've never been before but you love the dance floor, come see why this indie dance party has been successful for over a decade. If you have been, come join in on another night of fun this Friday, February 24th.


Resident DJs boyhollow and option4 will be joined by special guest DJ Tower to keep the music and the dance floor going. Lipgloss founder boyhollow will be supplying his usual versatile mix - a seamless combination of indie, fun electro, '80s and more. Resident DJ option4 will be at the helm keeping the crowd bouncing with his smooth, deep, and disco house selections. DJ Tower, a resident at The Church nightclub, will be the night's guest DJ, bringing a mix of house and rock to the decks. Also, with the Chiddy Bang release party around the corner, you'll have the chance to get your hands on a free copy during a giveaway.

The party starts at La Rumba on Friday, February 24th at 9:00PM. The night is 21+ and entry is free before 10:00PM, after that the cover is only $5. They have $2 Gin & Tonic/PBR and $3 Vodka specials all night long, so come ready to party! Find out more information on Facebook.

By the end of Valentine's day this Tuesday night, one thing became clear - Denver is in love. It is a pure and genuine love - the kind that people pen novels, write songs, and film movies about. The kind that when observed from afar just seems so obviously right. Denver is in love with house music, and a sold out crowd made their way to the Larimer Lounge to profess their love through a night-long dance party. Two of the cities best DJs turned up the heat by getting the crowd warmed up on the dance floor, leaving it up to an internationally acclaimed DJ to set hearts ablaze until the end of the night.

boyhollow

It's that time of year again - the most affectionate, most lonely, or perhaps most desperate calendar day of the year centered around romance and love. There are many ways to spend this day, but if you and/or your partner share a love of music and dancing, the Larimer Lounge is the place to go. Tonight Lipgloss, Neon Nights and TheHundred are presenting a night where two esteemed local DJs will join an acclaimed international DJ and producer to turn Tuesday night into a weekend-worthy house music dance party.


Tonight's headliner comes to Denver all the way from Belgium. Aeroplane has spent the past five years really establishing himself as a premier DJ and producer, thanks to his ability to combine disco influenced French and Spanish house music into infectiously danceable mixes and ridiculously fresh productions. Check out Aeroplane's January 2012 mix.



Shannon von Kelly will do his part to keep the dancing going. This local DJ puts together smooth house mixes that span the history of the genre, from the latest releases to early classics. His skills are on display at one of Denver's hottest underground dance parties - Neon Knights at the Meadowlark Bar. He'll be sure to bring that fluorescent fervor to Larimer Lounge tonight. Learn more about Neon Knights on Facebook.


For the last decade or so, the best place to go in town to find an indie dance party has been non other than Lipgloss, founded by boyhollow. Its blend of fun dance music from a variety of genres has made it one of the best and most established weekly dance parties in Denver. Tonight, Lipgloss founder boyhollow will be bringing that same skillset to kick off the night's party. Check out his opening set for MSTRKRFT's last Denver show.


The Larimer Lounge doors open at 8:00PM and the party starts at 9:00PM. The show is 21+ and tickets are $15 at the door. Tickets and more information are available online here.

By Saturday evening the skies were finally clear. The storm that started Thursday night and dumped a fair share of snow on the Denver metro area had passed. Now, not only was it the heart of the weekend, but people finally had the chance to go out again after staying holed up to get away from the bad weather. The best remedy for cabin fever was at the Summit Music Hall, as Lipgloss, TheHundred and Girls & Boys Denver presented a dance party perfect for releasing the extra energy people stored away while waiting for the weather to clear.


The night began with a trio of local support. CLUB COLD duo London Dungeon, Lipgloss/Girls & Boys Denver founder boyhollow, and TheHundred founder option4 traded DJ sets to warm up the night. All three acts rotated thirty minute long sets all the way up until it was time for the headliner, making sure to keep the music flowing but varied so that the dance party would never reach a lull. The rotation approach gave each act a chance to play two sets - one for the early crowd and one when the venue got packed much tighter.

London Dungeon

London Dungeon, the duo of Van Kalsing and Thrashton Kutcher, kicked off the night and kept it going later with a house music set. They played a variety of house music styles, trending toward the deeper side of the genre at times, to get the crowd into the dancing mood. Their early set welcomed the early crowd, as people began to file toward the dance floor right away. Their later set maintained the energy that the opening acts were steadily building up until the main event.

boyhollow

Experienced DJ boyhollow unleashed an eclectic variety of electronic music on the crowd in his sets that really hyped the crowd. Despite the limitations of working with divided, shorter sets, he managed to work in classic disco, indie dance, house and even a few doses of electro bangers. Although he mixed music from all over the place, his mix never seemed haphazard thanks to boyhollow's ability to maintain a steady, seamless flow from one song to another.

option4

Smooth house aficionado option4 not only brought out very danceable, crowd-pleasing grooves during his sets, he also brought with him an energetic stage presence that constantly fed energy to the dance hungry crowd. His set consisted mainly of mid-tempo house that put dancers in a good mood, and he transferred positive energy to the crowd not only through his music but also through his demeanor. He got the audience to dance along, put their hands in the air, and go crazy at all the right moments, getting the crowd charged for the final act to come.

Passion Pit DJ Set

Finally, it was time for the DJ set the crowd had been waiting for. A couple members of the acclaimed electropop group Passion Pit were in house, and they were ready to share a dance-inducing DJ set of their own. Passion Pit bassist Jeff Apruzzese and drummer Nate Donmoyer were in house to represent the band. Jeff Apruzzese quickly took charge of the wheels of steel, churning out a house music set that kept the Summit Music Hall dance floor crowded all the way to the night's end.

Passion Pit DJ Set

Passion Pit is known for their intricately arranged brand of electropop with a unique sound derived from its synth heavy footprint, but the Passion Pit DJ set definitely explored electronic music outside of those boundaries. Electing to reveal a few influential dance tracks and personal Passion Pit party favorites, the set featured a lot of tracks that came from throughout the umbrella of house music. The set did sneak in a few of Passion Pit's original tunes, but the focus on this night was an expression of the band's house music appreciation through a steady, seamless mix.

option4, Jeff Apruzzese, Nate Donmoyer and boyhollow

The crowd responded well to all acts the entire night. The venue began to fill early and stay packed late as the spirited crowd came to dance, enjoy great mixes, and just generally have a good time. The non-stop DJ mix format meant the action never died down, and allowed people to cycle in and out of the heart of the crowd at their leisure. The constant variety of music leading up to the headliner kept the song selection interesting and kept the dance floor bubbling all night long. Having a show put on by the minds that throw some of Denver's best weekly and monthly parties assured that the crowd was in good hands, and by the end of the night any lingering notions of cabin fever had been melted away.

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

Stow away those snow boots and pull out those dancing shoes because it's Saturday night so that means it's time to hit the dance floor. Lipgloss, TheHundred and Girls & Boys Denver - three of the freshest dance parties in the city - have teamed up to present a dance night so hot it will melt all your cold weather cares away. For fans of electronic dance music, this night should definitely deliver.


The party is headlined by members of the indie electro-pop/synth outfit Passion Pit. This band is known for performing intricately designed indie elctronic pop masterpieces with a unique footprint but enthralling ability to work crowds into a sweaty dance fest. So what happens when they put together a DJ set? Expect to hear an eclectic mix that will keep the dance floor crowded, as Passion Pit puts together a mix featuring originals, remixes and influences. They could play just about anything, but here's a Miike Snow remix of "The Reeling" to whet your appetite.



When boyhollow isn't busy running his weekly parties at Lipgloss and Shag Lounge, planning the next Girls & Boys Denver event, or opening for big acts that come to town, he's busy putting together a sweet party to present. This is one of those nights, but boyhollow isn't one to just stay behind the scenes. He may have put this party together, but that doesn't mean he won't contribute to it. Expect to hear boyhollow's trademark versatile sound, where he can stream together a number of genres into a very danceable mix to elicit the most crowd response. Check out his opening set for the last Denver MSTRKRFT show.



London Dungeon is quickly becoming one of Denver's busiest dance music DJ duos, thanks to their hard work ethic and ability to string together amazing live mixes. Van Kalsing and Thrashton Kutcher should be at it again tonight, playing off of their dynamic to put together a mix that will encompasses a number of house music genres. Check out their weather appropriate mix titled "The First Snow".



As the founder of one of Denver's hottest new monthly parties, TheHundred, option4 has demonstrated he knows what it takes to bring people a phenomenal club night. On a weekly basis, he also resides at Lipgloss, feeding the crowd a steady diet of groovy house that keeps audiences coming back for more. Tonight, he should be at it again, delivering dance-inducing house music like only option4 can. Check out his remix of Exosphere's "Violet Winter".


The Summit Music Hall doors open at 8:30PM and the show starts at about 9:00PM. The show is all ages and tickets are $20. Tickets and more information are available online here.

This event at City Hall was just one of the plentiful events happening all over and around the Denver area on New Year's Eve last Saturday night - a testament to the strength and vibrance of the local music scene. With that in mind, there really was no wrong answer to how to spend the evening, as people made whatever choices and decisions that would best suit their individual needs. I can say for sure though, that the choice I made definitely worked out great for me, as I was able to ring in the new year with great music and great friends.

boyhollow

The night was presented by Lipgloss founder boyhollow, and thus he and the local support for the night (London Dungeon and Shannon von Kelly) played out music in a familiar way - the three names rotated DJ sets every half hour up until just before midnight, in the same manner that DJs will play at the Friday night weekly party at La Rumba, Lipgloss.

boyhollow, Thrashton Kutcher & Van Kalsing (London Dungeon), Shannon von Kelly

All three names kept the night going with seamless mixes drawing from a variety of music - mostly indie dance, some rock, and bits of electro, but a variety of other styles were also heard. And as the event promised, the evening's party was a no dubstep, no continuous banger zone, meaning the premise of the night was to just come and have fun to music without anything getting too obnoxious - it was a great alternative to many of the other offerings that were going on around town, and it meant the great crowd that came to party that night were also all on the same page.

Reuben Wu (of Ladytron)

After the countdown came and it officially became the new year, the headliner came out to do his bidding on the DJ decks. Ladytron's Reuben Wu came into the booth and began to lay down a a very danceable DJ set that kept the party going and also hinted to what kind of music Ladytron themselves may enjoy. He picked up the energy that the openers built up and sent up soaring by mixing in some high energy dance tracks. I always love when I get to see someone in a band throw down a DJ set, because it offers a sort of window into their musical mind, and some, like Reuben Wu really do understand the art of DJing and can mix a set very well.

The entire NYE DJ crew

Some people may wonder why many enjoy going to see DJ sets, after all, they are just playing other people's music, right? That may be true, but there is a lot more to it that makes DJs who do it right much more than just a human jukebox and thus a bit of an artist themselves. No, I don't consider DJs rock stars - rock stars are rock stars and DJs are DJs, but much like a rock star DJs have to understand how certain music will cause a crowd to react, and DJs must understand the relationship between songs to achieve and create a certain musical flow. In essence, I believe good DJs are really just some of the biggest fans of music - they are ones who will constantly be keeping their ears open and trying to figure out how to reassemble scattered pieces of music into something whole. That's the reason why I can have just as much fun watching a DJ set as I can a live musician, since as long as they are good at their craft, the end effect is just the same.


Saturday night's party at City Hall had just what I needed to have a great time ringing in the new year. Not only was the music great and the people behind providing it did so very well, but it was a night spent with a room packed full of like-minded, fun-loving friends, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate a holiday than among people like that. If you were there that night, I'm sure you felt similarly, and if you weren't there, I hope wherever you were you could say the same thing. As long as you can say that, no matter where you were you had to have had a great time. Happy new year to you all, and I hope 2012 is your best year yet!

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

Another holiday weekend has come and gone and the year is about to come to a close. It's time to start solidifying plans to celebrate the oncoming of a brand new year. What better way to ring in the new year than with a music event? As usual, there is are many options to do so here in Denver, which makes it a bit difficult to choose just one. You could check out Gauntlet Hair at the Larimer Lounge if you are into indie rock. If you are into funk, there is Dumpstaphunk/Orgone at Cervantes' or Bop Skizzum at Moe's Original. If you are into electronic dance music (EDM) and want to dance into the new year, there are a host of options for that as well, which is why I'll be heading to City Hall.


There are a number of EDM based events for New Year's Eve, but most seem to have a connection to a certain sub-genre that pervasively took the EDM world by storm especially over the past year - dubstep. Now, if you are into dubstep, that's fine. Personally, I think the genre has become a bit over-saturated, so I was happy to see that Denver's own boyhollow was presenting a New Year's Eve non-dubstep party.

The night will be headlined with a DJ set from Reuben Wu, one of the members of the English electropop band Ladytron. He will be joined by Denver locals London Dungeon, Shannon von Kelly and of course boyhollow. Together they will be mixing indie, electro, '80s, rock, house and more, so although EDM will be prevalent it will not be strictly electronic dance music. It'll be the perfect party full of variety for those with a multitude of music tastes, and a great way to ring in the new year.

Tickets start at $20 and will be higher the night of the show, so get your tickets early and save! The show is 18+ and it begins at 9:00PM. You can purchase tickets online here.

I've been to Lipgloss many times before but I've never blogged about it and I haven't been there on a night where they had a special guest DJ. Every time I'd go there I was always treated to a major dance party - a good mix of both music and people to create the perfect party atmosphere. Friday night, that's exactly what I found, a party that continued to grow in energy and intensity and an ever-so-packed dance floor all the way up to closing time. For a fan of dance, that is the recipe for perfection.

option4

As the night began, resident DJs boyhollow and option4 rotated sets on the decks. Each DJ played about a half hour long 'shift' leading up to the guest DJ spot, which meant each DJ played about three sets each. It was a rotation format I don't often see, but it was a very good concept that allowed both resident DJs to build up the crowd energy throughout the night rather than each DJ just being one-and-done. Also, it helped keep a good mix of music throughout the night.

boyhollow

The Lipgloss DJs boyhollow and option4 had different musical personalities; boyhollow tended to prefer mixing hard electro, dubstep, and rock while option4 tended to prefer smoother house and disco. Their contrasting styles did well to keep people continuously on the dance floor, as the constant variety meant the music never got redundant or tiresome. It also meant nobody missed out on a particular style of music, meaning fans of a particular style could get multiple doses of it throughout the night. It truly was the best way to run the DJ booth, and by the time the guest DJ was behind the decks, the floor was packed full of dancers ready to get down.

Le Castle Vania

Le Castle Vania was the special guest DJ Friday night, a DJ and producer from Atlanta. Using two turntables and a mixer, Le Castle Vania played out a set of his original songs and remixes. Le Castle Vania is all about bass heavy and distorted-synth electro - the kind of uptempo dance fare that gets crowds into a sweaty rage, which is exactly what ensued on the Lipgloss dance floor. All throughout his set people on the dance floor had their feet shuffling, arms swinging, and heads banging in controlled chaos to the beat of Le Castle Vania's music.

Le Castle Vania

For some of his set, Le Castle Vania dropped his hard and heavy original tunes, but for this night, Le Castle Vania's remix work was king. He added the extra hard electro kick to a number of songs across many genres, somehow getting them all to flow together in a melt-your-face-off flowing dance set. He played standout remixes of songs like Daft Punk's "Robot Rock", Muse's "Knights of Cydonia", Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You", The Prodigy's "Invaders Must Die", La Roux's "In For The Kill", and Kaskade's "Turn It Down". Even Smashing Pumpkins got a little love with Le Castle Vania's "Zero Machine". Fans of hard electro should check out Le Castle Vania's style - he spins electro like a rock star.

boyhollow

After Le Castle Vania's set, boyhollow went back to the DJ booth to do his closing duties. For the last set of the night, boyhollow dropped his hardest bangers but also mixed in rock favorites. Once the crowd had nearly danced themselves out, boyhollow started mix in songs like Nirvana's "Lithium", The Cure's "Lovesong", Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight" and The Ramone's "Beat On The Brat", getting the crowd to wear out their vocal chords as much as they'd been wearing out their legs. It was the sort of party you wouldn't want to end, and boyhollow took it all the way up to closing time. An any given Friday night, you can expect a wild dance party at Lipgloss. The resident DJs know how to hold it down, and if there is a special guest DJ, watch out - the party will go to a whole new level.

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

Denver seems to know exactly how to put the 'D' in dance parties, and Thursday night's show at the Bluebird Theater was another party for sure. The show featured two opening DJ sets from prominent locals and a spirited performance from the imported headliner, offering the audience the best of both worlds. By the end of it all, the crowd got the dance floor fuel they were looking for, leaving the venue with wide smiles and glistening faces.

option4

The party got started right away, as option4, local Lipgloss resident DJ and founder of TheHundred, took the stage shortly after the doors opened. Utilizing his ability to stitch together smooth electronic house songs into a seamless mix, he got the crowd into the dancing mood as people started to flow into the venue. Understanding his role as the opener, he transformed a vacant dance floor into a busy one by mixing songs from artists like Empire of the Sun, Bag Raiders and more until people were howling along to Duck Sauce's "Big Bad Wolf" at the end of his set.

boyhollow

Next up was Lipgloss and Girls & Boys Denver founder boyhollow. He latched onto the energy started from the opening set and kept it going. A master at reading crowds, boyhollow knows how to keep people on the dance floor and continually ratchet up the intensity throughout his set. Starting with smoother dance music like Cut Copy's "Lights & Music, he started to make it heaver with songs like the hard electro/dubstep remix of Chromeo's "Night By Night" he mixed in. He also made nods to past dance floor favorites, like Josh Wink's knob-twist epic "Higher State of Conciousness". He did well to put in a good variety of music, getting the energy way up in the room and the people ready for the high-energy headlining performance the were about to see.

Benjamin Plant of Miami Horror

Miami Horror came on stage to close out the night, providing their dancey nu-disco electro sound with an organic package. This Australian four-piece was originally masterminded by bassist Benjamin Plant, but now includes the services of keyboardist Daniel Whitechurch, drummer Aaron Shanahan, and guitarist/vocalist Josh Moriarty. The quartet took the electro dance framework of Miami Horror's album sound and added further dimension to it with live instrumentation, which gave their live performance the look and feel of an exuberant rock show, but maintained a sound fit for the dance floor.

Josh Moriarty of Miami Horror

They began their set with "Soft Light" from their album Illumination, a smooth synth-pop piece with a disco meets chillwave feel. Then they went to the electro-funk/R&B influenced pop song "Don't Be On With Her" from Miami Horror's Bravado EP. Right away, guitarist Josh Moriarty began to tantalize the crowd with his effusive vocals and guitar shreddery, evoking images of vintage guitar-wielding Prince. "Moon Theory" came next, delivering an almost new wave-ish soundscape as danceable as it was emotive.

Miami Horror

Miami Horror then dove into the epic portion of their set, as they performed two songs in extended fashion back to back to the audience's delight. In what seemed to go by in a flash, they played two songs in succession that actually lasted nearly twenty minutes, starting with "Make You Mine". That song was made extended by fusing in a little of what sounded like portions of another song, "Illumination", along with a section full of ripping instrumental solos. Then they followed that up with a nearly ten minute long version of "Echoplex", injecting rock 'n' roll like solos into the disco piece to make the song even more powerful.

Josh Moriarty of Miami Horror

They wrapped up their regular set with three more songs, including two of my favorites from their full-length album. "I Look to You" was one of those, getting the crowd to go crazy with its throwback disco sound. An extended version of the spacey slow groove "Illuminated" came next, followed by my other favorite track "Holidays". By the time the song was over, the forty-five minute set they played seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye, so it was no surprise to hear feverish calls for an encore almost immediately from the crowd.

Daniel Whitechurch of Miami Horror

Miami Horror came back out on stage promising just a little bit more, kicking off the encore and reigniting the dance floor with "Imagination (I Want You to Know)". The '70s pop meets nu-disco piece had much of the audience singing along to the catchy melody. Then Miami Horror brought out a pleasant surprise, a Miami Horror styled cover of the Talking Heads' "Once In a Lifetime". Miami Horror left the stage and although the audience was still clamoring for more, I wasn't sure if it could get any better than that.

Josh Moriarty of Miami Horror

Luckily for me, I was wrong. Miami Horror heard the chants for "One more song! One more song!" and returned to the stage on final time. They played another cover song; this one just as pleasantly surprising as the first - a cover of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al". It was a great rendition, giving the song extra danceability with Miami Horror's characteristic synth-pop touch. It's no wonder they make music that sounds so fresh yet has so many apparent retro influences when Miami Horror reveals what their influences are through cover songs. If straight up electronic music seems too plain yet you want to go to a show to dance, check out a Miami Horror show, as they've figured out how to combine the electronic package into a show that rocks.

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

There's another big dance party happening tonight and this time it takes place at the Bluebird Theater. The Bluebird Theater will be hosting three acts that will deliver a steady stream of fresh house music that will keep people busy all night on the dance floor. Two local DJs will get things started, warming up the stage for an an international electronic band. Kick off the month of November with your dancing shoes on.


The headliner is Miami Horror, a four-piece electronic music band from Melbourne, Australia. Led by producer Benjamin Plant, this band brings a throwback disco style to house music, making a combination of electro-pop and nu-disco that is as infectious as it is danceable. The mate melodic near chillwave-esque vocals with their instrumental sound to deliver a unique dance floor sound. Check out "I Look To You" and "Holidays".
I Look To You by Miami Horror (Official)
Holidays by Miami Horror (Official)


boyhollow is best known as founder and resident DJ of Denver's premier Friday night indie dance party, Lipgloss. He has been covered on this blog before, and is noted for his versatility in song selection and astute ability to read crowds to provide the best dance floor experience. He can lay down anything from smooth house to hard electro bangers, and he'll be sure to get the party going.


option4 is also a resident Lipgloss DJ and founder of TheHundred, whose love for house music comes to light each time he takes place behind the mixing decks. Always on the search for the best new sounds in house, he'll be sure to lace together a smooth mix of mid-tempo house grooves that will turn the venue into a modern discotheque. Check out option4's Summer 2011 mix.
The Revenge of option4 - Summer 2011 by option4

The Bluebird Theater doors open at 8:00PM and the music starts at 9:00PM. The show is all ages and tickets are $20.

One of the latest and greatest things to happen to the Denver dance scene took place this past weekend and it had all the right ingredients to make for an epic dance party. Lipgloss founder boyhollow brought to town a party that's already taken New York and Chicago by storm: Girls & Boys. The first Girls & Boys Denver party included eight impressive DJ acts - four locals and four imports - and a spellbinding light show. There was non-stop music going on the entire night, and it made for a marathon dance fest for those that could handle it.

Fidget Factory

It wasn't enough for Girls & Boys Denver to feature some big national and international DJ names, it had to start with local representation. The party began early and I missed the DJ set from opener Spencer Flower, but I still got to see three more local purveyors of dance. I arrived shortly after eight o'clock, and local DJ duo Fidget Factory was up on stage throwing down a heavy electro mix. Fidget Factory's mixing style uses hard electro beats, splashes of womp, and clever dashes of remixed and mashed up songs. I like how in between a section of electro songs, they brought out a remix of Kelis' "Milkshake" mashed up with an instrumental of The Game's "How We Do", making a song that was pure club on so many levels. They got the early crowd's heart rate racing and served as a good warm up for the hours of dance still ahead.

London Dungeon

Next on stage was another local DJ two-piece, London Dungeon. London Dungeon started throwing down a mix that had more nu-disco house and dance-funk, getting everyone into a smooth groove. It was a good transition from the earlier set, because if they kept the intensity just as high as the previous act it probably would have wore out the crowd. Instead, their set was at the perfect mid-tempo, bringing back retro '70s and '80s dance sounds wrapped around modern dance textures. I really liked their song selection, giving everything a sort of retro feel, even with newer songs like YACHT's "Dystopia" and CSS's "Hit's Me Like A Rock" - the remixes they played were hot. After a nice discotheque session, London Dungeon handed the decks over to one more local maestro.

boyhollow

Not only did he present the show, but boyhollow had to throw down a set as well. It's obvious boyhollow has a passion for making people dance when he's so heavily involved in the parties he presents. For this evening, boyhollow threw down a mix in his characteristic eclectic style, drawing from music across genres to propagate more dance energy to the floor. Showing an ability to carefully and steadily build up crowd energy, boyhollow started with milder mid-tempo house tracks like Cassius' "The Sound of Violence" and built up the intensity until he was slamming the crowd with a little womp and hard electro like Skream's remix of "In For The Kill" by La Roux.

Paul Anthony

Paul Anthony took over the reigns next, the first imported artist of the show. He brought his Chicago house experience and Dirty Fabric record label swagger to the dance floor. Lately, Paul Anthony has been churning out electro jams and remixes one after the other, and he brought much of his production work to the decks Saturday night. Using just CD tables and a mixer, Paul Anthony brought face melting electro and hard house to the hapless Denver crowd. My favorite track had to be the remix of Laid Back's "White Horse" he threw down.

By this point of the night, people were starting to file in and take up the dance floor, and that's just when things started to get visually interesting as well. Girls & Boys Denver featured a laser display that continued to get more elaborate and amazing as the night went on. It started with a few lasers during boyhollow's and Paul Anthony's set, impressive but not much beyond the standard fare, but once the international acts of the Kitsuné Club Night Tour started to throw down, the laser light show got absolutely ridiculous.

Database

Brazilian DJ duo Database went up on stage next, bringing a crazy blend of electro house - crazy because they remix so many songs that are from outside of the electro realm. They upped the tempo and started to get the crowd sweating as people tried to keep up with one hard mix after the other. My favorite tracks were their electro mix of Stardust's "Music Sounds Better With You", bringing an old favorite back to life with a bang, and they included an electro favorite of mine, "Neon Nights" by MSTRKRFT. When Database was on stage, the party was definitely in full effect, and it only continued to get better from there.

BeatauCue

BeatauCue took the stage next, bringing their French electro house sound to Denver. They take hard electro to a new level using crazy tweaked and glitchy sounds, hard thumping bass, and souped up tempos to get dancers going wild. Their sound worked perfectly with the laser display, each high pitched burst hitting my ear drums just as synchronized flashes of colored light dazzled my eyes. They kept their set high energy, but the song that stood out was the song "Close" from their Falcon Punch EP.

RAC

From there it was up to headliners RAC to finish the night and smack the audiences' ears with songs remixed and re-imagined in creative ways. Using two laptops and an array of Ableton controllers, the remix duo impressively laid down a fluid mix of songs they manipulated for the crowd live. They reached deep into their bag of tricks, pulling out songs from across genres and giving them the dance floor treatment. They remixed Empire of the Sun, Cut Copy, CSS, Mr. Oizo, Simian Mobile Disco, Kele, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and many, many more. The RAC injected more of their dancey tunes as opposed to some of their indie rock reconstructions, but they felt out what the crowd wanted and delivered the high energy set people were seeking.

The first Girls & Boys Denver party was a great introduction on what to expect for the future. Anytime you see an upcoming Girls & Boys Denver event, expect it to be a non-stop dance fest featuring great talent and sweet visuals. They will bring in the best skilled DJs from around town, and then supplement that with huge talent from around the world. The first party was incredibly fun, thanks to the great music and atmosphere. There were not as many people there as I would have liked to have seen, but the dance floor was still going hard the entire night and it was a good showing for such a new event. If you missed out on the first one, don't worry, this party is bound to come back. But get on it, because this party is only going to get bigger and better each time and you won't want to be left out.

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