"As far as the vision goes, it’s an interactive show rather than, hey, we put up a DJ booth, we booked some talent and we're throwing a show at this venue," owner Alexander Padgett says. "We want the main focus to be the audience, and we want people interacting with props [and] performers. Every show has a storyline, and it’s unfolding as the show goes along."
On October 5,
"We booked Kyle Cinch. He is very tight with Gorgon City; they play his tracks all the time," Alexander Padgett says. "There are some big things coming from Kyle [for the show] that we can’t announce right now specific to that, but we're excited to bring him here."
The Boulder duo MTNMN, who just sold out their show at the Fox Theatre, will perform, as well as Denver DJs
"We want people to go on a journey and have an experience at a show on a random night. We are bringing that festival experience to a single-night show," Padgett says. Being native to Denver, he proudly proclaims that Denver is the bass capital of the world, and the reason for that isn't just the music.
"I think there’s a good community of people who enjoy the music and go to these shows for the right reasons, and everyone joins together. ... For one, Red Rocks is such a beautiful venue, but it’s the community of people that live here in Denver that really bring the music to life."
Before 128 Productions, Padgett was working at Temple Nightclub and saw that the subgenres of house and techno music were still underground in Denver. But the people who did show up to those types of events really supported the local artists who performed.
"We thought we could enhance what has already been built here," Padgett says, "It feels like the festivals and shows I’ve been to, I forget where I am, and I get absorbed into the atmosphere of the show, and everything else becomes secondary. We have really taken that into what we do. ... It gives me a chance to do writing and storylines."
While 128 has garnered attention, starting out seemed slow. "It was a lot of failure," Padgett laughs. "Early on, our second show, we had maybe twenty people show up. It's scary in the beginning."
He says inspiration to take the plunge with the company came from Denver producer option4, Brennan Bryarly, who performs in the techno scene in Denver. "We all quit our jobs to do music, but we are very passionate, and it's something we love."
128 Presents: The Carnival, ft. Kyle Kinch & Mtnmen, Friday, October 5, 2018, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., #VYBE Denver, 1027 Broadway, $10.
