DJ Rufio gets his guerrilla groove on at Red Rocks

The parking lot is a perfect place to mingle and get your pre-game on before a show, particularly at Red Rocks. But Brandon Chavez is taking tailgaiting to another level. At select EDM shows, you can find Chavez, aka DJ Rufio, and his crew of party people gathered around a…

Robert Jepsen of Seris on making accessible heady metal

Seris is a mathy metal band with a footing in technical death metal that has found a way to blend all of that into something far more accessible than either would suggest. There is a groove and fluidity underlying the band’s sound that gives the heaviness a paradoxical kind of…

Black Amex sounds as opulent as its name

The American Express Centurion Card is the ultimate status symbol. Otherwise known as the Black Card, the card is issued on an invitation-only basis — according to Wikipedia, whose word we’re going to have to take because we know precisely zero cardholders — to the upper echelon of the upper…

Derek Plaslaiko on how well Communikey is run

A genuine craftsman from the days when DJs played actual records and an encouraging reminder that some in fact still do, Derek Plaslaiko is truly a DJ’s DJ. The Michigan native was a fixture on the Detroit rave scene from the mid-’90s until 2004, when he relocated to New York…

Maya Jane Coles on her quick rise in America

One of electronic music’s fastest-rising young stars, Maya Jane Coles has become a major phenomenon over the past two years. Just 25 years old, the Londoner has been recognized as one of the hottest DJs on the planet by everyone from Rolling Stone to Resident Advisor, and she’s performed at…

Raekwon’s thoughts on storytelling in hip-hop

This Friday, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan is teaming up with DJ Premier to celebrate 4/20 at the 420 Extravaganja this Friday, April 19, at HoodLab. This show marks the first time Raekwon and DJ Premier share a bill. We spoke with Raekwon about the prospect of performing with one…