Dubstep with The Acidophiles

by J.A. Campbell

WriterJACampbell.com

The Aggie started dark, slowly filling with haze from the fog machines. As performance time approached, lights and lasers were tested in blue, yellow, green, and purple (my favorite). The flashes of color interacted with the fog machine haze to make visually tangible patterns that danced in the air, giving a hint to the intensity that lay ahead. A painter set up his easel in the back and pulled out a blank canvas. People trickled in, slowly at first, then in greater numbers. The headline band, The Acidophiles, would draw a sold-out crowd.

The night opened with DJ Green Eggs ‘n’ Hammy mixing up some popular songs with a heavy beat. The Boom Dispensary, composed of three classic vinyl turntable DJs who also incorporate live midi manipulation, brought the bass next with their solid recipe for raging face. They were followed by Made You Look, a DJ/producer duo, who had a memorable piece that mixed the sweet tones of “My Little Sunshine” into the heavy hitting “Shut up about the F@%king Sunshine.” Cloud-D, another DJ/producer went next playing his own creative style of grime-hop that further amped up the crowd. The final group to command the stage was The Acidophiles, who perform live progressive-dubstep.

The Acidophiles; Amandha Gilson, and Zac Rachid, are set apart from many other dubstep producers in that they perform live with their synths and use effects controllers to alter their self-produced tracks, keeping a fresh live element that changes at each show. Each of their tracks shows how they have “take[n] elements from dubstep, progressive trance, and psychedelic glitch and melded them together in an emotionally deep and technically precise manner,” says Zac. In addition to their focus on sound production, they are always looking to further fuse their music with other aspects of live performance, believing that people can experience music more deeply when other sensory teases are added to the equation. The light show, put on by A.o.S. Lighting and The Acidophiles’ dancer, Kristina Hughes, augment the visual aspect of the music they perform. Kristina designs her own costumes to use for her interpretive dancing at each performance. They also like to bring in different painters who create elegant pieces of art right before your very eyes while you hear the sounds that are pushing each brush stroke.

“Every track we write is a story about something in our lives,” says Amandha. “It could be about a nice Sunday afternoon filled with fall color and happy visits with friends or about wrenching heartbreak, and includes anything in between.” They generally leave lyrics out of the music because they want people to find what they need in each song. Both Amandha and Zac feel that lyrics should be delicately chosen as they tend to lead the mind of the listener to a specific feeling, instead of the one they need at the moment from the music.

That night at the Aggie, the feeling everyone needed was met. The heavy beats and roaring baselines of dubstep and grime-hop, along with the many unique mixes of the other sub-challenging genres encouraged dancers to get on the floor. More and more of the crowd danced as the DJs and producers pounded out the bass.

The commanding bass lines of The Acidophiles, in particular, flowed with trance-like elements and mercilessly blended in heavy beats to grab and pull everyone straight into the music. They began their buildups with an almost casual greeting that then proceeded to slam the beat right through the audience.  Many of their tracks would then be brought to their unique progressive trance-step feel.  At this point, during a couple choice tracks, Kristina highlighted the sound with her own creative dancing that incorporated simple yet very impressionable costumes (almost stealing the show in my opinion). The lights, lasers, and fog of A.o.S. Lighting created a masterfully orchestrated fusion of sound and sight that flowed around the crowd and performers, drawing everyone into the music. All in all, their performance was intense and satisfying visually, physically, and audibly.

The Acidophiles along with Boom Dispensary and Green Eggs ‘n’ Hammy are members of The CID Initiative, a Fort Collins grown production company dedicated to promoting local talent and creating individual dreams. Cloud-D is part of the Mile High Sound Movement out of Denver, and Made You Look includes local Fort Collins DJ Ras Cus and producer.

FaceBook.com/TheAcidophiles

Category: Noco Music Scene