The entrancing synth beat layered with a majestic piano harmony of the Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain” drifted from Ryan Dykstra’s turntable as the rain came down over the RiNo district. Come rain or shine, Zeppelin Station’s Vinyl Thursdays are sure to invite a musical delight to your week.
Zeppelin Station characterizes itself as a global food hall, offering vendors serving banh mi, Japanese street food, fried chicken, tacos and more. Not to mention their two cocktail bars and coffee spot. With a variety of food and drink options all in one spot, Zeppelin has even more to offer than what’s on the surface.
Neighboring Mission Ballroom and possessing a close tie to Red Rocks, Zeppelin Station is finding itself tied to the Denver music scene in ways they never imagined. “Zeppelin station opened prior to Mission Ballroom which is a big partner for us, so I don’t think we necessarily planned for that to be part of our PR but as things have kind of come to us, we’ve realized who our guests are and what they are interested in so we’ve tried to embrace our part in the food and beverage scene but also in the music scene,” the Director of Operations with FAM Hospitality Group, who works for Zeppelin Station, David Grossman said.
One of the exciting ways that Zeppelin Station is immersing itself into the community of music lovers surrounding them is through their Vinyl Thursdays event. Held every other week, Vinyl Thursdays takes a classic spin on DJing. Using only vinyl to soundtrack the night, DJ and nightlife promoter Ryan Dykstra brings his love for the retro listening experience to Zeppelin Station. Every other Thursday, with his bus filled with vinyl and a turntable ready to roll, Dykstra slings numerous records throughout the night, catering to the expansive music taste of Denverites.
“My favorite way that a nightclub event should work, or an event like this, is more like a house party vibe. Because a house party vibe, they’re typically going to be playing stuff that’s all over the place,” Dykstra said. “That can be anywhere from pop to rock to country to dance to metal and back again, you name it.” Dykstra explained how when deciding on what to play, he reads the energy in the room, so depending on the crowd, there’s a new mixture of vinyl played every time.
In addition to hearing unique vinyl tracks, if there’s one that is especially alluring, attendees can buy the vinyl off of Dykstra. “I bring my own full pop-up vinyl experience to the party. I’m bringing vintage vinyl records for people to shop through while I’m playing and people have bought records from me right off the turn tables,” Dykstra said. Being able to buy a record with the experience of hearing it played during an event adds to the intensity of emotion tied to the tangible piece of music.
Zeppelin Station is offering up the opportunity to try a variety of different foods and dip your toes into the vinyl community with Vinyl Thursdays. In addition to Thursdays, Zeppelin Station is appealing to the live music scene by hosting programs with themes tailored to artists playing at Mission Ballroom that night, so fans can come and pregame with food, drinks and music before the main event. Along with Vinyl Thursdays, Zeppelin Station will be hosting a handful of other weekly events throughout the Summer. For more information, look to their Instagram or website.