Few musical genres lend themselves to the spooky horror aesthetics of the Halloween season the way bass music does. That’s why, every year, artists like RL Grime, PEEKABOO and REZZ — who performed a special “Nightmare on REZZ Street” set last Thursday night at Red Rocks — release Halloween-themed mixes to celebrate the spirit world during the month of October. The grand production that accompanies bass shows provides a rare opportunity for artists like REZZ to deliver a cohesive musical experience drenched in horror elements, which is exactly what she did at Red Rocks. Everything, from the deep, dark atmosphere of her signature sound to the terrifying tribute to horror films and culture displayed through her visuals, represented the Halloween spirit with beautiful and terrifying creativity.
Of course, we can’t talk about REZZ Rocks without mentioning the incredible supporting acts, including two of the hottest names in electronic music right now: EAZYBAKED and Wreckno.
EAZYBAKED’s set was, more or less, what you’d expect from the woozy DJ/producer duo. Their music is an enchanting glimpse into the realm of experimental, deconstructed bass music with a natural edge. Of course, they also threw in a few hip-hop tracks and remixes into their set, which was a welcomed addition to their contemporary take on the underground bass sound.
Wreckno is largely known for his flamboyant style and rainbow-colored personality, but his music is just as bright and confident as his shimmering disposition. Surprisingly, he began his set with a couple of killer house tracks before diving into the traditional Wreckno performance — which included plenty of choreographed dances, sassy rapping and dubstep grime.
REZZ makes a distinct flavor of bass music that’s been praised by many for her identifiable sound and tempo, but that consistency is also the catalyst for much of the criticism that’s often directed toward REZZ. “All her music sounds the same” and ” her music gets boring after a while” are two common complaints associated with the artist. However, anyone that accuses REZZ of a lack of inspiration was surely proven wrong last Thursday night — the “Nightmare on Rezz Street” experience was a fresh cinematic experience that was as grand in scope as it was in sound design.
To kick off the musical carnival ride, REZZ dropped “New Aura” by Potions as a hypnotist’s voice guided the crowd through an abandoned circus of grimy carousels and demons. The visuals that accompanied REZZ’s performance maintained their horror elements the entire night and matched the goodie bag of new “Nightmare on REZZ Street” IDs REZZ played out for the first time at Red Rocks. Oh, and there were plenty of flames heating up the stage as well. It really was a tour through a hellish underground.
REZZ’s production team definitely deserves their flowers for this one. Lights flashed amidst projections of warehouse hospitals, broken clocks and demonic clowns that haunted every track with terrifying persistence. The visual experience was the quintessential Halloween spectacular that paired perfectly with the nightmarish elements saturating the performance.
Behind REZZ’s swirling red glasses was a focused sense of spooky purpose that bled through her music and visuals the entire night. Additionally, she switched up her style slightly for this special show. Though she kept true to her distorted production and deep, pulsing bass, she managed to provide a refreshing experience that never lost the Halloween focus.