- Since the dissolution of the Wighnomy Brothers in 2009, Gabor Schablitzki has been a busy man. Known to his fans as Robag Wruhme, last year saw the German techno mainstay splitting time between recording studios and overseas touring. The hard work paid off with this year's release of his second full-length album, Thora Vukk and new commercial mix, Wuppdeckmischmampflow. His 2010 North American tour hit some of the obvious hotspots—San Francisco, Toronto and New York. This time around, however, Schablitzki's first-ever Colorado appearance was scheduled, and was to be held at Cluster Studios.
Tucked away in an obscure warehouse district, Cluster is an out-of-sight, out-of-mind venue with plenty of room for medium-sized parties. A creative workspace that houses a magazine and half-a-dozen designers and artists, Cluster has hosted several events in the last year, many of them produced by Mother Earth Sound System, the outfit responsible for Schablitzki's Denver appearance (with a little help from fellow local promoters CrowdPleaser and Emote Music). One of Colorado's most respected electronic music promoters, MESS is known for its Full Moon Gatherings—large-scale outdoor mountain parties that have been faithfully held each summer for more than 15 years. Meanwhile, during the colder months, they bring international talent to often-virgin warehouse spaces in Denver.
Scott Everett, MESS's longest standing member and a trustworthy opening DJ, kicked the night off with solid, tech-heavy warm-up set on a finely tuned sound system before he was relived by John Templeton at around midnight. As one of Denver's major techno producers, Templeton, also known as Oban, seems to play at every event held in the city, adapting his versatile live show to suit any occasion. His performance was well received by the crowd, and left plenty of room for the headliner.
Cluster was buzzing with palpable energy when Schablitzki took over the controls at around 1 AM. Charismatic and crazy looking, the instantly recognizable ex-Wighnomy Brother brought tremendous stage presence to bear along with formidable technical skill. Schablitzki effortlessly crisscrossed back-and-forth between house and techno, playing mostly vinyl and otherwise using only CDs. They couldn't pry him from the decks until after 6 AM, leaving little doubt the only thing more hotly anticipated than his Colorado debut will surely be Schablitzki's return.