16 JULY 16-22, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | community events,” Lokana says. “People are going to remember actually shaking your hand and seeing your face. A DM on Instagram is going to get lost.” Recording all together at The Lab was complicated, but it was an intentional choice. As an antidote to the artifi ce of social media, Denver artists like DNA are turning to events that encourage in-person networking, such as artist meet-ups, industry conferences, open studio hours and free community shows. “Social media has given everyone these perceptions of what success is supposed to look like as an independent artist, and to me it’s completely different,” JMAT says. “Suc- cess is getting more community outreach and tapping in with different artists. The best thing that we’re doing right now is what DNA is doing: making music more community- related, and not just on social media.” Addressing Denver Music’s Identity Crisis Both volumes of “DENVER, INTERNA- TIONAL” demonstrate that the Denver music scene already has an identity; it just needs an attitude shift. “The unfortunate bit of business, to me, is the ways in which people here clamor for an identity as if they don’t have one,” Christina says. One reason Denver isn’t viewed as a music hotspot like Nashville, New York or L.A. is that there’s no easily identifi able “Denver sound.” Located in the heart of the country with an ever-growing population of transplants, Colorado music can’t be neatly pigeonholed – but it shouldn’t have to be. “If we had a distinct sound, there would be more people doing just that. But we have a wide variety of artists here,” says Mac D, calling the debate a “loaded question.” “Denver has many sounds,” DNA agrees. “These projects provide a snapshot of what Denver’s hip-hop and R&B scenes are like at a high level right now.” “I don’t know how we would have a sound when we’re sort of an organ that stretches out in every direction,” Christina adds. “We would have what we have: an amalgamation of different cities, bringing with them their expe- riences and their practices, and landing here a mile above everybody else, collaborating.” The communal process of creating the “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL” albums has since given birth to further collaborations, just as DNA and Mac D intended. “This entire process opened up a lot of doors for me,” refl ects JMAT. “It gave me the chance to be around people that I don’t know if I ever would have been around otherwise.” Some of the artists immediately started working on more music together. Seven of them, including JMAT and DNA, formed a new hip-hop collective called 4KKRASHOUT. Twenty-one of them will play this year’s Underground Music Show- case, which will also feature an Aero Music Group pop-up event celebrating the albums. “You become this resource, and now there’s talent everywhere being amplifi ed and cultivated,” Christina says of the proj- ect’s impact. “If there’s an identity that we want to form, I would think it’s that.” From Denver to the World While the artists of “DENVER, INTERNA- TIONAL” aren’t relying on external approval from a national audience, they still hope the releases will raise the profi le of Colorado’s urban music. “I’m hoping that this is a bridge between hip-hop and R&B artists and the people who love hip-hop and R&B, connect- ing the artist to the consumer. I don’t think we as a collective have cracked the code on that yet,” DNA says. These releases have lined up a potential “Watershed moment” for Colorado music, Christina predicts: “The project, sonically, stands up to absolutely everything on the radio. It’s not good with an asterisk– good for Denver artists, good for The Lab, good for a rap dude that came up with some R&B. It is objectively a great project.” “With a project like what we’ve put to- gether,” Mac D concludes, “if we’re able to put it in the right eyes, it could change the whole outlook.” “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL: DISC 1: DEPAR- TURES” and “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL: DISC 2: ARRIVALS” will be released on all streaming platforms Friday, July 17. Aero Music Group will be hosting a listening experience for both proj- ects during the Underground Music Showcase on Sunday, July 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Beacon Denver, 2854 Larimer St. Music continued from page 15 Both albums were recorded at The Lab Studios (pictured), founded by Mac D in 2014. APERTURE ORTEGA MEDIA
