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DJ duo racks up a local following, plays Sunday at Boathouse

Nicole Inglis
DJ Jeraff and DjMT head to The Boathouse Pub on Sunday night for another dubstep dance party. The duo have been DJ-ing together since fall.
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— Rich Allison and Jeff Barlow first DJ-ed a show together on Halloween at Ghost Ranch Saloon. Barlow, who goes by DJ Jeraff, said he looked out into the crowd of dancers getting down to his dubstep and trip-hop beats and was blown away.

“You see people freaking out,” Barlow said with a laugh. “It really gets the crowd going. It’s almost impossible to be at a dubstep show and not be dancing or moving a little bit.”

The pair frequented Sunday nights at The Boathouse Pub and Ghost Ranch Saloon through winter and have cinched a local following and solid crowds on what is normally considered an off night for Steamboat nightlife.



The duo returns to Boathouse Sunday for a free late-night show.

Boathouse Pub general manager Ryan Ulep has impressed with the results.



“They’ve been pretty good crowds,” Ulep said. “People have been enjoying them, and they have a good local following.”

Ulep said the show will be downstairs near the bar on the outdoor patio enclosed with a plastic awning. He said the area is contained but not heated.

“It brings everything down to the same level,” Ulep said about keeping the show on the same floor as the bar.

Dubstep is a genre of electronic music akin to a sped-up reggae beat. While traditional electronic downbeats on the “two” and the “four” beat, dubstep hits on the “one” and “three” beats.

The genre is characterized by deep, sometimes overwhelming “wobble bass,” and is affectionately called “womp” by DJs like Allison and Barlow and their fans.

It has its roots in Britain in the 1980s, but in the past few years, the United States has seen an explosion in dubstep DJs and producers like Bassnectar, the producer that first introduced Barlow to the scene.

“I like the griminess of it,” Barlow said. “It hits you. It’s very distinct.”

Barlow and Allison are spinning and remixing other tracks, including exclusive releases from Barlow’s brother, Chris, who is one-third of world touring electronic group Hot Pink Delorean.

They work in some hip-hop and pop tracks, as well, remixed to their tastes. Barlow said soon the pair will work on producing their own beats. While on stage, they each remix their own tracks and blend them into one another, trading off beats.

Although he draws inspiration from his brother, Barlow said DJing is a freeing solo experience that complements his other job as bassist for livetronic jam band String Board Theory.

He said while dubstep can be a divisive genre — people generally love it or hate it — it’s a current trend that is deserving of some local variations.

“I also think a lot of people haven’t been exposed to it enough so they should come check it out,” he said. “A lot of people like dubstep, and it’s about time it comes to Steamboat.”

— To reach Nicole Inglis, call 970-871-4204 or email ninglis@SteamboatToday.com


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