Setting off on tour this month, with two Colorado dates, Dirt Monkey aka Patrick Megeath will be in town to celebrate with his local fans and spend Thanksgiving with his family. His sixth full length album, Depolarize, was released this year, and Dirt Monkey has been hard at work juggling national tours, family life, and moving across the country. The dubstep/bass music producer and DJ got his start in Colorado and moved to Florida last week. 

With over a decade in the scene, Dirt Monkey has released music on a range of bass music labels, including SubCarbon, Wakaan, Prime Dub, Filthy Digital, Play Me Records and most recently his own 19K label. His roster of collaborations and tour mates is an impressive list with the top names in bass music. Dirt Monkey has leveraged his position in the scene to achieve international acclaim. 

His shows this month (11/23 at the Aggie Theater & 11/24 at Boulder Theatre) will feature opening performances from SIPPY and Ravenscoon. We caught up with Dirt Monkey on his farewell to Colorado, reminiscing about his roots, and what the future holds. 

How’s the tour going so far? 
Great – This tour has had the best crowds I’ve ever played for at every single stop! 

What is usually the first order of business when you get back to Colorado from touring? 
When we were living in Colorado, I’d get home and take over parenting duties so my wife could work, but now that we’ve moved to Florida (as of a week ago!) we’ve been setting up our house and exploring the area, which has been amazing. 

What motivated your upcoming move to Florida? 
My wife and I have always wanted to live by the beach, and after years of snow and cold winters we figured we’d make the move. We both love everything about our new home, the people are super chill and the weather is so nice, I don’t think we’ll ever look back! Being able to surf and skate year round is a huge plus for me; also with a 4 year old and another kid on the way, we decided that this is where we want them to grow up. To be honest, I’d be totally happy never seeing snow again. 

Who is one of the most memorable artists you’ve collaborated with? 
It’s hard to nail just one down… ever since I began producing, Rusko had always been my all time dream collaboration. When we did collab on our track “Quarantinis” last year, it came together super easily. I definitely want to do more with him in the future. 

How has coming up in Colorado shaped you as an artist? 
I think my years in Colorado built a lot of character – I got pretty used to playing bars in Boulder for like 10 people / 3 nights a week. Years of that grind made me never take any current success for granted. Also, getting involved with the dubstep scene in Denver before it really took off with the Sub.mission crew was crucial for me, along with supporting all the big bass music shows that came through Beta. 

How has the music scene in Colorado changed since you started DJing? 
The scene has grown immensely – it’s the only place I’ve witnessed in the country where so many shows in the same style genre can happen in one night and do well. The fact that we packed out Mission Ballroom on the same night as Tipper at Red rocks says a lot. 

Which festivals went the hardest this summer? 
Lost Lands, Lost Lands, & Lost Lands

Is there anything in the pipeline for next year? 
The first order of business is putting out the next (RE)EVOLUTION mix – I'm sitting on more unreleased music than I can even keep track of. I'm also focusing more on the dub/reggae/dancehall type vibe for all my music. That’s all I’ve been listening to, and I’ve been having so much fun incorporating it into my new tunes (if you’ve been to one of my shows recently you know what I'm talkin about). 

What message would you like to share with your fans? 
My message is this: don’t let differences or ideologies get in the way of having genuine, human experiences with other people. The whole point of my album, tour and music in general is to provide a place where everyone can get along and get lost in music, and forget all the bullshit happening in our world right now. Our society has become extremely polarized, hence the name & overall message: Depolarize.