Before these artists get massive, we’ve decided to give them a little love so we can hit them up for free tickets when they make something of themselves. Here is part one of a three part series highlighting our favorite Colorado artists that deserve all of the local feels.

Take away everything Colorado is commonly known for — hippies, weed, skiing, hippies skiing while on weed — and there’s still an ample amount of glorious shit to behold. Colorado’s burgeoning music scene contributes to its statewide excellence, showcasing successful artists for a worldwide platform. A go-to audience for up-and-coming artists in the past few years, Colorado music lovers cherish the notables who claw their way to the top. Before these artists get massive, we’ve decided to give them a little love so we can hit them up for free tickets when they make something of themselves. Here is part one of a three part series highlighting our favorite Colorado artists that deserve all of the local feels.

Illenium // illeniummusic.com

When it comes to up-and-coming electronic artists with a promising music career, Illenium tops the list. The self-taught artist brings only two years’ experience to the scene, but he’s already at the forefront of the melodic bass scene. His uncommon sound mixed with beautifully recorded female-based vocals creates a unique pulse that dominates the drone of generic radio hits. He’ll be huge; we’re sure of this.

How do you know when your song is ready to be released?
I need to be inspired by my own music, and the idea behind it. If I believe in it, I push harder, and once I am happy with it, people tend to be inspired by it.

What is your ultimate goal in music?
My life totally changed with music, from a really dark place to where I am now, and if I can give that same opportunity to people who listen to my music, that is really what matters. If I can make a career out of it, that would be great, but the main part is being able to give people what music has given me.

If you could choose between playing main stage at EDC totally nude or playing on a yacht and when you drop the bass Paris Hilton falls into the ocean, what would you play?
Just for the sake of the world I would choose option two. It would be so great to hear the screams as you sail away.

Patrick Lee // patrickleemusic.com

Patrick Lee is a Boulder-bred artist who started his music career in jazz. He has since melded his sound with hip-hop and added intricate piano atop live taiko drums. This is all mixed with synths to create a relaxing, electronic sound. His music often plays on the Sirius XM “Chill” station, but he also performs live with his team of instrumentalists, playing blistering sets alongside catchy synthesizers. His style not only creates a unique sound; it provides an engaging and inspiring show worth seeing.

What brought you from jazz into electronic music?
The love movement brought me from jazz to hip-hop, and RJD2 and DJ Shadow brought hip-hop into spacer realms.

How do you know when a track and an album are ready to release?
I like to give a track four hours to work on, then leave it for a day, then put in another four hours, then leave it for a week, then come back to it one last time. And part of the reason is because I am still running my original Acid program, and because of that everything I add I have to leave it on there. Which means when I decide to do something, I really have to think about it and live with it. As far as an album, I need to get 10, 12, 15, 20 simple numbers like that, then put them in order, and that’s about it.

If you could play a show in a haunted house, a pumpkin patch or a corn maze, which would you choose, and why?
I think I would probably play in a pumpkin patch, because you could go out and find a really rotted pumpkin and wear it on your head like Deadmau5 or something.

Said The Sky // Soundcloud.com/said-the-sky

Trevor Christensen, also known as Said The Sky, fell in love with music when he started playing the piano and drums at 8 years old. His focus lately, however, has been melding his technical music training with unparalleled production skills in the electronic sound sphere. If being able to tell your friends you were listening to an artist before he got big is your thing, our suggestions all point to Said The Sky’s entire online catalog, where good sounds are just waiting to be heard.

Where do you find inspiration for your music?
It’s going to sound super cliché, but I find inspiration in the beautiful things. I really find inspiration in the moment, where most of the time you get so caught up in what you are doing next week and what you have done. I just like appreciating in the little things. It just gives me good direction and helps me focus on what I want it to sound like.

Where do you want to go with your music career?
Currently I love electronic music. I want to perform, and I want to sell out Red Rocks. I want to create an experience. I want my music to mean something to my fans. But I may want to experiment in orchestral music and write music for live instruments, and ultimately, if I can combine the two and write for a choir, there is just something about it that, when you can successfully combine everything. There is nothing like it.

Who would you rather play for: the Amish or North Korea?
Amish for sure! They live without electricity, so it would be awesome to show them electronic music and blow them away.

Bearsohmy! // bearsohmy.com

Colorado curated a one-of-a-kind electronic music scene in the past couple of years. We’ve seen some artists go international while other talent thrives locally. Bearsohmy! is a production duo straight out of Boulder that’s keeping it local for the time being, but progressing to global status isn’t out of the question. Creating a genre the pair affectionately refers to as “Booty Bounce,” Be Good (Johnny Mabie) and Weisz Guy (Ryan Weiz) are catching steam with unprecedented re-works of major hits such as “Aerosol Can” and “Moshpit.” The duo recently had a homecoming party, performing at CU Boulder’s Welcomefest on Farrand Field. The future looks bright for this local pair as it turns momentum into serious musical and personal gain.

What’s on the horizon for your music?
We have some original tracks coming out on Spotify and, of course, bigger and bigger shows. We have a really solid team with our crew, Smak Pak, so we are super lucky to have everyone around us killin’ the game, collective style.

How do you define your music?
We are pretty much ADD music fans, so it’s really hard to stay within a certain genre when it comes to production or DJing. We love everything, and it all comes out. I’d say the only definitive factor is “high energy” and lots of groove.

To contact the writers of this article, Craig Caliendo and Luca DelPiccolo, email: Contact@TheRooster.com