WAV Artist of the Month — Jantsen

“When I released the first Gutter Music Mix in 2007, dubstep wasn’t really around at that point. So I was experimenting with a lot of different things on that first Gutter Mix.”

That’s a quote from Jantsen Robertson, also known as Jantsen — an OG North American dubstep artist and a rare Colorado native who has witnessed Denver’s rise to the “bass capital of the world” status the city is granted today. 

It’s been 17 years since Robertson released that first Gutter Mix, and Robertson has lived a lot of life since then. He’s toured the country. He’s remixed tracks for Subtronics. He’s performed at countless festivals — both small and massive. And, in 2013, he became a father.

But the spirit of Gutter Music, which is now on its seventh iteration, has stayed the same.

“No matter what style of music I’ve created throughout my career, it’s always been heavily influenced by hip-hop,” Robertson said. “That’s always been a huge focus on the Gutter Mix series — incorporating all kinds of hip-hop music into dubstep.”

Going through the Gutter Mix series is like tracking Dubstep’s history and evolution since its genesis. Each mix is a time capsule dedicated to a specific era of the genre, holding sounds and relics of iconic tracks, flips, and samples that have defined dubsteps creative evolution, and rise to mainstream authority in 2024.

Many of these tracks throughout the Gutter Mix series are Jantsen originals — including the fan favorite “Ill Behavior” ID that fans have been chasing since 2020.

Jantsen finally released the track exclusively on SoundCloud last month, although this version is slightly different from the original material he created years ago. “For me, and I think for most artists, I want to want to put music out that’s new — music that represents who I am currently at any given moment,”Robertson said. “Because the music I made four years ago isn’t exactly the same stuff I’m making today. That’s why the ‘Ill Behavior’ track is a little different than what people might expect.”

Robertson wanted to release “Ill Behavior” when he first made the track, but the iconic “Renegade Master” vocal sample that loops throughout “Ill Behavior” was uncleared, and after years of trying, he realized it would be impossible to clear.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only time Robertson has run into this issue.

“I have a horrible habit of creating tracks from pre-existing vocals and uncleared samples, and I dig myself in a hole because of that. My team will try to clear the sample, but that doesn’t always happen. So then I’ll sit on these tracks for so long and eventually I’m kind of over it. So it’ll either never come out, or I’ll put it on SoundCloud for free. That’s what happened with ‘Ill Behavior.’”

“Ill Behavior” isn’t the only fan favorite track from Jantsen’s vault he’ll be releasing this year — in fact, Robertson digging into his 15+ year catalog to release some of his most iconic flips, originals, and remixes as he gears up for his biggest headline show to date at Denver’s Mission Ballroom on November 2nd.

Since Mission Ballroom opened its doors in 2019, the venue has become a staple in the North American music scene — across all genres. 

The venue has seen countless legends take the stage at the height of their career, playing Red Rocks after parties (thanks, Dom Dolla), hosting special surprise b2b sets with Zeds Dead and friends, and two-day New Years events with CloZee. Between now and December 31st, headliners include: Truth, Peekaboo, TYCHO, Justice, OTT, Kaytranada, Chromeo, Mochakk, Mau P, Flux Pavilion, Tape B, LP Giobbi, Barclay Crenshaw, Chase & Status, Tvboo, HOL!, Sidepiece, and of course, Jantsen.

This show isn’t just Jantsen’s biggest headline of his career — it’s also the first Denver show he’s announced following the canceled co-headline event with Dirt Monkey at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which was originally scheduled for March 31, 2024.

“I feel like there’s even more pressure now, after we had to cancel the Red Rocks show with Dirt Monkey. There were a lot of complications with that show that I won’t even get into — but I feel like this Mission Ballroom show is a proper redemption.”

Leading up to the Mission Ballroom show, Robertson is pulling out all the stops. “I’m dropping some awesome merch, two Gutter Mixes, and a whole EP on SoundCloud leading up to the event. Honestly, I feel really great about it.”

This is also a hometown show for Robertson, who’s lived in Colorado the majority of his life. That means he’s among a small handful of artists that have been in Denver since the genesis of the city’s dubstep scene and witnessed the Mile High City’s meteoric rise to becoming the “bass capital of the world” first hand. 

He even recalls playing the first show Sub.Mission (who now owns and operated Denver’s legendary The Black Box music venue, and is the entity credited with throwing Excision’s first show in the U.S., as well as throwing the first dubstep event at Red Rocks in 2012) ever hosted. 

Understandably, Robertson feels a sharp sense of pride for playing a part in building Denver’s dubstep community to the most beloved scene in the country from the ground up. “I could always tell dubstep was going to be huge, but you can never really imagine how massive it would eventually become. Back then (early-mid 2000s), everybody knew everybody — the scene was so small. Now, I don’t even know half of the people in the bass music scene here. It’s hard to comprehend just how big it’s gotten.”

In November, Robertson will embrace Denver’s dubstep community — from OG Denver natives to transplants coming to Denver to see what all the hype is about — at the city’s most beloved indoor venue, Mission Ballroom. For Robertson, it’s a family affair.

“This is a hometown show for me. All my family and friends will be there, and I’ll be able to bring my daughter on stage. I’m writing as much new music as possible for this one too. There’s a fire under my ass, and I feel really excited about everything I’m working on right now. It just feels good to be creating.”