Kick Drum Therapy Is Denver's Newest Label Devoted To Techno
Lenhart's path to creating Kick Drum Therapy was a long one, beginning with his musical childhood in Florida. On weekends, his father would constantly listen to funk and pop albums by artists such as Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey. "I knew it was going to be a musical week when he pulled out the record player and pulled out some vinyl," he recalled.
So it's no surprise that Lenhart began to discover his musical talents at an early age. He learned to play the keyboard at the age of six and switched to the drums at the age of twelve. Around the same time he remembers having his first taste of techno, Jan Van Dahl's Castles in the Sky.
Lenhart carried his love of music through all levels, playing with high school bands and developing an eclectic taste for European techno. His roommates introduced him to the incredible power of a digital audio workstation (DAW) and he produced his first song. But music remains a passion project for him as he focuses on a career in design.
The pandemic has changed that, shifting Lenhart's priorities to accommodate his musical endeavors. "My father died in 2021," he said. "It was a big push for me. I feel like I can still connect with him through music.
Like many in the country, Lenhart has been isolated during the lockdown and remembers feeling very alone. As clubs and venues began to reopen, he immersed himself in Denver's techno and house scene, seeking therapeutic relaxation from the music he loved and a community of like-minded people.
Fortunately, Denver has a very fertile house music scene, fueled by talented techno artists and a large group of passionate fans. House music is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the 1980s, primarily in Chicago's gay, Latino, and black clubs, combining 1970s disco music with synth beats. The style flourished in Denver in the 90s when ravers flocked to the city and suburbs, and even more so when Red Rocks Amphitheater began hosting electronic shows in the early 2000s. Beatport, the leading source for electronic music, was founded in Colorado in 2004. and many electronic pioneers, including Morton Subotnik, settled here.
In Denver's EDM boom, Lenhart found a group of techno enthusiasts through mutual friends, and the group played everything from the Electric Forest music festival to a gig at Red Rocks. When Lenhart and his friends returned home from a busy weekend of performances one Sunday morning, they encountered a street sweeper. "It had this bass sound," says Lenhart. "We've treated it a bit."
That moment inspired the nickname SWEEPR, but that's not the only aspect of Lenhart's brand of music that stems from memories with friends. His entire musical identity is based on his love for his community. They represent one of the friend groups of the two antennas protruding from the "S" in the SWEEPR logo, whose members call it "The Slugs".
In 2022, Lenhart is a passionate DJ and music producer. "It seems to me that to be a good producer in this area of music, you have to be a good DJ," he said. "And to be a good DJ, you have to produce music. I think they help each other. So he did both, creating a suite of live performances and DAW-produced electronic tracks that combined elements of European techno with raw melodies and lyrics. He released his first self-released single "Bad Dream" last November and is set to release his debut EP " Night Shift" on Friday, May 12 via Kick Drum Therapy.
Lenhart founded the label after learning some hard lessons in his first few months in the music industry. In January, she signed her debut single, Overtime, to Blue Soho Recordings, a label that claims to be solely responsible for the music's copyright. "It seems like a lot of record companies are building a portfolio of copyrighted songs," he said. "It's not about you, the artist, ever showing yourself."
What about the career of an artist who doesn't own their music for the next five years? Lenhart wanted to make sure he was always in control of his work and believed that record companies could do more with their artists. So he and his best friend set out to start their own label and released Kick Drum Therapy in April. Speaking of the label's name, Lenhart explained, "[Electronic music] you're healing with your band, your community, and in a lot of electronic music, noise is one of the most important things in a song."
He prides himself on the fact that the label represents artists without taking away their music rights. Although Kick Drum Therapy started small and has only released two SWEEPR singles so far, "Wait" and "Quitting Culture," which also includes a collaboration with Lil' Kross, he has big dreams for the business. He wanted to have an artistic community, or as he described it, "a tribe to work with other people". His goal was to nurture the talented artists he discovered in Denver's underground house scene, thereby cementing the city's status as one of the house music capitals of the country.
Kick Drum Therapy was already on the rise and Lenhart felt that his ability to plan, design and execute a vision would serve his label well. He toyed with the idea of renting out the space for select local industry events for Kick Drum Therapy's launch. Conceived at the Banshee House on Larimer Street, he planned to fill the space with DJs and other artists, and invite local club owners and promoters to visit and network.
Lenhart wanted to focus his label on underserved communities and empower other artists to pursue their dream careers. "The cards were against me, I grew up poor and I didn't have much choice for myself financially or in terms of family relationships," he said. "I've had a few breaks, someone saw something in me... I left school, but I managed to find a way."
I wanted to pass on the gift of finding talented outsiders to Denver's house and techno scene and give them a platform and opportunity. "If you look at the [music] landscape, Denver doesn't have a lot of [techno] talent agencies or advertising companies or labels and imprints," he said. Lenhart and his friends saw a void in the ministry and decided to fill it.
Lenhart hopes Kick Drum Therapy will represent at least two other artists within a year and be able to provide community education services such as how to negotiate music deals. "Sometimes we have to give in different ways," he said. "I felt it was a good thing to really show the world. To really change the way people think and change the dynamics of the music business."
SWEEPR's debut EP Kick Drum Therapy via Night Shift will be available on all major streaming services on Friday, May 12th.
