Opiuo at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Highly-acclaimed producer and recording artist Opiou is a Melbourne-based performer known for his eclectic music style, which has been immersed with plenty of funk. The genius behind the music, Oscar Davey-Wraight, has been revered for defying genre stereotypes. He got his first taste of electronic dance music (EDM) in a burgeoning rave scene in his home country, New Zealand. This was a time when the grunge music scene was slowing down, and people were flocking to the next new thing. Dance music had young people gathering in basement clubs, boiler rooms, and dance tents. These partygoers included Dave-Wraight. In an interview, Wraight shared, “I was around parties, bands, and festivals with my parents, which evolved into them throwing festivals on their land in rural Motueka, up there by the river Ngatimoti. I still remember my aunty going to one of the very early Gatherings – it might have been 1996 or 1997 – and telling [me] about this festival and how it had many different types of music – I would have been ten or something. I ended up going in 1999, and it just blew my mind.”

True enough, once the partygoer, Wraight became a world-renowned international DJ. As a drummer in high school, Wraight always had an interest in music production and creating sick beats. After attending his first rave in 1999, he released his debut studio album, Slurp and Giggle, then years later. The 2010 effort was met with rave reviews. Fans adored Opiou for his playful rhythms and funky sound. For an independent DJ, Opiuo was amassing his solid fanbase through live performances and word-of-mouth. Back then, streaming apps like Spotify and Soundcloud were still in their very early days and virtually unknown to the public. However, Opiuo was becoming a force in the underground festival scene.

In 2014, he dropped his sophomore album, Meraki, followed by a remix version in the same year. At the time of its release, reviewers were calling the album a glitch-hop/funk record. As usual, the album demonstrated Opiuo’s tenacity for pushing the boundaries, and his funk-driven production has always been the highlight of his work. Before breaking out in the international scene, Opiuo was headlining iconic festivals in Australia, such as Victoria’s Rainbow Serpent, which regularly brings in 15,000 ravers, and Queensland’s Earth Freq. In 2010, Opiuo debuted at Burning Man, simultaneous with his first U.S. tour.

This 2023, Opiuo introduced his new collaboration with The Opulent Orchestra. This follows his past work with the Syzygy Orchestra, which he performed with in 2018. His latest album, A Shape of Sound was released last year. He’s set to promote his new music worldwide with eight shows for spring and summer.

Grab tickets now to see Opiuo conquer the Red Rocks Amphitheater with his funktastic glitch-hop music! Tickets to the show on Sunday, 21st May 2023, are now available!