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SHIFT Chats with Artifakts Before Sold Out Denver Finale [Exclusive Interview]

by Devin Dees
August 27, 2021 4 minute read

at our shift thursday event, we had the chance to sit down with Philos Records Alumni, Artifakts, leading up to his final Denver performance. We chatted with this multi-talented artist on the Denver scene and why this place is so special, what’s next, as well as his favorite performances of all time.

Living in Atlanta by way of Wisconsin, Artifakts made quite the name for himself since his humble beginnings in 2012. He’s worked with a plethora of renowned musicians, labels, and producers to create a unique catalog of music rooted deeply in the indie-electronic community.

While this may be the last we see of Artifakts (for now), rest assured that Garret Meyer is in the laboratory cooking up something new.

In the Green Room

For his final Denver performance, Artifakts chose the coveted Cervantes to send things off proper. Taking requests from Artifakts Family on Facebook, Garret filled the front half of his set playing classics, old cuts, and new favorites before diving deep into the Philos discography.

It’s been incredible to watch this project throughout the years, and we can’t wait to see what’s next. We were able to chat with Artifakts for a moment just before he took the stage for his last Cervantes performance.

First things first, how are you feeling?

“Excited. This was the starting point of my project and career as Artifakts. Mikey Thunder was a huge inspiration and getting to see him tonight – everything came full circle.

“It still hasn’t hit that this is the last show as Artifakts yet, but now that people are trickling in, seeing familiar faces, it’s starting to finally hit me.”

Cervantes was the bridge into the whole world of touring and shows, so for it to come full circle and be so deep in it – it’s not a passing of the torch. I feel like it’s just doing justice to what all those acts did, having people come out and support you.”

What do you think makes Denver special?

“It’s special for the electronic scene especially, for a lot of different music scenes it’s another stop on the road. For those that came up in our scene, we know that it’s not just another stop. You have to pay homage, you have to come proper, you gotta show respect.

We didn’t carve this market out, and we don’t want anyone to get it twisted. Someone paved this way, we’re just thankful enough to be able to carry the torch.”

What’s next for Garret Meyer?

“Especially over quarantine and before that, I’ve done a lot of work with audiovisuals. One thing I really enjoyed about Artifakts is letting it take me to where I felt at the time what the music called for and what the scene called for.

But right now it’s more so I want things to have more intent. Audiovisual has become a big thing, and I don’t want to dive in too much into what’s next, but we’re definitely not done yet.”

You mentioned audiovisual, so can we expect more work with the Philos team?

“Definitely! That’s another thing too, with Philos, I’m definitely not jumping ship. If anything, I can get my hands dirtier.

So now I’d love to help them out. Jordan does a great job with Philos, Daily Bread, Derlee, Recess, Late Night Radio all those guys crush. It’s exciting to be able to be a part of it and not be doing it while also doing Artifakts on the side.”

That’s good to hear, we’re really excited to see what comes next with that, with your digital work and NFTs. Do you want to talk more about that project and the NFT craze?

“It was an awesome time to get into it. What was fun for me is before that I was working in the 3D realm for quite a long time to make posters. I do graphic design and I’d use cinema 4d, blender, a bunch of software to basically make 2D art.

When NFTs came around, it was cool to see people put a value on things that might otherwise be a throwaway. You can sit in an art cristiano ronaldo museum and try to explain to someone that there’s worth in something and they might not grasp it.

The fact that everyone is actually appreciating all that work in the 3D realm as a legitimate art, which segwayed into me working harder on it and putting more focus into it. So I was able to put out a series of NFTS based on my logo. I’ve still got a few left before the year is over.

It’s cool to see so many other artists getting involved with it. Especially with the music scene, it was easy to get involved because if anyone is going to realize the value of something you can’t hold, it’s us. So NFTs were easy for everyone to get down with.”

What’s your favorite performance as the Artifakts project?

“My first headline show in Milwaukee. I got to cut my teeth on shows at the Miramar Theater in Milwaukee.

Obviously Red Rocks, I mean that takes the cake. There have probably been a million artists talk about that venue so I think we can leave it at that.

And tonight’s going to be special too. The fact that it’s a full circle, getting to close out the project in one of my favorite places, with so many familiar faces – this will go up there with it.”

Anything else you want to shoutout?

“Philos Records. Those cats deserve all the praise. We’re working with a couple other cats coming up too, a few new faces on the label so that will be really exciting.”

We want to thank Artifakts for joining us for SHIFT Thursday, taking the time to chat, all of our collaborative efforts over the years, and his contributions to the community.
Keep your eyes peeled for future projects which we will be sure to announce!

Connect with Artifakts

Website | Spotify | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter

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