Pepperjack

If the feels are what you’re after, know that Pepperjack isn’t afraid to lay the cheese on thick. His love for hardcore runs so deep that you’ll see him losing his mind behind the decks as much as any member of the audience. Pepperjack will never shy away from cueing up a popular song if it’s exactly what the crowd needs to hear, and he’s rarely wrong when making such assessments. It’s clearly working for him, to boot. In addition to becoming a fixture of the Mile High City’s hardcore scene, he’s built an out-of-state following over the past several years. Born and raised in and around Denver, Colorado, Pepperjack (real name Jackson Maring) first fell in love with electronic music upon hearing Paul Oakenfold’s Tranceport in 2000. A couple years later he took it upon himself to learn how to DJ, starting from the bottom playing weddings and other private events. In 2011 he landed his first professional gig at Denver nightclub Minibar, and began performing at locations throughout the city. A major turning point also came in 2011 when Pepperjack won a DJ contest held by late Denver promoter Digger Denny called Who Wants to Be My Headliner?. Winning the contest afforded him the opportunity to play his first-ever headlining set to a packed house at The Church Nightclub on 4/20 Weekend of the same year. Two years later, Pepperjack launched a mix series called Mile High Dance Sessions which, for a time, was recast weekly by the broadcasting platform TuneOnAir.FM. The series is still running today, and showcases mixes by local and international talent. Gareth Emery, Alan Walker and Sean Tyas are among the artists who have been featured on the biweekly show. In the years since, Pepperjack has certainly made his rounds in the Denver nightlife scene. Not only has he performed at such renowned hotspots as Beta Nightclub, but he has also been booked to play the last few installments of Global Dance Festival at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado - and holds the distinction of being the only DJ ever to play hardcore at the world-famous outdoor venue. Pepperjack also boasts a following in Kansas that he’s fostered since his first visit to the state in 2014. He delivered a DJ set at that year’s edition of Wichita rave Nerfcore and has gigged around the area continually since then. Pepperjack’s ability to connect with any crowd says even more than his credentials as a trance tastemaker. He builds each set to euphoric peaks, selecting tracks that make members of the audience close their eyes in silent ecstasy. His versatility adds additional dimension to his career; he also plays trance under the alias Jack-Jack parallel to his career as a hardcore DJ. For a taste of the uplifting melodies that first drew you to hardcore, look no further than Pepperjack as he expands his audience even further. Keep an eye out for his name on the lineups of more nightclubs and festivals than ever before as he picks up momentum in the coming months. Cheese, happy beats, and unlimited smiles.