The Acidophiles coming to Boulder’s Fox Theatre

The Acidophiles are putting Fort Collins on the map with their trance brand of psychedelic hip-hop grooves.

With the group’s core featuring Amandha Gilson and Zachariah Rachid on laptops and keys, The Acidophiles unique blend of sounds earned the act Friday night’s headlining show at the Fox.

Gilson was excited to talk about her up-and-coming band with the Daily.

Q: How did you and Zachariah start up the band?

A: I’m originally from Hawaii and Zach’s from the Middle East. We met at a job we had together at a head shop. We’re both avid music lovers.

Zach started messing around with this electronic program and everything developed from there.

Q: When you created The Acidophiles, what kind of music did you want to perform?

A: We were inspired by bands like Sound Tribe Sector 9. Listening to that kind of music allowed us to awaken and create our individual dream band.

We definitely have live elements of progressive and hop-hop. We used the hip-hop beats to create this trance sense. Those elements take you on a journey and let you get lost in the music.

We hope the music inspires listeners to create their own dreams.

Q: Is your music live or created via technology?

A: We make about 50 percent of our music at home on the computers. The other half is the live elements of our music.

Zach and I perform live PA sets. We also have a full live band that has drums, bass and guitars for shows like the Fox.

Q: How is the band’s career taking off?

A: We’re really popular in Fort Collins. We play a lot of shows in our hometown and we have a lot of support there.

We’ve mostly been playing along the Front Range, but we will be going on tour this summer. We want to play for as many people as possible.

Q: Why do you call the band organic gangsters?

A: The thing about gangsters, they really know what they want in life.

We’re of that same sense, too. We know what we want and we take charge of or lives in an organic sense.

It’s very natural how the band’s evolving.

Q: What’s the live concert experience like ?

A: There’s a lot of passion and energy in our live shows.

We just see where the performance takes us and we really get connected with the audiences.

We also have visual guest artists. We bring in live painters and poi dancers that spin the glow-sticks in the air. We create an experience at each show.