COMMUNITY PROFILE BRINGING HIP-HOP TO DENVER TEENS BY FRANK DEANGELI OREN BREGMAN’S CONFIDENCE can be felt through the phone. His charisma and laid-back energy create an air of familiarity, almost like we’ve spoken before (we have not). While I record our call on my ancient microphone and bootlegged audio software, our conversation flows smoothly from music, to life, and back. Bregman has reason enough to be self-assured. Since his teenage years, he’s been making significant achievements in the world of hip-hop, signing to Detroit-based label Traxside at 19. His band Coast to Ghost, long buzzing in the Denver area, is headed to Detroit this fall to record their second album. Bregman lives and breathes music, and more recently, he’s found a way to bring his passion to youths in the Denver area. Mobile Studio, a nonprofit organization founded, owned, and operated by Bregman, has been making a concerted effort to give teens access to the world of music production. The concept is fairly straightforward – Bregman drives a large van, full of instruments, microphones, and computers to meet kids where they are, and Bregman teaches those kids about almost any musical concept they’re interested in. This includes lyricism, vocalization, instrumentation, and recording. Participants are given opportunities to perform their music live or release their songs on streaming platforms, and many branch out from the program to make music on their own. Bregman came up with the idea for Mobile Studio through unrelated nonprofit work in Northeast Denver schools. “Some of the kids we worked with out there were tremendously talented,” Bregman said. “I thought, ‘Wow, what a shame that they really don’t have musical resources or access to a studio. Someone should really be bringing the studio to them.’” With years of experience in hip-hop production, Mobile Studio seemed like a no-brainer for Bregman. According to Bregman, the cost barrier to music production is real, with many projects requiring a computer, microphone, and expensive software to get started. But in Bregman’s experience, this is the kind of music through which kids prefer to express themselves. COURTESY OF OREN BREGMAN, MOBILE STUDIO COURTESY OF OREN BREGMAN, MOBILE STUDIO 10 DENVER VOICE September 2023
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