By the time ProbCause took the stage at The Vault at Reign on October 17, the intimate Uptown Minneapolis venue had filled with fans ready for funky grooves, heavy bass and live hip-hop. The headliner delivered, but he was only part of what made our first SIMshows event memorable.
With FLOWERRR, Nick O and MOUSAI bringing their own distinct sounds to the lineup, and local creators adding everything from live painting to upcycled fashion, the night offered plenty worth exploring beyond the music. Ali and I had also turned the trip into a rare weekend getaway. Between unexpected detours, remarkable hospitality and my increasingly frustrating battle with concert photography, we came home with more of a story than we’d anticipated.
The distance between routine and release
It had been a couple of years, easily, since Ali and I had taken a trip together without the kids. Between two young children, full-time jobs and the seemingly endless demands of running a publication, a weekend away can feel like a luxury. So when the opportunity came along to cover ProbCause in Minneapolis, we decided to make a weekend out of it.
The nearly four-hour drive from Sioux Falls felt surprisingly quick. Ali managed to stay awake the whole way, and we took turns picking tunes to vibe to. No bedtime routines, no competing responsibilities demanding immediate attention. Just a few hours to ourselves.
Of course, the getaway didn’t unfold quite as planned. We arrived at the Fairfield Inn & Suites just before midnight Friday, and Ali wasn’t impressed. So, we decided to switch hotels the next morning.
W Minneapolis - The Foshay was more expensive, but the experience was a considerable improvement. After handing our keys to the valet, we stepped into an entryway dominated by a huge, brightly decorated “W”. Purple and amber light washed across an ornate ceiling. Between the entry way and the restaurant, vivid orange flowers stood against softly glowing wall panels. The historic building and contemporary lighting made for an unexpectedly effective combination. Looking back, the colors were practically foreshadowing what we’d find later that night.
First, however, we had a dinner reservation to enjoy. Rinata, a genuine Italian restaurant in Uptown, served delicious risotto and ravioli, along with a Caesar salad and dressing whose distinct anchovy notes were hard to miss. The service might have been the best part. Ali, a bartender herself, described it as the best service she’d received in a very long time. That’s a meaningful compliment coming from someone who spends her own shifts taking care of customers. A shout out to the co-owner and manager “Sino” for the exceptional service.
A warm welcome to The Vault
Instead of following the front steps at Reign Event Center, we noticed a small line forming along the side of the building. The ProbCause and GRiZ jerseys and other familiar EDM-scene drip made it obvious we’d found the right entrance. We arrived around 10:10 p.m., ten minutes after doors opened, and got inside about fifteen minutes later. The first act had already started, and only a modest crowd had gathered.
The first impression was positive. Inside, staff seemed appropriately assigned to the bar and other stations. An employee even offered to hold Ali’s coat behind the rail when she asked about a coat check, which the venue didn’t have. That’s not a spectacular gesture, but it says something about how guests are treated.
The room surprised me. Exposed brick, dark upholstered furniture, ornate chandeliers and a compact performance area made The Vault at Reign feel unusually intimate. Ali ordered drinks while I looked for places to shoot from. Before long, I realized how challenging those photographs would be.
This was also my first time covering a SIMshows event. Founder Jack Trash, a longtime figure in the Twin Cities electronic music scene, explained during a phone interview afterward that the downstairs venue gives the company unusual flexibility. The owner of The Armory, where Jack is a partner, also owns the Reign building. According to Jack, SIMshows can supplement the venue’s setup with its own small LED wall, lasers and recently purchased subwoofers, while choosing the music and inviting vendors. “They kind of give us free rein to do whatever we want,” he told me.
That flexibility matters financially. Jack said smaller EDM shows sometimes struggle to break even amid competition and crowded touring schedules. The arrangement at The Vault, he explained, lets SIMshows manage costs while still investing in a production worth attending. From what we saw, that investment extended beyond the stage.
Aaron Opoien’s Not Dead Yet clothing booth was full of one-of-a-kind, upcycled garments, including customized flannels, reworked athleticwear and imaginative creations fashioned from thrifted and vintage finds. A Chucky-inspired flannel caught my eye. Ali liked it enough to buy it for a friend.
Based in Saint Paul, Opoien sees his work as a creative response to the staggering amount of textile waste produced each year. “I feel that there’s way too much garbage in the world right now,” he told us. Using his mother’s sewing machine from the 1970s, he transforms secondhand clothing and even throw blankets into what he calls “one of a kind wearable art.” His latest projects include patchwork sweatshirts assembled from repurposed sleeves, hoods and pockets. Opoien primarily sells his creations at EDM events around the Twin Cities, with interested buyers also able to reach him through Instagram while he works toward launching a website.
Austen and McKayla Horowitz also brought colorful paintings, including a cosmic scene with planets and bright bursts of color that Austen worked on live. Watching an artist concentrate on a canvas while bass reverberated through the room gave the space its own creative pulse.
Austen described his work as a combination of galactic imagery, UV-reactive painting and street-art influences. Based in the Twin Cities, the duo also promote SIMshows events and have spent the past five years live-painting at shows around Minneapolis. Austen takes commissions and shares his work weekly through Instagram and Facebook under Austen Horowitz Art.
The vendors weren’t simply background decoration. They helped make the event feel like a gathering of local creators and fans, not just a stop on someone’s tour. Jack described community-building as something that begins with promoters being accessible, talking with fans and supporting the people around them. He said SIMshows consistently books local DJs, mixing performers who’ve worked with the company before with people getting their first opportunity. That approach made sense in a room where musicians, visual artists and independent sellers shared the same space.
FLOWERRR with special guest Moonshie Sax
FLOWERRR wasn’t even on the published lineup, but she and an accompanying musician, Moonshie Sax, were already performing when we arrived. Her set moved between psychedelic textures, funky electronic rhythms and atmospheric melodies, all anchored by deep, rumbling bass. What made the combination work was the contrast. The funkier, more melodic passages offered room to breathe between heavier sections, keeping the performance from becoming a monotonous succession of drops.
FLOWERRR has described her sound as something between GRiZ and CloZee, and I could hear why. Moonshie Sax’s electronic saxophone brought a distinct live instrumental element to the electronic backdrop, while brilliant magenta lasers cut across the room beneath the chandeliers. It was a colorful introduction to the evening, both musically and visually.
Fans of the local artist have plenty to look forward to, even if they missed Saturday’s show. FLOWERRR told us that she and special guest Moonshie Sax are starting a new project together. The DJ also revealed that she has new music on the way and several other projects in the works. She described opening for ProbCause as an experience she was “so grateful and honored to have.” According to FLOWERRR, fans hoping to catch her live can see her perform at Graco Park on November 14, during an event organized by Silent Nights Minneapolis.
The show looked fantastic in person. Through my camera, unfortunately, it was another story.
The room was so dark, and the lighting changed so quickly, that frame after frame came back nearly black or hopelessly blurry. I pushed the ISO as high as it would go and kept adjusting, but the more I fought the camera, the more anxious I became. I’d traveled all this way to photograph an artist I loved, and I was beginning to worry I’d have nothing worth publishing.
Nick O blends hip-hop, phonk, wave and deep dub
FLOWERRR’s handoff to Nick O was almost seamless. For a moment, they were both behind the decks, keeping the music moving without a lengthy pause to drain the room’s momentum. By then, the crowd was filling in, and Nick O brought a noticeably heavier, more bass-forward sound.
Thick, wobbling low frequencies dominated much of his set, occasionally seeming to rattle the venue itself. But the weight of the bass wasn’t the whole story. Sharp percussion and higher-frequency textures cut through the low end, adding rhythmic detail and dimension to a performance that could otherwise have relied too heavily on sheer intensity.
Ali found some of the bass-heavy passages a little conventional, but appreciated the quality of his execution and his ability to keep the crowd engaged. I was particularly drawn to the contrast between his low-end sound design and the sharper elements layered above it. A brief burst of feedback near the end interrupted that experience, but the issue was quickly resolved.
Following the show, Nick O gave me more context about what we’d heard. “I don’t really put myself under one genre,” he said, describing a sound rooted in hip-hop and rap while incorporating the elements he loves about phonk, wave, deep dub and freeform. That combination helped explain the contrast between the set’s hard-hitting, wobble-heavy basslines and its more atmospheric passages, with the influence of hip-hop particularly evident in the rhythmic foundation.
He formerly played heavier trap and brostep, but said his July headlining appearance at Taco Tuesday marked the debut of a new artistic direction. He’s previously shared bills with Peekaboo, Sully and Sumthin Sumthin.
Nick O was upbeat about the night itself: “It was a fun show, packed house, Prob and Mousai killed it. The crowd was great, it was all around a great time.” He also mentioned new music on the horizon, including a planned flip of “Thought It Was a Drought” and Pursuit 808, the first mix in a new series previewing upcoming releases.
Then it was finally time for ProbCause.
ProbCause served up the good vibes then passed ‘em all around
I’ve been a diehard GRiZ fan since seeing him at Summer Set in 2017. Watching GRiZ bring Rainbow Brain to Electric Forest deepened that appreciation. ProbCause’s collaborations with him, particularly the way his live rapping interacts with GRiZ’s funk-infused production, were what made me a fan. Once I learned ProbCause was doing solo shows, I knew I had to cover one. I’d even spent months dropping comments on his social posts encouraging him to come to the Midwest. We reached out as soon as the Minneapolis date appeared.
By the time he took the stage, the crowd had packed into the intimate room. Rounded, almost inflatable-looking lettering and brightly colored graphics filled the LED wall behind him. His sound was every bit as diverse as I’d hoped: heavy dubstep, rich bass, elastic funk grooves and clean transitions into tracks with his own vocals. Those live rapped passages are the difference-maker for me. They pull the performance out of the familiar DJ-set mold and turn it into something that feels closer to a hybrid of hip-hop show and electronic concert.
Jack shares that enthusiasm. Asked why ProbCause appealed to SIMshows, he pointed to the artist’s versatility. “The vocal element is super, super lit and fun,” he said, describing a performer who can move from a GRiZ-style funk groove into considerably heavier music. The set demonstrated exactly what he meant. It never stayed in one lane long enough to become predictable. The bass was powerful without repeatedly swallowing the sharper melodies or vocals, and the audience responded enthusiastically throughout.
Then came “Rainbow Machine,” ProbCause’s collaboration with GRiZ on Future Funk Volume 1. It’s become one of my favorite tracks, and hearing it live was the point when I finally put the camera down. After spending the night worrying about shutter speeds, ISO and how many photos might be unusable, I stopped working. For a few minutes, I was just another fan in the crowd, enjoying the funky groove. Honestly, I needed that.
Seeing that kind of performance in a room this small, with tickets around $25, felt almost ridiculous in the best possible way. Other attendees told us how special the night was, and I agreed.
Jack’s comments offered some insight into how SIMshows approaches events like this. He teaches school in addition to promoting concerts and said his teaching salary gives him some flexibility to take risks on smaller shows. Some only break even, while stronger sellers can help support bookings that might otherwise be difficult to justify. “It gives me a lot of freedom to fight for lower ticket prices,” he explained, while emphasizing that artists, staff and venues still need to get paid. It’s an approach he believes allows SIMshows to put the music and community first without ignoring the financial realities of running events.
That philosophy was visible all around us: the small room, the impressive production, the local vendors, and a headliner who could easily have felt out of reach in a more conventional setting. ProbCause’s performance was easily worth the trip. If you get the chance to see a solo set of his, don’t miss it.
They came for ProbCause but stayed for MOUSAI
MOUSAI brought the evening to a close with deep, rolling bass, psychedelic textures and a sound that immediately reminded me of Mersiv. Not a carbon copy: the heavy, hypnotic sound design had its own character, alternating between atmospheric passages and more aggressive moments. He is absolutely a must-see local act.
Having a local artist close after a touring headliner is an interesting choice. In some circumstances, the crowd might thin considerably once the main attraction leaves the stage. A few guests did head for the exits after ProbCause, but plenty remained, responding enthusiastically as MOUSAI carried the night forward. It was a convincing demonstration of the local support he’d built, and a fitting conclusion to the show.
MOUSAI described his own sound as “melodic harmonic bass music,” a fitting description for an approach that balances immersive melodies and atmospheric soundscapes with powerful, bass-heavy production. His experience extends well beyond the local circuit, with performances at festivals including Infrasound, Dancefestopia, Lightning in a Bottle, WAKAAN Festival and Bass Ribbon Pines. He’s also provided support for artists such as Liquid Stranger and CloZee. And for those interested in exploring his music beyond the stage, MOUSAI told us he releases new material almost every month.
As for his experience joining ProbCause, MOUSAI had nothing but praise for the headliner. He said he “had a blast” performing alongside him, calling ProbCause “a great dude” and expressing his gratitude for the invitation to join him on tour.
Ali, meanwhile, had been doing some excellent networking and met photographer Scarlette, who graciously shared images that helped us capture MOUSAI’s performance more fully. Several of her photographs accompany this section, credited to Scarlette Darling Photography.
You can find more of her work on Instagram — Scarlette Darling Photography.
Afterglow
Ali deserves considerable credit for the evening. She established a home base on a couch near the bar, took notes, minded our drinks and struck up conversations while I scrambled from spot to spot, bumping into other guests, trying to rescue my photographs. I could tell she was frustrated by my hyperfocus, and I couldn’t blame her. This was supposed to be a rare weekend away together. Yet she kept contributing in ways I hadn’t expected.
Something Jack said during our interview came back to me afterward. He talked about taking care of the people in the scene, whether that meant supporting local talent, helping fans through difficult times or simply making connections. “There are ways that everyone can win,” he said. Between the artists who took time to speak with us, the vendors sharing their work and Scarlette generously contributing her photography, we’d seen examples of what he meant.
We slipped out as the final set ended, caught a reasonably priced Lyft back to The Foshay and ordered Hawaiian pizza from Mother Clucker’s. Back in the room, we put on The White Lotus, which Ali had recently introduced me to, and finally settled in for the night.
The hotel change and photography frustrations weren’t quite what I’d envisioned for a relaxing weekend. But the music was excellent, the atmosphere welcoming, and we got to share an experience in a scene we’d never covered before. Even if I spent an awful lot of our date night arguing with my camera, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to spend it with.
