Dickfork 3.0 goes down this weekend at Darkroom and to build excitement for the yearly party that just so happens to coincide with a music festival with an awfully similar name headliners The Hood Internet have sent out their remix of Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks." First, we get that people are currently lurving the sugary rush of "Pumped up Kicks" but after giving Foster the People's debut a few listens we're left cold by the band. Sometimes we are totally down with shiny pretty music with zero depth, but in Foster The People's case even the shiny exterior of their songs rust too quickly for us to enjoy them. more ›

After a two-week hiatus, we are happy to get back to bringing you Weekend Dance Party. This week's pick was a tough one, though. You'd be well-off going to a number of spots including Smart Bar (one of the several Sonar Fest destinations this weekend) and The Art Institute for another installment of After Dark. We decided, however, to side with bang-for-the-buck and most variety and chose Just Desserts #10 this Saturday at Lincoln Hall. Clayton Hauck's monthly party is always a safe bet, and this edition boasts local mashup duo Hood Internet, Kid Static, Oakland-based Wallpaper, DVAS and Kid Color. more ›

This Saturday, September 4, Lake Michigan will be covered in the sweet sounds of yacht rock. AOR gems from the '70s and '80s will dance gently upon the waves as a legion of smartly dressed smooth operators drink booze and dance upon a yacht. No, this isn't a flashback kids, it's what's likely to go down this weekend at the Stay Smooth XIV: Nowhere Left To Rum party being held at the Columbia Yacht Club. DJs Bald E. (Life During Wartime, Only Children) and STV SLV (Hood Internet) will be waxing poetic with their vinyl for most of the evening, spurring smooth moves to permeate the dance floor. The heat is likely to turn up as the grooves thicken during a live set from Quadrophonica a.k. a. "the finest smooth cover band this side of Lake Smoothigan." more ›

Hood Internet is prepping to drop their first single of original material with vocal assistance from Kid Static -- no mash-ups here -- on September 9. We've got the A-side for you! more ›

Friday's Tomorrow Never Knows festival show at Schubas started off on a weak note with Chicago DJ collective Only Children, who mixed a mediocre set for a meager 20-person crowd, barely visible through the unbearably thick smoke of a fog machine gone haywire. The smoke cleared and the crowd started shuffling in near the end of the second act, Truman Peyote. Delivering lo-fi electro in the same vein as Neon Indian, the Massachusetts-based duo shocked us with an intense performance. The post-set smokers outside were all abuzz with questions about where Truman Peyote came from and where they would play next. Local mash-up maestros The Hood Internet followed with their dependably bumpin’ beats and riled the crowd into one hell of a fun dance party. more ›

The Hood Internet -- the DJ duo of STV SLV and ABX -- has come a long way since they first started to drop their inde / hip-hop mash-ups, and even further since they played their first live show at an event put together by a certain local website. (O.K., we admit it, we're a little proud of the fact that we were on-board with the boys back before they started their jet-set lifestyle and became a household name in the music blogosphere. Sue us.) more ›

• Sonia Sotomayer has been confirmed to the Supreme Court.
• Gov. Quinn signed the Texting-While-Driving ban into law today.
• DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett has decided to not run against Lisa Madigan for Attorney General next year.

Wicker Park Fest makes its 2009 appearance this weekend and is slated to bring out 25,000 over the course of Saturday and Sunday. If three music stages and over 40 acts is enough to make the mob scene of hipsters co-mingling with Bugaboos bearable for you, then we'll see you at the beer tent. more ›

Wow, we were so caught up with the impending election we missed the release a few weeks ago of The Mixtape Vol. 3 by our friends The Hood Internet. Suffice to say, such a mistake is now remedied and we've been shaking our asses to it for a few days here in the Chicagoist Office. So scoot over there and download it already! And don't forget to catch The Hood Internet at Sonotheque on Thursday, November 13th. more ›

Tonight marks the seventh installment of Stay Smooth, the every-so-often Yacht Rock-inspired party that's the brainchild of hot shit Chicago DJs Bald Eagle and STV SLV. What started as a gathering of friends and those in the know in the intimate upstairs lounge at Schubas has become a full-fledged calendar event, and the captain's hats, jean shorts, and deck shoes will be out in full force. Still confused on the Yacht Rock concept? Here's video that'll clarify: more ›