Chicagoist Mix Series is an ongoing feature that profiles local DJs/producers and features a mix compiled exclusively for Chicagoist. This is mix No. 15, brought to you by Kid Color, who was recently announced as one of the acts at Lollapalooza 2012. more ›

A couple months ago we wrote about our friends at Stripped & Chewed Records (formerly Second City Recordings) launching a Kickstarter page to get their label up and running. In order to realize their goal of pressing the label's first release to vinyl, Stripped & Chewed needed $4,000 from supporters. With the fundraising campaign about thirty hours away from closing, we can gladly report that the label has reached its goal (and then some). more ›

To be successful in this altered landscape, there has to be more to a record label than simply releasing music, and Second City Recordings, Chicago's latest House music label, aims to do just that. more ›

Of all the DJs that call Chicago home, few are as influential and legendary as Derrick Carter. Since the late '80s, Carter has been a defining voice for Chicago house music, and has been key in bringing those sounds to places all over the world. It's no wonder why his name is mentioned on Daft Punk's "Teachers", and it's no wonder why he continues to be prominent in today's club scene. Recently he took a trip to BBC's Radio 1 to perform an Essential Mix and the results are, well, pretty spectacular. more ›

Chicago dance music continues to be the object of affection for labels and record producers around the world. The Amsterdam-based Rush Hour, an electronic music imprint pushing everything from techno to disco, will release a compilation of '80s-era dance songs called Gene Hunt Presents: Chicago Dance Tracks Vol. 1. The aforementioned producer, Hunt, has curated 14 songs from reel-to-reel archives of unreleased material written between 1982 and 1989. Many of the greats make the cut, including Larry Heard and Mr. Fingers. The compilation will be released on CD and vinyl on May 16, but you can listen to some snippets of it thanks to XLR8R. more ›

Chicagoist Mix Series is an ongoing feature that profiles DJs and features a mix compiled exclusively for Chicagoist. This is mix No. 7, brought to you by Nic Sarno. more ›

Nothing like shitty news to bring you into the holiday weekend, right? As some of you have heard, local house DJ/producer Paul Johnson was seriously injured in a car accident over the weekend. Currently hospitalized, Johnson has sustained some broken bones and faces impending surgery. And though our thoughts are with Johnson and his friends and family, the local house music community is too close and caring to let this tragic accident go unnoticed. Tonight, Smart Bar and 5 Magazine will host a benefit for Paul Johnson. Not coincidentally, it's the same night he was scheduled to perform prior to the accident. more ›

Chicago-based TRAX Records - a pivotal house label since the early '80s - released two compilations over the past week, Juke TRAX 2 and TRAX Records: The 20th Anniversary Collection, and both are a treat. Juke TRAX 2, comprised of thirteen tracks, is a nice throwback to classic Chicago house and juke sounds. The latter, The 20th Anniversary Collection, lays it down with essential house tracks, including ones from icons Frankie Knuckles and Marshall Jefferson. more ›

While we still don't know exactly what caused yesterday's crash of a CTA bus into a house - well, other than the vague "lost control - the driver has been cited. Police ticketed the driver, 36-year-old Zoye Sanders, for "negligent driving." Four people suffered injuries in the accident, including Sanders, but no one in the house, now deemed unsafe by the Department of Buildings, were hurt. [CBS 2] more ›

Never one to make a fuss about anything, impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich will today make his first appearance at the State Capitol since his arrest on December 9. Blago is on hand to preside over the swearing in of newly elected state senators, something he is required to do by law. Still, we're expecting him to receive a chilly reception at the high noon ceremony. Also occurring at noon will be the swearing in of new House members by Secretary of State Jesse White; the House will then re-vote on the impeachment of Blago, a technicality because of the newly sworn-in members. After the new senators are sworn in, Blago will then preside over the roll call vote for the Senate President, who we already know will be Chicago's John Cullerton. Cullerton will then address the senate and it's expected Blago will exit stage left, though without the traditional escort of senators. more ›

The House voted down the Bailout 228-205 ... and then guess what happened? The market plunged! The biggest non-surprise? Apparently John McCain's emergency suspension of his campaign last week did little to solve the problems within his own party since Republicans voted against the bailout in overwhelming numbers. Ready for round two? Let's go! more ›

Now that saving the environment is rad, new campaigns, films, and celebrity endorsed informational websites are popping up all over the place. The latest is Unscrew America, a new campaign to get people to unscrew their regular light bulbs and replace them with LEDs and CFLs. more ›

Yesterday's primaries in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island saw John McCain assume the mantle of the Republican presidential nominee, with commanding victories in all but Texas, and Mike Huckabee's announcement that he's withdrawing from the race. "It's now important that we turn our attention not to what could have been or what we wanted to have been, but now what must be -- and that is a united party," Huckabee told told supporters in Dallas. After it became clear that McCain would sweep all four races, Barack Obama called McCain to congratulate him on winning the nomination, adding that he was looking forward to facing the Arizona senator in the general election. more ›

We've written before about the sad demise of the Chicago Trader Vic's, how it was unceremoniously booted from the Palmer House after the hotel's new owners took over. And we've also sighed about the fact that the reopening of a new Trader Vic's, which was originally supposed to happen in 2006, has still not materialized. Well, we now have some proof that it's finally happening. more ›

The Arthur Heurtley house -- just down the street from Wright's own home and studio in suburban Oak Park -- certainly fit the bill when it on the market last year, but the $2.5 million sale price was a slightly out of our budget, even if it was a relative bargain compared to the initial $5.75 million listing price. more ›

We don't know about you, but if we managed to escape 63 counts of involuntary manslaughter after being hanged in the court of public opinion, we might try to go back to our lives, shut the hell up, and count our lucky stars. more ›

If you saw a haze hanging over downtown this morning...nevermind, that joke's too easy. The Doggfather kicked off a two-night stand at the House of Blues last night on his current tour promoting his new record, Ego Trippin' (due out March 11th), and left our ears ringing. more ›

With foreclosures on the rise, along with the ubiquitousness of television shows like Flip This House and Flipping Out, more and more people are showing up at real estate auctions trying to score a bargain and make a quick buck. And while veteran house flippers know that when you buy a home "as is" you're sure to find a few surprises like termites, water damage, or even a shitload of cats, we'll still bet that the new owners of a graystone in North Kenwood were shocked at their discovery -- a skeleton wearing a red tracksuit. The bones belonged to the home's owner, Randy Johnson, who neighbors say disappeared back in October, 2006. more ›

where she will not only take on the role of executive producer but will also star as legendary singer Etta James. No word yet on when she will actually arrive, but we’re certain well know as soon as her private jet lands, as Beyonce buzz travels fast. The film will mainly be shot in New Jersey and Mississippi, but may shoot in Chicago for a few exteriors. more ›

Ah, the smoking ban. Home to lots of hearty discussions. Since January, proprietors and patrons have been either meekly complying with or blatantly ignoring the ban, while some just snicker at the smokers miserably standing outside in the cold.
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Last week the English Premier League announced its intention to play some regular season matches abroad. In previous years, international club teams have found financial success by coming to the United States to play some pre- and post-season friendlies with other international powerhouse clubs or local Major League Soccer clubs. more ›

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John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will visit Illinois next Wednesday, appearing at a fundraiser at the Rich Harvest Farms golf course in Sugar Grove to raise money for 14th District Congressional candidate Jim Oberweis. Oberweis's campaign spokesman Bill Pascoe said the appearance will give Oberweis a boost with independents as well as an infusion of cash heading into the the March 8 special election to choose a successor to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. "Republicans are united and energized about holding this seat," Pascoe told the Tribune. more ›

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A gift from Cupid's Treasures may be nice once in a while, but food is a time-tested aphrodisiac. Restaurants throughout the city are gearing up for one of their busiest days Thursday. Here is a list of price fixe dinners guaranteed to mae a romantic out of even the most callous individuals. more ›

It wasn't just Presidential candidates that were running for nominations in yesterday's vote. A handful of local Democrats and Republicans also ran for their party's spot on the November ballot as well. more ›

We love buffalo wings. And with the recent 2nd place finish for wing-demolishing competetive eater Patrick Bertoletti at Wing Bowl, Chicago's upcoming Wingfest, a TOC article from Mike Nagrant (also featuring Bertoletti) about local wingeries, the press orgy about Melnick's uberhot wings and the general gluttony of chicken parts that will be kicking off in a few hours (there's a game on, too? who knew!), we thought it might be a good time to pay tribute to the under appreciated wing. more ›