Red Bull Music Academy - Chicago Sessions kicks off tomorrow, at Metro/Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark St., 10 p.m.,, $5, 18+ (21+ for Smart Bar) more ›

Italians Do It Better Records played Lincoln Hall this week during the Tomorrow Never Knows Festival. more ›

When it comes to bridging the gap between dance music and more esoteric forms of electronica, Brooklyn-based Machinedrum is a special talent. Born Travis Stewart, Machinedrum has been releasing music for over a decade under many different guises, but it seems that now he is truly hitting his stride. His latest LP, Room(s), is a multi-layered journey into juke, ghettotech, dubstep, ambient, and IDM, and it stands as one of the best electronic albums of 2011. He, along with Chrissy Murderbot, Jeekoos, and BRC, will be taking over Smart Bar tomorrow night as part of the "Red Bull Music Academy Presents" series. more ›

When the original Girl Unit appearance in March was cancelled due to work Visa issues, many fans were left frustrated. For those longing for a deeper UK bass presence in Chicago, the cancellation was a lost opportunity, a "what if" moment in 2011's club scene narrative. But what could have simply ended at that, simply did not. The folks behind that original booking - a determined lot - worked hard to bring it back. And this time they've upped the ante, bringing Girl Unit to Chicago's best club, Smart Bar. We haven't been this excited for a show in a long, long time. more ›

Juke continues to be a burgeoning scene in 2011, no matter how old its roots may be. The scene's emergence as "buzzworthy" can be linked to a bevy of new producers exploring its sounds, everywhere from here in Chicago to Seattle to the UK. But while juke may be making waves all over the world, Chicago still holds it down more than anyone, and the proof will be tomorrow as Smart Bar will host Juke Fest 2011 with headliners DJ Funk and Gant-Man. more ›

Many great DJs come through Chicago on a weekly basis, but there's only about four or five times a year when something as special as Friday's Wolf + Lamb vs. Soul Clap show at Smart Bar goes down. Tomorrow's show is one of the most anticipated DJ sets of the year, and all signs point toward some sort of riots taking place on the dance floor (the friendly kind). more ›

Dollar Disco is Sunday, Smart Bar, 3730 N Clark, 10 p.m., $2, 21+ more ›

The city's got plenty to choose from this weekend when it comes to getting down: tonight The Mid will host Green Velvet and Derrick Carter; Debonair and Smart Bar will host after-show sets from Cut Copy and Holy Ghost!, respectively; Beauty Bar's got bass extraordinaire LOL Boys in town from Montreal; and for a little outside-the-box fun, Daedalus is set to bring his mindbending sequenced electronic music to Bottom Lounge tomorrow night. If we could, we'd do all of it. But hey, we can't. Our if-we-had-to pick for Weekend Dance Party? Holy Ghost! more ›

Are you well rested? No, are you really well rested? Don't take offense - we're not trying to call you out or anything, it's just that it's one more day until the weekend and we don't like to see our readers trudging into it. Especially when Saturday promises ample opportunities to boogie. We've got Only Children spinning in Logan Square, Designer Drugs taking over Lincoln Hall, and, as always, our weekly go-to spots. What's got us brimming with excitement, however, is Sebastien Leger, who will bring his incalculable prowess of house and tech to Smart Bar. Of course, it is our Weekend Dance Party pick. more ›

As a label, DFA has achieved an aesthetic that has garnered not only fans, but fanboys. Its artists have re-conceptualized everything from punk to disco to house in a matter most infectious, so it's no question how all this came to be. What's more is that all of this has manifested in a quarterly residency at Smart Bar. What's better is that it starts tomorrow and it's our pick for Weekend Dance Party. more ›

But where does Chicago's club scene stand in 2011? It's a complicated question, but one that needs consideration. While electro still has some presence, and the wobbly side of dubstep is going strong, prepare for a significant movement from talent buyers and venues in 2011. As music sites and publications have proven, there's been progress in electronic music, specifically over the past few months. Ed Banger Records is essentially just an afterthought these days, while labels like Night Slugs and R&S have ushered in some of the most exciting stuff we've heard in years. The overall focus will shift from bangers and freneticism to more traditionally-inspired sounds. Dance music will become about actually dancing and there will be a legitimate focus on the groove. Elements of juke, bass, techno, disco, house and grime will permeate, while distorted, grating basslines will become far less prevalent (aren't we due for a new Justice album?). 2011 will be the year we disassociate "rage" with "club" and enter a new frontier of footwork. 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 ›

Chicagoist Mix No. 6, contributed by Chris Widman, has had a few days to settle in and the response has been solid. It's quite the journey, that mix, and if you took a liking to it then we suggest you take a trip to Metro/Smartbar this weekend for Subfix Massive III, a showcase of all the tunes that comprised it. As in the past, Subfix Massive III will be an all-building event between Metro and Smartbar (which is 21+ to enter). Widman himself will be there, as will a cacophony of other dubstep and techno gurus, including Flying Lotus-endorsed Eskmo and the ever-so-awesome Martyn. more ›

Subfix, Smart Bar's perpetual dubstep and drum 'n bass night, will once again morph into Subfix Massive this Thursday. The night, an all-building event between both Smart Bar and Metro, saw success earlier this summer due to a varied, quality bill of Nosaj Thing, Datsik, Eprom and others. Not to mention the 18+ age association, which generally opens the flood gates for these types of shows. This Thursday's incarnation of Subfix Massive should easily rival the success of that night with a bill featuring Glasgow's Hudson Mohawke, Starkey, Dieselboy, and residents Quadratic and Phaded. more ›

Smart Bar really killed it last weekend. All the reports we heard from their Sonar-affiliated "Club Nights" were extremely positive, perhaps more so than any night at the club in recent memory. There's no doubt that such a successful, raucous weekend will be hard to top, but give it to Smart Bar for trying their damndest to keep the quality at the highest level. This Saturday our favorite club will keep the energy going with a first-ever Chicago set from the UK's Mowgli, and it's our pick for Weekend Dance Party. more ›

Again, we should reiterate that Sonar did a fine job in regards to its Pritzker and Smart Bar shows. And, again, the acts featured at CCC were worthy of playing the festival and should most definitely be seen and heard as forward-thinkers in experimental music. However, if this festival is going to survive here, we need some punch--not listening sessions, but concerts. more ›

We're reeling a bit from the past few Weekend Dance Parties. Last week A-Trak, Peanut Butter Wolf, Mayer Hawthorne and Treasure Fingers brought their traveling Discotheque tour to Spy Bar and filled the night with an endless supply of boogie and funky disco. This week's pick for Weekend Dance Party continues with our current obsession of (nu-)disco (as well it should). In Flagranti, Matt Roan, Kid Color and Sparkletone complete one of the best disco lineups Chicago's summer has seen as they take over Smart Bar this Friday night. more ›

For all intents and purposes, this upcoming weekend is a lull in Chicago's otherwise packed summer season. Pitchfork Music Festival has come and gone, and there are still some days/weeks before Wicker Park Fest and Lollapalooza. Your first inclination may be to pack it up and stay in for the next few days. Maybe enjoy a couple flicks with the significant other. But then again, we know you better than that, don't we Chicago? It's summer, and there are way too many cold days the rest of the year to not take advantage of short sleeves and good dance music. For the second week in a row, Smart Bar is your dance destination of choice, as they host the duo Azari & III, this week's pick for Weekend Dance Party. more ›

It may be a bit overzealous to suggest another show considering this week's onslaught of musical happenings. Regardless, we know y'all love to dance, so even Armageddon isn't enough to stop us from bringing you Weekend Dance Party. This week's pick is an old-ish fave of ours that actually came into town about a year ago and absolutely destroyed Smart Bar. That fave is none other than nu-disco/house duo Classixx. more ›

All-building events are somewhat of a rarity at Metro and Smart Bar, even moreso when it comes to showcasing something as relatively under-the-radar as dubstep. While its roots are quintessentially reggae, dubstep took on a new, much grimier form in the UK over the last decade and it's been gaining more and more popuarity in the US ever since. With the emergence of Flying Lotus, the signing of the UK's Rusko to Mad Decent, and Pitchfork's affinity for the oh-so-mysterious Burial, it's clear that dubstep is effectively beginning to reach a wider audience. Case in point: Subfix Massive at Metro/Smart Bar this Thursday night. more ›

Business as usual with this week's pick for Weekend Dance Party, as the one-and-only Smart Bar will host Canadian electronic-pop outfit Junior Boys, along with suppot sets from Major Taylor and Popstatic. Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus, the men behind Junior Boys, have a magic touch when it comes to their special brand of summery electronic music, constructing infectious hooks and choruses atop punchy synth and extremely tight percussion. While it is a DJ set rather than a live show, we're hoping they'll mix in their own work, right alongside the great electro, house and techno they're known for spinning. Their support, locals Major Taylor and Popstatic, aren't to be missed either, so get there early and stay till the lights come on. more ›

Kid Color’s birthday is actually Tuesday, but Chicago’s much-adored DJ is celebrating tonight at Smart Bar. Hercules and Love Affair are coming all the way from Brooklyn to give Kid Color (his real name is Kyle Woods) a DJ set for his 24th. Their live performance has never disappointed us before, so we trust they’ll mix up an amazing disco party and get us busting moves like the cast of Saturday Night Fever. With Autobot, Young Josh of Flosstradamus and Only Children by their side, it’s guaranteed to be one wild, sweaty dance party. more ›

Smart Bar is killing it per usual on the dance scene as tonight they host techno-house producer/DJ Harvard Bass, this week's pick for Weekend Dance Party. Harvard Bass hails from California and brings a wealth of influences to the table, everything from 80s to hip-hop to deep trance. All this has translated into a bevy of high-quality remixes and original tracks that pay homage to the old and push forward the new. Tonight Smart Bar will be a hotbed of glowsticks, sweaty bodies, spilled drinks, illicit substances and, of course, heart-pounding dance music. more ›

We're super stoked to hear LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost!, and Ellen Allien are all swinging through Metro / Smart Bar on the same night in May! more ›

Smart Bar lands yet another pick for Weekend Dance Party, this time thanks to NYC-based Drop the Lime. The producer / DJ has been a key player in the electro scene for over a half decade, running his own label, Trouble & Bass, along with, of course, spinning plenty of mind-blowing sets. Drop the Lime will bring his jungle-inspired, bass-laden house jams tonight to Smart Bar, and we couldn't be more excited. more ›

Admittedly, we had a little pre-show skepticism about Hot Chip's sold out concert Monday night at the Riviera. Not only is the Riv a little too large for our taste, but also the British electropop act’s newest album, One Life Stand, wasn’t quite what we expected. Because it was unusually full of slow love ballads -- some too underwhelming compared to the cheeky, glitchy, emotionally-charged dance beats Hot Chip is known and loved for -- we feared the concert might be more like a high school slow dance than a wild dance party. more ›

Since it began in 2000, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival has been one of the genre's leading showcases of its most legendary and progressive artists. DEMF is distinctfully rooted in techno (after all, it is in Detroit), but in recent years the festival has begun to branch out and include all sorts of electronic music, increasing its stake in the scene. more ›

Sup, Chicago venues? Want to get up on this DJ game, or what? Of the seven Weekend Dance Party posts we've run, three have been held at Smart Bar, which may make our readers question the time and effort we go to to determine what the best option is to shake it, week in, week out. But the fact of the matter is, we go to considerable lengths to get you the preferred destination, so we really have to give credit to Metro (the essential big brother of Smart Bar) for landing our fourth Weekend Dance Party. On Saturday they will be hosting a UR Chicago event featuring VHS Or Beta Deejays, Bald E., Team Bayside High, BBU, Perfect Kiss, Midnight Conspiracy and Action/Adventure, which for us makes for an obvious refuge to cut some rug. more ›

When weather like this finally hits, something comes over us. Vital signs spike, moods grow chipper, and our outlook on life becomes that much better. We suggest everyone rides this high while they can, because with the impending bad weather this weekend, you have to appreciate this gem of a day. So take a walk, hit the park, maybe grab a drink or two on the patio with old friends. And just as temperatures begin to dip tonight, warm up with friends at Smart Bar and 5 Dollar Disco, this week's pick for Weekend Dance Party. more ›

It's the return of our young Weekend Dance Party, and this week's spot is Saturday at Smart Bar where Felix Cartal will play with local deejay outfit Dark Wave Disco. Felix Cartal is currently on his Popular Music Tour and has been hitting clubs all over North America, showing off his heavily distorted, pounding dance music to adoring, unhinged crowds. Cartal resides on DIM MAK, and like most everything associated with the label, his music is hard-hitting and relentless, almost heavy metal in some ways. His sound points to the major shift electro music has experienced the past couple years, highlighted by the appointed hipster Kings of Dance, Justice. While we are teetering on the very point where this type of sound is overdone (at least in the context of electronic dance music), when it's in practice it still incites a significant amount of uninhibited footwork. There are times where we just don't care if it isn't hip anymore, we just want to have a good time. more ›