Results tagged “sonotheque”

Evoking even stronger love vs. loathe reactions than Chicago's music powerhouse, Pitchfork, NYC's Vice Magazine has been slinging irony, controversy and fashion Do's and Don'ts for a decade and a half. Now housing a record label, and frequent supporters of club nights and band gigs nationwide, Vice Magazine celebrates their 15th Anniversary in Chicago with DFA's Shit Robot spinning effect-heavy nu-disco and a live performance from Philly electro rockers, Tigersapien, this Friday night at Sonotheque.

It sure doesn't feel like the last days of summer here in Chicago, but hey, at least the sun is shining to remind us what summer could have been. Brazilian electronic duo Database have teamed up with Milwaukee/NYC digital crooners French Horn Rebellion on an EP titled Beaches and Friends that summarizes the spirit of the summer with glittering beats and sing along choruses. The two acts face off against each other this Wednesday night at Sonotheque.

Twenty-three year old Londonite Ben Esser might just have the voice and face to rekindle Americans love affair with British pop. Impossibly young, stylish enough to have already been recruited as a muse of Hedi Slimane, and a gifted wordsmith and producer, Esser boldly debuts Braveface with a prowess for success.

Chicago's relentless soul-seekers, The Numero Group, will be screening their 30-minute documentary, tonight at Sonotheque, followed by "music from the Double-U Sound vault that includes ... rare cuts from the Numero archive for your listening pleasure into the midnight hour."

Cut Copy, Hot Chip and Hercules and Love Affair have proven that there is room on Chicago's dancefloors for more than juke and electro. Drawing on influences from post-punk to disco to the radio greats of the past, it seems electronic pop is gaining momentum in a big way.

A whole lot more than just the Oscars comin' up. For instance:

DJ duo Rocktapussy -- DJs Mother Hubbard and A-Cup) (a.k.a. Chess Hubbard and Jessica Gonyea) -- are throwing a party at Sonotheque tonight with He Say/She Say and Silverghost. The pair have been honing their skills both around town and on the road and have been drawing a steadily growing crowd of dedicated fans to their gigs. We dig the duo for the playful personality they've been injecting into their sets off late, and there ability to put together mixes that don't recycle the same ol' tunes you hear every other Serato DJ in this city working to the nub.

We've already weighed in with our thoughts about the 'Fork's new book offering their take of the 500 best songs of the past 31 years. Well, now you have a chance to give your thoughts directly to the editors since they'll be attending the release party for the tome tonight at Sonotheque from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. Pitchfork publisher Chris Kaskie, editor-in-chief Scott Plagenhoef, and managing editor Mark Richardson will spin selections from The Pitchfork 500 and staff will be on hand to sell you a copy of the book should you want to leaf through the songlist and make any requests.

Exhale Spa , 945 N. State St., Mondays 12:00-12:30 p.m. Free but reservations required by calling 312.753.6500

In honor of tonight's Bird & Whale Showcase at Sonotheque, including Damon Locks as one of the DJs, we thought it was appropriate to pass this mix along to you. The Zowee! mix is danceable, psychedelic, Latin, '60s hipster, polyrhythmic, an honest to god aural journey to corners both unexpected and unknown, and a true delight.

Several decades before the eye-popping wizardry of Koyaanisqatsi, the "City Symphony" genre, whose golden age lasted until perhaps the early 40's, was equal parts travelogue and razzle dazzle. The movies of this genre aimed to capture not only the atmosphere of the city in question but also showcase the latest in filmmaking technology. Canted camera angles, flash-cut editing and film that was sped up, slowed down, frozen, superimposed or otherwise manipulated were tools skillfully (and playfully) used to create a sense of wonderment about the modern world.

Clayton Hauck, Chicago's everywhere-at-once nightlife photographer, has released the results of a reader's poll he ran to discern which clubs, DJs, promoters, and bands are at the top of The People's list. It's hardly a scientific poll, and Hauck even admits that when it came to the promoter results there was probably more than a little ballot box stuffing, but we find it interesting as it functions as a good peek into the indie-rock dance micro-scene. And this is the scene, one could argue, driving the majority of the musically related social activity in our fair city these days, so we also find it interesting as an indicator of where things might be heading.