What do you get when you mix a high intensity, heavy bass dubstep legion with an entertaining sing-along act and a backing powerhouse DJ? The crowd at the local Chicago venue, The Metro, can answer just as well as anyone, so why don’t you ask them? With the UK dubstep act, Rusko opening for the highly entertaining electro/hip hop act, Major Lazer, the anticipation was exciting. It was a sold out show and a line stretched halfway down the block. The crowd was in good spirits, awaiting what was sure to be a night to remember.
With patrons pouring in from every doorway and hallway, a full venue it became; and just when it seemed impossible to accommodate another person, the show began. The crowd was constantly pushing for the opportunity to get close enough to see the sweat on Ruskos face and the jump in his step. The energy charged DJ sent the crowd into a dubstep coma of fist pumping and head banging to the heavy bass style of music known as dubstep. There were buildups that gave the crowd just as much energy as the UK DJ did himself, as he is known for his high energy and fast-paced touring schedule. His track choices and transitions left both Rusko lovers and the faint of heart content, and all that remained was the smiles on their faces as they awaited the sexually charged Major Lazer debut.
Major Lazers world wide touring DJ, Diplo, approached the turntables with confidence and ease as he prepared his equipment and the crowd with what was sure to be a show just as energetic as the previous. Major Lazer himself, followed by his two female companions, approached the stage to the mixed sounds of high-pitched screaming and loud roars of excitement. It was their first Chicago appearance since August. They are known for mixing multiple genres that appeal to the diverse crowds looking to dance. Whether your among the crowd that enjoys or despises the generalization of what once used to be an underground genre, and is now taking the shape of big label acts trying to fill arenas, its hard not to bob your head and move your feet to the rhythm. If you’re skeptical, it’s not all bad. With some quality mixes and a well-known DJ backing up the act, there is anything but the lack of talent and energy in this duo.
Whether you’re the electronic/hip hop type, or a heavy bass driven personality, the show was truly a great mix that satisfied both crowds, and their hunger for music. Chicago, drawing inspiration from both the east and west coasts and luring talent from all over the globe, is truly the Mecca of all things music, adding a flavor of its own. Welcome to the true, Taste of Chicago.

Story by, Chris Hemstreet

For more info about the artists playing at the April 10th Metro showcase, check out their MySpace’s for exclusive tracks and future touring dates.

Rusko: Myspace.com/Rusko

Major Lazer: Myspace.com/MajorLazer

It was a wet spring evening in Chicago, one of many in the early months of the spring season. Chicago has extremely unpredictable weather, and gruesome winter months as well. It would be an understatement to say that April 5th was any exception. With even the gloomy weather in account, this did not stop the Swedish three piece, Miike Snow, and their endless amount of supporters from lining up in the rain for what was to be the second day in a sold out visit to Chicago’s Metro.
Some bands have a hard time filling a single venue, while others, as in the case of more recent showcase, sold out 2 back-to-back days of the Swedish group’s most recent and arguably most successful tour to date. With the up and coming group, Delorean starting out the night with a bang, the lineup was an obvious reason for the tours success. “Amazing”, “epic”, “visually spectacular” were just some of the responses to the group’s live show that left spectators wanting more. With multiple live instrumentations and the overall performance mixed with what seemed like an absurd amount of lighting, their live show had a unique feel that is rarely seen in, “smaller scale” venues and more so in arena style performances.
It began with the entrance of each individual band member in white artisan masks that showed anything but any sort of expression. The blank emotions on each of the band member’s faces started the show off with a theatrical bang. Heading up the rear was front man Andrew Wyatt, shoeless, and ready to get down to business, the musically talented singer/song writer/pianist/guitarist wasn’t going to settle for a mediocre show. Seeing him singing his heart filled lines into the microphone like it was the first time playing in front of a live audience was a refreshing change of pace compared to mass touring bands that lose interest and emotion after performing the same songs night after night.
With a talented drummer, and multi faceted dj, their night didn’t end with the end of the show at the Metro as they went on to play a late night DJ set at The Metro’s adjacent nightclub, Smart Bar. This gave the unfortunate Miike Snow fans that were unable to purchase tickets to the sold out show, as well as die hard fans, an epic encore to end the night on. Never leaving the fans feeling as if they didn’t get their moneys worth, yet still leaving them wanting more was the perfect combination for any music fan. Its fairly obvious to see why the group has formed such a strong bond between fan and performer, drawing the line much closer than you would think as they drew off energy from the crowd to fuel their seemingly never ending supply of vigor and the drive to create something musically unique.

Story by, Chris Hemstreet

For a list of shows, and touring schedule and a peek at their tunes, check out the artists MySpace’s:

Miike Snow: MySpace.com/MiikeSnow
Delorean: MySpace.com/DeloreanDanz

Dark and eerie, with plumes of smoke lingering on the floor to mask the mass amounts of dancing feet that filled up Smart Bar for their weekly Dubstep/heavy Bass Thursday lineup the Chicago underground music scene has grown to know and love. This week, March 25th was a special day. Although the other events are growing in numbers as the popularity for the bass driven music genre is growing, this week in specific had a special guest. Coming all the way from the UK to blow the speakers and minds of local music enthusiasts, the dubstep DJ, DubPolice and Dubsoldiers founder, Caspa arrived ready to impress.
Spinning some old school classics, along with his personal favorites that he has grown to be known for, the dubstep DJ was a force to be reckoned with. Having done tracks with multiple worldwide artists such as Rusko and Deadmou5. Local favorite, Kid Sister was in the mix adding a guest appearance and vocals to an already mind blowing experience that would not be soon forgotten.
With the twirling of glow sticks, dancing of the full crowd, and sea of smiling faces, its amazing how quickly the new genre that is known for the skull crushing bass, wobble that makes the weak of heart dizzy, and overall mood of the songs, attract the most diverse crowd, from a multitude of different genres of music. All one can truly say is that each and every show is a great experience, accompanied by great people just looking to be moved by music like they have never been moved before. Welcome to the world of Dubstep.

Story by, Chris Hemstreet

Check out the rest of Caspa’s tunes at:
myspace.com/caspadubstep

as well as the local openers and residents for the Smart Bar event at:
Phaded:
myspace.com/sosophaded

Special Guest, MC Zulu:
myspace.com/zulumusic

Dark and loud, the pulsing of the heavy bass that made your chest feel like it was caving in, seemed to surround the room no matter where you were standing. The sound system at smart bar, dwarfing any other venue trying to have a clean, but heavy, heart pounding musical experience was evident. With the dance floor full of eager on lookers on March 11th at local heavy bass Thursday venue, Smart bar, were awaiting the fast approaching moment when the Canadian dubstep child prodigy, Excision, would take the stage, and the turntables.
A vastly unique style of laid back hip/hop vocals, mixed impeccably together with metal riffs and heavy bass lines, made the listening experience one of a kind. Making even the most passive on looker want to bounce around to the heavy style that Excision is known for. Track after track, anthems were dropped and all that could be heard over the loud roar of the audio system were yells of excitement followed by what seemed like the entire crowd head banging to the rhythm.
Arms positioned above their heads, crossed at the forearm to form the unmistakable “X” that signified none other than Excision, the crowd was just as excited as Excision seemed to be. The, what seemed like perfect flow of fast mixed with slow, hard with soft, and happy followed by angry, formed one solid cohesive set, that would have impressed even the most skeptical audience members, for what will be known to the event goers as, “The Day Excision Took Over Chicago”, and leave anyone that missed the epic showcase of the bass heavy, Canadian superstar clear and certain of one thing, a show like this will never be missed again.

Story By: Chris Hemstreet

For a chance to check out some of the tunes played at the show, or to see what you missed, check out the MySpace for Excision as well as the local openers for the night:

Excision:
http://www.myspace.com/excision
Dj Belly:
http://www.myspace.com/kevstoast
Akademy:
http://www.myspace.com/akademydub
Phaded:
http://www.myspace.com/sosophaded

A list of future dubstep events at Smart Bar, in Chicago, IL can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=272865832050&ref=ts

Electro Vs Dubstep

Just like the miracle of chocolate and peanut butter, Calvin and Hobbs, and Jack and Coke, there hasn’t been a better mashup of music like the announced, Electro Vs Dubstep show at the Portage Theater, in Chicago, IL.  Bringing together the best of both worlds, well known, electronic sing-a-long dabce tracks that have reached extraordinary levels of popularity in the past few years from artists such as, Chromeo, The Bloody Beetroots, Daft Punk, Girl Talk, and Boyz Noize amongst too many others to name.  The genre brings together fast paced music, with interesting melodies that make people want to dance.

On the other end of the spectrum you have the newer sensation that is dubstep.  Heavy hitting, large drop’s, and more wobble than you can handle.  The genre is picking up steam with artists such as, Benga, Rusko, Caspa, Excision and many others leading the pack at the forefront.  The popularity of the genre is becoming recognized by electronic music festivals all over the world, with Ultra and Coachella just among a few that has added dubstep artists to their lineup for 2010.

Saturday, March 6^th will be one show to remember, giving again the best of both worlds from local Chicago electronic scene DJ’s, such as, Midnight Conspiracy, Phaded, Nameloc, Solo, Broken Disco 1980, Action Adventure and Destruction, along with live visuals to finish off a night, full of what will surely be an intense array of dancing, drinking, partying, and being exposed to new music at this months 18+ showcase at the Portage Theater. There’s nothing left to say besides, don’t miss out on the opportunity to expose yourself to what truly moves the youth of today, a never ending array of diverse and different music.  See you on the dance floor.

Story by, Chris Hemstreet

Check out the artists playing at, Electro Vs Dubstep online:

Electro:

Midnight Conspiracy: http://www.myspace.com/midnightconspiracy

Broken Disco 1980: http://CustomVibes.com

Action Adventure: http://soundcloud.com/action-adventure

Destruction: http://www.myspace.com/thedjdestructionproject

Dubstep:

Phaded: http://www.myspace.com/sosophaded

Nameloc: http://www.myspace.com/namelocmusic

Solo: http://www.myspace.com/iscratchrecords

Find the event page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=266525074648&ref=ts

Saturday, February 27^th, a day to be remembered for all of those who attended the last day of the Big Gigantic and Two Fresh’s Winter tour at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago, IL.  With crowds constantly pouring in through the doors until it seemed like there was no room left for eager attendees, yet more kept coming.  A sea of happy faces mixed in with multi colored LED hula-hoop’s and the crowd bouncing like there was no tomorrow, it was easy to see how excited people were for the headliners.

With openers such as, The Malah, INDIGoSUN, J A S P E R, and GHETTO SEXUAL setting the stage for what was to come, the suspense and buildup were intense.  With the constant flow of music anywhere from jazzy/electro to dub step, all anyone seemed to want to do was dance and have a good time, and in this writers personal experience it succeeded.

What was to come was the much-anticipated moment of the night, Big Gigantic taking the stage, on lookers crowding to catch a glimpse of the duo, followed by an impressive array of lasers and lights to accompany the moment, it was impressive for both sight and sound.  The noise rattling hits of the drums, and the piercing saxophone made the experience one of a kind.  Its hard to find new, original musicianship in a world crowded with internet sensations, but this particular show was an excellent example of both.  With Two Fresh finishing up the night, followed by a collaboration from the two bands simultaneously, it was an exhilarating way to finish off a night of good music, with an excited group of people who refuse to just accept music that is thrown at them by popular culture.  This is a truly talented group of individuals who deserve to be heard.

Story By:  Chris Hemstreet

Check out the list of bands and their MySpace’s to hear more great music:

Big Gigantic: http://www.myspace.com/biggigantic

Two Fresh: http://www.myspace.com/twofreshbeats

The Malah: http://www.myspace.com/themalah

INDIGoSUN: http://www.myspace.com/underanindigosun

And a list of future events at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago, IL can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000472704412&ref=ts

Delorean Nites Featuring Designer Drugs

The hype for the first official, “Delorean Nites” at recently opened Lincoln Hall in Chicago, was anything but contradictory to the hype that the show was receiving up to February 6^th and the build up was intense.  The doors were scheduled to open at 10:30pm and already had a line stretching around the venue and into the ally around back.  This gave any on lookers or doubters to the shows success, a quick reality check to the scale and popularity of not only Delorean Nites, but for the New York electronic sensation, Designer Drugs.

With local acts, Broken Disco 1980, Punky Fresh (2009 Lollapalooza remix contest winners), DJ Skyler and Midnight Conspiracy opening, it was an epic introduction to how the night was going to end.  A sold out show, live visuals, mixed with local power house DJ’s and world wide touring act, Designer Drugs made the night out to be an over whelming success. With the hard work of local DJ’s and promoters in Chicago, Members Only AV and everyone involved to thank for the shows success, it’s not a bad start for the first of its kind in an ongoing monthly event.

Expect nothing less than an epic show you can tell your friends about, and keep you dancing in a world where having, “too much fun” isn’t in our vocabulary.  Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for the next of its kind.

Check out MySpace for all the artists playing at the first, Delorean Nites:

www.MySpace.com/DesignerDrugsClubMusic

www.Myspace.com/MidnightConspiracy

www.MySpace.com/SkylerJam

www.MySpace.com/PunkyFreshSounds

www.MySpace.com/Neutrak

As well as the official photos documenting the night by Steven Holliday:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slhphoto/sets/72157623250598179/

Story by: Chris Hemstreet

Thursday, January the 28^th, UK dubstep artist 16-Bit invaded Chicago at the weekly Dubstep Thursdays with his original tracks and heavy dropping DJ set at Smart Bar, in Chicago.  Fans of the underground musical movement that is known none other than dubstep were pleasantly surprised as soon as 16-Bit hit the stage.  Playing newly recorded tracks from the unreleased “The Exploding Fist” Ep was well accepted by the fans, and knew they were in for an exciting treat for his first Smart Bar visit.  The still underground genre is quickly taking flight and popularity in the electronic music scene with current dubstep DJ’s playing at huge world wide festivals and venues such as Coachella, Ultra, as well as local spots in Chicago and around the world.

Known for the heavy hitting bass and exciting build ups, the genre is quickly gaining popularity by attracting artists to do remixes of other dubstep tracks, as well as releasing cross genre tracks that have the heavy hitting bass that the genre is known for.  Check out 16-Bit’s Myspace for tour dates, as well as new tracks from the world wide touring sensation that is, 16-Bit.

Myspace.com/16bitmusic

By Chris Hemstreet