Since debuting in 2015, local electronic duo Grün Wasser—aka vocalist Keely Dowd and producer Essej Pollock—have steadily broadened their apocalyptic EBM by adding new sounds. On Friday, October 4, they drop the new album Not OK With Things (on vinyl and cassette via Texas label Holodeck Records), and it’s easily their most diverse work yet. Advance tracks “Stranger’s Mouth” and “Driving” bristle with nervous energy, suspended between subtle pop hooks, chilly synth tones, and scattered drum patterns. On Thursday, October 3, Grün Wasser play a release show at Sleeping Village with openers Ariel Zetina and Material and a DJ set from Cid Ikarus.
On Friday, September 27, the Chicago South Side Film Festival opens its ten-day run with a night devoted to the history of house music! Raven’s Place in Blue Island hosts a screening of the documentary House Music: The Real Story by producer Jesse Saunders, who’s often claimed that 2019 is the 35th anniversary of house—because in 1984 he released his debut single, “On and On,” widely considered the first house record. This wolf suspects the film will dive into the backstory of that 12-inch! After the screening, house veterans Shawn Christopher, Keith Nunnally, and Sundance perform live; Alan King, Mike Dunn, and Lori Branch spin DJ sets. The event starts at 9 PM; tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door.
Gossip Wolf craves the delightful feeling of being a hometown tourist—and that itch is best scratched when two local institutions unexpectedly come together! On Friday, September 27, house-music legend Farley “Jackmaster” Funk DJs the 21-and-over Shedd Aquarium party series Shedd After Hours. The dance floor will start grooving at 6 PM, but you need to nab tickets online or at the Shedd before 4:15 PM that day—otherwise you’ll miss the dolphins performing their famous synchronized dance to “Love Can’t Turn Around”! v
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