Chicago group Courtesy have always staggered and glitched across the line between experimental and pop electronics. Their first album, 2011’s Idmatic (Tape Deco), recorded by members Drew Ryan and Kirk Rawlings in Memphis and Chicago, is filled with ambient drone and feedback noise but also illustrates their pop sensibilities; on “Sisters,” for instance, percussive clang […]
Tag: disco
Posted inMusic
Dua Lipa channels disco clubs and Jazzercise on Future Nostalgia
British singer Dua Lipa released her second album, Future Nostalgia, on March 27—a week earlier than she originally planned, but right on schedule to give the world a much-needed dose of bubblegum poptimism. The title track opens with a promise: “You want a timeless track, I want to change the game.” From there, the album’s […]
Posted inMusic
Life was just a party: Prince’s 1999 and Chicago house music
Prince could hardly have avoided influencing Chicago house, whose earliest, most ardent fans were queer Black and Brown kids.
Posted inMusic
Trying out a new bat signal on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster was created by local artist Chris Day.
Posted inMusic
French disco legend Cerrone touches down at Smart Bar
UPDATE Monday, September 23, 12:55 PM: The Cerrone concert has been canceled. Refunds available at point of purchase. Disco and pop music would be diminished had French drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader Marc Cerrone never taken an interest in dance music. In the early 70s, he got his first taste of fame as a founding […]
Posted inMusic
Disco diva Loleatta Holloway got a second wind from house music
She had her biggest hits in the late 70s, but the rise of sampling helped keep her on the charts for decades longer.
Posted inMusic
Remembering the Taste Entertainment Center, the hottest south side nightclub in TKTK
Harold Washington, Muhammad Ali, and Rick James all dropped in at the oldest black-owned club in the city.
Posted inMusic
Mark Grusane has forgotten more about dance music than you’ll ever know
DJ and collector Mark Grusane, cofounder of defunct south-side shop Mr. Peabody Records, talks about the insanely rare and sought-after tracks he’s sharing on his new compilation.
Posted inFood & Drink
Wow, man, that Beatnik has seen some places . . .
Now the Ukrainian Village clubstaurant would do well to settle down.
Posted inMusic
Star Creature Universal Vibrations transfigures boogie for the 21st century
Tim Zawada and Ben Van Dyke’s label, Star Creature Universal Vibrations, helps turn the far-flung fans of this resurgent postdisco dance music into an evolving community.
Posted inMusic
Master Plan fused Chicago house music with Latin freestyle in the mid-80s
Pepper Gomez and Tom O’Callaghan got their start as Master Plan by winning a Columbia College contest, and three years ago Still Music reissued their biggest track.
Posted inArts & Culture
Disco Demolition Night according to its ringmaster, Steve Dahl
A new book is a patchy, occasionally biased portrayal of the infamous promotional stunt.
Posted inBest of Chicago
V103 is too good for FM radio
If it didn’t have commercials it would also be better than most satellite stations.
Posted inBlogs
How the Numero Group tracked down obscure Chicago disco-funk outfit Universal Togetherness Band
Watch an “instruction manual for how to make a Numero Group release.”
Posted inBlogs
Soul Jazz’s encyclopedia of disco-record cover art will make crate diggers swoon
Soul Jazz releases the drool-worthy Disco: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Cover Art of Disco Records.