It’s romantic to imagine a DJ dropping a track so profound it can save your life, but what about a DJ who can open up possibilities away from the dance floor? Jeremy Alvarez, founder of a dark electronic DJ night called Research & Development, is known as much for his skill at connecting disparate people […]
Tag: Smart Bar
Posted inMusic
Jill Hopkins, new media and civic events producer for the Metro venues
Jill Hopkins is a Chicago broadcaster, DJ, writer, musician, and storyteller. After an eight-year stint at Vocalo Radio, Hopkins kicked off 2022 by joining the Metro family of venues (which also includes Smart Bar and GMan) as their new media and civic events producer. As told to Jamie Ludwig I was always a big radio […]
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Neo: where misfits fit in
In summer 1979, Suzanne Shelton hatched a dream to open a punk dance club. She had two priorities: it had to play lots of new wave, and it needed clean bathrooms. Shelton had been DJing at a failing Lincoln Park disco called Hoots, but she spent all her free nights at O’Banion’s, a run-down gay […]
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Ragamala, Party People, and Red Stars
Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, which will give you that wonderful overnight “extra hour” if you happen to be out and about around 2 AM on Sunday morning (you don’t have to go home, but you can’t “save” here, bwahaha!). And the time is going to change whether you’re awake or not, so don’t […]
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Pioneering footwork producer RP Boo bares his soul on Established!
Footwork music’s whimsical, tempestuous take on house wouldn’t exist without Chicago producer Kavain Space, better known as RP Boo. In the mid-90s, he drew from his experience DJing for House-O-Matics dancers to devise skittish, hyperactive tracks that proved too puzzling for Dance Mania, a staple label of the scene that provided a home for the […]
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Christopher Santoso, aka DJ and producer Please and Issa Party label founder
“I try and make the music for the dancers—like Teklife, Beatdown House, everybody in the footwork community. It’s all for them.”
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Want live music back? Wear a mask and call Congress.
Staff from 22 Chicago music venues talk about how far they still are from normal—and what it’ll take to keep them around till we all get there.
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Get in formation on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster was created by Chicago artist Terrell Davis.
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Chicago punk was born queer
How three gay bars—La Mere Vipere, O’Banion’s, and Oz—became the cradle of the city’s punk scene
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COVID-19 hits live music hard
You can still support artists and staff by buying merch and donating to fundraisers.
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Berlin producer Laurel Halo performs at this year’s Daphne festival and releases her first film score
Update: To help slow the spread of COVID-19, this show has been postponed until a date to be determined in the future. Contact point of purchase for refund or exchange information. In January 2018, Berlin-based dance producer, vocalist, and composer Laurel Halo tweeted that she’d written a score for Possessed, a documentary by Rob Schröder […]
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Fans and friends help beloved DJ Teri Bristol pay her medical bills
Fans and friends help beloved DJ Teri Bristol pay her hospital bills, Impulsive Hearts celebrate a new album benefiting Girls Rock! Chicago, and more.
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Daisychain gives women and nonbinary DJs the platform they deserve
Alicia Greco’s weekly podcast has already posted 110 mixes, fostering a community that won’t stay marginalized much longer.
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No Men summon a demon to fight climate change in their new video
No Men summon a demon to fight climate change in their new video, DJ and producer Ariel Zetina celebrates a new EP at Danny’s, and more.
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Three-fourths of Ne-Hi switch gears as Spun Out
Three-fourths of Ne-Hi switch gears as Spun Out, J Bambii’s Brown Skin Lady Show throws an anniversary party on a boat, and more.