Deep House, Hip-Hop, Raw Dance, Garage…It’s Clubland Variety Time In The Windy City!
A lip-smacking, mouthwhetting, hip-shaking, head-noddin’, shoe-gazin’ high time is to be had by all this weekend with a rich bag of quality sounds from some of the world’s finest purveors of club grooves that are guaranteed to satisfy all tastes. Take my word for it…
He was just 12 when he began Djing under the tutelage of one of Chicago’s all-time greats Twilite Tone…and he is still going strong. It is of course DJ Timbuck2, DJ to the stars, and he is at Lumen tonight for a set that will be nothing but sheer class. Fine-tuning his way through the 90s, Timuck2 became the face of Chicago’s underground hip-hop scene and by the grand old age of 21 had been rocking every major city in the U.S. as well as becoming the youngest Mix Show DJ at top radio station WCGI. Now a member of the illustrious The HeavyHitters DJ crew, Timbuck2 has been the DJ of choice for such luminaries as P. Diddy, Jay Z, 50 Cent, Lil’ Kim, Destiny’s Child, and Kanye West, as well as hoop legend Michael Jordan. Like I said – sheer class.
Where: Lumen, west Fulton Market
When: Thursday March 31st, 10pm
He went, he saw, he returned…and brought the disco/garage/house sound with him, yes it’s DJ Harvey from England, another young dude caught by a musical calling at the tender age of 13 when recruited by 24 year-olds to be the drummer for Cambridge punk band Ersatz. But Harvey forsook the anarchist energy of punk for the groove of hip-hop after visiting New York and becoming entranced by the percussive rhythms of the “break beats.” Harvey then returned to Cambridge with some Technics and next thing you know he’s holding down outlandish weekender parties in his home town as well as Brighton and London. And after that there is only one way he can go really, and that’s up, up and away, and Harvey’s sets became longer and longer and more “accepted” on the club circuit with residencies at Ministry of Sound for instance. Hitting a peak with 9-hour sets in his own warehouse under the tag HarveySarcasticDisco (in tandem with the Sarcastic Clothing brand), Harvey is now spinning his way around the globe as one of the true greats of house/garage. Local great Kid Color is on hand to get the crowd going in his own inimitable style.
Where: Smart Bar, north Clark Street, $15, before midnight $10
When: Friday April 1st, 10pm
It’s deep house time at Smart Bar tonight, as Canadian high-flyers Art Department drift in with their much-acclaimed futuristic, raw and synth-driven underground mood grooves. The Art Department comprise close friends and stalwarts techno/house legend Kenny Glasgow and No. 19 music label owner Jonny White. It’s their track “Without You” that was a big hit in 2010 and helped cement Art Department as the newest sound on the block. Although friends for some time, the pair had never worked together until 2009 when they were called to remix a track by Riz MC which led to this new creation…a live DJ/Vocal performance based on their deep house tones and the unique and sublime vocals of Kenny (who 10 years earlier was featured on such wonders as “Pressing On”). It’s the sound of Art Department that is helping to push a resurgence of deep house in our clubs today. The duo are well supported by the new wave of Brad Owen and raw dance of Ariel Frank.
Where: Smart Bar, north Clark Street, $13, before midnight $10
When: Saturday, April 2nd, 10pm
