He’s back…and She’s here! It’s the genial Francois K & sensual Kate Simko

The great Francois Kevorkian – aka Francois K – returns to the Chicago booth at Smart Bar this weekend with his Deep Space electro set accompanied by local stellar girl Kate Simko and her much-vaunted blend of pulsating, nuanced and sensual techno.

If you don’t know Francois K then this is the perfect opportunity to get in and experience the DJ/Producer-craft of one of dance music’s premier artists. Starting out as a Big Apple cover-band drummer in 1975, French-born FK was then hired by Galaxy 21 disco to drum along to the DJs selections, and in so doing he became struck by the disco vibe. He then hooked up with some of the best spinners of the time, became an awesome DJ himself, before leaving the scene in the mid-80s to concentrate on remixing and production work for others, until hitting the DJ stage once more in the last few years to even more acclaim. In founding Axis Studios in 1987, FK worked with Madonna, Dee-Lite, Maria Carey, and Mary J. Blige among others, before launching his own solo career as a producer/creator. In 1996, Francois K started the now legendary Sunday afternoon at Body & Soul spinning a soulful mix of jazzy house to drum ‘n’ bass, and has recently begun a New York residency called Deep Space where every Monday he plays Dub in all its forms from Jamaican vintage to spacey and abstract new electro. In 2005 FK was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame as both Producer and DJ. He has played all around the world at The Sound Factory Bar, House Nation, Afterlife, Roxy, Vinyl and Twilo, as well as at the UK’s Ministry of Sound, The End, Bar Rhumba, Back to Basics, The Blue Note and Hard Times, and Italy’s Angels of Love. Pushing the boundaries wherever he goes, this is the night to really get to know Francois K and what he can do with Dubs up disco, drum ‘n’ bass and everything in between. Not to be missed. http://www.myspace.com/francois_k

As indeed is Kate Simko not to be missed. Because if you like Francois K, you’ll simply love Kate Simko too. Chicagoan Kate, a classically trained pianist (and former Kmart worker!), fell in love with techno during a 1990s Midwest rave and has never looked back. Described as propulsive, groovy and hypnotic, Kate has the outstanding gift of mixing the hidden threads of disparate tunes, while having the ability to play to the ambience of the crowd and be dynamic fun at the same time. Kate’s distinctive and innovative sound has wowed clubbers all over the world at Berlin’s Berghain, London’s Fabric, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, Montreal’s MUTEK, Tokyo’s Eleven and Sao Paulo’s D-Edge. What you get with Kate Simko is dancebale avant garde that is somewhere between electro and house with an individual, but international inflection. Always looking to create something new, Kate has been quoted as saying that what she loves about playing live around the world is the fact that no one audience is the same. It keeps her on her toes, she says, which is probably why her music is always fresh and inspiring. Like I say, if you like it fresh and original, groovy and nuanced, she’s not to be missed. http://www.katesimko.com/

This is going to be a cracker. Smart Bar, north Clark Street, Saturday March 26th, 10pm, $15, before midnight $12, $10 in advance.