Undercover Clubber

SHM One Last Tour Final Show Announcement

2012-11-14T13:50:00.000-06:00

If you watched the video then you know that Swedish House Mafia will be OPENING and CLOSING out ULTRA 2012. If i end up going to Ultra this item around, ill probably aim for the second weekend just to see Swedish House Mafia's last show, which ill naturally assume will be EPIC.

UN Is Just A Childhood Memory At Best

2012-11-02T14:52:00.000-06:00

Let’s be honest here. UN was a fun place to go when you and your friends did not have many options due to age limits in downtown clubs, at least the ones that enforced age limits. Paying a $10 cover and having open bar for 2 hours is a sweet deal even now, but when you had at most a part time job and no money it was even better; you didn't even care how cheap the alcohol was. All of this made UN popular with a young crowd years ago and it was no surprise that both the bottom and top floors were almost always packed; regardless if someone you knew threw a birthday party there or not.

Like Stereo on Diversey Ave, UN has a specific feel to it because of the crowd, which was always young. Sometimes we used to call it the high school reunion spot because on any given weekend half of your graduation class was there.

As the crowd grew older and started to explore downtown Chicago UN has become a faded memory where the good times used to be had. This was apparent when I walked in a few weeks ago due to someone’s random request to go check it out. The place was empty. Literally you could count on both hands the amount of people that were there including the bartender and DJ.

I’d avoid UN at all costs. I’d rather pay $7 for a drink somewhere else. The music here is outdated and unlikely to make you want to dance. Even if you are in a dancing mood there’s no one else to dance with anyway, so why even bother showing up.

The MiD emerges on Top

2012-10-31T14:01:00.000-06:00

I’d be lying if I said that the MiD has NOT become one of my favorite clubs in the past year, mainly because of the huge amount of great talent that goes through this place all year round. Whether it’s a huge party weekend, a concert or festival after party, or just a weekend in Chicago you are almost guaranteed to have some great talent go through the MiD’s doors. This creates a good reputation which makes people come back and come back they do as there is almost always a line outside this place after 11:30 (after most free entrance offers expire).

Location wise The MiD is close to a few other spots like 8fifty8, Lumen and Victor Hotel. So like Proof it’s a good place to start or finish your night as you have a few other options within walking distance. Most of the time I've heard people starting off at Lumen which closes at 2 and finish at the MiD which closes at 4.

The MiD is a three level space with an amphitheater type of set up around the slightly elevated Dj stage. When you walk in you reach a staircase, when following it downstairs you see a coach check room and some bathrooms. On the main floor you have two bars lining opposite walls with a dance floor/bottle service seating. Depending on the night there might be a smaller dance floor with lots of seats behind it or just a full dance floor. In front of the dance floor is the slightly elevated Dj booth. I say slightly because when you put your hands up the Dj can pretty much high five you which makes for an intimate atmosphere. Upstairs you have another bar on one side of the “U” shaped upstairs balcony and on the other you have seating. In the middle you have more clean and spacious bathrooms. Whether you are on the first floor or on the second you’ll always have a great vantage point of the Dj booth which is great.

The only thing that blemished this specific visit to The MiD was the fact that the lights were turned on at 3:30am and everyone was being asked t o leave. Now I’m not educated in Chicago law and ordinances so I’m not sure if this was done because everyone has to be out of there by closing time 4am BUT if I’m paying a cover to party till 4am I expect to party till 4am, not 3:30am and be asked to leave.

Besides the one blemish the MiD is a place every Chicagoan should visit and experience at least once. Most will return, more than once for that matter. The MiD does well what many clubs in Chicago don’t do, they bring in the necessary talent to keep things fresh and the people coming back. Having a good resident Dj as Nathan Scott does not hurt also. I hope to see you at the MiD sometime and I come here frequently.

Ultra 2013 Major Announcement!!

2012-10-15T11:55:00.003-05:00

Watch the linked movie below for over 14 minutes of footage describing why you should NOT miss the 15th installment of Ultra Music Festival the largest EDM festival in North America.

But if you are too impatient to wait and hear the announcement i took the liberty of viewing the entire video to bring you the great news. ULTRA WILL TAKE PLACE OVER 2 WEEKENDS THIS YEAR NOT JUST ONE!!. Weekend one march 15-17 and weekend two March 22-24.

What do you think of this news? comment down below.

Stereo

2012-10-13T20:07:00.001-05:00

September 14

Stereo located at 5610 W Diversey Ave. occupies the same space as Jedynka formally did. After Jedynka went through a renovation a few years back I guess so did its name. But besides that cosmetic makeover it’s still the same place it used to be which some will like and some wont.

This is the only club thus far where I can say the crowd makes or breaks the atmosphere. Unlike most of downtown Chicago clubs where the crowd is generally more diverse in terms of age and nationality, there is a very specific group of people that goes to Stereo. Stereo just as Jedynka is known for being a “Polish Club” and it lives up to its name. Being that it’s located in whatever remains a Polish community that keeps moving west to the suburbs.

The club itself looks good after going through a renovation with the bathrooms and bars getting a nice face lift while the dance floor generally stayed the same. When walking in you see a bar lining the right side of the club and next it you have tables lining the walls. At the end of the bar opposite side of the building you have your bathrooms which are large and clean which is a big plus. Next to the large bar you have a dance floor with the Dj booth elevated with winding steps on each side going down to the dance floor. On each end of the dance floor you have two more bars which also have ample seating around them.

Stereo does have a separate room where most birthday parties are catered, as that room is next to the dance floor and is as long as the building. Here is where you find couches lining the walls and some larger tables for birthday parties. There is also a bar lining the wall closer to the dance floor.

We visited Stereo on a Friday night where guys paid a $10 cover to get in while girls were getting in free till midnight. Drinks and beers what 50% off which made a jack and code $4.50 while my occasional corona was $5. Seems like a good deal for the beer anyway, but it’s scary to think that on a regular night a drink at this place is $9, which is more of a downtown Chicago price without the benefits.

All in all you must ask yourself 3 questions before you decide to go to Stereo. 1) Do you have many Polish friends to come here with and or you enjoy the company of Polish people? 2) Do you like Euro and Disco Polo music? By this I mean straight up Euro music that Dj Marski make millions of ski mixes of and the notorious Polish wedding dance music that only Polish people listen to. 3) Are you comfortable with a club at least half full with people older than you by an average of 5-7 years?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions I think you might enjoy stereo but if you answered no to one or more of these questions I think you’d rather skip visiting Stereo.

!Ultra 2013 tickets go on sale October 17!

2012-10-12T01:14:00.000-05:00

As I write this we are officially 161 days and just under 15 hours till Ultra Music Festival 2012 in Miami. As the biggest electronic music dance festival in the US which take place during Miamis Winter Music Conference, it's no surprise tickets sell out quickly every year. This year early bird tickets go on sale October 17, yes that is in 5 days!!. Below i have included a link to the site, i hope you get your tickets.

Ultra Music Festival Ticket Website!!!

Need SHM tickets !?!?! No problem

2012-10-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Monday, Oct 22nd - The Mid and React Presents are proud to help release the one and only Swedish House Mafia's newest Album "Until Now." This Absolut sponsored event includes giveaways such as tickets to see Swedish House Mafia in February at UIC and various S.H.M. gear such as posters, glow bracelets, stickers, and t-shirts. Come rock out with our hometown originals Mixin Marc and Dj Gus Karas and lets make this Industry Monday a night to remember.

RSVP HERE for NO COVER!!!

Vision

2012-10-10T03:11:00.000-05:00

September 8

Vision has been known in Chicago as one of the better night life spots to host big name Djs and a place for everyone to go to late night after other bars and clubs close. It is the sister club to Excaliber given that they are in the same building and you walk into them just through separate entrances. The problem with living up to this reputation is that in the last few years other promoters have been doing a better job at hosting big name Djs and after parties to concerts and music festivals. This was apparent after North Coast Music Festival this year as most Dj after parties were at House Of Blues or The MiD just to name a few different venues but I digress.

Vision occupies a huge space. When walking in you are greeted by a bar a small dance floor and stairs that lead up two more levels. On level two you have the Dj and another bar with plenty of couches and chairs to sit on or you can hang out on the railing and look at the dance floor below. On the third level you have a similar situation but the Dj booth is replaced by a set of tiny bathrooms. This makes for a very long and unsatisfying march up three flights of stairs to take care of business.

On the third floor there is also a walkway to cross over to a much more open space with several more bars a much larger dance floor, with what is a Dj Stage elevated above the dance floor surrounded by several more levers of balconies which creates a cool atmosphere as the crown packs the space.

I spent a good chunk of my night trying to locate several friends throughout the club (they don't go clubbing much) which could hurt someones overall experience, but that being said Vision is not a place you can visit once to see everything it has to offer. Looking at its floor plan online it seems I have missed many locations which is why they were omitted in this review.

That being said I'd have to add that Vision provides a unique birthday package compared to other clubs I've either hosted or experienced elsewhere Not only does the birthday host receive a free bottle of champagne (most clubs) he/she receives a wristband worth 10 house shots (only seen it at Vision), everyone gets in free before midnight and if guests get in before 11:30pm they receive 2 free drink tickets (similar to Soundbar) not a bad way to get a few people started on a good buzz if you ask me.

Bottom line visit Vision maybe even give it more than one shot. The club itself has a specific personality. Explore it and see where you like to party most. I'd book a birthday here because the package seems to go above and beyond anyone else I have visited to date. But getting here by 11:30 to take advantage of those drink tickets (birthday parties only) you might be one of only a few people in the club as it is open till 5am on Saturdays.

Bounce Music Festival

2012-10-10T02:29:00.000-05:00

So Halloween is just around the corner and as always Chicago night clubs and promoters will be hosting several events to ring int he occasion the weekend before the actual day, as it turns out to be a Wednesday this year. If you are looking for something NEW this year and are able to get out to Bloomington IN (really close to Indianapolis) on Wednesday October 21st check out Bounce Music Festival showcasing Dada life and Borgore. Get your tickets HERE!

Tiesto Postpones College Invasion Tour Dates

2012-09-28T10:20:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately due to a back injury, Tiesto has to postpone and reschedule his October Club Live College invasion tour dates. What does that mean to us Chicago-ans? Well the October 13 UIC Pavilion date has been moved to DECEMBER 7.

For more information about the tour reschedule dates follow this LINK.

SHM One Last Tour Coming to Chicago February 20

2012-09-24T10:51:00.001-05:00

Huge news!!! Swedish house Mafia announced the final leg of their world tour, One Last Tour and Chicago is proud to host the superstar Djs!! They will be performing in the United Center on February 20, tickets go on sale Friday September 28th at Noon through tickekmaster. Are you as excited as I am?

Swedish House Mafia will be releasing their second compilation album entitled "Until Now" on October 19. it will serve as the soundtrack to the tour. Follow the link the check out n preview the track list.

Check out their new music video for "Don't you worry child" in the mean time.

Chicago Winter Concert Schedule

2012-09-18T19:39:00.002-05:00

So summer is over, and you are feeling blue? Don't be sad We here at Undercover Clubber came up with a very extensive and detailed list of upcoming EDM concerts and special events from today September 18 all the way till new Years Eve. Looks like there'll be a lot to do this winter.

September

9/19/2012 tyDi at Studio Paris Get your tickets here!

9/20/2012 Yolanda Be Cool at the MiD Get your tickets here!

9/20/2012 Angerfist w/ Lady Faith – Hard Dace Event at V-Live Get your tickets here!

9/21/2012 John Digweed – Monty Look – Zebo and Mayhem at the MiD Get your tickets here!

9/21/2012 Marco Bailey at Spy Bar Get your tickets here!

9/22/2012 SGM Special Edition at the Parthenon Get your tickets here!

9/22/2012 Cosmic Gate at the MiD Get your tickets here!

9/22/2012 Andy Moor at Vision Get your tickets here!

9/22/2012 Nadia Ali at Enclave Get your tickets here!

9/26/2012 Dirty South at Studio Paris Get your tickets here!

9/27/2012 Lazy Rich at the MiD Get your tickets here!

9/28/2012 RedBull Thre3style Pre Qualifier 4 at The MiD Get your tickets here!

9/29/2012 Max Vangelli at The MiD Get your tickets here!

9/29/2012 Christopher Lawrence at Vision Get your tickets here!

9/29/2012 Datsik with Delta Heavy, Bare Noize and AFK at Congress Theater Get your tickets here!

October

10/4/2012 Michael Woods at The MiD Get your tickets here!

10/6/2012 Congorock at The MiD Get your tickets here!

10/6/2012 Bass On The Lake at Navy Pier (Cruise) Get your tickets here!

10/12/2012 Sasha – Zebo –Funk Shui and Mayhem at The MiD Get your tickets here!

10/13/2012 Tiesto with DaDa Life at UIC Pavilion Get your tickets here!

10/17/2-12 Miike Snow at Congress Theater Get your tickets here!

10/18/2012 Inna Live – Beltek at V-Live Get your tickets here!

10/20/2012 Zedd at The MiD Get your tickets here!

10/21/2012 Araabmuzik at The MiD Get your tickets here!

10/25/2012 Headhunterz – Dj Caffeine – Hard Style Event at V-Live Get your tickets here!

10/26/2012 Rusko with Marty Party and Sinden at Aragon Ballroom Get your tickets here!

10/24/2012 Justice at Congress Theater Get your tickets here!

10/26/2012 Freaky Deaky Part 1 of 2 Bloody Beetroots and Wolfgang Gartner at Congress Theater Get your tickets here!

10/27/2012 Knife Party – Tommy trash and Kill the Noise at Congress Theater Get your tickets here!

November

11/2/2012 The Magician - Jerome Lol – Zebo adbd Mayhem at The MiD Get your tickets here!

11/10/2012 Dash Berlin in Cocnert in Aragon Ballroom Get your tickets here!

11/15/2012 Foreign beggars – Tommy Lee & Dj Aero at V-Live Get your tickets here!

11/16/2012 James Egbert at Bottom Lounge Get your tickets here!

11/17/2012 Bass Kitchen: Figure –Stratus and PHNM atBottom Lounge Get your tickets here!

11/21/2012 Sam Coppas Productions -27 Godina at Excaliber/Vision Get your tickets here!

11/24/2012 Mimosa with The Cool Kids, JMSN and Cosmic Revenge at Congress Theater Get your tickets here!

December

12/15/2012 Steve Aoki with 12^th Planet and R3hab at Congress Theater Get your tickers here!

12/31/2012 Big Gigantic Aragon Ballroom Get your tickets here!

Have a great couple of months!! You'll be able to catch us at some of these events :-)

North Coast Music Festival 2012

2012-09-18T00:05:00.000-05:00

Labor Day weekend 2012

It’s been two weeks since “summer’s last stand” or Chicago’s 3rd annual North Coast Music Festival and I’m still having a hard time putting into words a concise non rambling review. I’ve also been attempting to judge North Coast by its own merit but I do have to compare it to Spring Awakening (which I attended) in order to make some of my points make more sense.

The Pros:

Lineup – Unlike Spring Awakening North Coast focuses on 3 genres of music not 1; hip hop, EDM and jam bands vs. just EDM respectively. This is not to say that Spring Awakening was not a great festival to attend, but it’s good to get away from the heavy bass lines and drops even for a few minutes to catch your breath. The music selection also ties into the crowd.

Crowd- With a mix of new age hippies, hipsters (for the jam bands) hip hop enthusiasts and of course the ragers, you saw a pretty diverse crowd which added to the festival experience. This is somewhat comparable to Electric Forest minus the hip hop enthusiasts.

Vendors- I know there are many vendors at each music festival one attends, but North Coast’s selection of merchandise, food and beverage vendors seemed a lot larger. Some did run out of water towards the end of Sunday, but the variety of products attendees had to choose from should be commended.

Prices – Clothing was roughly 20-25$ a Dos Equis beer was $6 red bull $3 and water $2. I don’t think those are bad prices at all when other festivals would charge you $5 for water or upwards of $8 for a beer.

Other – With Groupon hosting its own huge tent with a silent disco (everyone entering received headphones with 2 channels, each channel had a different DJ spinning you could alternate between the two) and Dos Equis having its own birling arena, it kept festival goers occupied while they waited for their favorite acts to hit the stage. There were some performers spotted that walked around all which contributes to a festival feel.

The Cons:

Location – Last time I checked React Presents claims that over 45000 people attended North Coast over the 3 day weekend. That’s only 5000 less of what React claims showed up to their first Spring Awakening Music Festival. The difference is that the 50000+ at Soldier Field had a lot more room to move around. There was never a time where you couldn’t get through from one stage to the next. This should be addressed if North Coast continues to grow in popularity. Union Park might not cut it in the next few years.

Stage Set up- I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I think the North and Coast Stage are way too close to each other. This not only left many gaps in scheduling acts for both stages (when you look at the schedule, acts alternated between the two stages) but also caused a huge stagnant crowd to form very close to the main part of the festival. My suggestion is consolidate to 3 stages giving enough room for maneuverability between stages or maybe put in some kind of other entertainment in the open space. This would also potentially allow that one stage (Dos Equis Stage) to be closer to the major crowds and not stuck in a corner of the park.

Water Refill Stations – With the crowd getting larger each day of the festival which actually caused some beverage tents to run out of water; couple that with Chicago humidity (especially Sunday after a drizzly sat evening) it was a no brainer for North Coast organizers to have water refill stations set up around the festival grounds. The only problem was, I was only able to locate one, which had a 30 minute wait for it by Sunday. Now I know it wasn’t like Spring Awakening where we had the scorching heat of a mid July Chicago summer, but there should have been more water refill stations.

Summary - All in all North Coast Music festival is a great way to end your summer, with a variety of acts and activities that will keep you entertained all 3 days of the weekend. But be prepared to fight your way through the crowds progressively throughout the weekend which makes getting around and getting some food or beer a hassle.I will point out that even though Union Park gets filled quickly it is easily accessible by the green line (even though the stop was packed with people in the evening see picture on the right) and street parking was not that hard to find within a few blocks of the entrance all 3 days.

Below you'll see a recap of the artists I went and saw, for those that i recorded a video theyre located below as well. Also My picture enjoy.

Day 1 Recap

Knife Party

Paul Oakenfold

Axwell

Day 2 Recap

Tommy Trash

Le Bounce

The Rapture

Alesso

Atmosphere

Girl Talk

Day 3 Recap

Savoy

Modestep

Chuckie

Steve Aoki

Avi Sic and Joe Bryl (9pm Groupon Silent Disco)

Pretty Lights

Steve Angello

And now for some photos.

SAMF Official After Movie

2012-09-15T13:04:00.001-05:00

React Presents finally came out with an official after movie for Spring Awakening Music Festival 2012. If you missed it check out the craziness, and well see you next year.

:-D

Tomorrowland 2012 After Movie

2012-09-10T12:46:00.001-05:00

Enjoy all 20 minutes of goodness!!! Get hyped for next year!!!

Tiësto & Steve Aoki "Tornado" OFFICIAL VIDEO

2012-09-06T13:46:00.000-05:00

Tiesto & Steve Aoki's "Tornado" REMIX EP coming out Tuesday September 11th featuring remixes by Kill The Noise feat Polina, Felix Cartal and Angger Dimas on iTunes and Beatport. To promote the ep the music video for "Tornado" came out today,check it out. what do you think of it?

New Music Videos

2012-08-30T19:51:00.002-05:00

New music videos from some heady hitters on DJ MAGs top 100 Dj list were released in the last few days. Steve Aoki's punky "The Kids Will Have Their Say" from his Wonderland cd, and Deadmau5's "Professional Griefers" feat Gerard Way from his upcoming album ">album title goes here<".

Enjoy

My Top 10 for Dj Mag’s Top 100 Djs

2012-08-28T15:26:00.001-05:00

Over the last few weeks I’ve notice a large increase in tweets about peoples top 5 DJ selection for Djmag.com’s top 100 DJ list. Given that voting ends at midnight on August 30th I thought I’d share with you my top 10. Now I know there will be disagreements and I know some of peoples favorites are not on this list. I ranked the DJS not only based on who I actually saw perform live at festivals, concerts and clubs in the last year but also who I know a little bit about and how they contributed to the industry as a whole. This is a very subjective post, so if you disagree I encourage you to leave a comment down below.

10 Fatboy Slim – The last time I remember listening to Fatboy Slim was in the late 90’s. That all changed in the last 12 months as Ultra and Tommorowland both streamed his sets on Youtube. Which might I add he totally killed. It’s good to see that he’s still got its (he’s 49). He sticks to mainly his own stuff and plays an older style of house and EDM but he is mixing in some new things to produce some fun mash ups.

9 Deadmau5 – Though he hasn’t been active much lately, at least not anywhere near Chicago. Deadmau5 has always been a great producer. He also collaborated with DJS in my top 10 before I had an idea who they were. With the upcoming release (September 2012) of his 6^th studio album “>Album title Goes Here<” and the absolute greatness that is “Professional Griefers”(featuring Gerard Way) I’m pretty sure he’ll have a huge impact in the upcoming year.

8 Chuckie- Unfortunately I’ve only seen Chuckie perform live once at the MiD but that was one the best EDM concert I’ve been to in Chicago. It’s probably hard to believe especially with the amount of artists that have visited Chicago in the last year but he just wrecked the place. It’s good to hear some Dirty Dutch house in a market flooded with dubstep.

7 Nervo / Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike - Yes it’s a tie. I saw both duos perform live in Chicago in the past 8 months and they each worked the crowd very well. This was emphasized for both when they played at Tomorrowland 2012. Dimitri Vegas and Like Mikes set stood out in particular but both groups have a bit ways to go in order to make the top 5 in my opinion.

6 David Guetta – Like Fatboy Slim and Tiesto, David Guetta has been in the game for years. Some say he’s “sold out” especially in his last album “Nothing But The Beat” for making songs with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Usher, Will I Am and others. But I’ll play devil’s advocate and say that if anything that shows you how much other artists in other genres not only respect the fact that EDM is on the rise but also HIS quality of work.

Time for the Top 5, You ready?

5 Wolfgang Gartner- I don’t know how he can’t be in the top 5 on this list. Almost every single song of his is a hit and you can’t go wrong with that. He is releasing a CD in 2012 by releasing a few songs at a time and thus far it’s all good, “flux” is nuts and “redline” is great as well. Collaborating with other artists like Tiesto reinforces his standing in my top 5.

4 Skrillex - I cannot skip the king of Dubstep on my top 5. Thought I absolutely love other Dubstep artists(Zeds dead, Doctor p, Excision , Borgore, Flux Pavilion just to name a few) as they bring different flavor to the genre. Skrillex is the face of it and he is paving the way for everyone else with his cult like following of fans. It helps that many of his songs are catchy and well produced, plus almost all remixes he puts out are great as well. He’s come a long way from opening up for Deadmau5 a few years ago at congress to selling out his own shows or headlining festivals.

3 Tiesto – I almost totally excluded Tiesto from my list entirely for 2 reasons. 1) “Elelments of Life” and then later “Kaleidoscope” which had a few hits each (in my opinion), never lived up to his earlier “Just Be” album which was a complete album of hits it will never get old. The later albums also showed he was moving away from trance and moved into more vocal almost pop like sounding songs (which I didn’t like a few years ago). If you are too young to know about “Just Be” release in 2001 look it up if you like trance you’ll like it a lot.

2) The last time I saw him was almost 5 years ago till randomly (split second decision to go to Milwaukee’s Summer Fest 2012) and he was absolutely nuts. I didn’t know he started playing such hard music, like his collaboration with Steve Aoki “Tornado” or “We Own the Night” with Wolfgang Gartner. I can’t wait to see him when he visits Chicago in October part of his college invasion tour, he’ll be playing at the UIC pavilion.

2 Swedish House Mafia –Yes I know it’s not one Dj. But it’s 3 really good DJs. All of which I’ve seen individually at 3 separate venues and 2 countries. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to see them 3 together before they break up the group, we’ll see. Getting back on track what can I say they are great and produce a great amount of good tracks that don’t really get old. Being that they’re in a group it allows them to share each other’s music during individual sets so you’ll never know what kind of mix you will get even though you know what songs to expect.

1 Steve Aoki – Asian Jesus himself is my number one. I’ve had the privilege to see him 3 times in the last year in 3 different venues in 3 different states. All 3 shows he absolutely killed. He uses almost all his own produced tracks which only adds to the reason why he’s my number 1. He’s known to toss in some Tommy Trash or Knife Party mixes for harder versions of songs. You know what to expect when he performs: someone will get caked and he will stage dive. He also likes to bring his friends from Dim Mak’s record label which always guarantees a good time.

Leave some comments down below feedback is always appreciated. If you like what you see share it wherever your <3 desires. If you can’t get enough there are links down below to other social media pages related to this blog.

Wavefront Music Festival After Movie

2012-08-21T20:07:00.000-05:00

Follow this link to see the official after movie. Wavefront Music Festival After Movie

Here's a link to the official website for more info if you are like me and didn't get a chance to go. Wavefront Home Page

Congress Theater praised by locals for improvements

2012-08-21T00:03:00.001-05:00

On August 16 over 60 people including Congress Theater owner Eddie Carranza gathered with his legal team gathered for the third Deleterious Impact/Public Nuisance Hearing. This was the third of three scheduled meetings. In a nut shell a few local residence gave praise to Carranza for his efforts in improve security (now congress events are run by a professional security company who are more visible than previous security guards) and the less obvious noise that is generated during music events at congress (it’s still getting work done to be more sound proof). Residence also mentioned that post venue clean up is getting better in the surrounding neighborhoods. The progress should overshadow the fact that these meetings have generated 9 main points Congress Theater and Mr. Carraza should focus on if they don’t want to lose their liquor license , ranging having a zero tolerance policy for underage drinking (happens all the time at Congress) to keeping a log of all 911 calls and keeping resident informed about upcoming events. One interesting thing to mention is that it seems like people are pushing to possibly make congress events 21+ to eliminate a few of the points (underage drinking and then some).

“I don’t think this progress would have been made if this [putting Congress into the Deleterious Impact/PN hearing process] had not been done” -Assistant City Commissioner Barbara Gressel.

I would have to agree with the above statement. I've been going to Congress for shows for years and I have been able to buy drinks without being 21 in the past. In the past few years tings got better as staff check ID's and give 21+ party goers wristbands to show bartenders who is 21 and who isn't. Security is almost entirely not present or visible after the pat down (to my experience) and we all know what goes on at Congress so I don’t have to say it. If you don’t know, well keep it that way.

Link to entire article HERE

A fourth meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday October 31^st and if things improve this could be the last one.

Enclave

2012-07-29T16:59:00.003-05:00

Torn Up 7/28/2012

God I really hate waking up on Sundays… that being said you know I had a good time last night at Enclave during their Olympic Beach Bash Party.

As always the night started with a pregame which was held at my friends Wriggly Ville apartment,and we all know how good and bad of an idea it is to pregame, especially when you pregame harder than most people party. A few of us hopped into a car and took a nice drive down LSD (lake shore drive see image below).We park the car roughly half a mile or so from the car and proceed on foot only to see that forgot knows what reason there s a shit ton of cops out that night. We play it cool and go stuff our faces and McDonald's, because you know when u party hard you have to load up on fat and carbs. After a few more blocks of walking in we made it to the loft turned club enclave. And here where the shit hits the fan.

We were told that it’s free entry till midnight with the birthday party, BUT of course it is not. Its “always”till 11 says the bouncer. So we pay the$20 to get in. One of two things happened here either A) the club is just milking people for money (which they have the right no it’s a private establishment) or B) whoever the promoter is needs to learn his deals and promotions if he wants people to come back to him.

Walking in you enter a big open space with lots of couches lining the walls where you can sit. There are elevated tables in corners of the room and you have your first bar which gets completely surround and later in the evening it take a while to get a drink ($12 red bull vodka in a plastic cup WTF?!?!). There was a small “beachtent”? I don’t know what to call it set up in the middle of the dance floor to match all the floaties, beach balls, lifeguard towers and dancers dressed in swimwear which matched the theme of the party (THAT’S A PLUS). Some clubs don’t put any effort into the theme they set up. Passed the tent you have another bar the bathrooms (ridiculously SMALL) and the DJ booth which had a runway set up probably for that swimwear model show I did not even catch a minute of. Next to the DJ booth you had more eating and Tables. The music here was good, no one special was DJ at least to my knowledge but I didn’t hear a single song repeat and a lot of the music was HARD which I like so I had a blast.

I have to commend the security inside as well as I got to have a chat wit one due to a funny story. Funny story: I was dancing with this girl and went to dip her, but for some reason beyond my comprehension, maybe my low upper body strength (unlikely),maybe the momentum of her curvy behind being in motion (more likely) I proceeded to NOT ONLY drop her on her booty but fall over as well. I had a good laugh but she walked away, that was my last dance of the night. The bouncer that came up didn’treally give me shit just made sure we were ok, I apologized (NOT TO HER TO HIM)and the situation was over.

All in all I'd visit this place again birthday party or not, but if I’m being told free entry till a certain time I expect it or I’m walking away (I don’t like misinformation). A wristband here would be a no brainer since I don’t remember the last time I paid$12 for a vodka red bull, unless I just haven’t noticed the prices going up.But I don’t plan on doing that again. Wristbands at $45 and last from 10-1 I can make it pay for itself in 1 hour.

Congress Theater Getting Cleaned up?

2012-07-28T15:30:00.002-05:00

Not Necessarily. A few months ago I posted a link to some news article about Congress Theater owner Eddie Carranza having hearings with local authorities and concerned Logan Square residents about improving conditions of the theatre to eliminate some of the noise pollutions during music venues. Having security issues during and after the shows also does not help Congress Theatre as there was a sexual abuse incident after this year’s New Years eve Rusko concert with also parks the communities concerns.

Nothing was announced by Carranza till now. The plan is to turn the ground floor of the building into about a dozen storefronts to encourage entrepreneurs and pump some money into the theater which would (SHOULD) be invested in some much needed renovations. Another part of this plan is to potentially purchase Portage Park on the north side, but that seems like an unnecessary stretch. Finish work on one theatre (before you lose it) and then buy another one that seems like a more logical resolution to this.

Link to the full article is below. The 3rd and last hearing for Congress Theater is on August 16 so stay tuned to see what happens.

Congress Theater Renovations/ Expansion?

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"the Hooping Life" Chicago Premier

2012-07-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

7/22/2012

This weekend’s Sunday fun day I spent at a promotional event for the hula-hooping documentary “The Hooping Life” which was hosted in a North side Chicago loft or Catalyst Collective. Through casual conversation I learned this loft is one of several lofts (one of which is close to The MiD) around Chicago that host these type of events as well as others, and that this could be the “Sea House”. All of this and the fact that the address of the location was not given out till the morning of the event and only if you bought a ticket to the event or RSVP’D points to the fact that this was organized by Chicago’s underground scene. This is awesome as I haven’t been to an underground event/party for some time.

The even had hooping workshops from 1pm till 430pm ranging from beginner to higher level trick workshops. Following the workshops everyone was treated to several performances, ranging from individual hoopers to belly dancers to pyrotechnic performances (my favorite). All of which were very awesome. (SOME PHOTOS AND VIDEOS BELOW). At 6pm it was time to view the movie which gave you a brief history how the hula-hoop transformed from this common household children’s toy to something that could create an artistic movement and even save someone’s life, through that movement. After the movie ended roughly 8pm you had a marching band open with a 20+ minute jam session. When the band finished the DJ on hand played tunes for everyone to jam to till 10pm.

Though I don’t Hoop and probably will never start (ill stick to liquid raving, playing with glow sticks and glow stringing) it was a fun event to attend. Got a chance to mingle and meet a few new friendly faces from around Chicago. I made some connections also if ever needing entertainment for a party if I were to throw one. My friends who started hooping a few weeks ago had a blast as they learned some new moves and got to perfect their craft.

Here's "The Hooping Life" Trailer

http://spanproductions.com/film/ <<<<Link to Film info

Ishkur's Guide To Electronic Music

2012-07-24T21:02:00.000-05:00

I'm super excited to share this with you because I remember seeing this for the first time years ago, and it opened my eyes to how many sub genres there really could be in EDM. Its also nice to see how it all came about and to see where each genres roots are. With all the different sound samples on this site you can explore your favorites and maybe find some new ones.

Follow this link and enjoy!!

Proof - Chicago

2012-07-15T16:13:00.001-05:00

Partied on 7/14/2012

Holy hangover helper!! I need one!! That being said you'd think I have many good things to say about Proof, but I don't. But I also don't have many bad things to say, simply put there's not much to say about Proof and that's good and bad.

Proof is located on Chicago's famous rush street and occupies the same space that Level occupied some time a go. It's a stone throws away from Le Passage, whoops I mean Board Room (seriously why do these clubs change names and or management almost yearly) and other bars and restaurants. So its in a perfect spot to party hop if you decide to do so.

On Proof's main level you have two bars lining one wall and are divided by an elevated DJ booth. On the opposite wall up a few steps you have lots of room to sit and chill if you have bottle service. This area is slightly lit and the decor is very nice. The rest of the club is super dark which can make for interesting situation when dancing with someone and not being able to see their face. The space between the bars and seating is the downstairs dance floor. On each end of the building you have stairs that take you to the second floor.

On the second floor there is a second DJ booth and another bar. Up here you'll also find lots of room to sit and you don't have to have bottle service, thank god!! Not everyone who wants to sit wants to pay a few $100 for a bottle worth $30 c'mon now people there's a recession out there, or so i hear.. Bathrooms are located upstairs and downstairs.

I told myself I wouldn't mention the crowd in my reviews of Chicago clubs just because I assumed it would always be the same, but given that there were a few birthday parties and bachelorette parties at Proof last night it made the night that much more enjoyable. Also I'm glad to report I didn't have any run in with tools and douches which was a pleasant surprise. This means either they weren't there or I was having too much fun with my friends to even notice. I must give props to their staff as everyone is super nice, even the bouncers which you don't see often.

Proof in a nutshell is a fun place to go when having a reason to go like someones birthday. It doesn't have anything that particularly stood out to me to make me want to go back on a regular basis. Maybe it was an off day I'm not sure. But purely because of location and that the staff is so friendly it's a place worth visiting.

P.S getting a $35 wristband to drink for free till 1(or was it 2?) is always a good idea $45 wristband gets you top shelf, but buying shots which aren't covered in the wristband...not a good idea haha.

Did you ever go to Proof? what do you think? Leave a comment down below.