Chromeo
The Congress Theatre – Chicago, IL
10/30/2009

Friday night’s Freaky Deaky show delivered a good dance party perfect for Halloween weekend. Specifically the performance by Montreal’s electrofunk duo Chromeo.

Playing to a sold out crowd at the Congress Theatre, Chromeo delivered one of the best times I’ve had at a show this year. I can’t say the best things about the sound at the Congress Theatre but even one of the worst venues in the city can’t bring down Chromeo’s groove.

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Crystal Castles
The Congress Theatre – Chicago, IL
10/30/2009

Crystal Castles are hands down one of the hottest electronic acts out. I can not recommend them enough.  The tracks on their self titled debut are ridiculously infectious and reassure my every reason for loving electronic music. With such a distinctive sound, I feel privileged to have come across them. They are no doubt on their way to classic status. Read the rest of this entry »

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Boys Noize
The Congress Theatre – Chicago, IL
10/30/2009

Boys Noize is a young German producer by the name of Alex Ridha and whose work I’d consider some of the most solid out right now.

Most notably compared to acts like Justice or MSTRKRFT, Boys Noize can stand alone with no problem. Having produced remixes for major acts like Bloc Party, Feist and Depeche Mode, he’s made a name for himself as one of the most exciting DJs to look out for, pumping out most of his material through his own Boys Noize Records. BN’s 2007 debut Oi Oi Oi was very well received and considered to be one of the best electronic albums released that year.

Friday nights Freaky Deaky set at the Congress Theatre was a perfect match up of some of the hottest electronic acts out and Boyz Noize was an appropriate participant. If you want to keep the party going at 2 in the morning, after hours of dancing, put on a little Boys Noize and you’re set. Boys Noize was the perfect finisher for a fantastic dance party.

Boys Noize latest effort entitled Power is out now on Last Gang Records.

Check out http://www.myspace.com/boysnoize to learn more.

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Oxford Collapse
Park West
Chicago, IL
11/13/2008

Thursday night Brooklyn rockers Oxford Collapse opened for Kaiser Cheifs at the Park West. They’ve been around the past few years but don’t seem to be making too much noise although they have gained attention from both SPIN and Pitchfork Media. With 4 albums out, including 2006’s Remember the Night Parties, they do a pretty good job at pumping out material. I have to say that I love the cover of the latest album BITS.

This was the second time that I’ve seen Oxford Collapse this year and I didn’t notice much difference. A short set with a few jokes in between. The joke of the evening was “make sure you get out and vote” and it had already been eight days after the election. Oxford Collapse play hard and get pretty loud but since the Park West seems to have more of a lounge feel, I don’t think it was the ideal venue for them. In the end things worked out and people made their way to the standing area from the booths and tables in the back. If you dig the sound of bands like the Liars or Ra Ra Riot you should have no problem throwing in a little Oxford Collapse in between. They’ve got that indie sound but sway a little towards punk with groovier bass lines. A little 80’s actually. BITS is out now on Sub Pop Records.

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Flobots
The Vic
10/19/2008

Flobots are a rock/hip hop group from Denver who gained success with their hit “Handlebars“. You know that one song, “I can ride my bike with no handlebars…” Yeah, those guys.

This band has the basic guitar, bass, and drums set up but they also come with 2 MC’s, a trumpet player, and a violist. They manage to incorporate those pieces and still identify as rock music (with a bit of hip hop of course). Pretty impressive. Their album Fight With Tools is out now on Universal.

More photos after the jump…

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Matisyahu
The Vic
10/19/2008

Known mostly for being a Hasidic Jew, Matisyahu (born Matthew Paul Miller) has received lots of praise from the reggae world in the short time he’s been around. The New York rapper has three albums out and a few remix EPs. The last studio album released was 2006’s Youth but we can expect a new album entitled Light out early next year.

Not to be confused with dancehall, Matisyahu sticks with styles closer to Roots Reggae with rock riffs and beat-boxing in between. On the studio albums the rock and hip hop influence can really be heard but live, reggae takes the spotlight. “Live at Stubbs” is one of my favorite reggae albums and believe me, good reggae is hard to come by these days.

Follow the jump for more photos…

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Remember the “King Without a Crown” song? You know, that fresh reggae track that Q101 debuted here in Chicago a couple years ago? Unless you were living in a hole the past couple of years, there’s really no way you don’t know about Matisyahu or you at least have heard about “that one rapping Hasidic Jew.”

Well, a few things have changed since his debut, but he’s still pumping out great reggae tracks that carry lots of rock weight. A little beatboxing too! If you didn’t catch him back in July at Ravinia, Matisyahu will be back in town this Sunday with special guests Flobots.

If you want to check him out before the show, Youth and No Place to Be are both out now on Sony BMG.

Catch Matisyahu this Sunday 10/19 at The Vic Theatre!

Visit www.ticketmaster.com for tickets.

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Kaki King
Park West – Chicago, IL
10/13/2008

Kaki King is known for her unusual technique for playing the guitar. An amazing musician, the Atlanta native slams and rubs against the frets of her guitar and has spectacular picking talents.

I first heard of Kaki King when 2004’s Legs to Make Us Longer was out. One morning, the sound system at work was blasting this loud, very rhythmic instrumental piece and I had to find out who it was. The co-worker who brought it in showed me the album and I ended up buying the CD that day.

Everybody Loves You (2003) and Until We Felt Red (2006) are also out on Velour Recordings.

King recently toured with the Foo Fighters, whom she’s also lent her talents on their latest album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. She’s currently out promoting her latest album Dreaming of Revenge.

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The Brazilian Girls
The House of Blues – Chicago, IL
10/3/2008

Despite their name, the Brazilian Girls are not from Brazil and only have one female member. Lead singer Sabina Sciubba sings in about five different languages, and summing up their music in one word is very hard to do. They’re commonly described as “world” music and I’d say that’s fitting because this New York band’s sound contains everything from electronica to reggae. Mostly electronic/dance/bossanova/whatever else you can think of. All around a very eclectic sound.

Brazilian Girls released their self-titled debut album back in 2005 and followed that up with 2006’s Talk To La Bomb. They released their third studio album New York this past August.

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Does It Offend You, Yeah?

This electro-punk act will be stopping in Chicago this Wednesday as apart of their current U.S. tour. The four-piece from Reading England have been gaining a lot of buzz and landed a spot at this years Lollapalooza Music Festival. If you haven’t heard of them, I would suggest you dig right in, blindfolded.

Their debut album You Have No Idea What You Are Getting Yourself Into is packed with energy & ridiculousness. But with song titles such as “Attack of the 60 ft Lesbian Octopus” what else would you expect?

I’ll admit I’m pretty excited about this show and earlier this week I got a chance to speak with lead singer James Rushnet to find out a little more…

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