In the nine months that The Mid has been open in Chicago’s West Loop, this club/venue has welcomed a truly random but top shelf array of DJs and live acts. The spot’s Friday night series, Mayhem at The Mid, has especially seen some influential talent step to the stage, including Mad Decent chief Diplo, pioneering DJ Afrika Bambaataa, and UK dub steppers Skream and Benga. There’s no reoccurring genre heard here; just acts that can draw a crowd (often capacity) with their signature styles.
When it comes to street art, graffiti, or any artwork that winds up in public, there’s a certain process involved that can be as interesting as the final piece itself. With The Chicago Street Art Show, the work of Chicago-based artists like Don’t Fret, Chris Silva, Goons, and Mental 312 is hardly framed in a neat display; this show held at the Chicago Urban Art Society exists freely on and off the walls of the gallery, allowing people to really see the work and layers involved in contemporary street art. Personally getting to witness the final day of setup for this show illustrated how much life these pieces take on—especially when multiple artists bring their individual visions together.
“Psycho Dwarf,” “Hit Me With That,” “Get Funky,” “Off The Books,” “No Escapin This”— these are just a handful of hip-hop hits from Queens, New York’s long-lived duo The Beatnuts that will instantly evoke head nods. Fan or not, it’s hard to deny the potency of these two beatsmith/MCs Psycho Les and Juju’s sample-centric, hard-hitting productions. Hell, even J Lo’s team jacked the same Enoch Light disco sample that The Beatnuts used for their club-ready and biggest single ever, “Watch Out Now.” They may not be known as critically-acclaimed lyricists, but as Blaq Poet rhymed on Da Nuts 1997 track, “Thinkin’ Bout Cash,” “The beats are nuts so you critics can’t say shit!”
15-plus years into his career and internationally known producer/selector DJ Vadim is still finding new sounds to tap into while keeping his true school hip-hop foundation in tact. A large part of the multi-hued Vadim experience derives from the vast selection of artists he winds up working with—those who aren’t always the most known but who undeniably click with Vadim sonically. While touring his last solo album, U Can’t Lurn Imaginashun, in 2009, Vadim brought along two then up-and-coming artists who were featured on that very project: UK singer Sabira Jade and Chicago MC Pugs Atomz.
Prior to 2010, far too few were familiar with the talent of vocalist/MC/producer Aloe Blacc. This well-versed musician out of Orange County (now based in L.A.) has been releasing dynamic hip-hop with his longtime friend Exile as the group Emanon since the late-90s. Emanon’s last album, 2005’s The Waiting Room, was notably diverse drawing from reggae, folk, and much more. The LP was well received by those who heard it—just as Aloe’s solo debut Shine Through (released the following year) was. But Shine Through saw Aloe expand his vocal range from rapper to straight up singer who explored his Panamanian, Afro Latin roots with Cumbia-styled tracks while also tapping into his new soul sound.
Bands who bring their own light setup to a show in a modest-sized venue clearly have an appreciation for their audience. In a sense, it’s a statement that the live show experience is about more than the music—one that young Australian rock quartet The Temper Trap regularly makes on stage.
After being intrigued by the band’s highly visual set at their Hard Rock Lollapalooza after show, I made sure to catch their next Chicago appearance at Metro. This sold out performance featured lead vocalist/guitarist Dougy Mandagi and bandmates recreating their debut and only album, Conditions (along with a couple new, unreleased tracks), with each song enhanced by an all-out light spectacle—one that gave this photographer a welcome challenge to keep up with.
Driving around Chicago with hip-hop eccentric Kid Static in his ‘95 Toyota Tercel (with a suped-up engine), there’s no mistaking how connected this adventurous MC/producer is to the people of his city. Going from a meeting at the headquarters of the new artist development resource site Veoba near Wicker Park to downtown and eventually back to his home studio in Humboldt Park, this towering dynamo doesn’t slack off. Admittedly, today is busier than average, but on this overcast afternoon he appreciates the opportunity to move his music forward and just talk with some of the many folks on the scene he has met over the past five years. During a brief stop at Kinko’s, Kid Static reveals that a trip he’s taking the following day to L.A. is actually a precursor for his move out West to expand his recording career. While surprising news, it also makes this day around his city all the more significant.