RECOMMENDED

If not for the Good Life Café in Los Angeles and the open mic night it hosted during the nineties, underground rap stuffs would be dramatically different. Project Blowed, a crew cementing its personality at those gigs, included or bumped up against the likes of Jurassic 5, the Freestyle Fellowship and Busdriver. But all things come to an end. Supplanting the weekly arena to showcase verbal prowess, Low End Theory sprouted up, sporting something of a more professional vibe, if not equally raucous. The Gaslamp Killer, a producer and DJ initially from San Diego and one of the heavies behind solidifying the newer weekly event as integral to the local scene, still hasn’t released a proper long player. Instead, he keeps company with the likes of Flying Lotus and the Brainfeeder Records cohort, dispensing similar minded fare, but only in truncated form.

Separating this SoCal beat miner from label and scene mates is his inclusion of more organic sounds. There’s not the same sort of emphasis on electronic propulsion, seating the Gaslamp Killer somewhere between Daedelus and hordes of Ali Shaheed Muhammad imitators. Releasing a trio of low-key EPs, the producer’s first recorded work, 2008’s “The Killer Robots,” a split with Free the Robots, edged out Mos Def’s use of a legally tenuous Selda Bagcan sample. Including Turkish psychedelia in his music doesn’t distinguish this producer from a handful of others working in the medium. But the Gaslamp Killer’s dedication to mining previously overlooked or utterly obscure cuts for inclusion in his work ties the producer into hip-hop’s lineage. Advancing the genre’s important, but doing it in a thoughtful manner’s tantamount to success. No, the Gaslamp Killer isn’t headlining this gig—that distinction falls to Chicagoan A-Trak as fellow Windy City denizen Kid Sister lends support. (Dave Cantor)

May 5 at the Mid, 306 North Halsted, (312)265-3990. 9pm. $20.

Top 5 Records
Loney Dear, “Dear John” (Polyvinyl)
A.C. Newman, “Get Guilty” (Matador)
Future of the Left, “Travels With Myself and Another” (4AD)
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart” (Slumberland Records)
The Antlers, “Hospice” (Frenchkiss)
—Tom Lynch

Top 5 Albums
Animal Collective, “Merriweather Post Pavilion” (Domino)
Luciano, “Tribute to the Sun” (Cadenza)
Jesse Rose, “What Do You Do If You Don’t” (Dubsided)
The Juan Maclean, “The Future Will Come” (DFA)
The xx, ” xx” (Young Turks)
—Duke Shin Read the rest of this entry »

By Tom Lynch

At the end of each year, media outlets the world over assess the top achievements of the last twelve months, each critic or collective taking a stab at selecting the “best” or “top” records, tracks, live shows and music videos (still!) that have made the grade. Newcity’s no exception, and while I look over the list of releases of 2009 and consider the enormous amount of live shows I’ve attended in the last year, I can’t help but think: so that’s it?

Curiously, most best-of-the-decade lists that are popping up online don’t include many, if any, 2009 releases. Of course, this could be because the albums released this year haven’t had enough time to settle in critics’ hearts and minds, but it’s also possible, maybe even likely, that there isn’t much from this year that’s especially notable. Instead, it’s been a year of non-releases, as many of the top acts in the world were absent in new recorded form, and those established artists that did offer new material came up short. There have been debut records from bands that have been rewarding and show immense promise, but if any of these artists are lucky, their best work lies ahead of them.

Call me a grump, and I’ll nod and shrug, as it wouldn’t be the first time. But there were exactly zero records that were produced this year that I couldn’t stop obsessing over, let alone any that I could look back upon, years in the future, and grin in bittersweet nostalgic recognition as a piece of history, personal or otherwise, that represents this moment in life. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Rusko tapped into the dub sound early on, creating beats and basslines with Iration Steppas while living in Leeds. A trip to London paired him with Caspa and the Sub Soldiers imprint and soon the duo was mixing a Fabric Live CD and collaborating on hit releases. Rusko’s dark, sample-driven style of dubstep morphed into an energetic, floor-filling approach to the sound, gaining him legions of fans and the respect of the globe’s top DJs. The seminal “Cockney Thug” still overwhelms crowds, but young Rusko is poised to reach greater heights. A move to Los Angeles, collaborations with Diplo, and remixes for Kid Sister are proof of his ambition. Rusko’s high energy style of sample-laden dubstep is on display at Smart Bar this weekend, supported by a live performance by Abstract Science’s own, Quadratic. (John Alex Colon)

December 4 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, 10pm.

By Tom Lynch

For people of a certain age, watching Wrestlemania as a child on cable is a beloved memory. For Melisa Young, aka Kid Sister, it’s from that annual tradition that she fell for Koko B. Ware, the “Birdman,” the Hulk Hogan-era African-American WWF wrestler who carried around a pet macaw. “Koko B. Ware” was to be the title of Kid Sister’s debut record, but the Federation—now known as the WWE—wouldn’t even consider allowing Young to use the name.

“We were like, we’ll give you $10,000, and they were like, ‘We’re not even discussing it, it’s not up for debate,’” she says. “It was pretty crushing.”

Such a devotion to nostalgia, to origin, to not-forgetting-where-she-came-from has helped give Kid Sister some street cred and popularity over the last two years, all without having a full-length album. Young possesses a girl-next-door charm—and works it to her advantage, too—so that even if you try to fight it, you find yourself rooting for her. Her Kid Sister moniker helps to immediately position her as the universal girl everyone helps build up and protect.

Her rise as an artist is unique not only for her rapid ascent but also because of her determination to remain true to her vision. Read the rest of this entry »

By Tom Lynch

“Does this mean I can leave early?”

That’s the question I’ve heard most from friends and acquaintances attending Lollapalooza this year as they look over the three-day schedule. That’s because Chicago’s Lollapalooza, in its fifth incarnation since the Grant Park debut in the summer of 2005, hasn’t had a weaker lineup.

Anybody want to disagree? Looking back at previous years, it makes this weekend’s festival seem even thinner. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s the economy, stupid.

Not only has the music industry had to adapt to the growth of digital technology and file-sharing, now everyone’s broke and on the brink of fighting for food. This century has not been kind to record labels, record stores and record manufacturers, not to mention the promoters and venues who’ve seen some declines in business due to—you guessed it—the elevating economic crisis. Top that off with the threat of a Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger and a citywide Promoter’s Ordinance, and the fear is very much real. No matter how good the intentions are of all parties, there may not be enough room for the little guy for much longer.

Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

If A-Trak’s many connections to Chicago—he DJs for Kanye West on tour, produces for Kid Sister and blogs about Hot Doug’s—aren’t reason enough to see him play, then his knack for trendspotting what’s hot in music certainly is. Hip-hop and electronic music isn’t the most likely coupling, but A-Trak bridges both genres, usually at the same time. Born in Montreal, A-Trak was a true prodigy, becoming the youngest-ever DMC World Champion at 15. He has since proven that he’s more than just a scratch artist and beat juggler—he’s a party-rocking savant who cares more about hyping the crowd to hip-hop, electro and house than showing off his technical skills. That’s not to say he’s lost his touch. If you’re a nerdy music head, you’ll still notice how on point A-Trak is at mixing seamlessly and matching an a cappella from a hip-hop anthem perfectly to a tight electronic beat. If you couldn’t care less about Serato or 808 drums, you’ll still marvel at how A-Trak can get you (and everyone else at the club) to dance your asses off when he hits Smart Bar to promote his new mix CD, “Infinity +1.” (Al de Leon)

February 13 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, 10pm.

Turns out the scheduled January release date for the highly anticipated “Dream Date” debut was just a dream after all…I’m told the record has been pushed to March because Young has a handful of tracks that she wants to include on the record that still need some tinkering.

1. This album has been delayed so many times that this is hardly news.

2. It’s still disappointing.

3. If Young delivers on her promise when “Dream Date” does finally see the light of day, no one will remember how many times its release was postponed but the star herself.

The exact date is still TBD. (Tom Lynch)

RECOMMENDED

So, big surprise, “Dream Date” got postponed again. It seems this record has become our local hip-hop equivalent to “Chinese Democracy.” But at least Melissa Young, aka Kid Sister, is still able to keep up the anticipation for the day the album finally drops, and slowly releasing singles helps, as she has with the impressive, catchy “Get Fresh.” Young’s making strides at positioning herself as the new queen of hip-hop—if only “Dream Date” would get released! This is her first show since her best-of-the-day set at Lollapalooza—expect some fireworks. Flosstradamus opens, and at this point I don’t need to tell you what you’re gonna get from that duo. (Tom Lynch)

November 26 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, at 7pm.