RECOMMENDED Ryan Raddon grew up in the shadow of house music, attending Glenbrook North and driving into the city to pick up records at Gramaphone. Eventually relocating to Utah for school, his casual interest in music blossomed into a one-man scene, introducing Salt Lake citizens to deep house as a promoter and DJ. Eventually landing an A&R position with OM Records, Raddon soon launched his own jackin’ persona in Kaskade, and his sunny beats soon made the perma-soul-patched DJ the new millennium’s next house cover star. Since then, Kaskade has released three albums—the latest on electronic mega-label Ultra (home to the likes of Tiësto and David Guetta). Although deep-groove-loving heads might bemoan the decidedly mainstream sound that Kaskade has evolved into (read: vocal, melodic…slight cheddar overtones) two hard-working up n’ comers are on the bill to buttress the evening. Chris Grant opens with his smooth mixes and production work and remixes that have earned him notice in URB Magazine and numerous guest-spots around the city. And promising new label head Nate Manic closes out the night with a bag full of current and future releases from his own Bad Advice Records—which just might change the local perception of his range. While Manic has opened for a wide-range of artists from DJ Krush to Ian Pooley, he’s generally been booked in Chicago as support for DJs on the deeper-tip. But judging from his recent techy, fidgety, bass-heavy productions, things will go a bit wonky when Kaskade finishes enthralling the bleached and tanned masses—and I mean that in the best way possible. (Duke Shin)
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
