Disco has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance over the last few years thanks in part to DFA, the New York-based indie record label and production team behind The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, and Hercules and Love Affair. While DFA’s bands have managed to garner mainstream awards and maintain underground credibility through several hit albums and singles, some of the artists have been moonlighting from their “day jobs” to take a turn behind the tables. Pat Mahoney, LCD Soundsystem’s drummer, and Andy Butler, Hercules and Love Affair’s songwriter/front-man, are co-headlining as DJs on the “Special Disco Version” tour, bringing a new-school touch of dance music to old-school disco. Both Mahoney and Butler champion the idea that disco is not a dirty word, sharing a love for the music that spawned house and influenced early hip-hop. That appreciation will be apparent as they explore the rich musicality of disco, whose soulful and funky roots clearly got lost in the hazy fog of seventies nightclubs where the glamor, the fashion and the party scene took precedence. (Al de Leon)
February 27 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, $10 before midnight, $12 after.
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.
