The Gramaphone Records Blog

After a little break, our Phonocast series is back – this time with rising star and Gramaphone affiliate Jay Caston mixing the beats. Presumably recorded in one of several in-store jams he had earlier this spring, the selections move from chunky slow house to raw techno, and then finally thaw towards the end with some warmer chords. This entry is short and sweet, and well worth checking for the sounds that are shaping some of Gramaphone’s uptempo offerings today and into the future.

Phonocast 16 - Jay Caston Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As part of his nation-wide tour, Andrew Emil will be hooking up with Michael Serafini and Garrett David at Queen! on Sunday via Change Request, his very own eclectic musical compilation. This night of naughtiness will be $7 dollars, 21+, and a total wild card. Unlike the ones in Uno, this wild card is guaranteed to be good.

Andrew Emil’s classical music background primed him to join the ranks of the fast-paced Chicago music scene. Marching to the beat of his own drum, he used to put on gallery shows with his brother while studying at Columbia College. Graffiti, art, and music flew together like magnets to form what is now known as Change Request. Emil’s goal is to reinvent R&B by mixing in some house and making it the creme de la creme in avant-garde ear candy.

This is a Queen! with a big question mark after it. To find out the answer, come to the show at 10 PM tonight. Smartbar is located at 3730 N. Clark St.

Taken from Danny Wolfers‘ unusually clean-cut album, The Paranormal Soul, comes the first single with remixes from the unusually abstruse studios of Actress. Where the original material tidied up Legowelt’s electro sound for maximum dancefloor impact and raw appeal, Actress takes that source material and drags it in the opposite direction.

The two takes here are essentially different arrangements of the same basic concept, once in the roughly house-friendly 120BPM range, and once at a lumbering half-tempo gait down around 50BPM. These are chunky beats laid over a droning, drifting, dry-wash of pads and vocals, rolling on a bit aimlessly towards hypnosis.

Visit or call Gramaphone Records today!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683

3 Chairs is a collaboration between prolific Detroit beatdown house heavyweights Theo Parrish, Kenny Dixon Jr., Rick Wilhite, and Marcellus Pittman, so it’s with some degree of self-awareness that they’ve titled this rare outing (with 6 years having passed since their last EP.)

Braggadocio (or sass) aside, this is a record that Detroit heads would be well-advised to check out while it’s still available. With contributions evident from each member, some trademarks are more evident on one track or another. Theo Parrish’ drifting piano and dreamy loops (see Parallel Dimensions) are the centerpiece of Elephant Ankles, whereas the raw spontaneous programming of Marcellus and Rick Wilhite is more evident on 6 Mile, and the rhythmic idiosyncracies of KDJ’s recent outings seem to step to the forefront on Celestial Contact.

All that in mind, there has been so much cross-influence throughout their careers as solo outings, the individual contributions to this project could be anyone’s guess – most importantly it’s exciting to have them all releasing in one package, and while this record doesn’t immediately transcend their individual outputs, it’s a worthwhile outing and hopefully a sign of more work to come.

Visit or call Gramaphone Records today!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683

Roll in the riches of royalty this Sunday night for only $7 dollars. Queen! is happening at 10 PM for all 21+, and Derrick Carter, Michael Serafini, and Garrett David want you there with them. Since Garrett David released his new record on April 18th, there will likely be some new grooves to keep everyone entranced. Watch out for Ruby Dee, a fresh face to keep you entertained at this weekly disco throw down. Smartbar is located at 3730 N. Clark St.

Vereker debuts for L.I.E.S. with a pair of 12″s that fit right in.

Rosite is a trio of stripped-down, distorted, loopy, in-your-face, stomping house music. With each limited to only a few distorted drum machine sounds and a synth line, Rosite is the most dancefloor-aiming with it’s 3 hit acid line, Falling on B2 is the most interesting with a deeper synth part and a growling processed vocal.

Much the same for Fear Eats The Soul, a trio of heavily distorted, straight-ahead acid tracks. For those who can’t get enough of the L.I.E.S. sound, these will be welcome additions to the library.

Visit or call Gramaphone Records today!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683

Whoever says disco is dead is wrong. Crafty costume design went live as Mindy Sherman donned an intricate disco ball outfit on Saturday, April 20, 2013 for Resonate 8.0: Year of the Snake. Illuminated from head to toe, MINLIGHT was a walking flashback, but in a good way. Of the community, she said : “FreakEasy has got to be one of the biggest personal networking events, where so many people seek to engage and inspire one another… this might be the exact essence behind the creative outpouring and expression through costumes, decorations, performances and random acts of kindness and love. That then gets networked with the right people to make even more happen.” On-lookers showed off their own shimmery pants and LED-studded hula hoops while shaking Sherman’s costume like a maraca to compliment the reggae dub beats.

Wigs spanned the spectrum of the rainbow at Metro/Smartbar’s peaceful free-for-all. In accordance with the 10 principles of Burning Man, this mini-festival attracted over 1600 people from far and wide, packing the place to its maximum capacity and spanning 3 floors of brick and mortar near Boystown.

Christopher Breedlove chose a corner of the main gallery to make snake stencils for t-shirts. The snake was reminiscent of Franklin’s “Join or Die” snake cartoon from the French-Indian war, but a lot more trippy. Breedlove waxed sentimental about the magic of Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Directly upstairs was Burners Without Borders, an NGO that focuses on disaster relief within local and international communities. Volunteers were passing out pamphlets of poetry written by preteens in prison. Part of an initiative to engage adolescents in artistic expression, the project espouses the communal aspect of the event.

Meanwhile, Knock Knock Hot Spot’s burlesque beats lead into gravity-defying human pyramids with hoops arranged like Stonehenge. “Call on the devil and an angel will come to the rescue.” That’s what happened when Peanut, an oil painter, displayed her work in a cozy 3rd floor corner. The art installations were balm for the glazed eyes gazing at the canvasses, waiting to be emblazoned with meaning.

CLEU–Consciousness, Life, Earth, Universe. These are the principles by which several members of the various tribes live. And the Russian Doll pins at the emPOWERtool photo booth reminded people that there is always more than meets the eye.

From the flame throwing in the courtyard to the unofficial rave in the basement, Resonate was a smorgasbord of tastes and talent. Snakes hold the power of regeneration, and this year’s Resonate proved that the community can connect and resonate with one another time and time again. With preparations for next year’s event will be underway in no time. If you are interested in getting involved, visit the Freakeasy website or contact Matt Fusello for more information.

Ninja Tune Official and PBR bring you an in-store DJ set by Bonobo on Record Store day at Gramaphone. Take a late lunch break and come out to hear them play at 2 PM on April 20, 2013–also known as Record Store Day. Ninja Tune is a UK-based, underground, experimental record label that has a penchant for defying tradition. Simon Green (aka Bonobo), Emika, Dorian Concept, and other artists are listed under this notorious name. Gramaphone is located at 2843 N. Clark St.

If you think you missed this year’s Chinese New Year spectacular, think again. The only celebration that counts is happening this notorious Saturday, April 20th at the Metro and Smartbar. The Freakeasy brings you Resonate 8.0, an unpredictable multimedia gallery composed of local and traveling artists. The doors open at 9 PM, 21+, and tickets are $28 dollars, which is a bargain considering all the eclectic tastes housed under one roof. This all-building event will turn the venues you know so well into mazes. You can find your way out, but chances are you’ll want to stay until 5 AM.

Resonate 8.0 is the longest-running electronic dance music collaboration put on by members and affiliates of Chicago’s Burning Man community. Drum aficionado Radiohiro, Chicago’s Nate Manic, and Toronto’s Freedom Danish will make you do a double take. Radiohiro’s sound is a melange of Asian underground, Bollywood dance, and deep drum beats that’ll make you move like a boa constrictor. If you feel like getting freaky, tribal dance, flame circles, and burlesque performances will be served to help you access the corners of your spiritual consciousness.

Boredom is a state of mind, not a fact. And it’s much too early to define reality right now. The people putting on this funky DIY party request that you follow their four simple rules: Ask first, respect community, leave no trace (not even harmless feathers), and dress to kill. Smartbar is located at 3730 N. Clark St.

Local collaboration live project Beyond Luck presents a fine vinyl debut with their new self-released 7″. Carefully selected for the format, they’ve grabbed a pair of their housier joints for this record. Pairing each with a vocal accompaniment, these are reminiscent of some Detroit influences in addition to their obvious Chicago roots. The raw drum programming and dry groove will almost certainly appeal to fans of Wild Oats and Three Chairs.

For those who just can’t get enough – Beyond Luck has also self-released a mini-album via Bandcamp, available here. Even better, catch them live in Chicago when you can.

Visit or call Gramaphone Records today!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683