With everything that’s been going on politically in the U.S., including the horrific ICE raids in Chicago and other cities, this has been a difficult year to stay focused on writing and music. In terms of new material, I’ve found myself drawn, for the most part, to more ambient fare. One ray of light has been an abundance of live performances by local artists. Below are highlights of some of the releases I’ve been enjoying and shows I’ve seen, but it is by no means a complete list.
Favorite Releases
- adibop & steel tipped dove: Punctiform (Fused Arrow Records)
- Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force w/ Mbene Diatta Seck: Khadim (Ndagga)
- Lamin Fofana: Works in Metal (Honest Jon’s Records)
- Ben LaMar Gay: Yowsers (International Anthem Recording Co.)
- Hieroglyphic Being: The Blessings Vol. 1-7 (Mathematics)
- Makaya McCraven: Off The Record (International Anthem Recording Co.)
- Brendon Moeller: Blue Moon (ESP Institute)
- Natural Information Society: Perseverance Flow (Eremite Records)
- NZO: Come Alive (DDS)
- Purelink: Faith (Peak Oil)
- Wetdogg: Pssssssp… (Hold Me Recordings)
- billy woods: GOLLIWOG (Backwoodz Studioz)
Show Highlights
- March: Natural Information Society and films of Stan Brakhage at the MCA; Norman Long at Elastic Arts.
- April: 30 Years of Ghetto House, Juke, and Footwork at Avondale Music Hall; participating in the Chicago Black Social Culture Map’s “Dance Music, Party Culture, and the Westside” panel; George Lewis speaking about computer music at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music; Elegance Bratton’s Move Ya Body: The Birth of House at the Doc10 Film Festival.
- May: AACM’s 60th Anniversary Concert at the Logan Center.
- June: String Theory at Public Works Gallery; OVC at StretchMetal Sound Market.
- July: Artifacts (Nicole Mitchelle, Tomeka Reid, and Mike Reed) recording live at Constellation.
- August: Purelink and Topdown Dialectic (In Sheep’s Clothing x In Between x Peak Oil) in LA; Traxman with a surprise appearance by DJ Manny at The California Clipper.
- September: Texture 16mm film screening at Elastic Arts.
- October: Jeff Mills & Tomorrow Comes the Harvest at Metro; Autechre at Concord Music Hall; MOTHABOARD (Angel Bat Dawid and Sophiyah E) at The Forum Cafe.
- Throughout: Open Beats at Dorian’s.
