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It takes the Village

With the help of his crew, Kembe X has gone from high school dropout to hashtag hip-hop hustler
Leor Galil - 01/26/2012
In Rotation: Dusty Groove owner Rick Wojcik on early Rod Stewart

Plus: Reader music critic Peter Margasak on grand dame of tropicalia Gal Costa and Dusty Groove buyer Doug Arnold on Yo Gabba Gabba
01/26/2012
Artist on Artist: Joe Henry talks to Steve Dawson of Dolly Varden

The singer-songwriter and accomplished producer tells the Chicago Americana veteran: "When people are the most broken, that’s when they're susceptible to real revelation"
01/26/2012

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Music Column

Miles Raymer

The RIAA's most wanted

Did the feds shut down Megaupload at big content's bidding—to keep the site from launching an iTunes competitor?

Bleader: Music

Crickets / Music / Free Shit More Chi Sounds from Face Melt

Posted by Miles Raymer on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 5:24 PM

Ground Lift Media's beat-maker showcase, Face Melt, will reach its lucky 13th installment at Subterranean on February 24. In keeping with their usual MO, the Face Melt crew have released yet another compilation of instrumentals by local producers from the more experimental corners of Chicago hip-hop, who together form a slightly less whimsical and more pragmatic companion to the Low End Theory scene out in medical-marijuana-giddy Los Angeles. Just like last time, downloading the Face Melt comp for free via Bandcamp will get you free admission to the showcase, which will include some of the featured artists. One of them is Void Pedal, who I like quite a bit.

Ground Lift will present another event slightly sooner: Saturday, February 18, is the latest Chicago installment of the annual Dre Day celebration, which with every passing year comes ever closer to federal recognition. Or at least I hope that's the case.

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Music / Post No Bills Discovering the groovy sounds of Calvin Keys

Posted by Peter Margasak on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 3:03 PM

Today is Calvin Keys's ~~69th~~ 70th birthday. Until recently I knew only that Keys was a jazz guitarist—I'd never knowingly heard any of his work. That's changed thanks to the great Tompkins Square label, which has reissued his 1971 debut album, Shawn-Neeq. The record was originally released by the iconic Black Jazz imprint, an Oakland label that concentrated on a funky, soulful branch of African-American jazz—a kind of proto-fusion, minus the wankery.

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Music / Post No Bills 12 O'Clock Track: Ane Brun, "Do You Remember"

Posted by Peter Margasak on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Ane Brun

There are moments when Norway-born, Sweden-based singer Ane Brun seems a bit too in love with the swoops, dips, and warbles she can execute with her lovely voice, but at her best she's got great pop instincts. Her latest album, It All Starts With One, has been out in Europe since the fall and will finally arrive in the States on May 1. I don't like everything on it, but the first U.S. single, "Do You Remember," has been stuck in my head all week—it's good enough that I'm prepared to forgive the missteps. The percussion-heavy song features typically angelic harmony singing from Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg (aka First Aid Kit, who will play Lincoln Hall on April 6), and its retro-pop melody reminds me a whole lot of Lykke Li, except without the electronics. That's high praise in my book. The song is after the jump.

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Free

Netherfriends (DJ set) @ The Whistler
Woollen Kits @ Permanent Records
Keefe Jackson @ The Whistler

Early Warnings

Mogwai @ Metro
Tech N9ne @ House of Blues
Active Child @ Lincoln Hall
Meshuggah @ House of Blues
Electric Six @ Double Door
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Soundboard

Keefe Jackson See Saturday. Tonight Jackson leads a quartet with fellow reedist Cameron Pfiffner, bassist Anton Hatwich, and drummer Dave Williams; they'll play a …

Woollen Kits See Wednesday …