Tal Rosenberg, Reader digital content editor, is obsessed with …
Kurt Vile, Wakin on a Pretty Daze The album everyone in Logan Square will be playing outside in the sun all summer long. Vile somehow outdoes 2011’s great Smoke Ring for My Halo, which is no easy feat. He has a particular talent for knowing which chord sequence he can play for ten minutes without boring you to death. Listen to “KV Crimes” while strutting; listen to “Too Hard” while ruminating; listen to “Goldtone” forever.
Searchl1te, producer, DJ, arts educator
DSI Tempest Dave Smith Instruments’ new Tempest, a six-voice analog drum machine that doubles as a synth, is a sick studio production tool and a nerve center for live performance—a rare combination. It’s the kind of instrument that continues to reveal itself to me every time I use it. Not only do DSI and collaborator Roger Linn share a commitment to evolving the Tempest’s functionality, the geeky coven of Tempest users ceaselessly cranks out new drum sounds and kits.
Major Lazer Reggae music has a huge influence on society. I know that the more positive aspects of our culture can have a healing effect. I also believe the way to spread that message is at parties. Since the Max-a-Million days I’ve been one of the artists experimenting, mixing reggae with various forms of Chicago-based (and then world) club music. In 2009 Major Lazer dropped, mainstream though they may be, and bolstered reggae overall.
