Duke Shin

London-based Kode9 has been at the forefront of the dubstep scene since his label Hyperdub's inception in 2004. Establishing himself as something of a tastemaker and ambassador for the scene internationally, Kode9's rep has grown immensely on the strength of both his label's amazingly consistent output and his own renowned DJ sets (namely, a blistering set at Sonar 2007). Of course, any mention of Kode9 would be incomplete without the mutual mention of Burial (dubstep's faceless pseudo-celeb), whose music never would have seen the light of day if not for Kode9's A&R smarts and recognition of the singular, prodigious talent. At the end of the day, given the man's penchant for sharply literate, academic exposition on the direction of both his own music and the music of the dubstep movement at large, one senses that Kode9's progressive vision of the future for this music is one that up-and-comers in the dubstep world would be wise to use as a guiding light. For a peak into the expansive dubstep landscape of the hear-and-now, and a snapshot of what its future might have in store, Kode9 remains the music's unparalleled, iconoclastic musical documentarian.

Kode9, Chris Widman, Faded at Sonotheque, 1444 West Chicago, (312)226-7600, July 5 from 9pm-3am. $15.

(2008-07-01)

Also by Duke Shin

Tommie Rock Opera
Excited to come back to his childhood home that once launched his DJ career, Tommie looks back fondly at the time spent here in Chicago
(2008-06-24)

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Blog house?! That’s what passes for sub-genres these days? Hell, at least other sounds similarly maligned with bad labels get somewhat descriptive names that hint at what’s to be expected—like, say, "fidget-house" or "dub-step." You can’t blame the artists for stupid names, but you can blame the So-Cal spawned Acid Girls for the enthusiastic response their music causes
(2008-06-24)

Tip of the Week
Sure, it’s been a minute since Crobar was musically relevant in this city, but from time-to-time they do sneak in a surprise booking here or there to supplement their cheddar guest hosts (see: reality TV, Playmates) and dubious commercial remix/proggy-house lineups. House legend Erick Morillo and Dutch electro-rogue Jamie Fanatic recently dropped by, and tonight, another global superstar materializes to grace Crobar’s balcony DJ booth: French disco/house heavyweight Bob Sinclar
(2008-05-20)

Spin Control
Philipp Jung sits at a Swiss restaurant in Berlin and waits for his order during a rare two-day stretch at home between touring. Joining him at the table are some new friends from Iceland, where Jung and his partner-in-crime Patrick Bodmer recently holed up to start work on what will hopefully become their full-length album debut
(2008-05-06)

Tip of the Week
(2008-05-06)

Tip of the Week
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Spin Control
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Tip of the Week
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Still Leaning, Still Bouncing
(2008-03-18)

Spin Control
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Spin Control
(2008-02-06)

A Farewell to Ohms
(2008-01-29)

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