tonite...abstract science event! PLAID @ empty bottle
featured in the chicago reader
the empty bottle and wluw present
abstract science 10th anniversary celebration featuring
PLAID [warp, uk] + video artist BOB JEROC
WLUW djs CHRIS WIDMAN, LUKE STOKES [LSE] + HENRY SELF
9:30pm | $15 emptybottle 1035 n. western | www.emptybottle.com
PLAID characterized by deft orchestration and its patience in both evolution and execution, the music of plaid neatly mirrors the career arc of childhood friends ed handley and andy turner. a love of hip-hop and breakdancing was quickly transformed by the UK’s embrace of electronic dance music, as the wave of detroit techno propelled handley and turner’s first cassette release in 1988 and their first collaboration with ken downie as black dog productions in 1989. the first proper plaid lp, mbuki mvuki followed in 1991, but black dog’s inclusion in the high-profile 1992 artificial intelligence compilation—from sheffield’s then budding warp records—brought a cult following and secured most of the duo’s efforts for the next few years. culminating in production work for bjork in 1995 (and in turn, bjork’s appearence on plaid’s successful debut album for warp in 1997 “not for threes”), handley and turner gradually receded from black dog to focus on plaid, and in the process become a staple of warp records, releasing five lp’s, a peel session and numorous 12”s. plaid, more than many of their contemporaries, continue to emphasize the connection between hip hop, electro and british experimental techno, integrating playful dancefloor/pop sounds (from the constant developments in breakbeat music to the robot-pop of kraftwerk) with the eerie futurist vision of detroit techno.
don’t miss this intimate performance at the empty bottle (plaid’s first chicago appearance in nearly 4 years) featuring video artist bob jeroc. www.plaid.co.uk
ABSTRACT SCIENCE Broadcast every Thursday night on listener-supported community radio station WLUW at 88.7 FM in Chicago and wluw.org, abstract science is “future music” – the constant evolution and influence of modern electronic music in its varied forms on a global level, from roots in funk, jazz, dub and soul. In a time when the majority of electronic music is mass-produced and highly disposable, abstract science engages it’s audience with genuinely innovative and relevant programming, proving itself mandatory listening for those who realize that popular culture is neither.
2007 marks the tenth anniversary of abstract science on the airwaves, boasting a history of over 2,000 hours of airtime, hundreds of hours of archives at abstractscience.net, as well as many successful club residencies and special events. childhood friends, chris widman and henry self first broadcast abstract science on KCOU 88.1FM in missouri and, with the help of luke stokes, brought the show to WLUW in 2000. in addition to providing an educational and expressive blend of traditional radio programming and live dj mixes, the trio routinely work to showcase influential artists (such as luke vibert, monolake, DJ Krush, Meat Beat Manifesto, Jaga Jazzist and Ryuichi Sakamoto) by recording exclusive live performances for re-broadcast on air and streaming online.
abstract science explores innovative electronic music and it’s roots every Thursday 10pm-2am CT on WLUW-Chicago 88.7FM. www.abstractscience.net
CHRIS WIDMAN “the soundtrack pulses, shimmers, and echoes with creeping tension” Chicago Reader
Chris Widman is a DJ that defies easy classification. Host of the weekly radio program Abstract Science since it’s inception in 1997 and a DJ since 1995, his cohesive sets intertwine records from across the electronic music spectrum and beyond. Widman’s comprehensive approach has led to billing with underground luminaries Amon Tobin, Apparat, Cinematic Orchestra, Daedelus, Deadbeat, Diz, Dosh, Jaga Jazzist, Jan Jelinek, John Tejada, Lady Sovereign, M83, M.Doughty (of Soul Coughing), Mark Rae, Matthew Dear, Monolake, Mr. Scruff, Phon.o, The Orb, Scanner, Sleeparchive, Telefon Tel Aviv and Ulrich Schnauss – not to mention appearances at Resfest, the Chicago World Music Festival, Chicago’s Museum of Contempory Art, Chicago Cultural Center, the Rhinocererous Theatre Festival, LA’s dublab.com, Germany’s Club Bogaloo, and many of Chicago’s choice venues (including Metro, Empty Bottle, Double Door and residencies at Smartbar and Sonotheque.)
HENRY SELF “Auditory bliss… This is uplifting music at its best” URB magazine “Fast becoming among L.A.’s most promising impresarios” Revolution magazine
Equally at home on the dance floors of underground techno parties, disco nights and goth/industrial clubs, Henry Self is a versatile veteran behind the turntables with almost a decade of experience promoting, DJing, producing and remixing a wide range of sounds. From modest beginnings in Kansas City, Missouri to the clubs, warehouses and lounges of Los Angeles, California (where he currently works as an entertainment attorney), Henry has always pushed boundaries with an eclectic, innovative and intelligent mix of classic and groundbreaking music. Henry won BPM Culture magazine’s Next on the Decks Fall 2003 DJ competition and has placed runner-up in the URB mixtape contest.
LUKE STOKES Luke Stokes (Lse) is Chicago based DJ, Deezal Records founder, and co-host of abstract science on 88.7 WLUW-Chicago since 1999. Luke has made a name for himself the last several years by working with record labels such as Invisible & Hefty Records. He has been involved in radio since 1995 when he started work for 88.1 KCOU in Columbia, MO. On top of his radio and label work, luke has also tour managed and done merchandise for several artists in the underground scene such as Chris Connelly, The Baldwin Brothers, Meg Lee Chin, Supreme beings of Leisure, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Pigface, Bile & Dope. He has also toured along side such acts as Damien Rice, Disturbed, Mushroomhead, Corrosion of Conformity and various other groups. Luke is always on the run and seems to be on tour most of the time but usually finds time to be trading spins with his partner’s in crime Chris Widman and Henry Self, playing his signature sound of downtempo, dub, idm, and deep ambient soundscapes laced with sound bytes and spoken word.