If you haven’t been to the Sofitel in downtown Chicago it’s really something else. The lobby has light up translucent blocks embedded in its floor, ever-changing floral displays, a really amazing restaurant, and a chic, modernly-traditional bar that evokes hanging out at a rich aunt and uncle’s library, except they were hip enough to include a bar, DJ booth, and some flat screen TVs along with all the seating for their many friends who are entertained by all of the above.

As part of a weekly series featuring digital DJs Jason Patrick, Liz Revision (subVariant, Ramp Chicago, Create Digital Music) and Fred (France - Resident) throw down their own takes on forward-thinking techno in Le Bar while you can experience Pearl infusion vodka tastings [and the Kiwi one is mad tasty, and therefore easy to quaff in multiple], lounge around in a hip space, and observe through the floor-to-ceiling windows drunken-yet-sophisticated passers-by stumble to or from bars onto the Rush Street triangle. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday!

7 PM to 2 AM
@ Sofitel 20 E Chestnut st Chicago
DJs Fred, Jason Patrick, Liz Revision
FREE

From Corey Rusk’s indie-rock powerhouse Touch & Go to the eclectic catalog of Thrill Jockey to hip-hop oasis that is Galapagos 4 and fun-loving rap duo The Cool Kids, music of any and every genre can be found in all corners of the Windy City.

For the next installment of the XLR8R Podcast, we took a look at the music scene in Chicago and pulled together a few of our current and classic favorites for this hour-long mix. We check in with IDM/experimental maverick Liz McLean Knight (a.k.a. Quantazelle), get down with hip-hop duo Qwel & Kip, tune into Kid Sister producer/remixer Gant Man, enjoy some cheeky raps from the aforementioned Cool Kids, and more.
“Chicago Rocks” podcast at XLR8R

PDF Version

Liz McLean Knight, the main human behind Fractalspin is featured on the cover of the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye free magazine for a feature about geek girls, and especially those in Chicago.

“Geek Chic: New generation of women embracing inner geek” [via the RedEye]

If dissassembling computers is geeky and making jewelry is girly, then Liz McLean Knight has found geek-girl nirvana. From her Wicker Park office, Knight, 30, runs a line of accessories make from computer components and sells the “fashionably-geek hipster gear” on a Web site she created, fractalspin.com.
Read more…

Gearwire’s Crosstalk returns from Los Angeles in its new audio podcast format. Bill Holland is joined by Owen O’Malley, and special guest Liz McLean Knight (Quantazelle, Createdigitalmusic.com, Liz Revision). Meet Liz and hear the Crosstalk picks for the best and worst things at Winter NAMM 2008.

Crosstalk 38: Bashing Something That Deserves It — Guitar Hero

Electronic and acoustic musicians and related visuals are projected on he Ice Max Theater. Tonight, Jonah Sharp and Ramp Chicago DJ residents Liz Revision and Emulsion perform withvisuals provided by Video Janitor. Recording extensively as Spacetime Continuum, Edinburgh, Scotland native Jonah Sharp is an ambient music innovator. He helped define the ’90s with his soon to be revived Reflective Records imprint and its original sound of global experimental ambient and techno scene fusion. Sharp has also worked ith many artists including writer and philosopher Terence McKenna, Pete Namlook, Ursula Rucker and Bill Laswell. At the ice bar, Chicago mixologists Adam Seger and Bridget Albert offer samples of their creation, an alcohol-free Blood Orange-Honey Caipirinha cocktail. Admission: FREE. Reservations required. Call 312.742.TIXS (8497).
Starting at about 6:30 they will start releasing any open seats to the rest of the public. People have until that time to claim their reserved seats.

Saturday, February 23, 2008
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Jonah Sharp (San Francisco, Spacetime Continuum, Reflective, Astralwerks)
Tycho (San Francisco, Ghostly International)
Visuals by ISO50 and Video Janitor
Ramp Chicago Laptop DJs between sets
$0 with RSVP to 312-742-TIXS (8497)

Call now to RSVP! There are a limited number of seats (240) and last I had heard was that the rest of the series was close to full too! The series is free and open to the public, but they must RSVP to guarantee a seat(s).

This Sunday come out to Rodan for a live performance by Silences Sumire and a DJ Set by Liz Revision (Quantazelle). Silences Sumire is the collaboration of Charles Gorczynski and Thomas Faulds who work with organic instrumentation and jazz sensibilities in the world of electronic music.

I will play a weirder electronic set in the beginning and then see where it goes from there. I’m scheduled to go on 10:00pm.

Silences Sumire Myspace page

Silences Sumire website with MP3 downloads

Liz Revision DJ Sets

Sunday Feb 10, 2008
Rodan: 1530 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL 60622
10pm

Multimedia artist Kero from Detroit, MI will launch Ramp Chicago’snew residency at Debonair, unleashing his hyper-technical brand of deconstructed genre-bending electro-IDM. Resident DJs Emulsion and Liz Revision support along with resident visualist Spiderback and guest Tesia K. In the same way Ramp has always focused on the dual representation of live video and live PA, Kero works sonically and visually as a musician, designer, and live video artist and provide the perfect introduction to Ramp’s new monthly home.
Read more…

Here is a set I played of all original Quantazelle tracks, most of them unreleased. It’s hosted over at my blog, Liz Revision.

Quantazelle Live at Subterranean

Quantazelle, Coyote DG, Drmlgcc, Garo, Lokua. Live Video by: Glen Stephani, The Machinist, Mason Dixon.

FREE!

Subterranean. 2011 North Ave., Chicago IL 60647.
21+ event. http://momentsound.com/

CDM contributors Liz McLean-Knight and Michael Una will be presenting at Dorkbot Chicago this month, which falls on Wednesday, November 28th.As always, it will take place at the excellent Deadtech, 3321 W. Fullerton Ave. in Chicago.

Here’s what you’ll see:

A self-proclaimed “multi-hyphenate,” Liz McLean Knight–the sole woman behind Quantazelle–is thoroughly immersed in technology, fashion, music, and the often-surprising overlaps between. She will be demonstrating and discussing the art of “micro-sampling” and other swell digital music production techniques. Once she gets going, this whole thing might turn into a dance party.

Michael Una, an audiovisual artist whose work “investigates how vibrating waves of energy and human consciousness interact” will present simple-but-effective techniques for controlling audio software and hardware with inexpensive, commonly found devices like QWERTY Keyboards, video game joysticks, and bicycles.

In addition to the knowledge we’ll be droppin’, beer and pizza will be served. W3rd.