GRIME
The British easily adopted American house music as though it were their own,
but it took them a bit longer to get a grip on hip-hop. In the last few years,
grime has burst out of the housing projects street culture and onto the
airwaves, first through pirate-radio live broadcasts and now on major labels.
While it resembles hip-hop, it's a spin-off of U.K. garage, a hyperactive
version of drum 'n' bass. Combining jungle production with hip-hop attitude,
Jamaican dancehall-style MCs and raw electronic sounds, grime is a sensation
in the U.K. and in hipster circles in the U.S., but not yet something easy to
find in clubs or record shops. Which makes sense, considering its vicious tempos
were designed to make it hard to dance to, thereby keeping it underground.
Grime culture subsisted on pirate radio and DVDs of live sets sold on the
streets during its genesis. But in 2005, many of the big names have released
acclaimed debuts overseas, and grime's biggest female star, Lady Sovereign,
is poised to drop her solo album stateside on Island Records.
Events: Grime!, first Mondays monthly at Lava (859 N Damen Ave, 773-772-3355);
Scared to Dance, second Thursdays monthly at Liar's Club (1655 W Fullerton Ave, 773-665-1110)
Promoters: The Opaque Project
DJs: Johnny Love, Atomly, Ian Hicks, Autobot
Artists: Lady Sovereign, Kano, Wiley/Roll Deep Crew, Dizzee Rascal
Records: Run the Road Volume Two CD/DVD drops January 24, 2006, on Vice;
Lady Sovereign "9 to 5" CD single; Roll Deep, In at the Deep End
(import Relentless); Kano, Home Sweet Home (import WEA)
BAILE FUNK
Baile funk isn't really funky at all, in the musical sense of the word.
It's more closely related to the Miami bass of 2 Live Crew, which landed in
Rio de Janeiro in the '80s and mutated over time on that city's north side.
Locals added rapping in street-lingo Portuguese, and traditional melodies to
thick drum-machine beats. The result: repetitious, gritty, working-class party
music that's livelier than anything else going. In Rio, baile funk is the sound
of the favelas (slums). Every weekend, hundreds of giant balls (bailes) are
held in the shantytowns and downtown clubs, where the bass rumbles tens of
thousands of partiers. It's also real gangsta music: Gunplay at funk parties
is not uncommon. Fernando Luis Mattos da Matta (DJ Marlboro) is considered the
godfather of the scene, and he's produced much of the baile music, which is
rarely released on CD in Brazil. Relatively few baile funk records have ever
been pressed, either, as Brazilian vinyl is notoriously shoddy. So DJs like
Marlboro are more likely to tote minidiscs of their favorite tracks around.
There are a few good mix-CDs and compilations on the racks right now.
Super DJ of the moment, Philadelphia's Wesley Pentz, a.k.a. Diplo, has
probably garnered the most ink for bringing the homegrown party music of
Rio to hipsters, bloggers, DJs and one London-born Sri Lankan rapper (M.I.A.).
Diplo's talent for welding together everything from Brazilian booty beats to
original riot-grrrl punk is exemplified on his upcoming Fabric mix-CD, and he's
reportedly making a documentary of the scene this year. Events: We don't know
of any exclusively baile funk parties in Chicago, but the more eclectic and
worldly the DJs, the more likely it is they'll sneak baile funk into their sets.
Events: Scared to Dance, second Thursdays monthly at Liar's Club
Venue: Funky Buddha Lounge (728 W Grand Ave, 312-666-1695)
DJs: Rene and Jen Booty at Funky Buddha
Artists: Philly's Diplo is the U.S. welcoming committee for baile.
DJ Marlboro comes to Chicago October 28 and 29, at Sonotheque and the MCA.
Records: Slum Dunk Presents: Funk Carioca, mixed by Tetine and the Brazilian
Beats series (Mr. Bongo, U.K.); Favela On Blast: Rio Baile Funk 04 (Hollertronix)
mixed by Diplo; Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats (Essay Recordings).
Dusty Groove (1120 N Ashland Ave, 773-342-5800) also stocks Colors: Rio Funk.
BOOTY HOUSE
Closer to home, the sound on the street and at South Side house parties is booty.
Booty house occupies fertile region that lies somewhere between hip-hop, Miami
bass and straight-up house music. You're more likely to hear it booming from cars,
boomboxes and apartments than in clubs. Or you'll notice closely related genres
surfacing: Booty bass was recently harnessed by Missy Elliott on her "Lose Control"
single and ghetto tech peaked a few years ago with Detroit's DJ Assault, who
blended Detroit electro and booty bass in strip club-inspired tracks like
"Ass 'n' Titties." Chicago DJs like Major Taylor are playing the heck out
of Baltimore's triple-X anthems like Spank Rock's "Put that Pussy on Me."
But Chicago sports some homegrown producers of its own flavor, known as
ghetto house, which can be just as nasty. DJ Funk of "Work that Body"
fame has resurfaced recently, spins around town, and has a new album on
the way. Most locals stick to house parties. Shut down the PC part of your
brain and bounce.
Events: Scared to Dance monthly at Liar's Club,
Mamby on Wednesdays at Moonshine (1824 W Division St, 773-862-8686), secret house parties
DJs: DJ Funk, Johnny Love, Major Taylor, DJ Pharris
Artists: DJ Assault, DJ Funk, DJ Slugo, Scottie B., Sixth Sense
Records: DJ Assault, Off the Chain for the Y2K; Boogaloo Michael Boyer,
Ghetto House Booty Tracks. Other records available at Gramaphone Records
(2843 N Clark St, 773-472-3683) and Hot Jams Record Store
(4814 S Pulaski Rd, 773-581-5267).