Every time the opening bass riff for Joy Division’s “Transmission,” or New Order’s “Age Of Consent” starts to play, I always have compulsion to smile.  Hook, the man behind that infectiously twangy bass guitar stopped through Chicago to DJ at Smartbar, with backing support from Dark Wave Disco. He was on his way through for a Q&A and book signing in support of his new release The Haçienda: How Not To Run A Club, his memoirs about the infamous (and now-defunct) Manchester club built by founders of Factory Records and resident band New Order.

Hook’s musical prowess spans 30 years, and he knows a thing or two about clubs. So to dance 5 feet away while he spins Joy Division remixes, I had compulsion to smile.

Click the photo for the full gallery of Peter Hook at Smartbar.

Bottom Lounge held host to a Monster Bash with Flosstradamus to help ignite the long Halloween weekend. Two DJ booths were set up on either side of the dance floor for a kind of back-and-forth audio assault. I was one of very few not wearing a costume or covered in fake blood.

Click any photo for the full gallery.

And Steve Aoki made a hilarious guest DJ appearance:

Labels: Bottom Lounge, Flosstradamus

So this is more of a warmup for me, considering it was only Thursday. But Berlin was hosting a whole flurry of DJs including from Passion Pit and Brazilian Girls, so it seemed like a great way to crack my knuckles in preparation for the upcoming weekend. In fact, I think most people there were of the same mindset.

The thing I like about Berlin is it makes my job easy — it’s open til 4 AM and the drinks are poured with a heavy hand. There’s nearly 100 photos of people dancing and drinking til the wee hours. If you were there, chances are your mug is in the Lollapalooza Pre-Party gallery. Click the photo to find out.

So I will say this right off the bat: I’ve never considered going to Crobar for anything.
I was even slightly reluctant to go for Steve Aoki, opting instead to enjoy myself at some random house party.
Alas, house parties are a dime a dozen in Chicago, and seeing the infamous “Kid Millionaire” and the Dark Wave Disco DJs for free sounded like it might be at least worth checking out.

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