Chris Gin 1988-2004: A Career Retrospective at Moonshine

[chrisgin]

Happy Holidays!

There is one night each year that means more to me than the rest- my birthday. This year the party is at Moonshine and is the most special one to date.

The theme is “A Career Retrospective†and invitations have been sent to DJs whom have either shared club residencies with or worked with me in some sort over the past 17+ years. Almost all of them have agreed to come out and play under the following condition- play my favorite records (and don’t bring any of their own).

I am grateful to have had a long and wonderful career entertaining people in the greatest city in the world. My greatest fortune has been the friends made along the way, humans whom I have the greatest love and admiration for, a lot of whom are also explosively creative. A wide range of them will be out having fun at this party, and this is your invitation to join in- hope to see you there!

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Thursday, 30 December, 2004

Moonshine presents Chris Gin 1988-2004: A Retrospective

My colossal birthday retrospective features some of Chicago’s greatest DJs, and some of the greatest people I have known over the last 17+ years. The fun starts early (at 7pm sharp) and continues until 2am with no cover. Eat, drink, be merry and watch me fight gravity.

DJs scheduled to appear, and some words regarding my experiences with them:

GAY ESSARY was the resident DJ at Ringside, my first frequent haunt. She has been more than a mentor, an amazing person who taught more life lessons under the guise of DJ guidance than I’ll probably ever know. She was my first pool director (I.R.S. Record Pool), helped land many gigs and residencies, and ultimately trained me for the Chicago Music Pool director’s position at DJ International, a place which became a second home for almost five years. She is one of the most versatile and talented DJs, anywhere, ever.

BRIAN CLARKE and I would develop a friendship that started in the late ‘80s and lasts to this day, and a professional bond like none other in my career. We shared Saturdays at Kaboom for well over a year, rocked Monday nights at Neo and played seemingly everywhere in the early ‘90s, in no small part due to our exposure as part of the Energy 88.7 Power Pack (which also originally included, Teri Bristol, DJ Ping and DJ Markski). At my first residency (1988), Brian knew my skills were not yet developed and mercifully kept me out of public hearing range until the beats stopped galloping.

DMITRY LOVEBONE emigrated to Chicago and hit the club scene almost immediately. We first shared a residency at Alexandro’s, the club Ringside would morph into. His skills were raw and evolving, but his enthusiasm was unstoppable. Then as now, he always brought people out, and entertained them. His ascent from clubs to radio (Energy 88.7, of course) to promoter to record label owner (KGBeats), producer, and remixer has been nothing short of amazing. And his skills are world class.

MIGUEL “DJ WILDKID†CASTRO pulled off what every DJ dreams of- he owns his own club (Minx). Nice. He became a member of the Energy 88.7 Power Pack and many guest spots ensued at Shelter, China Club and other places over the years, as well as some aborted production work. We haven’t played together in years; it will be great to get him out of his own club for once.

DJ SPINNBADD currently plays to huge crowds on the South Side, at various places. Back in the day, we met at a DJ battle I put together for the infamous Eddie Rockets, a club where I would play eight hours a night, four nights a week. This is the place where I spent the most concentrated turntable time out of over 25 residencies. Spinnbadd was one of the finalists in the battle, and both myself and management felt he would be a perfect fit for the club. So good, in fact, that they fired me and hired him! After some time across the street, we would join forces and spend some crazy nights at Rockets.

XAVIER JOSHUA has been a force in Chicago house music and its’ clubs for just about as long as anyone can remember. From working at influential record labels to producing music, playing and even managing nightclubs, he has proven to be great at everything he chooses to do. We shared time at P.S. Chicago during a hiatus from my residency across the street at Eddie Rockets. I love to listen to this guy play.

FAST EDDIE has been a huge influence on my career. In fact, there probably is no other single artist with as many pieces of vinyl in my collection. To me, his music was the most consistent product of any artist in the early Chicago house days, and to work inside the DJ International building was an education that few could have received. To see Eddie walk in with a pencil, blank piece of paper and a beat in his head and walk out later that same day with what would become a Billboard #1 dance hit was jawdropping. His radio mixes for WGCI and WBMX were better than anyone else’s, and he remains the most naturally talented DJ these eyes have seen. Too bad my old roommate Tyree is in Germany, or else a super-reunion would be taking place. Oh yeah, Eddie requested a microphone, too, so you can figure out what that means.

TOMMY T. is a guy from New York who became a lifelong friend through mutual acquaintance and subsequent meetings at many industry functions, namely the Billboard Dance Music Summits in Chicago, Winter Music Conferences in Miami and trips to each others’ hometowns. Tommy and I played together many times at Lola’s Club Roulette, afterhours and house parties; he plays in Chicago whenever possible. Not sure he’s going to make it but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

CHAD SOMMER was the driving force behind Thousand Words Magazine. He took love and passion for electronic music and turned it into something tangible, a magazine which influenced an exploding club nation in Chicago and around the country. After he convinced me to take the music editor’s position, Chad would regularly show up at my gigs and beg for time, from Vinyl to Lola’s and everywhere in between. Soon after, the tables would turn as Chad became one of the most in-demand progressive DJs around, and a part of the legendary Pure crew. His musical influence on me is immeasurable; he exploded my horizons.

DROOPY is a diamond in a field of cubic zirconia, an original member of the Kwords crew as a teenager, a musical chameleon with headphones, a family man who sees globally and acts locally with a social conscience and the work ethic of the driven. Most know him as a drum ‘n’ bass/broken beat jock and promoter, I know him as a brother who also happens to be able to play anything and make it sound good. He’s trying to sort out his schedule to allow time to spin. I hope he is successful.

ANTONIO LAURIA has gone to great lengths to advance the music that he loves. He’ll play anywhere, anytime, for as long as anybody will listen. I once made a joke that he bought a nightclub to have a place to play, but the truth is that he had to buy that place so we could all play. The club was 950, where the Network DJ crew set up shop and advanced the local progressive explosion. The importance of this venue in my development as a DJ cannot be overstated (and the hangovers were just as huge). We would later share a residency at Karma, these days he has gone on to become an established producer and a very skilled studio engineer who plays records more for fun than money. It’ll be a blast to see him hit the decks again.

PULZ-8 is a warrior, a soldier always at the front lines. Since we first met, Glen has always been pushing himself. From seeing his name on flyers and at every big club around, he also got involved in the industry. From buying for Gramaphone and other stores to selling gear at Midwest Audio and producing tracks to starting his own label (8Trax), he remains unstoppable. We have played dozens of dates together, from the Network days at 950 and Karma to 2x4 dates at Aura, Club Eden and Café Lura, to the current Localsound events. He’ll probably play at my funeral.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN is one of the best DJs on the planet. As a member of Network, he brought an intelligence level to the turntables that matched his brilliant skills. His vision in crafting entire sets of music was and is wondrous. At a time when I thought my horizons were broad, he would continually challenge my boundaries. He’s been away from the turntables for too long.

PAT PARSONS, Mystic Bill and Uncle Milty were all part of Lunacy Wednesdays at Crobar while I was there. It was a great night in a fantastic venue, and Pat is much more than a great human and DJ. He has worked behind the scenes in the nightclub world for about a decade, and kept things moving in ways that most people will never know about. But people need to hear him play!

JOHNNY CHAOS and I shared a short residency at Rive Gauche. The place picked me up after the Crobar residencies ended, and before their reign on top of the Euro clubs. We were sort of a transition, I guess, and helped all of us get to the next phase. These days Chaos is a Sound Bar resident and plays with some of the biggest talent in the world. I remember Johnny trying to figure out his musical identity, and it seems he’s found the right direction.

NOSMO is just a great guy who can drink way too much. And, he’s part of the fabulous Gray Area production team and a fellow Localsound resident. We bounced around the same city and in the same circles for years before meeting up, now we play together as often as possible. There are few pairs of musical souls as kindred as ours. I have the ultimate respect for Nosmo as a DJ and musician; he is one of the few DJs that can keep my attention for long periods of time.

DJ 8 is the only DJ involved who I have never played with. No matter- we work together at Cans and Seth is a great guy that I need to hear and hang out with. This opportunity was too good to pass up, so he’s on the list.

NATE MANIC is a guy I met at a party that Christopher Robin threw. The DJ schedule got messed up (go figure) and we ended up sharing a slot. We’re now roommates and he is one of Chicago’s hottest up-and-coming DJs. He can be found weekly at Moonshine and Betty’s Blue Star Lounge, and is an excellent maker of all things edible. Now that’s talent.

Moonshine

1824 W. Division, Chicago

21+ ID required, 7pm-2am

NO COVER

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Peace through beats,

Chris Gin, Chicago

www.Localsound.com, www.dt-djs.com

chris@rollin.com