Special Event: X'ESS 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH MARK FARINA & DERRICK CARTER

[xesschicago]

friday, january 21st, 2005

x'ess entertainment and zentra nightclub present:

X'ESS 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!

featuring:

Mark Farina / Om

"I look at my job as a modern day traveling minstrel, to bring new music to as many places as I can, and expose obscure records that, otherwise, might go hidden." While Mark Farina may be able to sum up his job description in a sentence, there is much more to be written. Mark developed his musical tastes in Chicago - listening to house music on the radio, living in one of the country's most primordial breeding grounds for house. Around '88, while record shopping at Imports, Etc., he met Derrick Carter and a friendship began. "I just ended up there between classes, I ended up buying his picks. He steered me toward the cutting edge House producers of the time." "I started playing when I lived with my parents and didn't have any bills to pay so I could just buy records. My intentions were never to just make money, it's nice, but it's kind of turned into a job by accident - it was a hobby that turned into a job." Living together and working on tracks together along with Chris Nazuka, they utilized the tight connections between the Detroit and Chicago scenes. Fondly, Mark remembers hanging out listening to Detroit Techno classics - Model 500, Derrick May - eating bologne sandwiches on white bread and drinking Kool-Aid out of a papaper cup, prepared by none other than Chef Saunderson himself. In '89, they signed on Kevin Saunderson's KMS Records under the Symbols in Instruments moniker and produced a landmark track called "Mood". "Mood" sold 35,000+ copies in the US and the UK. This record was the first ambient house track ever made and, accordingly, it has taken its position as a classic. The same year, The Face magazine published their year end Top 50 with "Mood" ranking above pop anthems by Dee-Lite and The Pet Shop Boys. "I used to do mixes with Derrick on the radio at Northwestern, we'd make it at the house and listen to it on the lake where they filmed 'Risky Business'. We would drive around and listen 89.3 WNUR; they had a policy, guest DJs didn't have to be students." Eventually, the University changed their policy and only students were allowed to DJ. When Farina first started wandering from his passion for the purist forms of House into what grew into one of his trademark styles, Mushroom Jazz, he was playing the main room in a club in Chicago and got demoted to the B-room after playing too many Martin Luther King Jr. samples. Mark experimented with a deeper style, dropping De La Soul, disco classics and other stuff that wasn't being played in the main room. However, in 1992, Mark found a welcome place for his collection of downtempo tunes accompanied by a small run of mix tapes entitled "Mushroom Jazz". Originally launched as a cassette series, the Mushroom Jazz tapes grew from the first Chicago run of 50 copies each…on to the next stage, where 500 copies of several volumes were easily distributed and sought after. As the Acid Jazz boom began, he perfected his sound and fused the newest tracks from the West Coast's jazzy, organic producers with the more urban sounds he had championed in Chicago. While the predominant musical force in SF was still dark, dubby House and Wicked-style Breaks, the city embraced the downtempo movement with a healthy bunch of live bands and DJs generating the tunes. Mark Farina, along with partner, and manager, Patty Ryan-Smith, created the now legendary weekly club in San Francisco, Mushroom Jazz, in 1992. Every Monday night the crowd slowly germinated - from 100 for the first few months to 600-700 two years later. As time passed, Farina and Patty put their energies into another project, the first Mushroom Jazz interactive CD-ROM for Om Records. After a three year run, where the club had established a fanatical, cult-like following for Farina and the Mushroom Jazz sound, the club closed its doors and transformed into a CD series and accompanying tours. Since 1989, Mark Farina has been traveling the globe performing at literally hundreds of shows a year, sometimes DJing both of his preferred styles in two different rooms at the same party. At other events, he's been known to play extended sets that lasted over eight hours. In his House sets, Mark is known for his uniquely effortless journeys on the jazzy side of Chicago House, mixed up San Fran style. This wandering record minstrel has played to incredible crowds all over the globe. Consistently drawing new fans to his style of chunky-funky rhythms and deep underground house, Mark plays upwards of 200 shows to over one million (1,000,000) club goers per year. Voted in the top 20 DJ's in the world by MUZIK and BPM Magazine, his taste making skills continue to turn the heads of seasoned veterans as well as youngsters just getting into the music.

Derrick Carter / Classic

Born and raised in the western suburbs, Carter was into music from a young age, but during his teens Chicago's house scene sucked him in for good.Before long Carter became a strong presence in the city's underground dancescene. "When I got my driver's license at 16 my sneak ability was validated," he laughs. "I was a fierce bedroom jock for a long time. Afteryou mix for the love of it for six or seven years, you get it pretty tight and you can take it on the road." He got by working at dance-music specialty stores like Gramaphone and gigging at parties. Later he landed regular DJ stints at Shelter, Foxy's, and Smart Bar. Though he doesn't spin much locally anymore, when he does, he attracts large crowds. His sets are rooted in house, but he freely travels outside club tastes, seamlessly incorporating old-school disco, soul, jazz, and whatever else catches his fancy. Most of the time he works in Europe, where he's become a major celebrity among dance-music aficionados. And the money's a hell of a lot better there. "It's hard not to laugh on the occasions when you'll make 20 times what you make in Chicago on a Saturday night, but there are also times when you do it just for the fun, like at home. So many people come up to me and say, 'Man, I had the worst day. My girlfriend left me, I locked my keys in my car, but you turned me for two hours, and that made me able to get up in the morning.' That's the best thing going." In 1988 Carter, fellow DJ Mark Farina, and friend Chris Nazuka released an EP as the group Symbols and Instruments. The record had a strong influence on the burgeoning ambient techno movement in England. While it wasn't a commercial success, it established Carter as an international figure in the dance-music underground. Since then he's been involved with a number of recording projects, firstly his solo project Sound Patrol under whom he released his first album 'Sweetened -No Lemon' which exuded a soulfulness and low-key grittiness that resonated beyond the infectious grooves and made a departure from the machine-like quality of the dance music fare of the time. Since then the pioneering, innovative tracks and consequent critical acclaim have marked Derrick out as one of the most important players in dance music. Most notably through his more recent releases on Classic. As co-owner and close friend of the company his musical and conceptual input has resulted in Classic becoming one of the leaders in the world of deep house. His first release was as Rednail with 'I Think of You', followed by 'Nu Pschidt' and 'Hope' under his own name. Nü Pschidt combined woven scatting with sleepy minimal beats on 'Dreaming Again' and skilfully cast his own low, sexy drawl over his trademark Carter grooves to form 'Boompty Boomp Theme', described by acid house legend Andy Weatherall as 'the greatest house record of the year, if not the next two years.' Over the last couple of years Derrick has been releasing some of his greatest work to date. From the timeless sounding release 'A Hope (Over U)', to the dancefloor smash "Untershrift EP", through the unique 'Mo' Pschidt EP' Derrick and Classic are most definitely on a roll. His eagerly awaited artist album "Square-dancing In A Roundhouse" is due for release on Classic in the Autumn of 2002, accompanied by a new single "Where U At?". Derrick has also recently remixed the top ten smash Superman Lovers "Starlight", Angry Mexican DJ "I Like It Funky" and Greens Keepers "Should I Sing Like This?".

Chris Santiago / doubledown / x'ess

Chris has quickly established a devoted following in Chicago through his residencies at Zentra & Bigwig residencies in a few short years. He's played and rocked it with some of the biggest heavyweights in the industry including Mark Farina, Derrick Carter, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kenny Dope, and Heather to name a few. His growing reputation in blending styles of smooth melodic deep house to hard hitting percussive techno is earning him a reputation of "knowing how to get the party started." Keep an eye out for this rising House DJ!

WWW.HOUSEARRESTEVENTS.COM

WEBSITE LAUNCH PARTY

Since its first promotional introduction in October 2003, “House Arrest†is ‘til this day receiving positive feedback from music lovers due to the unique ingredients of its weekly excursions. Founder, Robert Panczuk Jr of Zentra Nightclub, unveiled a true Chicago, Industry/Underground Promotion featuring its resident deejays; Derrick Carter, Diz & Hiroki. House Arrest’s infectious, overpowering identity has been praised by the local inhabitants throughout the city and has had dozens of commentaries written about its importance in the scene by newspapers and magazines worldwide. In order to prepare for the future, the original Monday Night version had its closing party in August 2004 featuring Hometown Hero’s: Mark Farina & Derrick Carter. The event received historic acclaim, including full coverage by URB MAGAZINE, making the COVER, along with an extensive 3 page article reporting the nights journeys & vibe (October 2004 Issue). House Arrest Events has now launched it future campaign in supporting & producing multiple events; Music Driven Showcases, Fashion Shows, Social Gathering, and much more, throughout the City of Chicago and continues to venture forth in that direction.

In the Chance VIP Room:

DARRIN EPSILON

FRANK Q

DYSQO

SERG VICIOUS

Sponsors:

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Downstairs Residents:

Sativa & Jay-funk / hip hop & old school

s&ld resident dj

Jon Huang / house

x’ess resident dj

X'ESS Hosted VIP Cocktail Reception from 9 - 10pm!

Drink Specials:

$4 Shots

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Guest list rules:

$10 9 - 11

$15 11 - Midnight

GuestList Available at:

www.xessentertainment.com

Zentra Nightclub

923 Weed St.

Chicago, IL

21+ ID Required

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****Due to an un controllable event Derrick Carter will not be performing this Friday with Mark Farina. Derrick informed us this week he has to be in New York Friday due to a major chance by his Booking Agency in his Tour Schedule. Mark will be teamed up will hometown hero JUSTIN LONG.