- Both Satoshi Tomiie and Chicago’s Crobar nightclub have earned legendary reputations around the globe as major players in the dance music scene. However, until a hot and humid Friday night in the Windy City, the two had never met. Therefore, it was long overdue that the two finally made acquaintance with one another.
To no one’s surprise, a thick queue had formed running down the block by 11 p.m. Those anticipating entrance were more than ready for this week’s installment of Bang Friday’s at Crobar.
By midnight the place was packed with a noticeably diverse crowd of people – some happening onto the night by accident, some checking the scene out of mere curiosity, but most in anticipation of a long overdue appearance by Tomiie in the city that gave birth to house music.
Following an excellent opening set my PURE’s Chris Walsh and Chad Sommer, Satoshi (on tour in support of his upcoming Nu Breed release for Global Underground) took to the decks with reckless abandon. While Chicago might be the only city in the world where Tomiie is more well known for his work on “Tears” over a decade ago with hometown hero Frankie Knuckles and Robert Owens, it’s evident that things have changed a bit since back then.
Between his immense catalog of original productions and remixes, consistently impressive releases on Saw Recordings (a record label he co-owns with Hector Romero), and tracks showing up frequently on the mixes of globe trotters such as Steve Lawler and John Digweed, Tomiie has been a busy man as of late. And while most would classify his current sound as “progressive”, upon closer listen it becomes evident that one of the hot producer’s of the moment draws from just about every genre that dance music has to offer.
Tomiie opened his set with some darker, tribal-flavored tracks. The dance floor began to sweat as Little Green Men’s “These are the Beats” crept over the sound system. Later on, things got dirty when Satoshi dropped Luke Fair’s tribal, dubby floor shaker, “Let U Know.” Much of Tomiie’s set consisted of tracks yet to be released, and it was quite a surprise to see most (if not all) of his set being spun via vinyl. Similar to Anthony Pappa’s appearance a few weeks earlier in Chicago, Tomiie stuck to the sounds of techy, tribal house, which seem to be emerging out of what was formerly known simply as progressive.
If there was anything lacking in Tomiie’s set, it was his ability to take things to the next level. While there was no doubt for the 3+ hours he banged it out with relentless grooves, the peak-time moment which sets the good DJ’s apart from the best was lacking.
Tribal, pounding, relentless – those three words most appropriately describe Satoshi’s long overdue appearance in Chicago. If there is anything Windy City clubbers can hope for after his set, it would be a return to the Midwest as quickly as possible.