- Visitors from all around the country drove, flew and bussed themselves to Chicago for this unusually busy weekend. Chicago promotions group and booking agency VOLATL and San Francisco's listed teamed up for nearly 48 hours of party last weekend. listed's third annual edition of Varsity All Stars at South Side bar and restaurant Moretti's on began Sunday afternoon, while VOLATL's underground party, appropriately titled Game On, got things started the night before. The main lesson? Unforgettable parties require collaboration—something that Chicago's techno scene has been lacking in recent years.
Game On was held at a gallery space in Chicago's warehouse district that had low ceilings, exposed brick walls, low light and a cool speakeasy vibe. As with all VOLATL events, the sound system was crystal clear. Chicago clubs are permitted to stay open until 5 AM on Saturdays, so eventually the afterhours crowd trickled in and filled the dance floor. Kate Simko played a diverse DJ set, trying pretty much everything to get people dancing.
Photo credit: Sam Gracie
New York's Stefny was due up next, but was forced to postpone her set due to some technical difficulties. Pheek, though, stepped in ably with his ebullient minimal house live set while Stefny waited for a new needle to arrive. Redeeming herself with a proper Chicago debut, Stefny began her set with a strong conviction to kick the party into full swing, and the dance floor was all too pleased to oblige, cheering on every mix. After consuming several birthday cocktails, I headed home to get some sleep around 5:30 AM with the party still going strong courtesy of Chicago's Mike Khoury, who recently moved to San Francisco.
After recharging the proverbial party batteries, we arrived at Moretti's Sunday afternoon for listed's Varsity All Stars event. The weather gods were surely smiling down on us that day. There were plenty of costumed Varsity revelers clad in sports attire enjoying one of the few hot and sunny days of an unseasonably cold and gloomy Chicago summer. The smoky scents of the outdoor BBQ wafted through the air, and all around me people were taking advantage of the sand volleyball court, enjoying a game of bean bag toss, and sipping cocktails under umbrellas.
The fond memories from the previous editions of Varsity All Stars featuring Cassy and Adultnapper flooded back, and I was reminded of why I look forward to this event each summer. Though listed is based in San Francisco, the agency's artist roster includes several Chicago ex-pats; thus, they have well-established ties to the city and plenty of fervent supporters.
Photo credit: Sam Gracie
Musical highlights of the 12 hour party included Chicago's Jason Patrick, who patiently built up his set and warmed up the crowd perfectly for Anja Schneider. The Mobilee label head snuck in some fantastic unreleased material during her set, which drifted between bouncy, day party-friendly tech-house and deep heady techno.
Once again, listed resident Mike Khoury had the difficult task of closing the party after the headlining DJ and, not surprisingly, rose to the occasion. I guess I should be demoted to the JV squad since I left the event a bit early and headed home. But thanks to VOLATL and listed, my birthday weekend was one of the most memorable I've ever had.