Chicago beat mathematician Toddsonic33 flipping it real dirty with 4 tracks that are part machine yet fully fused with soul, a sound that feels as authentic Chicago as it can get. With 2 featurings from fellow Chicagoan Don’s Mark Grusane and Darryn Jones, this is a real deep dive into the jackin’ drum sound from the windy city.
Mark Grusane presents Midwest Rhythms Vol. 3 on Disctechno: a compilation of five stripped down, off-kilter house tracks from four producers out of Chicago and Detroit and one from Grusane himself. On the A side is a spaced out synth-laden Memory Blank from DJ Slush (aka Eric Schwab) and a pulsing, bass-heavy beatdown on AYYYO from Deon Jamar. The B side features Jordan Zawideh’s reverb-heavy drum machine & synth duet Axolotls, Mark Grusane’s pounding, in-your-face atonal track The Recoil, and finishes with Thomas Xu’s grooving arpeggios on School Street.
We start presenting our favorite tracks from 2024. More or less in a chronological order we present here the eight set of tracks.
We start presenting our favorite tracks from 2024. More or less in a chronological order we present here the seventh set of tracks.
Chicago underground legend Mark Grusane presents ”Take Me” on his own Disctechno imprint, a proper 12” single featuring vocals from DJ Saucy Lady, the Beantown Disco Queen. The lead single uses a driving bassline, infectious synth fills and filtered arps and pads to build up an electrified disco heater with sweat-soaked NRG. Saucy Lady’s seductive, dubbed out vocals bounce off the walls with a repeating mantra of ”just take me” and spoken words from a creature of the night, backed by her harmonizing ooh’s and aah’s. This combination sounds something like Bobby O locked in a Chicago basement during a heatwave with nothing but a fog machine and broken A/C for company. On the B-Side, disco wizard Rahaan reworks the lead single with a ”Psychedelic Dub” that layers the sounds of machine funk synth sweeps and disorienting tweaks for a mesmerizing take on the lead single. On either side of the record are also the Dub Instrumental and Accappella versions – versatile tools for freaking out any dancefloor.
Chicago icon and Disctechno label head Mark Grusane teams up again with Detroit-based Eric Schwab for a second volume of the Midwest Rhythms series with four versatile house tracks. The A1 ‘Easy Strider’ uses low-slung skittering drum patterns, a classic FM bass walk and a touch of 303. ‘Acid Hole’ layers a tension-building acidic pulse over a jacking 707 beat and spacey effects and fills. On the B-side, “You’re In Danger” combines dissonant pads, plucky synth and bass lines, and warbled verbal warnings. The record concludes with Eric’s reconstructed version of the title track from Mark’s 2023 album, “A House of My Own,” using assorted gear to bring new colors to a modern Chicago house classic.”
Chicago mainstay Mark Grusane partners up with Eric Schwab of metro Detroit to co-produce five diverse tracks that channel some of their Midwest dancefloor influences. The pair developed the tracks over several studio sessions during a Chicago winter, combining their respective sonic inspirations with assorted gear, sounds and samples that they each brought together.
Mark Grusane’s latest offering, A House of My Own is a testament to his long-standing discipleship to the craft of producing hard-hitting house tracks with authenticity and depth.
Thirteen years after his whopping ‘Time and Space’ EP, Chicago ‘O.G.’ Mark Grusane returns to the Rush Hour imprint with his ‘Dance Intensity’ EP. Combining trademark electro, wave, synth-pop and disco elements into three modern dancefloor cuts.
The Hipodrome Of Music 