Before making my way to Lumasi’s Sun and Moon Chicago tour stop, August 23, I helped one of my Viking brothers move out of his apartment into a house. Well played, Joe Schmoe. The arrow is pointing upwards for you, as well as many others. I set a firm cutoff of 9pm for lending a hand, which was actually all me and the rest of the moving krew (friends rule!) needed to get everything into his new place. He would handle the rest. From there, I quickly jettisoned from McHenry, IL bound towards The Point in Chicago, a cool and intimate little venue I love frequenting. Would you like to hear more of my luminescent escapade at Lumasi’s Sun and Moon Chicago tour stop? Of course you do, my fine friend. Bear Swiftly with me, the Electro Scribe, as I describe how the night’s entertainment impressed and progressed.
Though I’d miss the opener, I still had plenty of time to witness a cadre of extremely talented performers. Thus, I put the pedal to the metal, respectfully in a law-abiding fashion, and arrived just as wizards do. Exactly when intended to. Neither early nor late, precisely as was meant to be. My entrance was made to the perforatingly soothing sounds of Psychonaut, aka Louie Martinez. The arrow would continue trending upwards as the night’s entertainment progressed.
Before I get into detailing performers, I want to give a big shout-out to The Point and their staff. Since I discovered this venue over a year ago, I’ve enjoyed electric performances, many of them within the electronic genre. The venue offers an intimate layout. No matter where you stand, or sit throughout The Point, the stage and performers feels close. Bartenders are cool, beer and liquor prices respectable, and security does an exemplary job of keeping an eye on the crowd without making folks feel like they’re being watched or hovered over. However, they do get involved when patrons get out of line. More on that later. Furthermore, the rest of the staff is extremely pleasant and polite, and super trustworthy. When I was checking in for my credentials, I absentmindedly left my phone on the counter by the two gentleman handling tickets and entry. I realized about half-an-hour later, didn’t panic, and returned to find it exactly where I had laid it down. I let e’m both know they were doing a great job, and they answered with a smile, “You already know there’s nothing to worry about.” Damn straight, fellas. Killin’ it!!!
Here’s a fun little item prefacing my entry to this establishment. I’m a suburbanite, so my knowledge of the city is a bit lenient at times. “Help me GPS, you’re my only hope.” How do you navigate a five-way in Chicago? Apparently, I take the long way. That’s just how it goes when you’re Bear Swiftly. Taking a walk, getting it done. Whattup son? Cripes, I need a dedicated driver for my city-based expeditions, and I am currently taking applications. Anyway, I kind of enjoy walking. Through a darkly-lit alley, turn a corner, down the sidewalk, and I finally enter the building. I’ve entered my natural electro infused habitat. Remember that fella I mentioned earlier, Psychonaut? Well, he wheels himself as I enter the scene, and I know it’s about to be poppin’. He, and I, as well as most of the rest, are in our element.
One of my passions is etymology, the study of the history of words. Not to be confused with entomology, the study of insects. Therefore, let’s delineate the connotation and denotation of the moniker Psychonaut. The denotation defines a person who explores their own psyche, altered states of consciousness, especially through hallucinatory drugs. Far out, man! When I think of a psychonaut, the imagery my mind’s eye produces is that of the popular 2005 video game, Psychonauts, written and directed by video game legend, Tim Schafer. In that virtual world, the main character is a youngling imbued with psychic abilities who escapes the circus to join a summer camp for those with similar powers. His ultimate goal is to use his psychic talents to become a psionic spy, or rather, a ‘Psychonaut’.
Thus, for this specific Psychonaut performing as part of Lumasi’s lineup of entertainers, the connotation is an artist who uses the power of his sound to shape an atmosphere while engaging an audience’s mindscape through his own carefully constructed soundscape. Totally tubular, bruh! Fella is getting after it, haaaarrrdd. I’m giving him two d’s, “for that double dose of pimpin’.” Psychonaut is dropping dirty dubs and wubz, largely of the dubstep variety, and I’m friggin’ lovin’ it! Straight from outer space. Wobble, squat, plank. Thank God for these dank rhythms and melodies. Pleasantries. Yea, it be like that. What an excellent accompaniment to my entrance. Psychonaut scales the energy in the building upwards in preparation for what’s set to come afterwards. Following Psychonaut’s excellent standard, DJ Fish takes the stage next, and to terrific effect.
DJ Fish, aka Dillon Fish, is an amicable, enjoyable, intelligent young man who’s a bit of a demon on the decks. Dillon is also an entrepreneur, the founder and owner of Slow Burn Productions. Furthermore, he’s also an accomplished photographer, as you’ll notice his watermark on many of the photos featured throughout this episode. Thank you very much, Dillon and Fabi. Now, when it comes to selecting and sequencing tracks, he’s no fish out of _____.
I had a little bit of fun with DJ Fish’s nomenclature, as you can see from the images below. One of my creative assets, Leonardo.ai, created twelve images based on the prompt, “DJ Fish”. As four is my favorite number, I selected my favorite cuatro from out of that twelve pack. However entertaining these images are, they don’t do justice to the reality of DJ Fish and his sonic presentations.
Before I get into describing DJ Fish’s sound, I’m going to take a moment to do some more shoutouts. Grace with the cute face checked in with me to say hello and wondered what I was writing. Mike and Thalia also politely inquired what I was scribing in my journal. “Notes”, I replied. I spent a good chunk of the evening besides them, and we chatted about our shared love for the electronic community, favorite artists and festivals, and people watching in general. They’re about that business, each super pleasant and displaying admirable conduct, and earned themselves stickers and mentions. Well played, kit-kats. Well played, indeed.
The feel of this happening is decidedly spacey, otherworldly, and extraterrestrial. DJ Fish drops it like it’s hot. A fella in the crowd isn’t looking where he’s going, and almost tripped over my foot. Meh, I put it there. I guess it was a trap, and he survived. He looked at me and I at him, and we both recognized the situation for what it was with respectful nods.
DJ Fish is rockin’ like a barbarian on the decks, supported by awesome Funktion-one sound which has become a characteristic staple of many of my experiences at The Point. Dillon is burying tracks like hatchets in a bullseye. He exhibits a varied style. Dubstep, hip-hop, rap infused with delicious doses of BASSSS! Someone stepped on my foot, again. Criminently, “I’m writing here!” Go fish, guess a card. It ain’t hard. Be a librarian of music. DJ storyteller, go Fish.
As DJ Fish closes, he gives way to the colorful and exuberant, Scarlet Widow. She always sports vivacious outfits and hair styles. The transition between their two personalities is a stark contrast, but they are close friends off stage. It’s a blessing to have well-deserved loyalty and support throughout our endeavors and undertakings.
One of the things I adore about this maven is her making of menacing faces. I love a DJ that invests emotion into their enactment. Brute strength, seemingly angry emotion. Darting mischief. Don’t be brief, this is our respite. Call upon your might, for our delight. Summoner songstress, share with us your spells and sights. Frightening, bodies relegated to the past. Who on this dance floor shall last, until the very end.
Scarlet Widow is definitely a performer. I appreciate her lively and energetic spirit. I can tell she ate her Wheaties this morning, if that is still a thing. Is it? Are we talking cereal right now? Damn straight, and I’d like to know what’s your preferred flavor or brand. Off the top of my head, I’m going with Corn Pops, Life (Hey Mikey, He Likes it!), Trix, and Peanut Butter Captain Crunch.
Back to Scarlet Widow, I feel like she’s a DJ for the ladies, though the fellas love her too, because of her scintillating hard edge. I say this because the gals goes nuts when she assumes control of the bridge. Hedge your bets, don’t forget, many have tragedy in their past. Long does it last, fueling recourse. Without force, discourse a portion of your soul to understand another. Rebirth and reinvention, the phoenix rises from the ashes. Scarlet Widow.
After a whole gaggle of beautiful bass laden tracks and spirited bass faces, Scarlet Widow yields to Lumasi. He sports a bit of a different vibe, but still in line with what I’ve experienced up until now. He activates the tech at his disposal, his music begins, and hands go into the air. Lumasi’s production value is banging, babe. I’m a huge fan of OG productions, and Lumasi has got some folks “Dickered up with Pug” through his frenetic dub. Impressive sound design. Literally, I’m scanning the crowd, and many mouths are agape in awe, or something else. Naw, we’ll stick with awe. It’s at this time the lovely young Brynn checks in curious to what I’m doing. Both a looker, and a sweetheart. She gets a sticker, and a shoutout. I generally don’t do last names around here, to protect the reputations of those who would like to remain covert in these spaces, unless I need to call out rude and obtuse behavior. Not in this case. Brynn was absolutely pleasant.
How can I describe Lumasi’s sound? With words I’ll venture. Low warbles, hollow frequencies, foreboding and fearsome escalation. There is no escape. It bristles and brims, energy pervading outwards whether you recognize its growing intensity or not. Darkness, doom. Salvation, serenity. Destroyer versus guardian. Lumasi carried quite the energy throughout his set. Heavy sounds, friend. Possibly something wrong with the earth’s gravity? Pull. Shoot. Rend. Defend. Blend. Mend. Commend the talent. Send it!!! Nicely done, Lumasi. About 2:10 in the AM, Lumasi plays his final track… sike! There was one helluva surprise in store that most in the building were completely unaware of, and unprepared for. Levity! Hilarity ensued.
One of my favorite aspects of the Levity trio is the energy they put forth, although only two of the three members were in the building this night. These kit-kats go nutrageous like snickers bars. Boys and girls, I’ll tell you what, they get me feeling all types of reese’s pieces and peanut butter cups. Delicious. The two members of Levity joined Lumasi onstage for a special b2b2b performance that electrified the crowd. We’d been near a fever pitch all night, and this occurence pushed us over the edge. Delightful shenanigans were set to ensue. Then, the levy broke, and a breakup happened right before my eyes. Not on the stage mind you, but instead front and center before me. And here I thought the show was up front.
Bro, this dude starts talking trash to one of the compatriots of this young lady he’s pursuing, and she is not having it. She gives it to him straight, and I’m paraphrasing to the extent of something like this. “I told you if you were going to be like this, and you aren’t willing to let me be myself around my friends, it’s not going to work out between us. It’s time for you to leave.” Fella didn’t like that one bit so he gets a bit uppity and aggressive. The community starts stepping in trying to coach him up on what’s considered appropriate in these spaces, as this ain’t it, bud. He’s not listening one bit, and getting louder by the second, bordering on physicality for whatever reason, I cannot grasp. Frustation? Not really the way to impress a rave babe, in my opinion. If she’s getting you this upset in the early stages, she’s not your type, nor you hers. Remember what I said earlier about security getting involved only when they need to? This was one of those instances, and dude was escorted off the premises. Nicely done. Stand up for yourself, always. Is a surprise Levity b2b Lumasi performance the appropriate place to end a relationship? Brevity. Bear Bits.
With that observation out of the way, let’s finish strong like the entertainment on stage. This surprise triple entente blasted beats for another half-an-hour before shutting down around 2:45AM. The crowd that lasted until the very end celebrated all that had come before. The majority of the artists who performed throughout the night spent some time chatting with adoring fans afterwards. That’s that shit I do like! It shows an appreciation for the community that shows up to support. There is no they, without you. We, and us. A symbiotic relationship should be observed between entertainers and entertainees. Patrons pay, performers entertain. Both parties need to practice appreciation for the other.
I chatted with Scarlet Widow, Psychonaut, DJ Fish, and even Hazcat for a bit afterwards, and caught up with the Levity boys out front of the venue. Each was wonderfully amicable and affable to speak with offering compassion, warmth, and positivity through their energies. Words can’t really do them justice, but let me try. These performers are talented, pleasant, inspiring, and enjoyable to be around. Hell yeah, I do believe I absolutely nailed it!
Final notes, and I’m out. Lumasi is pretty dope, and boasts an electrifying catalog of tracks. Levity brings the energy, and tantric sonic stylings whenever, and whereever they play. Scarlet Widow presents a striking display filled with liveliness and wonderful expressiveness. DJ Fish handles business like a boss, managing multiple roles with deftness, grace, and aplomb. Psychonaut is building a reputation as a potent performer and I’m excited to see what comes next for him, as well the others. Wishing these DJs and producers all the best as their journeys continue forward. That’s all I got. Sayonara all you samurai. Peace, love, light, and deuces!!!
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
