Audion To Squeeze Into Smart Bar

By Jake Guidry in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 19, 2009 6:40PM

The past month has seen a flurry of electronic musicians roll through Chicago, captivating the aural sensibilities of concert-goers around the city. We've seen Boys Noize ravage Congress's spacious dance floor, Basement Jaxx spin their deep cuts along with MSTRKRFT and Modeselektor, Bassnectar with Nosaj Thing at the House of Blues, Simian Mobile Disco for a third time this year, and Canadian DJ duo Jokers of the Scene incite pillow fights at SoundBar. This weekend does not let up. While the big shows are undoubtedly Deadmau5 at Congress and Peaches at Metro, those into the techno side of things should think long and hard about checking out Audion at Smart Bar this Friday.

A side project of Matthew Dear's, Audion has been touring over the past year with new, mesmerizing material. Dear puts about as much work into the live experience as he does his music, delivering an audio/visual combo that seems most likely the best way to describe an acid trip. Audion has been receiving a lot of acclaim in the UK for his live show which features a cascade of lights and stunning, geometric visuals. His shows have engaged audiences over the past year, showing that electronic music can compete with the best of them on a live scale.

The one pitfall is Smart Bar is considerably small and will likely not be able to house the extensive setup Audion has been using. We hope that the venue makes an earnest attempt, though, as the visual element to the show is almost equally as important as the music.