Friday, April 2nd

Howdy Partner
A big welcome to Borderline Music as they join the ChicagoPride.com family. Scott, Greg, and the rest of the folks at the number one tunes shop in Boystown will be providing a weekly Top 10 chart, some music reviews and sponsorship of a monthly CD giveaway contest. It’s great to have you guys in the fold.
(Read the Borderline Top 10 on the Nightlife Channel)

Local – motion I
It hopefully will not go unnoticed that DJ Chris Eterno, a dear friend of ChicagoPride.com, had them lined up early two Saturdays ago to get into Hydrate Chicago to hear him control the dance floor mayhem from the DJ booth. I, for one, surely wasn’t surprised by either the turnout or the many words of praise for his set that night. Let’s hope this leads to additional prime time performances for Chris - and other local DJs - at Hydrate Chicago and other premiere dance venues in the city.

The collection of DJ talent in Chicago is as varied and as good as in any other city on earth. As warranted by their collective talent, hard work, and dedication to the DJ craft, in my opinion, it’s a creative and economic imperative that the local nightclub industry and dancing public support Chicago DJs. And not just on weeknights, but on weekends as well. Yes, Chicago is a global city and the importation of national and international DJ talent adds to the richness of our nightlife. But showing a little love and respect to the locals is not only a must, but also the right thing to do. Cities such as Miami, NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and Montreal incubate their homegrown (and transplanted) talent; it’s time for Chicago to do the same.

Star Bright
Star 69 recently sent out a heads up on some upcoming releases. In April: “Tribal Evolution” by William U and “Heart Attack by Jahkey B. May: Suzanne Palmer’s “Luv 2 Luv,” “U Ain’t That Good” from Amuka, and Peter Rauhofer’s much anticipated mixed compilation, Live @ Roxy 3.

Crobar - Last Sunday
DJ Ralphi Rosario rocked the Anthem crowd and those in attendance for Joey V’s birthday bash all night long, reminding me and many others of just how fun Crobar - new or old edition – can be. Highlight song of the night for me was “Cha Cha Heels,” which will surely be getting big club play over the next few months with its high energy big room sound.

The DJ Plez Tip of the Month
One of my goals as editor of the music section of ChicagoPride.com is to introduce to you a broader array of music. Inclusive of this is a wider range of dance music compilations that extend beyond the latest collection of easily identifiable club hits. When you take up a suggestion and purchase a mixed CD with music you may not familiar with, I highly suggest and encourage that you listen to the CD three times before forming your final opinion. Each of these three listenings, if possible, should be at different times of the day and in different settings (i.e. on your home stereo, in the car, and at the gym on your Discman). Once you’ve listened to a mix (or most CDs for that matter) three times, your initial instinctual impressions have usually been augmented by your more rational and intellectual evaluation. This allows you to be a more sophisticated listener, understand more acutely what was being attempted by the artists and/or DJ, and assess the execution achievement level. Basically you’ll be able to discern the quality stuff from the crap.

Weekend Planner
One of my favorites, Lydia Prim, is back in town at Hydrate Chicago on Friday. Let’s hope this Chicago appearance goes smoother than her last one during Fireball, which was highlighted by travel and technical difficulties. On Sunday night, Circuit MOM takes a break from the performance stage and will be DJing Anthem at Crobar Chicago all night long.

Forward Thinking
DJ Mark Farina, a global house music legend who got his early start here in Chicago behind the decks with Derrick Carter, is at the House of Blues on April 9th. … Miss Britney Spears, who had to cancel her March 19th concert here in Chicago (Allstate Arena) due to injury, has re-scheduled for April 13th. She’ll also be back in the area at the Tweeter Center this summer on July 17th . … Indigo Girls at the Auditorium Theatre on April 24th. … Believe it or not, but the super-group Yes is touring and hits Chicago on May 4th at the Allstate Arena. … For you Backstreet Boys fans, JC Chasez is on the road in support of his new solo effort and will be at the House of Blues on May 7th. … Modern English and Gene Loves Jezebal (remember them?) are at Joe’s on Weed Street on May 22nd. … And as most of you know, the one and only Madonna will grace our city with her musical presence at concerts scheduled for July 11th, 12th, 14th , and 15th . I guess she needs to rest on the 13th.

Local-motion 2
Yours truly will join fellow Chicago DJs Greg Drescher and Luis M on Easter Sunday, April 11th, in the Crobar Chicago DJ booth. Mucho thanks to the Anthem folks for including me. I’ll be setting the tables as the opening DJ of this Windy City line-up.

Michigan-ing
Our Midwest brethren in Detroit are presenting Motorball weekend, May 14th – 16th. DJs Paulo, Alyson Calagna, Roland Belmares, Dave Myers, Steven Dearborn, and Chuck Quarles to provide the music for a full weekend of events.

The summer DJ schedule for The Dunes Resort in Saugatuck, Michigan includes Lydia Prim, Don Bishop, and a trio of Chicagoans: Greg Drescher, Mark Vallese, and Tom McBride.

Comments? Questions? Need more information? Check out www.djplez.com or email djplez@aol.com.
You can hear DJ Plez at Ezuli on Mondays for the Recovery Supper Club (6pm – 2 am).