Future Rock
w/ Daedelus, Dark Party (featuring Eliot Lipp & Leo123),
Ben Silver (Orchard Lounge) and 1000 Vertical Feet
Wednesday 12.31.2008
Over the greater part of the last decade at Silver Wrapper Productions, we have had some extremely memorable nights, some that turned into memorable weekends, but many that became the basis for unforgettable evenings for artists & fans alike. We are honored to be the "glue" bringing us all together to throw it down with the best vibes, music and people! We have been told by several friends, fans and colleagues that we are "your favorite party people." We take great pride in this labor of love and cannot say it loud enough that these parties are nothing without you, the people.

So this New Years Eve, we continue the tradition with one of the fastest growing acts in the nation, our friends and favorite electronic trio... Chicago's very own, Future Rock! Now, it wouldn't be a Silver Wrapper party if we didn't go over the top, so we've packed the lineup with the finest support possible, inviting none other than the experimental monome master Daedelus, electro-disco producer duo, Dark Party (featuring Eliot Lipp and Leo123), sophisticated dance DJ Ben Silver (Orchard Lounge), and the hard-hitting return of Chicago natives 1000 Vertical Feet. You might recognize these artists as some of the highlights from the first day at Wicker Park Fest 2008 and believe us, each act has promised to come prepared with a few tricks up their sleeves. NYE2008 figures to be one to remember, as we will be hosting the party at Abbey Pub complete with a complementary champagne toast and option for a VIP package that includes open-bar, hors d'oeuvres and a reserved section on a first-come first-serve basis. This show will go late and hard. Don't miss out.

Future Rock
Future Rock is electronic sensory overload. The trio has steadily been touring the US, electrifying audiences and developing a dedicated following during their journey. Their legendary late night performances at festivals and after-parties have quickly confirmed their status at the top of the live electronic scene. Coupled with an explosive light show, FR certifies an unparalleled multi-sense experience. The Chicago-based trio exhibits an uncommon grasp of minimalist, yet visceral, rock. Skillfully manipulating live loops, synthesizers, filters and an electronic drum kit, the trio succeeds in creating a larger-than-life sound that sends crowds into frenzies.

Mickey Kellerman and Felix Moreno utilize a myriad of synthesizers, electronics, and instruments to compose and arrange their instrumental music. The audience can rarely identify the origin of each sound. "I love that look of confusion... when the audience sees me play my bass and they have no idea what's coming out," says Moreno. Drummer Darren Heitz finishes FR's sound by blending acoustic and electronic drum timbres with live sampling/looping run through his synthesizers.

Kellerman explains, "We manage to pull off our live show while keeping pre-recorded samples to a minimum. Ninety-nine percent of our live show is live." This concept is at the core of Future Rock: technology has progressed so that real-time sampling and electronic synthesis can now occur on-stage. "Its really important to not get to geeky with our music. People want to hear songs with melodies or grooves they can dance to. Its a question of utilizing the new technology with the old song structure so that kids can rock out the same way, but to new sounds," Heitz adds.

learn more about Future Rock

Daedelus
Mutton-chopped sampler Daedelus looks like a Victorian-era pimp in the 19th-century garb he dons at each performance. But you can't blame him; it's been a big year. From the XLR8R magazine cover to his popular YouTube political party jam with hip-hoppers Sa-Ra, "Vote Obama," to his new album, Love to Make Music To, it seems all ears are tuned into the Santa Monica, CA electronic artist.

Daedelus, aka Alfred Darlington, studied classical music as a kid. He went to school for jazz when he grew bored with classical, but found that just as unsatisfying. Electronic music seemed much more limitless to him, so he jumped in while maintaining an element of his studied aesthetic. "Jazz - when you really get down to studying it - is a series of quoted lines," he says. "People's understanding of these [musical] idioms was pretty extreme [during jazz's heyday]. I don't feel that dissimilar from that concept." His third full-length for NinjaTune and 10th overall, Love to Make Music to employs several vocalists and a variety of tastes including burbling electro-pop, analogue lo-fi hip-hop, skittering breakbeats, IDM clatter and jaunty indie pop replete with hand claps. It's a tour de force album showcasing his broad musical vocabulary.

The live show is also impressive thanks to his use of the Monome, a programmable mixer that looks a little like a toy Lite-Brite. Its flashing, 40-button grid interfaces with the laptop, allowing live manipulation of samples as he punches buttons like the front of an accordion. But it can be a little disconcerting, until the energy gets going.

learn more about Daedelus

Dark Party
Dark Party is Eliot Lipp and Leo123. They met in San Francisco. Despite living all over the US, these nomadic producers have always followed the music. Eliot Lipp has made a name for himself creating songs that, according to XLR8R, "tickle days after the last spin." He has traditionally combined hip-hop influenced drum programming with the vintage synthesizer sounds found in the cutting edge electronic music of the 70s. Dark Party's duo-producer approach results in a more up-tempo, almost disco feel, with sophisticated dance friendly beats. The music, is, without a doubt, a dark party. Eliot Lipp's early career saw him vigorously honing his skill on the club circuit where his fresh and daring take on hip-hop impressed Scott Herren (Prefuse 73) so much that he put out his 2004 debut LP on Eastern Developments. Subsequent successful releases on Hefty Records have continued to expand his audience and refine his craft. Now, Mush is thrilled to bring offerings of both Eliot Lipp and Dark Party's timeless yet novel interpretation of electro to the people.

learn more about Dark Party

Ben Silver (Orchard Lounge)
Orchard Lounge is a collective of DJs that formed in Chicago around 2000. The trio of Ben Silver, Spencer Lokken, and Bethany Lokken, focus on performing for the more discerning of dance floors, and are commonly known to appeal to open-minded and diverse audiences. They've never let their passion for the beat confine them to a single genre, as their sets may include anything from laid back downtempo/IDM to hypnotic tech house and b-boy era electro. Don't be surprised if you hear an entire night of music dedicated to the sounds that have heavily influenced them as DJs either: they all share an affinity for classic hip hop, rock, funk, and soul, as well. This is the reasoning behind "OL: From the Dance Floor to the Couch". It's the appropriate defining phrase for the group because of their innate programming and record selection skills, as well as their talents in creating an experience for most any state of mind or environment. Some may label this as being versatile, however the three simply consider themselves serious music lovers with similar, albeit eclectic, interests. At the very core, they're highly enthusiastic individuals full of praise for the producers whose names appear on their records. To that end, they've always fully understood their role as middle(wo)man, and if they are to accept the coveted role of tastemaker, they want it to soley benefit the artists whom they all admire.

learn more about Orchard Lounge

1000 Vertical Feet
Jam > DJ > Rock+. This has been the musical progression for the Chicago-based 4-piece since 2001. 1000 Vertical Feet, aka 1KVF, has stripped away dozens of stomp boxes, electronic drums, and a few keyboard set-ups to reveal what matters most, the song. These days, 1KVF travels lighter and hits harder. The line-up includes former Stabbing Westward/Verbow/XMarsX/Spies Who Surf drummer Dave Suycott; a reunited Brian Kallies on bass, man-about-town Jason Slade on keys, and original cast member Wilson on guitar.

learn more about 1000 Vertical Feet

Artist Information
Future Rock
Felix Moreno — bass
Mickey Kellerman — keyboards
Darren Heitz — drums

Daedelus
Alfred Darlington — monome

Dark Party
Eliot Lipp — synthesizer, laptop, midi contollers, effects
Leo123 — MPC sampler, midi controllers, effects

1000 Vertical Feet
Wilson — guitar
Jason Slade — keyboards
Dave Suycott — drums
Brian Kallies — bass