On Saturday September 6th in an undisclosed (yet) location TECH(NO.3) will open its late night doors and intrigue its crowd once again until the sun comes up. TECH(NO) events typically pop up monthly in the downtown Chicago area. If you are looking for an updated underground experience with all the features of a big room show, you might want to add TECH(NO) to your calendar.
Three things stand out in in Reverse’s TECH(NO) series which makes it one of a kind. First, is the fact that it is aimed to give party goers an underground feel with the production of a mainstream concert event. This involves the level of stage production, sound acoustics and decor production at the loft space. Couple that with a small intimate setting of which the location is revealed the day of the event and you have something unique. Second, all artists that are booked are encouraged to play a more techy set. Techno and tech-house are the bread and butter of these parties and give a nice twist to the ever growing mundane “big room house” bubble in the EDM scene. This also allows artists to play something they might not be accustomed to. Lastly is the sunrise set, which is the last set of the night which takes place from 6 am-7 am. In the underground scene it’s considered an honor to play the last set of the party as its the one party goers experience before right before heading back home as the sun is coming up. This reminds me of the ending of Groove. If you haven’t seen that movie, you should.
Below check out my Interview with Reserve Events partner Andrew Dalpino, as we get a personal perspective of what made TECH(NO) what it is today and what we might expect going forward.
1) Seeing how TECH(NO) really is a unique experience compared to what
we’re used to seeing in the Chicago scene, could you briefly explain how idea came about?
– The idea to produce TECH(NO) came about one day when me and my partner Yegor were sitting down and brainstorming for ideas for our first show together. I had always wanted to do an underground show but I wanted to do it the right way. In the past when I attended afterhours or loft shows there was usually little organization, no creativity, hardly any attention to production, a lack of security, and even safety hazards sometimes – I thought to myself, I could do this better. When the idea for TECH(NO) came up, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to show Chicago what we could do!
2) Why Techno as the choice of music? Instead of let’s say “Chicago House” sets?
– House Music is already well represented in Chicago. As an independent forward-looking promotion company, we wanted to bring something new to the table. I am a huge music nerd and I follow trends quite closely. I predicted the rise of Deep House about a year before it started breaking and my hunch was that Techno would soon follow. As of right now, Techno is the 3rd top selling genre on Beatport behind Deep House and Tech-house.
3) Is there a ceiling to how big these events can get before you have to think bigger? Or is the plan to keep them small and intimate mirroring underground events?
– The idea is to make them bigger and better every time. Every TECH(NO) show thus far has been just that. There are certain benefits of keeping the show small, like the intimate atmosphere, and that we are better able to keep our crowd at a certain caliber – but the goal has always been to one day turn the party into a stadium show with a massive billing. For now, we are focusing on TECH(NO) the “Loft Series” which typically hold about 400 people. I’d say even if we did make it as far as a stadium show, we’d still continue to do our loft series as a way of staying “grounded.”
4) You have included “hometown heroes” in past lineups as in this current TECH(NO) lineup. Is that by coincidence or done on purpose to expose the audience to some Chicago artists they might not otherwise go out of their way to see?
– I love supporting Chicago DJs but the main reason why I book the artists for TECH(NO) is because I feel they will do the best job in maintaining the experience that we set out to provide. In some cases I think to my self, “That would be really awesome to see such and such a DJ play a Techno set!” and in other cases I book them because I know people like to come out to see them. Right now, for example, I am working on bringing in an artist I just met from New York who I feel the Chicago market would really dig. Sometimes we’ll get requests from International DJs that just want to play a major US market, and therefore we’ll grab them for super cheap. The lineup is often a juggling act which, at the end of the day, is usually decided on a number of factors.
5) Being the event promoter I bet it is hard for you to choose one,but what is your personal favorite aspect of TECH(NO)?
I like the vibes. I’m all about vibes. I’m lucky to have a partner that understands this as well. From the look of the room, to the acoustics, to the stage design, to the attitude of the doormen, and even the parking lot – everything is designed to vibe in unison. Some promoters understand this, but most don’t in my opinion. For me, the most satisfactory part of the show is seeing all of the creative aspects we control come together as one experience – and it’s usually over the top!
![tech[NO] logo](https://whysochi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/techno-logo.png){kind=logo}
For tickets and more information, visit ReverseEvents.com.
About REVERSE Events:
REVERSE Events is a Chicago-based Independent Electronic Music event promoter/organizer. Founded in 2014 by partners Andrew DalPino and Yegor Kiyenko, the company aims at providing unparalleled live music experiences.
REVERSE Events Links:
http://reverseevents.com
http://faceboook.com/reverseevents
http://twitter.com/reverseevents
http://youtube.com/user/reverseevents
http://mixcloud.com/reverseevents/
http://google.com/+Reverseevents
http://instagram.com/reverseevents
TECH(NO.3) Links:
http://reverseevents.com/event/techno3-loft-party-w-dustin-sheridan—goshva—twitchin-skratch—miester—legend-mode—zander
http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?624006
TECH(NO.3) Announcement Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLnKN0RTaqU&list=UUOFq2oxHCHrq4kKNW1LYwpA
TECH(NO.1) Recap Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLuRCYLUlTA&list=UUOFq2oxHCHrq4kKNW1LYwpA
For all media inquiries please contact Andrew DalPino at andrew@reverseevents.com.
So I’ll start this off by saying I got tickets to this show for free, that alone kinda made me think twice about going. I had heard of Feed Me before, heard some of his tracks and thought it was decent, but not enough for me to pay to see him. So granted, free show, lets see how he is live. The Aragon for the first time that I’ve seen wasn’t packed for a dance show, which was odd and I understood why people were giving out free tickets. Needless to say the acts leading up to Feed Me were mediocre, I was basically counting down the minutes until Feed Me was on. The minute the curtain dropped to reveal Feed Me’s stage set up, which were giant LED teeth shaped screens, I was absolutely amazed. This man is a UK Duster genius, completely blew me away, by far one of the best shows I’ve been to in a few years. The vibe was great, the track selection was on point, all in all Feed Me should have been a sold out show. I definitely recommend ANYONE if you have the opportunity to attend a Feed Me show, you wont regret it.
