Friday December 7th:
Zernell Gillie of Grimy! Edits (Los Angeles, USA)
Changes is excited to have Chicago native Zernell Gillie as our
December guest! Zernell's style can range from the heart of disco to the
soul of Chicago house music with a grimy twist. By taking rare disco
classics and stripping them down and rebuilding them to a beating
perfection it's no wonder why his imprint Grimy, has sold thousands of
copies worldwide. His musical savvy and hard work pushing his sound and
disco/house culture is definitely paying off.
Zernell was born in Chicago and started DJing at the age of 14. This was during the early years of house music and like a lot of Chicago teens he religiously listened to the Hot Mix 5 on WBMX . By 1986 most of his friends where into the Disco/House music culture and his best friend the infamous Mr. Gene Hunt was RON HARDY’s protégé. Zernell musically grew up in the Music Box listening to the sounds of Ron Hardy and was schooled by the master & protégé in the art of song selection and timing that drives dancers into a frenzy. Zernell’s Grimy style of music features some of the hottest and rarest disco songs and re-edits mixed just the right way to keep you dancing and wanting more, which has made Zernell one of the hottest dj’s in the underground disco scene today.
Zernell has done numerous parties including Chicago, Detroit, New York, Miami and LA.
He has toured the U.K. and Europe and headlined parties in London, Amsterdam & Berlin.
He has released frequent mixes on various websites such as Deep House Page and
Bring the Heat, which gained him attention & fans of music lovers across the globe.
Zernell’s love and passion for disco/house is as strong as it was in the 80’s and out of that passion Zernell created the disco edit label Grimy Edits, which have sold thousands of units worldwide.
Early set by The Black Madonna
The Black Madonna (Freerange, Home Taping is Killing Music, Stripped & Chewed)
“I live in Chicago, but I’m from the middle of nowhere.” Emerging
with a sudden burst of releases sans the traditional slick promotional
push, it sort of feels like The Black Madonna comes from nowhere indeed.
On the topic she says, "I don't want to make pictures of myself and try
to tell you who I am that way. It's a losing game, especially for
women. The people I admire are Underground Resistance and other artists
that stay idea centered. That isn't changing because I'm a woman. I’m
patient enough to do this the right way. Hopefully the music is
sufficient. It’s the only thing I’m interested in saying or being."
In fact, patience might be the singular quality that marks her more
than any other. She apprenticed and did studio work for other producers
for years before working alone. Her first record, "Exodus" was an anthem
to a concentrated pool of Chicago house aficionados, passed person to
person for three years before anyone outside of the city ever heard it.
Indeed the master was almost deleted. “Exodus,” with its transcendent,
gospel arrangements and thunderous crescendo, finally found its audience
via the Stripped & Chewed label. Its champions range from the
esteemed Little White Earbuds (calling it, “one of the most effective
and joyful records I’ve danced to this year,”) to Derrick Carter, who
debuted Exodus to the rest of the world on mainstage at Movement 2012.
Of the surprise experience she says, “I was walking back to the hotel.
It was like a miracle. I cried like a baby. I never thought it would see
the light of day.”
And that’s the story of pretty much everything she’s done. Alone in
the attic of the house that formerly contained the offices of over 50
Chicago dance labels, she produced the tracks that now comprise current
and upcoming releases on Home Taping is Killing Music, Argot, Stripped
and Chewed and File Under Disco (from the Disco Deviance family). But
most collected dust for a year or more, before anyone heard them. She
simply made them and put them aside. In fact, it was another close
producer friend who took the liberty of sending out those initial
dispatches and finally nudged her to submit the work to labels.
The result is now a matter of public record, as it were. She has
since been remixed by The Revenge (forthcoming) and Nicholas, and her
split with disco legend DJ Rahaan nearly sold out in a matter of days
after hitting distribution. Support for those two releases alone
included no less than Ashley Beedle, Dimitri From Paris, Jacques
Renault, Luke Solomon, Derrick Carter, Jon Da Silva, Rob Mello, Bill
Brewster, Rainer Trueby, 6th Borough Project, Tornado Wallace, Kiko
Navarro, Social Disco Club, Medlar, Leftside Wobble, Murray Richardson,
Xperience, Jimpster, Ka§par, Stu Clark, Frank Booker, Sleazy Beats
Recordings and Gene Hunt. So, it's probably safe to say she’s got
at least one foot out of the attic at this point, even if she’s digging
the other heel in. And she’s spending more time with her first love,
playing records. A sublime technician behind the decks, Madonna is known
for fluent and dynamic all-vinyl appearances. Chicagoans were even
treated to a special evening with The Black Madonna and Derrick Carter
playing back to back sets, as she drew from her 6000 record deep record
collection. At present, she is readying work on the second phase of an
original disco project and finishing her first work on the Freerange
label, while holding down the Funktion One at Chicago's famous finishing
school for DJ's, Smart Bar.
Not bad for a producer who once refused to send her work to anyone at
all. “Maybe they’ll even let me leave Chicago someday,” she jokes.
Free midnight shot "Big Time": Maple finished Crown Royal whiskey, sour apple schnapps, and cranberry juice..
Samone Roberts, Nathan Drew Larsen, and Loves Records present CHANGES...
Changes is a monthly Chicago event that serves as a bastion for roots
dance music and DJ culture. We celebrate the medium; the beatification
of the beat. The sundy set of unrelenting party goers at Changes takes
the bacchanalian dance floor as seriously as the music. Changes loves
house, disco, industrial, Italo, the list goes on… we have no temporal
bias. Our civic pride compels us to represent the hedonistic and
eclectic bent of Chicago’s most beloved esoteric mixing traditions.
Changes DJs are real turntablists: alchemic artists behind the decks.
Guest selectors include: Specter, Jamie 3:26, Justin Long, DJ Spun,
Tyrel Williams, Ross Kelly, ShredOne and Sassmouth. Samone Roberts and
Nathan Drew Larsen host “Changes” the first Friday of every month at
Beauty Bar.
We get to the club early to set up the decks, sound
check, and tune things up so they sound nice for you on the Funktion
One. There is always a free shot
at midnight, named after whatever song our DJ decides to drop at 12:00, when we turn the disco ball on.
WE DO NOT TAKE REQUESTS
9pm, Free
Beauty Bar is open everyday 5pm-2am and on Saturdays until 3am. Remember it's always free before 9pm!
Changes Drink Specials:
$3 old style tall boys, $7 grey goose cherry noir cocktails, $3 midnight shots & per usual $10 Martini + Manicures!
