Hugo Manuel creates electronic music under the moniker “Chad Valley,” but he’s not just a DJ behind a laptop, he’s a producer and proved so with his recently released debut full-length, Young Hunger. With this album, the Oxford-native channeled his influences from the ‘80s and teamed up with vocalists including Twin Shadow, Glasser and Active Chi...

Though Chad Valley’s electronic pop may fit more under the category of “indie” or “chillwave,” the outfit’s mastermind, Hugo Manuel, thinks of himself as a producer—in the hip-hop sense—and though he didn’t have any help on his first two EPs, he decided to try something different for his debut full-length, Young Hunger. Like his influences, Manu...

One of the treats of Lollapalooza are the after-hours shows that scattered throughout the Windy City. This year is no different. Some of the biggest names that’ve graced the stage in Grant Park earlier in the day will be playing at some of the most intimate venues in the city. While most of the bigger names have sold out their respective shows, t...

Emerging Brooklyn band The Echo Friendly is a name you may start hearing more often. They’ve gotten recent recognition for having their song “Same Mistakes” in the closing credits of the fourth Girls episode, but they also have a band and life philosophy more withstanding than that. In a conversation with band members Jake Rabinbach and Shannon E...

Canadians invade the Empty Bottle on Monday (11/28). Headliner Austra is a Toronto-based band consisting of former members of Galaxy and Spiral Beach. Lead vocalist and chief songwriter Katie Stelmanis seizes crowds with her mystique and beckoning arm movements, while inviting everyone to join her and feel their songs. The music is electronic, f...

Artist: Portugal. The Man Genre: Psychedelic/progressive rock From the political uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East to the Midwestern United States, a sense of awareness and community seems to be spreading throughout the globe. Personally, I can’t get enough of that hope-y, change-y feeling - but then again, I’m about as far to th...