- Fresh, re-imagined forms of dance music have been surfacing all over the world these days. One particularly exciting form is something few have been able to adequately label. But when you're taking influence from Chicago house and juke, crunk, dubstep and R&B, labeling such an eclectic beast would just be handcuffing. Instead, soaking in a night of jams from Nguzunguzu, purveyors of said musical form, seemed more appropriate.
Nguzunguzu is LA-based duo Daniel Pineda and Asma Maroof. After releasing a few mixtapes, EPs and remixes of folks such as Ratatat and Buraka Som Sistema, Pineda and Maroof have effectively placed themselves as cultural arbiters in the dance music underground. Traveling the country as M.I.A.'s tour DJs, Nguzunguzu took some time during their Chicago stop to play at Evil Olive, a club hanging at the fringe of Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.
Presented as an open, vaulted space, Evil Olive is adorned with black, lifeless walls, three pseudo-chic bars, and plenty of hipster elite. But what Evil Olive lacks in setup and design, it makes up for in its DJ talent. Having booked artists in the past such as Dances With White Girls and Dubbel Dutch, Evil Olive is one of the few venues in Chicago willing to put on an act like Nguzunguzu.
Like the aforementioned Dubbel Dutch, Nguzunguzu gave an onslaught of funky, juke, house and dub. As curators and creators, Nguzunguzu's set ventured through some of the top cuts of their nameless genre, some their own, some not. The tunes were eclectic and worldly; evidence to the cacophony of influences in Nguzunguzu's own work. As the crowd juked and put their footwork to the test, Nguzunguzu's set seemed culturally significant; a hint to an eventual turning point in Chicago's dance music culture. While house and techno will always be a part of the city's musical identity, the club scene could use a facelift. Nguzunguzu are among those who will nip and tuck.