| DJ in a bottle.
When restaurateurs Terry Alexander and Donnie Madia teamed up with DJ Joe Bryl to open Sonotheque, the place became known as a hip new lounge/club with a sexy atmosphere, plus a solid sound system. More than that, though, the minimalist design elements created much positive buzz. Our Stalkers visited on a recent drum ‘n’ bass and techno night.
Stalker #1
Good DJs make you dance. Great DJs make you dance your ass off and think about music in new ways. Hearing DJ Andy C play a scorching drum ‘n’ bass set in Dallas on day one of the Iraq war got me dancing hard and thinking: If we could magically drop in the middle of Baghdad a glass-walled, bulletproof DJ booth with him playing in it, could we create total peace among everyone there?
When I pictured Andy C playing in the middle of Baghdad, I pictured a DJ booth similar to the one at Sonotheque. The booth looks kind of like a spaceship or something out of “The Jetsons”: Glass panels that extend from the floor to the ceiling completely seal the DJ and the equipment inside the booth. That means that no rowdy, pissed-off-his-t*ts clubber will accidentally knock a drink or cigarette over the booth. Which is a good thing.
But while I know that the booth is all that and acoustically great too, it’s a major downer vibe-wise. It visually separates the DJ, creating something of a disconnected feeling between him and the crowd, no matter how good the music is. Sometimes, though, we get lucky: Usually when someone does a live P.A. – like John Tejada did recently – the performance is done outside the booth, and that definitely helps to connect the crowd and to boost the rowdy, good time party vibes.
I know that Sonotheque prides itself on the sleek ambiance and design, and some people are all hyped about the way the club looks: the aluminum geometric tiles that dot the outside, ceiling tiles that hang above the bar, sound paneling and a fancy-chic feel throughout. I know it took some planning, but I’m not in love with the fancy, modern look. I don’t hate it, but would be just as happy – or happier, really – with an ordinary or gritty warehouse feel and the Chicago cliché of exposed brick walls.
The layout of the club, especially the placement of a couple of steps, is even more peculiar and annoying than the spaceship DJ booth. It stinks that there is no well-defined dancing area and that the space from the booth to the bar is crazy tight, causing clubbers to stumble into each other constantly.
Also, because a couple of steps are right in front of and below the DJ booth, that makes dancing, mingling or merely standing near the booth a traffic hazard. If you think you’re happy sipping that Tequila Sunrise and watching DJ Ryan Elliott play energizing techno, just wait a minute, and someone is sure to stumble into you soon, spilling a drink on you in the process. If you’re a shorty and want to watch the DJ as you jack that body (without getting smacked by a drink or clubber), you’ve got to be standing on that top step, which puts you so close to the booth, you might as well be kissing it. Which you don’t want to do (if you aren’t a groupie). And if it feels too cozy for comfort being within lip-smacking distance of the front of the booth, then your best bet for a smack-free zone is on the top step and to the right or to the left of the booth, but you might not be able to see the DJ well from there. Such is life at Sonotheque.
Stalker #2
If you have a hard time dealing with getting smacked by stumbling clubbers, I understand if you want to get your drink on. The club carries PBR and fancy Dom Perignon. Now, we aren’t beer snobs but, hey, why no Red Stripe?
Depending on the music being played, the crowd might include holier-than-thou hipsters too cool to dance, or a slew of come-as-you-are clubbers ready to jack to a John Tejada live PA or an energizing DJ set by residents Sassmouth, Shy FX and the like. I might not like the club layout, but I can’t help but keep on coming back. That’s because music director Joe Bryl keeps booking talented, exciting local and out-of-town DJs and performers who I like to see. So I have to give Bryl and company props.
Chicago’s BassByThePound crew provides solid drum ‘n’ bass talent from Chi-town and around the globe at Dynamite!, their monthly night. Marcus Intalex, Klute, Shy FX and others have provided thorough rinse-out sessions there. Meanwhile Wake Up!, a monthly techno night, is fun. Also a hit is Dark Wave Disco, featuring residents Trancid, Mark Gertz and Greg Corner delivering indie rock electro disco punk craziness. And Sundays feature DJ Rikshaw playing the best in reggae, dancehall and roots.
The steps and awkward layout may always bug me, but thanks to a solid Funktion-One speaker system and great music talent always rolling through the club, Sonotheque keeps growing on me. With each visit, I feel more at home, and we seem to fancy the club more and more. After all, I’ll gladly take good music, a decent sound system and the awkward layout over clubs that have bad sound systems, pretentious dress codes and a bottle-service-before-music mentality.
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