chicago

The Cool Kids are a hip hop duo based in Chicago, Illinois consisting of Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll (originally from Mount Clemens, MI). They are signed to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Recordings. After meeting in 2005, and releasing three mixtapes onto the internet through their MySpace page, they released their debut EP The Bake Sale in 2008.

Binge & Purge is the union of personality and noted DJ Tommie Sunshine and producer Mark Verbos. The two started working together in 1998 in Chicago. Their 2001 debut as Binge & Purge was a doublepack, released on Switzerland's Mental Groove, called "Wait, It's Fantastic." Highly regarded by the press and the big DJs at the time, it sold small numbers. Their only other release, "Take Your Drion Pill," was a collection of left overs and re-edits from the same sessions.

Company of Thieves is an indie rock band which formed in Chicago, Illinois in 2007. They consist of Genevieve Schatz (vocals, keyboards), Marc Walloch (guitar) and Mike Ortiz (drums). Bassist Dorian Duffy has since left the band. The members of Company of Thieves are collectively grounded, and well-versed in the challenges the world faces today. "This is a scary time for a lot of people, government-wise, art-wise, and especially business-wise," says singer Genevieve Schatz. "People seem to be very held back in what they're willing to invest in – personally, emotionally, and financially.

Kevin Drumm is an experimental musician based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Emerging from the city's improvised music scene, in the 1990s he became one the world's pre-eminent prepared guitar players. Years active from 1991. Drumm's work expanded to include electroacoustic compositions and live electronic music made with laptop computers and analog modular synthesizers. He has collaborated with many artists working in similar fields, including Japanese guitarist Taku Sugimoto, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jim O'Rourke...