Even before Alicia Greco moved from Buffalo, New York, to Chicago in November 2017, she knew she wanted to start a party series that centered women and nonbinary DJs. She was already DJing herself, under the name Leesh, but she figured she wouldn’t be able to launch an event and simultaneously find her bearings in a new city. After she arrived, she decided to pursue the same goal—spotlighting contemporary dance artists from marginalized gender communities—with a podcast instead. That way she could involve people from anywhere in the world, instead of needing to rely exclusively on a Chicago network that she was still developing. And in theory, building a name for her podcast would make the transition into throwing actual parties seamless.
Elena Colombi, Leesh, Higgy Sat 2/22, 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, $20, $15 in advance, 21+
W00dy, Machine Listener, Kona FM The experimental Midnight Resonance series takes over the Hideout Dance Party. Sat 2/29, 11:59 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, $7, 21+
Earlier this month, dance historian and critic Michaelangelo Matos profiled Daisychain for globally minded UK dance-music outlet Mixmag, calling it “one of the most consistent in the game.” Each new episode not only unfolds another story of a marginalized voice in dance music but also adds a new artist to the growing community involved in Daisychain.
Kern and Schook had already spent a lot of time as mentors when they held the first formal Walking & Falling in March 2017. It included DJing workshops, parties at Smart Bar and Gramaphone Records, drop-ins at WNUR and WLUW, and a potluck. Kern invited Greco, who was still living in Buffalo, to stay with her for the week.
At first, Greco would “cold call” DJs through Facebook or Instagram messages, explaining the podcast and asking them to contribute. “It’s been funny, ’cause usually their response is, ‘Oh my God, I love it,’” she says. “I still am in the state of mind that people don’t know it. It’s wild that a lot of people are already aware of it, and they’re super excited about it.” At the end of 2018, Greco put out an open call for Daisychain submissions, which has helped increase her list of contacts.
