A Night of Light and Dark at The Whistler

An intimate setting and a packed house set the mood Wednesday night, March 7, at The Whistler (@WHISTLERchicago, 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave.). The place was hopping, even before the show started. Not bad for a school night.

The Whistler’s beer list features a wide variety, from PBR to imports and Midwestern greats such as Bells, 3 Floyds and Great Lakes. Their mixed drinks are also a force to be reckoned with. The Odd Couple—a mixture of rye whiskey, gin and bourbon—was an amazingly great mash. The gin gave it a refreshing zing, while the bourbon and whiskey provided a slightly sweet finish. The Red, White, and Green: a mixture of Azul Silver Tequila, lemon, honey and bitters, blended sweet and bitter flavors with a citrus finish—great combination of flavors. And their featured drink the Verdita comprised of two shots: first, a palette-stimulating blend of cilantro, mint, pineapple, jalapeno and habanero peppers; and the second was a shot of Don Fulano 100-proof Silver Tequila. You feel the burn from the tequila rushing down your throat, followed by the cool, sweet and savory heal of the Verdita shot. The perfect mixture of pain and pleasure.

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Light

The show was a perfect mixture of light and dark for their “sleep-themed” set. The night started with Deep Sleep, a solo project from Jeremiah Chiu, member of Los Angeles-based group Icy Demons and Chicago-based creative studio practice Plural: a warming mixture of synth pop meets indie, reminiscent of Cut Copy. Danceable beats and catchy melodies, analog synth sounds galore, Chiu describes the project as “space-disco-art-pop.” The audience grooved with every song and watched a capturing visual presentation of random videos of ocean life blended with footage of busy highways, space and entrancing visual effects.

Chiu will be playing next Thursday, March 15, at The Hideout (@HideoutChicago, 1354 W. Wabansia) with Chandeliers and Sonoi; March 18 at Maria’s in Bridgeport (960 W. 31st St.); and April 9 at The Burlington (@theburlington, 3425 W. Fullerton Ave.).

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Dark

Next up was Night Terror, a solo project from Tyson Torstensen of Ga’an and Magical Beautiful, is a 80s horroresque sound with industrial beats. Self described as “electronic-prog,” he takes the audience on a hauntingly yet soothing journey of sweet melodic soundscapes, driving beats and percussive elements. Torstensen tops it all of with dissonant audio samples from movies, reminiscent of Skinny Puppy’s cEvin Key. You’d get the feeling that you are chased one moment and in a safe place the next, only to be taken back to the notion that you are about to be killed. He delivered a heart-thumping and electrifying performance with every song, keeping the audience on the tip of their toes, unsure what would come next.

» Socialize with Tyson Torstensen | Facebook.com/MagicalBeautiful