Recap Diesel:U:Music's Rogue Lollapalooza Kick-Off

In certain circles, Lollapalooza is little more than an excuse to produce a seemingly never-ending string of after-parties varying in terms of official capacity and affiliation. For every sanctioned Lolla after-event, there are 10 more productions featuring one festival artist DJing among a slew of local, unaffiliated talent. Which made Saturday's Lolla kick-off party all the more notable, in that it featured four local acts all set to perform at the festival this coming weekend, with one major headliner that's an alum of last year's affair.

The event took place at River North's LaSalle Power Co., the new kid on the block of Chicago music venues, which opened in early May. The three-story building was most recently the Mexican eatery Lalo's, and Michael Jordan's restaurant before that. Given its location, it's no surprise the space typically draws the popped-collar downtown club crowd. Saturday's party, however, resulted in a takeover by way of a group more accustomed to venues like Sonotheque and Debonair.

The night kicked off with Yello Fever, an act well-acquainted with the aforementioned locations. The threesome is known for Kid Color, the geeky, glasses-clad, Dark Wave Disco-associated Columbia College DJ sensation. Skyler seemed to lead the three-person outfit, and, along with Color and Jobot, the group kept the crowd moving with a set heavy on electro and disco, drenched in room-rattling bass. Between deeper cuts, Yello Fever delivered more recognizable fare, like Madison Avenue's "Don't Call Me Baby," as well as its remix of fellow Lolla performers Hey Champ's "Cold Dust Girl." The trio's Dark Wave Disco influence may be apparent, but it does little to diminish its ability to keep the crowd active and entertained for over an hour—at the start of the night, no less.

The party then shifted gears, both in terms of tonality and approach, with the two-girl unit Moneypenny taking the stage for its live-act debut. Made up of simultaneously slinky and jerky frontwoman DJ A-Cup (also known as Jessica Gonyea, of Chicago indie unit Office) and keyboardist DJ Mother Hubbard (of Life During Wartime), the duo served up a brief set of electro-pop. Thematically, the pair's material, which is heavy on playful, '80s synth, explored topics like "boys and girls" and the "lipstick revolution," wherein girls take what they want from boys before sending them home crying.

The dual attack progressed with He Say, She Say, the live project of DJ/producer Million Dollar Mano and vocalist Drea. The group proved a sensible follow-up to Moneypenny, though the two acts explored different territory. Whereas the girls of Moneypenny bounded about with sassy, flirty pop, HSSS arrived with heavier beats, sporting a more soulful sound. Drea demonstrated a distinctive voice that displayed range beyond just electro-pop trappings, showcasing an impressive and passionate croon. The pair debuted material off an as-of-yet-unreleased debut record, some of it more melodic, such as "Modesty Is Key," while other tracks proved more rapid-fire and assaultive.

Continuing the hip-hop streak, The Dark Wave Disco DJs opened up with an aggressive, skewered chorus of Jay-Z’s "99 Problems" before launching into a dense and heavy performance, chopping up tracks amongst driving electro. In between vocal-less beats, they dropped in snippets of indie fare like the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind," as well as teases of Hot Chip's "Ready For The Floor" and a high-intensity version of MGMT's "Kids." The trio—which comprises the jerky and fidgety Mark Gertz, steadfast Trancid, and Kill Hannah bassist Greg Corner—also spun a string of "Zero"-related cuts, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' track of the same name, as well as Le Castle Vania's remix of the Smashing Pumpkins hit. The group stood out as the only DJ talent of the night operating without the use of a laptop, instead utilizing solely CDJs. The set closed with "Big Bills," an easy segue to the night's final act.

Lollapalooza 2008 alumni Flosstradamus closed out the Lolla pre-party, following the current Chicago class of 2009. Positioned at the far top of the back end of the stage, DJs J2K and Autobot—the latter of whom sported a black retro Blondie T-shirt—broke out a set of house and other beats interspersed with classic and surefire party jams; from "Pump Up The Jam" to "Bombs Over Baghdad," "Whoomp! (There It Is)" to Benny Benassi's "Satisfaction." The duo also dropped "Right Hand Hi," a new selection from J2K's sibling, Chicago MC Kid Sister, herself another Lolla '08 alum. As has become customary at Flosstradamus' sets, it wasn't long before the DJ team invited the majority of the room onstage.

While much of the local talent who performed on Saturday will be centralized at the festival’s Perry’s Stage this coming weekend, Saturday’s party proved the hometown offerings this year should be a Lolla highlight. It’s reassuring to know that, among a bill sporting high-profile names and countless national and international acts, Chicago’s holding its own.