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Jeff Derringer Launches New Record Label: Oktave Records

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Chicago-based Jeff Derringer delighted techno fans with amazing news today: the launch of his own record label called Oktave Records.

The techno producer, DJ and event curator is a Smartbar Chicago resident and has enjoyed a prolific release career with output on labels the likes of Soma, Electric Deluxe, Perc Trax, Reclaim Your City and Lanthan.audio just to name a few.

He has been presiding over his event series Oktave for just short of 8 years now, with top-tier techno showcases in New York City, Chicago and Detroit over the course of the brand’s existence. The name “Oktave” has become synonymous with techno in Chicago, oftentimes the only event series consistently representing the genre in a city that often, and somewhat understandably, favors house music.

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Smartbar Chicago Will Host Series of Workshops With Focus on Women in Music

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Last month Chicago’s Smartbar, the famed clubbing institution that has been running in the city’s Northside for over 30 years, announced the return of its Daphne series with a list of club nights featuring some of the best dance music talent in the world.

Smartbar has hosted Daphne events in the past, club nights focused on representing the role of woman-identifying and genderqueer artists in the electronic music industry. So while not totally new, the upcoming Daphne: A Women’s Movement In Dance Music is a month-long festivity that continues with that same mission, but does it tenfold within a shorter period of time.

On top of the club nights already announced throughout the month of March, with artists like Nina Kraviz, The Black Madonna, Cassy, Octo Octa, Honey Dijon and more all scheduled to play, Daphne and Smartbar will also be holding a string of workshops open to the public and participants of all skill levels. The workshops will address topics such as artist promotion, DJ mechanics, queer religious figures and more.

See the below flyer for full details:

 

daphne workshops

 

 

Q&A & Global Vibe Radio: Jeff Derringer and Oktave’s 7 Year Anniversary

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Next week Chicago’s Oktave is celebrating 7 years at the forefront of the ever-changing landscape of techno. In an industry that sees clubs open and shut down in the span of a few short years, only a few venues and parties stand the test of time to remain open past the 5 year mark and beyond. The fact that Oktave has done so in a city with heavy focus on house music is but a testament to how well it has been curated over the years.

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