Wednesday April 8 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25

Maurice Louca's Fera in quartet live formation brings the album’s intricate, hypnotic energy to the stage with Maurice Louca on guitar and electronics, Ayman Asfour on violin, Dylan Greene on drums and percussion, and Luke Stewart on double bass, delivering the full rhythmic and dynamic range of Fera in a powerful live setting.
Maurice Louca is one of the most gifted, prolific, and adventurous figures in Egypt’s thriving experimental arts scene. His genre-defying music bridges psychedelic Egyptian shaabi, cosmic jazz, and improvisation. In his latest project Fera, hypnotic polyrhythms take the forefront for a trance-inducing experience that invites both movement and careful listening.

Natalie Chami (TALsounds) is a Canadian-born Lebanese American musician and educator. Known for her work in drone, ambient, and improvisational music, she has cultivated a distinguished solo career over the past 15 years, crafting a distinctive blend of personal and transporting music. Her compositions seamlessly integrate synth work, operatic vocals, and meticulous atmosphere crafting. Chami has released albums on various labels, toured internationally, and earned acclaim for her significant contributions to the avant-garde electronic scene including publications such as Pitchfork, The Fader, The Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune. Her latest release, Shift (2023), is a departure from her signature warm analog synth sound, with exclusive use of hardware digital and FM synthesizers, embracing a crisp, icy tonal palette and a minimalist approach. Notably, Chami collaborated with fellow Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) women in the production, art, and photography for the album. Beyond her contributions to live performance and music production, Chami played a pivotal role as a founding faculty member at the Chicago High School for the Arts, continues to maintain a private music studio for students since 2010, was a video host for the online musical instrument marketplace, Reverb.com, and currently serves as the Product Manager for Synthesizers at KORG USA. Chami also enjoys when her multifaceted career extends into the realm of film scoring and sound installations. She also very much loves her family of humans, cats, and dogs… and nature and chocolate cake.