Enter the sounds of Gianpaolo Dieli, aka Savile and Steve Mizek. The Chicago-based producers and DJs are residents at one of the most iconic clubs in Chicago: the one and only Smart Bar. Keeping things in the family, Savile has released on Smart Bar’s Northside 82, a label which is managed by Steve, as well as Chicago-based imprint Argot, also managed by Steve and Gianpaolo (with Savile’s latest release landing on Chi-town’s Stripped & Chewed). The No Sleep, Not In America EP comes in the form of four tracks, proving simplicity can often have great power on the dancefloor. Venturing across all-out funky 130bpm techno to more wonky downtempo house, the EP showcases his influences across America, as well as giving nods to a Chicago house era gone by.
Between them, champions of their music include, of course, Smart Bar’s own Black Madonna, as well as support from the likes of Radio 1’s B Traits through to California’s Honey Soundsystem. Here, it is our pleasure to welcome them into the mix for i-D. Press play on the sounds of Chicago’s own Savile and Steve Mizek.
What are the top three tracks getting heavy rotation in your sets?
Steve: Nathan Drew Larsen, Left There (Tevo Howard Remix) [Fresh Meat Records], Mike Huckaby, Another Fantasy [S Y N T H], Stefan Ringer, Bossa grv [Argot]
Gianpaulo: R Rash, Smoking Jakkit [Trelik], Palma, A1 [Palma Music], Stefan Ringer, To The Bone [Argot]
What’s the most hedonistic party you’ve ever been to?
S: Between 2014/2015, a number of Men’s Room parties were held in the Chicago’s Bijou Theater, once America’s longest running gay porn theater and cruising space. The parties themselves were held in the sling room which could fit about 50ish people if they’re body to body. Which is, of course, the point when the room is filled with shirtless men dancing or doing just about anything else you could lasciviously imagine. I’ll never forget seeing the Black Madonna DJ there, in a cage, the air thick with pheromones, sweat, and poppers. I’ve never been to a more sexually charged party.
What’s the most phenomenal clubbing venue in the world and why?
G&S: We both feel that Berghain is the best clubbing venue in the world. It’s an undeniably common answer but the facts can’t be ignored: caliber of talent booked, level of execution and consistency? Unmatched. Sure, every club has bad sets, slow nights but Berghain is a monolith that manages to get it right most of the time, and that is important.
If you could go back to back with any DJ, at any venue, who would it be and why?
S: I would play back to back with Gerd Jansen at Robert Johnson. That’s his home turf and a club I absolutely adore, so it would be a special kind of honor to have that chance.
G: With Marea (Black Madonna), at Smart Bar. I say this having not been to a lot of clubs that I admire in the world. But really, this was the first thing that came to mind. Marea and I haven’t played together in all our years of friendship and I think it would be a trip. Plus, her shows at home have been particularly line-down-the-block magnetic this year.
History is made at night… What was the best night of your life?
S: As a civilian, it was the night I married my husband. As a DJ, it would have to be opening Panorama Bar by myself for four hours. Nothing will compare to either of them.
G: Oct 24, 2014. 10 of us flew to Berlin to see The Black Madonna play Panorama Bar on her birthday. It was my first time overseas, first time in Berghain. We all sang “Happy Birthday” in unison in front of the booth. Soundman motioned for everyone to join. Whole of PBar sings together. Everybody cries. Yeah.
What’s the most debauched thing you’ve ever seen on a dancefloor?
G&S: It wouldn’t be as debaucherous if everyone talked about it 😉
What would your dream rider consist of?
G: I recently discovered the joy of eating whilst DJing during a long set at Smart Bar. It isn’t ostentatious, but a box of baked goods to gnaw on while playing music would be pretty dreamy.
What does your actual rider consist of?
G&S: A pair of working Technics!
What’s your favorite party anthem of all time?
S: Patrice Rushen’s Haven’t You Heard. It packs such an emotional punch in a musically nuanced package that stirs anyone with a body.
G: Terrence Parker’s Your Love. There’s not a lot I can say about this record except that it brings me to tears most of the time. Perfect house music.
What producer are you predicting big things from this year?
S: I sense Chicago’s Garrett David is going to make a well deserved mark on 2016, as already evidenced by his collaborative EP with Adam Rowe; not to mention several excellent releases in the pipeline for well regarded labels. I can’t wait for more of the dance music world to acquaint themselves with this gifted producer and slamming DJ.
G: I second Garrett and add Stefan Ringer. This dude is the truth. Dusty sample flips with a refreshing lightness to his productions…. He’s got a 12″ coming soon on Argot that continues to turn heads every time I play it, and his DJ skills are nothing to shy from either. The icing on the cake: a kind, honest human! Mad love.
Where do you go when the record ends and the lights come on?
G: For 2+ years I spent nearly every weekend morning at Casual Studios, which is where the Stripped & Chewed family used to live. They hosted literally hundreds of silly afters that introduced me to new friends, new music, pushed me through strange personal work, and solidified a network of friends that is now tight as thieves. They’ve got a new place we affectionately call Business House, but it’s a little more well behaved.
What track would you end the night on when everyone’s still awake and it’s time to go to sleep?
S: I’ve long been fond of ending on Rainer Trueby’s To Know You. It’s got the energy to make dancing the last minutes away all the easier and the gorgeous melodies to make them even sweeter than any moment before it. The vocal-only ending always does me in.
G: I’m not so good at endings, but if we’re talking about a soft landing… I play Jorge Ben’s Oba, la vem ela at almost every show, beginning or end.
Finish the sentence, the music sounds better with…
Love