Sonotheque bar/club/lounge/live_music_venue

Description

A unique music venue, Sonotheque is Chicago's foremost platform for local and international DJ's and a superlative showcase for artistic musical and visual collaboration. Designed first as an acoustically precise room for a world-class sound system and second as an intimate lounge, Sonotheque delivers a pure quality of sound unparalleled in Chicago nightclubs. The lounge offers exceptional musical integrity balanced by design elements that serve to reflect, refract and absorb sound.

Complementing the music, Terry Alexander (Mia Francesca, Mod, and Danny's Tavern) and Donnie Madia (Blackbird) have brought their restaurant backgrounds and fearless energy to developing Sonotheque's ambiance. Known for pushing the boundaries of a fine dining experience, both have created spaces marked by award-winning, yet uncompromising and assertive design. Alexander's own Okno was a bold experimentation in blending DJ-driven music and dining; while at Blackbird, partner Donnie Madia has developed a world-class restaurant that breaks all the rules of fine dining environments.

Pure forms of intersecting planes create the minimalist aesthetic that dominates the space. Designed by Suhail with art direction from Alexander, Madia and Bryl, the sleek lounge stands out against the splashy design signature found at Suhail's installations such as Sugar, Mod, Tizi Melloul, and MTV's Real World house.

Sonotheque's duel back-screen projection system is designed to show art-related images for collaborations with visual artists. Along with intermittent video projections, Sonotheque is planning a monthly series of video installations, curated by Ed Marszewski, Editor of both Lumpen and Select magazines. Spontaneous video shows developed and produced by DJ's will also be shown and plans for live music presentations are in the works.

The restaurant background of Alexander and Madia is evident in the attention to every detail, from the glassware to the exceptional staff training. Boutique liquors and line the back bar and a restaurateur's hand is evident in the concise wine list. While the prices are kept purposefully low, Sonotheque offers a range of beers, wines and liquors to match any budget, from $2.00 Pabst Blue Ribbon beer to $250 Dom Perignon. Their goal is to bring the philosophies of elegance found in modern fine dining into the club setting, attracting a wider range of clientele into the space.