Best of Chicago 2019: Music & Nightlife

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Best new band

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Sincere Engineer   Runner-Up Resavoir   Finalist: Flesh Vortex

Best rock band

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Twin Peaks   Runner-Up

Best hip-hop artist

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Chance the Rapper   Runner-Up

Staff Pick: Best hip-hop artist

Polo G

by Leor Galil on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Last month Polo G's major-label debut, Die a Legend, ranked number 46 on the Billboard 200 while Chance the Rapper's The Big Day sat at 58. Chance's "debut" album had arrived at the end of July, nearly two months after Die a Legend, but Polo G outlasted it on the charts with just a fraction of the publicity.

Best metal band

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Oozing Wound   Runner-Up

Best classical group

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Chicago Symphony Orchestra   Runner-Up

Best international/world music act

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

The Lawrence Arms   Runner-Up

Best jazz band

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Resavoir   Runner-Up

Best jazz musician

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Makaya McCraven   Runner-Up

Best blues band

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Buddy Guy   Runner-Up

Best country band

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

The Hoyle Brothers   Runner-Up

Best pop artist

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Emily Blue   Runner-Up

Best singer-songwriter

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Jamila Woods   Runner-Up

Best local album of the year

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Legacy! Legacy!

Best DJ

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Rae Chardonnay   Runner-Up

Best house music DJ

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Derrick Carter   Runner-Up

Staff Pick: Best house music DJ

Duane Powell

by Leor Galil on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Great DJs keep their ears open to the world, and Duane Powell knows how to listen. He's been plugged into local music since 1983, when he went to his first party at Mendel High School, a famed incubator for the city's house scene.

Best local dance producer

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

The Fly Honey Show   Runner-Up

Best gig poster designer

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Clare Byrne   Runner-Up

Best bartender

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Matt Ciarleglio (at the Empty Bottle)   Runner-Up

Best local label

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Red Scare Industries   Runner-Up

Staff Pick: Best local label

Chicago Research

by Leor Galil on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Punk musician and engineer Blake Karlson launched Chicago Research in late 2018, and since then he's used the label to document every scrap and fleck of gunk he can dredge up from the dark underside of local electronic music. In less than a year, he's racked up more than a dozen releases, most on cassette and all available to stream or buy on Bandcamp, and each one provides insight into glorious and sometimes grotesque new sounds.

Best hip-hop producer

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Monte Booker   Runner-Up

Best music podcast

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

What About Chicago?  

Best recording studio

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Uptown Recording   Runner-Up

Best party promoter

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Party Noire   Runner-Up

Best music festival

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Riot Fest   Runner-Up

Best music venue

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

The Hideout   Runner-Up

Best outdoor music venue

on November 6, 2019 at 12:00PM

Ravinia Festival   Runner-Up