This weekend Pilsen will be host to Unísono, an outdoor music and cultural festival focused on education and community empowerment. Presented by the Resurrection Project, this year’s theme is women’s empowerment and includes informative panels by the organization WE (Women Empowerment) as well as performances by impressive female-fronted acts like Girl In A Coma, DJ Panamami, Vivian Garcia, FUE and The Ponderers, among others. This year’s activities include collaborations with local partners the National Museum of Mexican Art, The Greater Pilsen Economic Development Association and RatioNation.

The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 17 at the Zocalo located at 18th Street and Paulina in the heart of Pilsen.

Richard Morales of RatioNation.com, who organized the entertainment portion of the festival, explains why he decided that women’s empowerment should be this year’s theme. “As a curator of music and producer of live events I am tapped into all things music. Over the past five years, when I heard something new that I really loved, nine times out of ten there was usually a woman behind the mic. I felt I needed to try to find a way to bring together as many female artists together on one day to show Chicago how real and powerful this movement really is. That’s where my idea came for a women’s empowerment themed festival. Then it just snowballed with the partnership made with WE – Women Empowerment and its founders Audeni Rojas and Nancy González. They are doing incredible work and, of course, they let me know that it’s not just music where women shine.”

Women Empowerment (WE) is a social network focused on providing events and communication to inspire women’s ambitions. Whether it’s starting a business, assisting with a lifestyle change, meeting health and exercise goals, acquiring new skills or volunteering and developing the spiritual mind, WE provides vital information as well as inspiration in achieving personal and professional development.

Morales is enthused about future possibilities with the organizations involved and feels that the opportunities presented to the community by the festival provide strength through their educational aspect. “We might not be the biggest festival but we strive to provide empowering experiences through our panel sessions and educational workshops. We want the festival to make a difference, no matter how big or small,” he says.

Morales has proven to be an astute and enthusiastic supporter of independent artists and musicians on a local and national level. His events have included award-winning performers like Sones de Mexico, Natalia LaFourcade, Ely Guerra, Los Amigos Invisibles, The PinkerTones and many more. His efforts to include all the arts along with an educational perspective make him a preeminent resource for the burgeoning artistic community in Chicago. This year’s entertainment line-up for the festival, along with the after party, showcase an impeccable sampling of artistry on a global scale. The schedule for Saturday, Aug. 17 is as follows:

RATIO Stage

The Ponderers (DJs Fanita Banana and Angelfuk) Playing an all female-fronted set throughout the day between band performances.

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Special Unísono Pod Cast Mix

1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Dos Santos

2:00 – 2:45 p.m. Vivian Garcia

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. Los Jilguerillos del Norte

4:20 – 5:00 p.m. Banda Potrillos

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Fue

6:15 – 6:45 p.m. Phero

7:00 – 7:45 p.m. Sidewalk Chalk

8:10 – 9:10 p.m. Mexican Institute of Sound

9:30 – 10:45 p.m. Girl in a Coma

El Antro Stage

(Curated by RATIOnation and FEX Events)

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Romasoul

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. DJ Panamami

7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Peligrosa DJ Dus

8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Peligrosa Chorizo Funk

9:00 – 10:00 p.m. Peligrosa Sonora

The after party, which is presented together with FEx (Foreign Exchange), will be held directly after the day’s festivities at Zocalo.

An industrial space in Pilsen just south of the Unísono Festival location will be transformed at night with an open bar, luscious sound system, and wall-to-wall live visuals as a unique combination of DJs from 5 cities feature cutting-edge music to get you moving late into the night. Drawing from the growing global bass movement worldwide, representative DJs from Texas, New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles will join Chicago’s FEx crew in bringing Latin roots and tropical bass rhythms to Chicago.

Official Unísono Festival After Party

August 17, 2013
10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m. (21+)
2358 S. BLUE ISLAND
$15 for entry (All drinks included)