The Crossfade Between Cities: ‘Chicago Waves’ and the Sonic Thread Linking LA and Chicago

International Anthem brings new light to Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s live document through its IA11 reissue program and a deep listening/live series at Chicago’s Hungry Brain.

In the summer of 2018, percussionist Carlos Niño and violinist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson stepped into Chicago’s Co-Prosperity space just hours after playing with Makaya McCraven at the release show for Universal Beings. What followed was something quieter but no less powerful. An unbroken set of improvisations blended Niño’s percussive atmospheres with Atwood-Ferguson’s processed strings. That session became Chicago Waves, released in 2020, a luminous record of intuition and connection that arrived just as the world was shutting down.

That chemistry had been years in the making. Before 2018, Niño and Atwood-Ferguson were already fixtures of Los Angeles’ creative scene, pushing boundaries across jazz, hip-hop, ambient and classical music. One high-water mark came in 2009 when Atwood-Ferguson led a 40-piece orchestra in Suite for Ma Dukes, a live orchestral tribute to J Dilla at Cal State LA. That night was filled with reverent, adventurous energy. Common, Talib Kweli and Posdnuos appeared as surprise guests, and Dilla’s mother watched from the front row. The moment captured what the duo had been cultivating all along.

Now, as part of International Anthem’s eleventh-anniversary campaign, Chicago Waves returns in an expanded IA11 Edition. The new version includes updated packaging, a 16-page booklet with liner notes from label co-founder Scott McNiece, and a new track titled “Wave Reflection,” recorded by Atwood-Ferguson in 2025 as a response to the original session.

The IA11 campaign is more than a reissue project. It is a chance to revisit foundational records while reintroducing them to new listeners. Earlier this year, the label re-released Rob Mazurek’s Alternate Moon Cycles, Makaya McCraven’s In the Moment, and Ben LaMar Gay’s Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun. On June 27, the next three arrive: Jeff Parker’s The New Breed, Irreversible Entanglements’ self-titled debut, and Chicago Waves. Each release comes with new design, fresh liner notes and pricing that aims to meet more ears.

Throughout 2025, International Anthem is also hosting a monthly residency at Chicago’s Hungry Brain. On the last Monday of each month, the series focuses on one album from the label’s catalog. Each event features a full-album deep listening session followed by a live performance that responds to and reinterprets the music. On July 28, the spotlight will be on Chicago Waves, with a set from BSA Gold, Micah Collier and Frank Morrison.

You do not have to be in the room to feel it. This music still speaks across space.