House on the BLVD
by Terry Matthew | Published July 2008 | Features Archives

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS a hustle, and when you're hustling, it's every man for himself. Rarely these days do you see individuals in the scene group together for more than a temporary convenience - a residency, a song, a couple cuts off an album. There's a recession on, though, so why share your shine when you can bask in the spotlight (and reap all of the rewards) yourself? You split the profit or loss (and raise holy hell if you make less or lose more than it seems your partner did), wave goodbye and go your separate ways.

House on the BLVD - a new take on an old concept - is turning that rationale for selfishness on its head. From a core of old friends from Logan's Square, House on the BLVD is a sprawling organization of DJs, marketers, managers, breakdancers, graffiti bombers, producers and artists. Two of the HotB DJs best known in the House Music scene - Bear Who? and Julio Bishop - are cousins, but the family vibe pervades a crew determined to do things their own way.

And so far, it's working. After just a few months together, House on the BLVD will have eight regular nights in the month of July going forward, including their Tough Love Wednesdays (each week of the month at a different spot) and their new Zoo Fridays, starting September 26 at Vain.

I sat down with several members of House on the BLVD - DJs Bear Who?, Julio Bishop, DVS, Trilogy and Newlife; hosts Gusto, Show and Vampira and several others - in Humboldt Park in June 2008 as they broke down the House on the BLVD philosophy.

BEAR WHO?: We used to be a group called House on the BLVD when I was younger - I talked about it in a couple of interviews. I was a shorty - this is back in 1987. We had "party crews". It wasn't a gang, but a group that used to go to parties together. Your DJs and your dancers were all in your crew.

DVS: Everyone had a crew then, but not anymore. It's every man for himself.

BEAR WHO?: DVS [pronounced "devious"] here was in one of the greatest crews in the city of Chicago - the Cutting Crew. He's seriously one of the greatest DJs in House history and we're going to let everyone know. DVS and I go back about 20 years. The same with Julio. Tigger's part of Zulu Nation, Vampira is running things all over the city of Chicago...

This is a family. What we do is we all contribute whatever we can bring. We have DJs, rappers, graffiti artists, some of the greatest breakdancers in the city, management, reggaeton artists, hip-hop artists, underground producers...

Basically, we're a marketing and entertainment company. We're looking for that second generation that's partied their whole life, now they've got their family and they're doing whatever. They still want to go out, but where do they want to go? Out with a bunch of 22 year olds? Are they all into the whole Deep House scene? No. They know good music, they know the old WBMX stuff really well, they know hip-hop, they know House - they know all of it together.

So what we do is we feed these people that vibe, that element. You will hear Trilogy spin Beyonce into AC/DC or myself play Louie Vega into Prince. You'll hear Jay-Z, Notorious BIG, Louie Vega, Roy Davis Jr, Bear Who? - every mash-up you can think of, you know what I'm saying?

+ Listen to Bear Who's Mix in 5 Magazine's Audio Archives

5: Why would you do a Wednesday at a different club every week of the month? Doesn't that make it harder to promote?

BEAR WHO?: The whole point is this: why are you going to front and say you can pack the same club every week? Good luck! Everybody tries it, with the same DJs, with the same songs. I don't want to hear "Change for Me" again!

You'll hear at our Wednesday night, at no matter what club, 200 songs. We're talking about the best hip-hop and the best House - Derrick Carter remixes, Quentin Harris remixes, brand new Mark Grant tracks, brand new Dajae on Dust Traxx, some freestyle, some mash-ups from the Beasties and Michael Jackson all in one shot.

Why do we do it at a different club during the month? To keep it fresh. These just aren't any old places but the hottest lounges in town.

The first Wednesday of every month is at Moonshine. The second Wednesday is at Darkroom, where we team up with CareerBuilder to support a charity called Millennium Promise, and we deliver food and money to African villages. I would challenge anybody else to do that.

The third Wednesday is at Tini Martini. That's in the 'hood, and we're really proud of that. That's Logan's Square, which is home. We have the main room. Fourth Wednesdays are at Buddha Lounge. C'mon - what are you going to say about Buddha?

GUSTO: We're also kicking off every Friday at Vain in the future. The whole DJ crew is playing - Bear, Julio, DVS, Newlife and Trilogy.

BEAR WHO?: We're calling it "Zoo Fridays", because we're bringing all of the animals to the zoo.

One thing we believe in is promoting from the inside. Chicago's become really spoiled with "Hey, let's get this guy from New York or London or Paris." That's a cool thing, but we have our own selves to worry about. I don't want to make it sound selfish, but we want to promote from within. We have some of the best DJs in the city in our crew. If we ask someone from outside, it should be like a privilege to come rock with House on the BLVD because these guys have the knowledge and the experience and the skills to rock a party out. On a Wednesday, to ring what we ring and to get the crowds that we get? It's crazy.

5: What are the crowds like?

BEAR WHO?: They've been great. The clubs are telling us that we're bringing in more than they were bringing in before. Everywhere we go they say the same thing. They crowd is diverse and it's older - it's not a super-young crowd. Our crowd starts at about 25 and up. You get people from all walks of life and all ethnicities.

GUSTO: Every week, you have people coming out and running into friends they haven't seen in years. That's what I like about it. You have so many people coming out and it's like six degrees of separation.

5: Did you have that kind of multi-ethnic crowd in mind when putting together the DJ crew? This is seriously one of the most ethnically diverse crews that I can remember.

BEAR WHO?: Yes, but it was very natural. And as far as the crowds, the people we used to party with back in the teen days are the people who are finding us now. Once they get word of it from phone calls and text messages, they're showing up.

5: Are you still going to play on your own?

BEAR WHO?: All the DJs in the group have their own thing going on. Trilogy plays what, six times a week? Newlife is the same way. Julio's always in the studio with me making beats. I'm on tour all the time. As a company, as a whole, everyone brings in their own thing.

And we're not part of this civil war in House Music going on in the city. I will say for the record that I can't stand it. It's hard enough to stand on your own without the support of your own family without all of this biting. Let's be honest: none of us DJs own our own clubs... yet. That's actually one of our goals.

5: What does this do for your recording career?

BEAR WHO?: For me personally, all the things I'll do in the future will be on my own label. The major labels are done - we don't need it. That's how the industry is now. I have a new joint coming out with Roy [Davis], I have a new album that I recorded. And that goes for our artists too. There's a singer named Anais Lauren that we're working with. We're keeping our eye on a lot of the young kids. There's a lot of talent on this side of town. Everybody's trying to be a DJ or a producer now, but we're a close-knit group and I think we have a lot to offer.

5: What does the neighborhood that you come from bring to this?

BEAR WHO?: I think it's a mistake that we ignore the culture that Logan Square brought to House Music around the world. People are in tune with Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy and that story - don't get me wrong, I totally respect that - but we who were younger had our own shit going on too, and we've proven it time and time again. With the dance crews and the high school battles and the jumping and the DJ battles and the Pan-American Festival and the Puerto Rican Festival which is actually going on right now. Last year, 5 Magazine booked me for an hour on the stage at the Puerto Rican Fest and I beat it. This year... I think it's a mistake that the House stage at the Puerto Rican Fest has just one Puerto Rican on it. We're proud of our roots and what we've brought to this thing.

And while lot of people are already with us, we want more people to join the movement. We have just about every race represented here and we really do want to continue to expand and include others who can bring something to the crew. We do.

As far as clubs are concerned, they can just book House on the BLVD and we'll run the night. We have the promoters, the business manager, the DJs, the hosts and hostess, the photographer, all the way to the designer.

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