Unimpressed by the headlining DJ at Zentra one Friday night, I was about to sit down when suddenly the music shifted and so did the room's energy. Two animated guys jumped on the tables and started banging out funky, head-bopping tunes. For as long as I clung loyally to the deeper and more soulful style of House, the sounds of the new school finally reeled me in.

The Sound Republic is Frankie J and John Mork, two regular suburban kids that were raised on the dance music scene of the mid-'90s, nurtured on raves and self-promoted college parties. Also operating under the pseudonyms of Francis Jilla and Johnny Drama, they have managed to bang out thirty releases in just three years with labels such as Bunchlox, Dae Recordings, Guesthouse, Tango, Lowdown, Aroma and their own label, Spatula City Records. For being a relatively young group, they have already made a name for themselves and are in high demand as DJs, remixers and producers. Their songs are irresistible dancefloor hits.

One evening I sat down with these 2 very outgoing and outspoken individuals, as they talked me through everything from their music to their philosophies about what they feel is their responsibility in spreading this infectious, quirky music that is distinctly Chicago jack.

So how exactly did you two meet?

JOHN MORK: Frankie and I started by going to rave parties. We met at Illinois State in '98, but Frankie and I had been raving in high school and we were both from the 'burbs.

What kind of music did you gravitate towards then?

JOHN: I was listening to a lot of Hiphop. I liked House and Drum'n'Bass, but I wanted to be a Hiphop DJ. Frankie was a Drum'n'Bass DJ when we met - he was already mixing. So I guess it started there and we all became friends. Basically we were in this little small town all going to college.

You played Drum'n'Bass before? That sounds crazy to me!

FRANKIE J: Yeah! It was different because all my friends that I used to party with were all Househeads. They all played House. But you know, I liked it better. I still loved House, I just didn't buy it. So I went to college, and we kind of started this conglomeration, we started throwing parties, and that's when raves got to that level where you threw a party and thousands of people showed up.

JOHN: No matter where it was.

FRANKIE: How I met John was in college - I kinda knew who he was, we partied at the same parties - and one day he just calls me out of the blue and says, "So, you know how to DJ right? You think you could show me a thing or two?" And I was like, "All right!"

JOHN: The way I ended up with House is that I was in my dorm room trying to learn how to mix and whenever I played House Music, girls in my dorm room floor would come around and be dancing in my room and shit!

FRANKIE: Yeah, and I played Drum'n'Bass in my dorm room and nobody came around!

JOHN: So I started having a lot of fun mixing House Music and I just got bit. I remember finally hearing good House Music and...

What's good House music to you?

FRANKIE: Deep House! This guy all through college was just a straight deep Househead!

JOHN: Like Strictly Jaz Unit, I heard all that jazzy shit and I was really into that! So that sound really influenced me. Again, it really was all about girls dancing!

FRANKIE: I still pursued Drum'n'Bass, and I pursued it really hard because the Chicago scene was doing really well. I was promoting and doing all kinds of stuff around the city, and it was so hard to break into the Drum'n'Bass scene. So I got kinda disillusioned and was kinda burned out on it. I was talking to John, and John was kinda at a low point too and we were like, why don't we just sit around and make some House beats and not give a shit about it and just have a good time with it? And we made a whole slew of tracks, about 8 or 10 tracks.