Nestled in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago existed a musical mecca where legends gathered and the aspiring came to be enlightened. Hot Jams Records, also known as Pink Machine Studio, was an outpost whose patrons revealed as much about the history of Chicago House as the stacks of records they purchased. From the late '90s through as recently as 2007, Hot Jams filled a role far more significant that sales. For area youth like the Ghetto Division collective, the walls of Hot Jams were a safe haven of late nights, forged friendships and daily inspiration. A few years and countless memories later, Ghetto Division carry the torch of Hot Jams, a group of DJs and producers who challenge the norms of Chicago nightlife and champion the cause of original music making.
"Our philosophy is stick together, work hard together and don't stop making music," summarized Roberto Herrera (Rob Threezy). Jorge Ortega Jr. (MaddJazz) elaborated, "We are part of the same group because we don't just DJ. We all produce and make our own music. That's why we are all connected. We have that in common." "And we are all minorities, so we understand ourselves," chimed in Carlos Rodriguez (Charlie Glitch).
A collective in the truest embodiment of the phrase, Ghetto Division boasts a roster of ten main artists, with many of the artists' own younger relatives forming a supporting tier. The group works together to curate events around the city and maintains that a collaborative atmosphere has obvious benefits for their personal music making. "Sometimes I might do something, and show it to Rampage or somebody and he might give me feedback, or an idea that I wouldn't think of. That's the advantage of working in a group," offered Ortega. "It all comes down to making the tracks sound big room, just big, just CHICAGO," added Herrera.
It's this vein of constructive criticism and like-mindedness that has allowed Ghetto Division to consistently remain the wild card in the cut throat landscape of Chicago nightlife. Quantity of bodies in the club are rarely linked to quality of music and promises of the week's biggest excuses to blackout steamroll genuine sentiment. By promoting original production across a wide variety of genres in favor of DJ sets, thinking diverse and aiming past the end of their block, Ghetto Division have been able to cross geographic and demographic boundaries with their events, all without sacrificing the merits of a packed, thoroughly rocked-out party.
"We think Tokyo, Paris and London. We don't think Milwaukee and Ashland to Damen," stated Rodriguez. Herrera summarized, "I think I can speak for everyone here. Quality is more important for us than quantity. We want to produce quality music. Educate yourself. Listen to it."
Thinking outside the boundaries of the city they call home provides needed inspiration for overcoming the challenges of working in Chicago. "We have a stereotype as a city, Haterville. We hate ourselves. People don't show support and we are all trying to do the same thing. If everyone would show each other a little more love, everyone would advance. You've got to reach out to other cities. They show more love than our own sometimes," advised Jose Villalpando (Lorenzo Vektor).
Don't mistake Ghetto Division's realism for jadedness. They are a group unafraid to lay the cards on the table, but aware that the dealing hand they critique is the same that has led to their success. "Chicago alone has influenced me. The people, the rudeness, the gangs, the homeless, the food, that's what makes me want to keep making music to be honest. Man, I love my city. I just want to bring it back up. I got that love," explained Herrera. Eddie Regalado Jr. (Rampage) sees Chicago as a ground of opportunity for Ghetto Division, "There haven't been a lot of producers coming out of the South Side producing quality stuff since the 90s. It's given us the an advantage. There's a big, open market to do what we want."
Doing what they want and not being afraid to be a little bit different along the way is exactly what makes Ghetto Division standout. Recognizing the power of music foundations and mentorship, the group has teamed up with Books In The City to offer, beginning November 15, a series of free, all ages Tuesday evening turntable DJ lessons. "We all learned the hard way and taught ourselves. That's why we want to teach people," said Villalpando. Ghetto Division plan to continue their involvement in community building with followup sessions in digital music applications and hope that someday they can create their own version of Hot Jams, a place for kids to go and people to hang out.
The coming months present an ambitious horizon for the collective, beginning with next weekend's Southside Shakedown party and continuing via a burgeoning relationship with online vendor Beatport, multiple EP releases and the launch of their own label. Ghetto Division show no signs of losing steam and prove that the spirit and influence of Chicago House lives on, a generation and a few genre shifts later.
Jammed into a booth at Simone's in Pilsen, listening to Charlie Glitch, Rampage, MaddJazz, Lorenzo Vektor and Rob Threezy talk about the glory days of Bad Boy Bill, living out of Hot Jams' upstairs with no heat in the winter, the afternoon Diplo found Herrera's music and of course, girls, it was clear the bonds of Ghetto Division ran deeper than anything we had in our own personal lives. This was music, and this was brotherhood.
In closing Herrera had one final message to fellow musicians in Chicago, "Just be open minded. Everyone has a different sound and if you are willing to listen to ours, we are willing to listen to yours. Don't be scared to be different. Being different is weird and badass." Ghetto Division presents the Southside Shakedown with Kingdom, Ghetto Division DJs, Broken Disco 1980, Chicago Dead Beats, Goldar and Delacutti, Saturday, November 14, at Metro, 3730 N. Clark, 11:30 p.m., $6 before 12:30 a.m., $8 after, 18+.