Chicagoist Mix #9: Chrissy Murderbot
By Jake Guidry in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 29, 2011 7:20PM
Chicagoist Mix Series is an ongoing feature that profiles local DJs and features a mix compiled exclusively for Chicagoist. This is mix No. 9, brought to you by Chrissy Murderbot.
Now here's a mix that's been in the works for quite a bit. We got with Chrissy Murderbot a few months back, right before his Loose Squares night debuted at Beauty Bar, hoping to get him to contribute his wonderful knack for juke, ghettotech, bass, etc. When he agreed, we waited not-so-patiently to see what he'd throw at us. Well, after an excruciating couple months, we've finally got our mix and we're excited to bring it to you, our faithful readers.
Chrissy Murderbot, a.k.a. Chris Shively, is a Kansas City native that moved to Chicago a few years back. It might seem unlikely that Chrissy has found himself as a major player in the city's rich juke and footwork scenes, but he nonetheless has, and he remains as one of the city's go to DJs when it comes to spinning some of the craziest, all-things-bass dance music. He was even recently added to this year's Pitchfork Festival, a testament to the world's growing interest in the sounds he purveys.
But Chrissy is not just a DJ. He's also a producer and a promoter. He's got a new album that's about to drop, which he'll explain below, and he runs the ever-rowdy Loose Squares night, of which will have its fourth event this Saturday. What it comes down to is Chrissy Murderbot is hard at work and it shows in his being everywhere.
Chicagoist: Like a lot of successful Chicago-based DJs, you're not originally from here. What's your story and how did you end up in the juke capital of the world?
Chrissy Murderbot: I'm originally from Kansas City, and I moved here about 4 years ago. Growing up as a party kid in the Midwest, I was always surrounded by Chicago house, booty music, ghetto house, Detroit techno, ghettotech, etc. I moved to Chicago to get more involved with the dance music scene here.
C: Speaking of juke, in a lot of ways, it has blown up the past year. The fact that Pitchfork has added you to its festival lineup says a lot about the growth of the genre and where it is headed. Why do you think this has happened, and where do you think juke is headed?
CM: Juke music (and especially footwork) have really made some huge leaps into the public eye over the last year. The way I see it, that's a result of the hard work and promotional efforts of a lot of people inside and outside of the juke scene: DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, Gant-Man, Addison Groove, everybody at Planet Mu Records, myself, Ramadanman, FACT Magazine, XLR8R, Traxman, all the Ghetto Teknitianz... there are a bunch more that I could list.
I don't really consider myself a juke artist though, strictly speaking... if you listen to my new album you'll hear that it's really all over the place, and there's just as much booty bass or bashment or house as juke. It's a lot more pop-oriented than true footwork music, and that's probably why Pitchfork has picked up on it. I don't think Pitchfork was necessarily saying "hey let's cash in on this juke hype and book us a juke act", or they probably would've booked one of the originators of the scene. I'm on my own thing, and there's some overlap with footwork & juke which has helped generate some interest, but at the end of the day I'm a guy making my own style of trax who also happens to be tied into the juke scene.
C: You've titled this mix "Chicago Is For Haters". Can you explain?
CM: Ever since the early days of house music this city has been notorious for back-stabbing, trash-talking, dirty-dealing, hurt feelings, name-calling, shade-throwing, and every other imaginable form of player-hateration. I've really tried to rise above that nonsense and help push the whole scene forward (with my Loose Squares parties at Beauty Bar, or helping Planet Mu organize a European tour with footwork DJs and dancers, for instance), but there's always a vocal minority who take your success as a personal insult. This is a mix of all-Chicago trax for all the triflin'-ass chumps tryna keep you down on their level.
C: So, what are you listening to that isn't juke/footwork, etc.?
CM: At the moment? Dancehall, Bashment, UK Funky, Booty Bass, Merengue, Raptor House, Cumbia, Grime, Post-Dubstep, Future Bass, Rave classics, Latin Freestyle, and anything else that is fun, forward-thinking party music.
C: What do you have planned that you can tell us about?
CM: The single ("Bussin Down" with DJ Spinn) drops April 4 on Planet Mu, followed by the album (Women's Studies) on May 9. In April and May I'll be on tour in Europe with DJ Spinn, DJ Rashad, and four of Chicago's best footworkers: Lite Bulb, AG, Dre, and DJ Manny. My next Loose Squares party is happening April 2 at Beauty Bar, and we're doing a Pitchfork Afterparty there on July 16 to showcase the real footwork scene for everybody who's in town for Pitchfork.