WNUR’s Streetbeat has always pushed the envelope, but hardly ever at a club like Zentra.
The groundbreaking show featuring house, techno, drum ‘n bass and experimental music kicked off its 15th anniversary party late Friday night at the popular Weed Street dance club on Chicago’s Near North Side. Crowds turned out to party well into the morning as WNUR 89.3FM and other local DJs teamed up with Los Angeles artist and techno innovator John Tejada to rock two floors of Northwestern students, die-hard underground enthusiasts and club regulars.
The show celebrated a history that includes pioneering programs during the early years of hip-hop and the nation’s first weekly drum ‘n bass show. Even the matter of choosing this year as their anniversary was an act of creative expression.
“(Fifteen years) is an estimate, to be honest. We’re older than that,” said Katie Simko, Streatbeat music director and School of Music senior.
Representatives from several of WNUR’s music shows, including the rock and jazz shows, came out to support the event. Former WNUR General Manager and current Airplay Director Kevan Harris, Weinberg ’01, noted that Streetbeat has had an impact on the way other shows at the station think about dance and electronic music.
“It’s a totally different aesthetic (from instrumental music forms),” he said.
The show’s anniversary was only one part of the evening’s activities, piled on top of the club’s usual features, from fog-filled dance floors to circles of patrons talking, drinking and smoking in the club’s popular hooka bar.
“The night would have happened without us,” Simko said. “It’s the theme of the night, celebrating WNUR.”
The early Saturday hours were marked by an interesting mix of party-goers. A heavily NU and underground contingent came early for a hip-hop and house set on the first floor and for the free wine and margaritas at the pre-party’s open bar. As one bartender remarked while passing out drinks to the student-filled open air patio room, “I’ve never seen any of these people before.”
But as promoters had hoped, the club began to fill around midnight with the regular crowd and the after-hours patrons were treated to a brand of music not usually heard in Chicago’s mainstream clubs. Cedric E. Combs, principle director of Spectrum of Sound, the promoting agency responsible for the night’s entertainment, was pleased.
“I like the music (WNUR) is putting out,” Combs shouted over the heavy bass of Tejada’s set. “It’s music you don’t get to hear.”
Michael Hofler, the agency’s creative director, said his company’s mission is to bring people together. “We’re not into scenes,” he said. “We’re into music.”
Tejada, the night’s featured performer and a force in the national techno scene, has been featured everywhere from Los Angeles clubs to a commercial for the Polaroid I-Zone camera. But in Chicago, his music is heard primarily on Streetbeat and other stops along the underground, so his presence in a trendy dance club such as Zentra was a bit out of the ordinary.
“I’ve only played in Chicago once before,” Tejada said. “It was small, and that’s why everyone’s decided to call this my ‘first Chicago gig.'”
Brendan Cox, a McCormick senior and Streetbeat DJ who didn’t perform at the party, noted that a club such as Zentra was not an obvious choice for a WNUR event, but he thought the exposure from playing at a popular venue might help both the station and Tejada.
“He’s one of the first names I learned of at WNUR,” Cox said. “I hope this’ll help him break into Chicago.”
