WBMX
How a Chicago radio station brought the sound and style of the underground black gay clubs to the masses.
Alexis Economu
It's hard to draw a parallel for our time to something that has so direct an influence on culture as Chicago's WBMX had on the music scene firstly of its hometown, and after, the rest of the world. What the station, and its infamous 'Hot Mix 5' DJ troupe did was so simple, yet so effective; bring the sound and style of the underground black gay clubs and their eclectic mixture of disco, cutting edge European pop and new club music from New York, and broadcast it at prime time in an uninterrupted stream of fervent joy to every home and car stereo in range.
The founding line-up of Farley "Funkin" Keith (later Farley "Jackmaster" Funk), Kenny "Jammin" Jason, Mickey "Mixin" Oliver, Ralphi Rosario, Scott "Smokin" Silz and host Armando Rivera proved such a winning and successful combination it wasn't long before they began to hold sway over listening trends. Records they played would sell in bucket-loads the next week. And as a generation of young Chicagoans found a way to express themselves through a futuristic, raw music that worked its way out of their bedroom studios and hit the dancefloors of the clubs that influenced its conception, the Hot Mix 5 were there to bring it the wider audience that the nascent sound deserved.
In some respects, the station acted as the hub of a worldwide feedback loop. The original import discs played in clubs and on radio were spun around and turned into this new House music by the people who heard them, then in turn these Chicago records were received as imports themselves onto the dancefloors of London, Manchester, Berlin, Rome, and every other cultural capital throughout western Europe. Since then, that first blast has gained momentum exponentially, carrying through to the present where House-derived music holds a near permanent position on the charts and dance groups become superstars operating in the same mode as rock bands at their most overblown; playing arena tours, releasing live albums, and turning into global brands that sell millions of records to the widest demographic possible - the pop market.
So, next time that four-to-the-floor beat is selling you sofas, or sound tracking world news bulletins, just bear in mind that once it meant a whole lot more to people who cared. And cared to dance.
Now let's say it together:
Saturday night live, ain't no jive. 102.7 FM, B-M-X!