LOGAN SQUARE — A night of improvised beats and hip-hop battles has a new home at the Whistler in Logan Square.
“Fresh Roasted” kicks off at 9 p.m. Thursday and is a new take on a successful DJ throwdown based on a collaboration between art and music crews from San Francisco and Tokyo.
For the seasonal Chicago show, a small group of record collectors will provide the music for four local DJs, giving them 1½ hours to create a beat on the spot and leaving the audience to decide which DJ walks away with the championship belt.
“What we're doing here is unusual because we are asking the musicians to work while people are around them, to work with the unfamiliar and to see if they can generate something on the spot that will win people over,” said Alejandro Ayala, also known as King Hippo.
“Sure, artists paint live at events, but this would be more like asking the artist to show up not knowing what tools they'll be given to work with,” he added.
The collectors, including Ayala, will present their most prized and obscure tracks, the type of records with a story, Ayala said, as in, “I was in Paris and only had a euro to my name and I found this record, which cost a euro.”
Record collectors featured for the night include King Hippo of Cuerators.com and WHPK 88.5FM, Supreme Court of Sheer Magic and Tone B. Nimble of All Natural Inc. and Al-Tone Edits. The competing beat-makers include Brian Zerbel of Galapagos4, Haz Solo, Phraim and Sev Seveer of Push Beats and Feelin' Music.
A date has not been set for a winter show, but Fresh Roasted is set for a quarterly run at The Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave., according to Ayala, who worked out the concept for Fresh Roasted with Chicago DJ Phraim.
“We are really aiming at making something very special for all involved, audience included,” Ayala said, describing the show as “a mixture of storytelling, sharing and creation.”
The winner gets bragging rights and will be invited to defend the title for the next show.
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