DJ Spotlight: The Jump Smokers

Welcome to this weeks edition of the DJ Spotlight. This week, I thought it good to spotlight not just one DJ, but an entire crew. For this, I had to look no further than to my own hometown of Chicago, Illinois, to find them.

Chicago is a wonderful city for music, as it is the home of the Blues & House genres. The city has spawned some of the greatest acts of all time, such as Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Bo Diddley, Sam Cooke, Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, Lou Rawls, and so many more. It is also the city that has brought famous musicians to today’s forefront as well. Artist such as, The Smashing Pumpkins, Kanye West, Common, Liz Phair, Lupe Fiasco, R. Kelly, Rise Against, Disturbed, Twista, Da Brat, Jermih, amongst others, have been bringing much success to the area within the last decade. However, while these artists have been entertaining many fans around the world, the beat of Chicago still goes on.

Home to world famous DJs, Felix Da Housecat, Kaskade, & Bad Boy Bill, Chicago has certainly gained a stellar reputation for its dance music and nightlife culture. Thanks to a thriving club scene, the city of Chicago has certainly become a hotspot for Dance acts.

One of these acts named the ‘Jump Smokers’ have been making waves in the Dance scene. A crew made up of 4, members Roman, Reydon, V-Scratch and Johnny Digital certainly keep the party going. With the help of the world famous, B96 radio station (Located in Chicago), their numerous remixes have been aired. It also certainly helps, when one of the on-air personalities, Roman, is a member of the dance crew.

The defining moment, in which gave the Jump Smokers national attention, was when R&B artist, Chris Brown, had been involved in a domestic violence dispute with his then girlfriend, singer Rihanna. From the fallout of this, there were many opinions that were expressed against the hip hop singer. However, no opinion could best express what the Jump Smokers had been feeling. To show this, they put it best in a song titled ‘My Flow So Tight’. The song would go on to become a club scene phenomenon, and it would also give the Jump Smokers much needed attention.


However, the Jump Smokers are not one-dimensional. While making their own beats, they also are heavy at work remixing others. Songs by artists such as, Flo Rida, Pitbull, New Boyz, & Baby Bash, have undergone a wonderful re-invention by the dance crew.




But for the Jump Smokers, the most famous remix has been played within the Chicago area and has gained attention by one of the most famous singers of our generation, Mariah Carey. When Ms. Carey’s album, ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’ is released, it will contain a bonus track of the remix, ‘Obsessed’. This will most certainly put the Dance group on the map as premier remix artists/producers.


Their style is definitely unique. With the intense beats they produce, they not only have the ability to make the listener move, but laugh as well. Their coolness radiates from this as well as their ability to be world class performers.

Catch them if you can, you will be certainly glad that you did...