Hi all, and welcome to the First Edition of JAM: Just About Music by JAMboreé Chicago. The purpose of this blog is to discuss each author’s two favorite songs and why they are meaningful to them.
Two songs, three requirements: The songs have to be House Music or Dance Music. One of the two songs has to have been released within one month of the article’s publishing date; the other song should be any House or Dance song you love.
All songs from JAM will be continuously added to a Spotify Playlist for easy listening.
We look forward to collaborating with guest authors to continue discovering what songs bring people joy.
Long Jacket — Chris Lake, Chris Lorenzo, Kenny Beats & CASH
I always have a place in my heart for “goofy” dance music songs with a killer bassline and a catchy buildup (Duck Sauce comes to mind).
The challenge with songs like this is you just are stuck waiting for Chris Lorenzo and Chris Lake to release them while you listen to an unofficial SoundCloud bootleg (Chris Lorenzo please get Fancy Footwork cleared). At the same time, I’m always curious and eager to hear how the finalized version will turn out.
Who doesn’t want a girl with a short skirt and a long (longggggggggggggggggggggg) jacket?
The bassline, the build-up, the claps, the mid-song description of a girl you meet at a bank who wants a car with a cupholder armrest!
Does it make sense? I couldn’t care less! This is a song I’ll be adding to my regular and party playlist. It makes me laugh and bob my head at the same time. Can’t lose.
Never Felt So Free — Riordan
I first discovered Riordan at an ARC sponsored Pop-Up at a clothing store called SVRN back in April 2024. My friend and I had no idea what to expect in terms of capacity / when we should get there.
It was a rainy Wednesday after work. With showtime being at 8, the last thing we wanted was to get there and be turned away. So what did we do? We turned up at 5:30pm. To our surprise, no one was there yet. He and I were some of the first in line, and Riordan even came out and took a photo with us! A very kind and down-to-earth gentleman.
I had never listened to his music before, but I was so excited to experience such a unique performance.
Riordan absolutely smashed it. I left with a smile on my face and met new friends I still stay in touch with to this day.
Following the show, I went down a Riordan rabbit hole, diving straight into discovering his full discography, including shamelessly trying to Shazam clips of unreleased IDs from his show (always equally humbling and exciting).
I then discovered Never Felt So Free. I was immediately hooked. A catchy beat, beautiful vocals, and a song that I always feel present when I listen to it. It remains one of my most listened to songs for the second year in a row and I know it’ll never leave my rotation.
Jake
Co-Founder of JAMboreé Chicago
