Posted by chicagomedia.org on July 10, 2009 at 22:19:46:
Hey DJ! What's your summer jam?
By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
RedEye
Published July 9 2009
The weather is hot and girls are dressin' less, and RedEye wants to know which summer song is best.
RedEye asked DJs across Chicago to name the song they think will turn out to be 2009's jam of the summer. We also asked them to name their favorite summer anthem of all time.
The answers are as disparate as the stations the DJs represent. In the end, judging a good tune is up to the listener.
"The summer song to me is always the song you want to hear when driving down Lake Shore Drive on an 80-degree day," said Nikki Chaiken, music director for The Mix (101.9-FM). "That's different for everyone."
J. Roman of Stylz and Roman
B96 (96.3-FM), 2-7 p.m. weekdays
Genre: Rhythmic Top 40
Song of summer 2009: "Boom Boom Pow" or "I Gotta Feelin'," both by the Black Eyed Peas
Why: "It's the summer of the Black Eyed Peas," Roman said, thanks to the highly-anticipated release in June of "The E.N.D.," the band's first album since Fergie and will.i.am pursued solo careers. " 'Boom Boom Pow' was a gigantic monster for us," Roman said. "When the Black Eyed Peas played 'I Gotta Feelin' ' at SummerBash [B96's mid-June pop festival at Toyota Park], people went crazy."
Roman's quintessential summer song: "Summertime," by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Electra Q101 (101.1-FM)
10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays
Genre: Alternative
Song of summer 2009: "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked," by Cage the Elephant
Why: "I think it's a great warm-weather song. ... It's not a party song exactly, and lyrically it's pretty dark. But I think that people are connecting to it in a way. It's like, times are tough but we're all getting through it."
Electra's quintessential summer song: "Summertime," by the Sundays.
Leon Rogers
WGCI (107.5-FM) 5-9 a.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays
Genre: Hip-hop and R&B
Song of summer 2009: "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," by Jay-Z
Why: "Jay-Z has always called himself the Michael Jordan of rap," Rogers said. "He's showing that the old guy's still got it, reinventing himself like Madonna."
Rogers' quintessential summer song: "Summertime," by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Byrd
The Loop (97.9-FM) 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays
Genre: Rock
Song of summer 2009: "Oh Yeah," by Chickenfoot
Why: "It's a sexy, infectious groove, one of these musical mating calls," Byrd said. The band also is made up of big-name rockers, including Sammy Hagar, formerly of Van Halen; bassist Michael Anthony, formerly of Van Halen; drummer Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers; and solo guitarist extraordinaire Joe Satriani.
Byrd's quintessential summer song: "Beautiful Girls," by Van Halen
Marty Lennartz
XRT (93.1-FM) 10 p.m.-midnight Mondays
The genre: Rock
Song of summer 2009: "The Reeling," by Passion Pit
Why: "If people would hear it, everyone would like it," Lennartz said. "It has an '80s sound to it, falsetto vocals, a great drum beat. I think they're going to be the breakout band of Lollapalooza."
Lennartz's quintessential summer song: "Crystal Blue Persuasion," by Tommy James and the Shondells
Kevin 'Koz' Koske
The Mix (101.9-FM) 2-7 p.m. weekdays
The genre: Contemporary hits
Song of summer 2009: "Boom Boom Pow," by Black Eyed Peas
Why: "It's the overall vibe of the song," Koske said. "We're in fireworks central over here, so every time I hear it it's the one thing that crosses my mind: fireworks exploding."
Koske's quintessential summer song: "Summertime," by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Nina Chantele
KISS (103.5-FM) 10 a.m.-1 p.m. weekdays
Genre: Top 40
Song of summer 2009: "Boom Boom Pow," by Black Eyed Peas
Why: "The beat," said Chantele, who also works with WGCI. "Even Fergie came out and said publicly that they created that song with a DJ's mentality in mind--boom boom pow--to keep the crowd moving."
Chantele's quintessential summer song: "Beautiful," by Snoop Dogg; "Hypnotize," by Notorious B.I.G.