Midwest is best, at least when it comes to dance music. The DJ and event creator Hannah Viti, who performs as VITIGRRL, created a project to highlight this idea.
In July, Viti launched “I-94,” an online mix and event series that highlights the deep cultural connections between the birthplace of house music (Chicago) and the birthplace of techno (Detroit). Named after the expressway connecting the two cities, “I-94” celebrates the legacies of each city and the strong influences they’ve had on each other. REVIVAL: I-94 x Deep Joy, the first in-person “I-94” event, kicks off Aug. 17.
Although her first visit to Detroit was only a few years ago, Viti, a born-and-bred Chicagoan, described the trip as transformative.
“I was overwhelmed by the feelings,” she explained. “It kind of felt like I was transported to a time before me, while also in front of me. It was really surreal.”
As Viti made her way back to Chicago, the idea for “I-94” began to percolate. While house and techno have birthed communities, venues, subgenres and musical superstars around the world, the true heart and soul of the genres live on today in the places where they first emerged. There is a humbleness and purity in listening to house music in Chicago. That same sentiment can be felt in Detroit, too. Viti was inspired to bridge the gap and showcase their communal spirit.
“I feel like spiritually — just the way that folks talk to each other, the communion, their integrity, their honesty, like the Midwestern sensibility — I just got it, and I was just so grateful and overwhelmed by access to the art,” she said.
And so, “I-94” was born. The project has been a labor of love for more than two years.
“Although I was so excited about it, it was also like, ‘Not yet, baby girl. You’re not fully tapped in in the right ways,’” she explained.
Viti was concerned with telling the story of Chicago and Detroit in the right way, one where they could uplift the originators without overstepping. To do so, she’s undergone a years-long journey of listening, asking questions and trying not to center herself as much in it. She thought conceptually through things and found times when a friend or mentor would lend an ear.
“I think it’s been such a lesson in how we do the work and who we do the work with, and who trusts you enough to do the work,” she explained. Now, she is ready for “I-94” to come to life.
“I-94” consists of two parts: a rotating mix series and live events. The first mix features artists like Miss Twink USA, Craig Loftis and Father Dukes. For the project’s initial launch, a “dream team” of 10 artists were selected to create mixes. Deciding who to include was the first time Viti had to put on her curatorial hat in a big way.
“One of the things I wanted to express is that everything is in conversation with everything,” she began. “With genres — with house, with techno, with R&B, with hip-hop — everything begets everything.”
Not only are the artists expansive in terms of the genres they play, but they’re also diverse in how they present their music. Some are purely analog, while others are strictly digital. Some are DJs, while others produce original music. People of color, women and the queer community were also prioritized.
But perhaps the biggest element (so far) for “I-94” is a live event series. The first event kicks off in Chicago at The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. The event will include performances on multiple stages, including one inside and one outside. A total of 11 DJs are set to perform, including three from Detroit. Two of those three Detroit DJs have created mixes for the project.
Guests can dine on selections from the Soul and Smoke food truck. She also anticipates local vendors setting up shop. Guests will also be able to purchase vinyl from performing artists as well as beverages to drink. People living in the 60637 ZIP code can get half-off tickets, as Viti said the party wouldn’t be a success if folks in the neighborhood didn’t think it was an event for them.
Most significantly, “I-94” is an all-ages event. After attending a similar all-ages event in Detroit, Viti said she learned about the importance of creating such unified spaces for the community. “House music is about love and about family and unity,” she said. “It’s a really beautiful way to remind us of the sacred and the dance and the divine and they don’t all have to be so separate.”
In the future, she hopes to create a similar “I-94” event in Detroit with an abundance of Detroit-based DJs and a selection of Chicago-based ones.
“If we don’t stay top of mind, and if we don’t stay energizing and reinvigorating these connections, like any muscle that you don’t work out, it’s gone,” she began. “I think we’ll be stronger — both of our cities, both of our communities — by continuing to invest in them.”
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
REVIVAL: I-94 x Deep Joy is 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 17 at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, 6400 S. Kimbark Ave.; vitigrrl.com/i-94