Dance music is largely made with synths, but it doesn't have to be. Some of the best dance music, especially from the funk era, came about through the more traditional instrumentation of drums and guitars. Although the rise of different electronic music genres such as house and techno signal a departure from the use of classic instruments, Dance Loud prefers to combine elements of the old and the new.
Composed of Kristin Sanchez and Deseree Fawn Zimmerman, Dance Loud is a unique house music group. Its live performances incorporate synths and drums, a performance style, however, that wasn't the duo's original intention. The two first collaborated after being part of separate projects. Sanchez has been DJing since she was 18. Zimmerman began playing drums when she was 10. Once they came together, they realized their new project was a uniquely satisfying alternative to the typical construction of dance music in Chicago.
Despite the belief of many house and techno performers that contemporary dance music is foundering in the city that created it, that is not truly the case in Chicago. If you are interested in finding good music to dance to, reliable nightclubs like Smart Bar or Spy Bar and promoters such as Them Flavors and Paradigm Presents usually have some sort of event to attend. And in many of those settings, the performers simply rely on mixers, laptops or records to get the body moving.
Not Dance Loud. "We perform house music, but we wanted to do something a little bit different," Sanchez said. Because Zimmerman has a background in jazz drumming, the two initially opted for a jazz house aesthetic. "That's how we've made that competitive differentiation," Sanchez said.
The tandem's live performances are a joy to behold. Sanchez's beats build and build on the dance floor like any good house music set, then Zimmerman joins the production, adding layers of intricate drum rhythms that both complement and contrast with the synths. The result is all of the vivacity of a live concert, with the simple euphoria of a dance floor.
"It becomes dynamic because of the length of our sets and because we have too much of a love for everything," Zimmerman said.
The two also enjoy switching the styles of music they perform, invoking everything from free-form jazz to EDM. The latter doesn't always go over well with Dance Loud's older audiences, but Sanchez and Zimmerman have found that adapting to their settings, whether they be normal performance venues in Chicago or clubs on the West Coast (with patrons less familiar with dance music), to be the most beneficial aspect of playing live.
"With Kristin spinning on vinyl, we've had more and more people realize that, 'Wow, there are the more organic roots of house music,'" Zimmerman said.
Dance Loud is ready to embark on its biggest project yet. The duo is at work on "Don't Stop eMotion," a 12-episode stop-motion animation dramedy series detailing how Zimmerman and Sanchez met and have subsequently dealt with love, art and equality. The series is part of their upcoming three-part multimedia album that will also feature a comic book and music. Three episodes have been released, and they hope to complete the project in 2016. In the meantime, they'll continue to release and perform their special brand of music and keep on garnering fans in the process.
"We're a dance band, and if we can get people who are not familiar with the music up and dancing, than we know we've done something right," Sanchez said.
Britt Julious is a freelancer.
onthetown@tribpub.com
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Township, 2200 N. California Ave.
Tickets: $8 advance, $10 door (21+); www.townshipchicago.com
Hello, my name is Godwin Brain. I'm an ICT Analyst, blogger, web-designer and a writer. 
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