Into the Manila and Chicago house music scenes we go with Czarina, widely known as Czboogie, the DJ project that has bustled the dance floor together for at least 20 years now, as her party brand and mag just celebrated their 20th anniversary at Sound Bar, Chicago.
When we were on a call, “‘It’s A Groove Thang!” was the first thing she mentioned about the house music scene in the Philippines. Take a peek into how house music reached that pocket of the world through the event brand, It’s A Groove Thang!, and consider it a must-stop when you visit the islands. Czarina put emphasis on how their dance floor is always exciting there, super Diva and animated. You should also probably check out their collaborators UNKNOWN.
Here enjoy a clip of Czboogie live from Manila at It’s A Groove Thang! and plug into the big energy she brought to the Queen Smartbar Stage at Midsommarfest 2025.
She had just published a big story on Paul Johnson that was years in the making—it was time for some downtime to chat about her past and the go-to spots. The Smartbar, Podlasie, Swig, Arbella, Penny Whistle Tavern, and Masada were some of the top places at the top of mind. According to Czarina, if you hit those stops you’ll find people in Chicago are nice, regardless of the initial impression you may get at the city’s hot dog stands that dis you and the pimps that roam on the streets.
After making friends at these venues, Czboogie got her chance to touch. Sharing about her first DJ set, Czarina shared, “My DJ journey began after starting 5 Magazine in 2005. By then, I had interviewed hundreds of DJs, and I thought, ‘Let me just learn to DJ myself.’ Rees Urban, my boyfriend at the time, is an amazing producer and DJ. He taught me how to DJ on vinyl first, then CDJs.
My first unofficial gig was at a well-known party called Boom Boom Room at the Green Dolphin. Rees was playing in the back room and let me jump on for a couple of blends. The first track I brought in for the public was a Sneak edit of Is It All Over My Face. My first official gig was at Betty’s Blue Star in Chicago—still around under a different name—and that was my birthday gig in 2010.”
Enter the Boom Boom Room, Chicago’s Green Dolphin that once was a legendary Monday-night haven, widely regarded as the longest-running nightclub residency in the world. From its earliest days, it provided a home for club kids and electronic music enthusiasts, with hosts like Jojo Baby, Byrd Bardot, and Sal E greeting guests beneath layers of theatrical makeup. Its resident DJs and promoters—including Gene Farris and Michael Serafini, and many more—created an energy and vibe that often transcended the club itself. Big names like Frankie Knuckles and Craig Loftis played there, and it hosted iconic events such as Ron Carroll’s birthday parties and 5 Magazine anniversaries.
Take a look back at Czarina’s early days, in the company of Frankie Knuckles and Paul Johnson, memories that Czboogie admits made her cry on the dance floor about, and be sure to listen to that ID to initially choose, ‘All Over My Face’ by DJ Sneak.
How thick do we go here today? The Chicago underground scene is a vat of wonder, surprises and memories. Ron Carroll‘s recent passing came up as Czarina recalled his presence, “One thing I loved about Ron was, like Paul Johnson, he was one of those Chicago legends that no matter how high of a superstar he was, and he was playing clubs and festivals around the world, he had an amazing discography. He was just like your next-door neighbor. He was incredibly accessible, incredibly friendly, very supportive of up-and-coming DJs and producers, and would work with them and help them. He would book them for his events. He was just very approachable and very nice. And you can’t really say that about a lot of artists that have made it big, so to speak.
And he always supported other people. I would always see him at every kind of event—north side, south side, west side of Chicago. He would be there to come and just hear you play.
And, you know, give you a kind of head nod when he liked what you were playing. I really appreciated that. He supported the scene by being there, by physically being there. And the other thing I also said about Ron was that he had incredible taste in music. I loved going to see him play. Even when I was starting to go out in the clubs in the early 2000s, Ron was someone that I loved seeing play because you definitely can’t learn good taste in music, and that is something that he was gifted with.”
Czboogie has played alongside some of her favorite DJs such as Kerri Chandler, Dennis Ferrer, Derrick Carter, Cajmere, Dave Lee, Osunalde, Chez Damier, and Gene Farris, among others.
Although she has not released a record yet, perhaps its in due time as she takes regular notes from producer friends such as Orville Kline and Brian Tappert (Jazz ’n’ Groove). She has also found her happy place apart of the Strickly 90‘s crew, with Gant Garrard, the Gant-Man, and John Simmons.
It was a pleasure to try to connect the world with Czarina and hear how she also cried when her brother crossed the finish line at the Chicago Marathon. Until next time, take a dive deeper into these aforementioned artists’ stories to continue a tour through Chicago.
Jazz-N-Groove, the legendary house duo of Brian Tappert and Marc Pomeroy, have been shaping house music since the early 1990s. Their productions blend live instrumentation, vocals, and soulful grooves, reflecting influences from Philly Sound, Chicago house, and electro pioneers.
Beyond music creation, they co-founded the Soulfuric label family in 1996 and launched Traxsource in 2004, pioneering a platform for DJs and electronic music fans worldwide. Recently, they partnered with Defected Records, which is re-releasing the entire Soulfuric catalog in phases, including new remixes of classics and new material.
Gant Garrard, professionally known as Gant-Man, is a seminal DJ and producer from Chicago, renowned for his influential work in house, ghetto/booty house, juke, and footwork. Immersed in music from an early age, he honed his craft on WKKC college radio and through South Side residencies, culminating in his experimental 1995 debut EP It’s About Time on Dance Mania.
As a key innovator of Juke music alongside DJ Puncho, Gant-Man has shaped the genre with iconic tracks like Juke Dat, Juke Dat and Juke Dat Girl, the latter featured in Tyler Perry’s Peeples, and gained mainstream recognition with an official Juke-style remix of Beyoncé’s Check On It for Sony/Columbia.
He is a co-founder of the influential TekLife collective with DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn, and continues to exert a profound influence on global electronic music through his productions, remixes, and dynamic performances over a career spanning three decades.
Strictly 90‘s would not be complete without John Simmons, the DJ and dynamic people mover with over fifteen years behind the turntables. Cutting his teeth in Chicago’s thriving underground and rave scene, he credits the Soul Foundation collective of DJs and producers as a key source of inspiration and musical education. Over his career, he has played thousands of events around the globe, gaining early touring experience while working as a road manager. John now hosts Soultronic on Lumpen Radio, a soulful electronic grooves station where he showcases deep and soulful house with jazz influences, broken breaks, and modern funk.
