Julian Jumpin’ Perez
WBMX AM And FM in Chicago was an R&B station that launched the DJ into the stratosphere with its “Hot Mixes back in the day.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE HISTORY OF WBMX AND THE HOT MIX 5
From the Saturday Night Live Ain’t No Jive Chicago Dance Party to it’s Friday Night Jams, Hot Lunch Mixes and more, the mix shows had a cume of over 1,000,000 people alone. Unlike today, there was no alternative to AM or FM back in the day. There weren’t a million choices like YouTube, Spotify, Stitcher, internet radio etc. The only “alternative” to radio back in the day was the mixes heard on the radio. The ‘mixes’ were a change of pace where people got to hear music other than what was being regularly programmed throughout the week. The music was mixed by DJs who were breaking new music and generating sales of music that weren’t in the radio station’s normal rotation.
Julian Jumpin’ Perez was one of those DJs on WBMX as the member who won the battle of the DJs in Chicago to replace Scott Smokin’ Silz (an original member of the Hot Mix 5 who left) and then later on B96.
Assembled by Lee Michaels in
1981. The founding members were Farley “Funkin” Keith (later known as Farley “Jackmaster” Funk), our own resident DJ, U.S. Dance Music Hall of Fame DJ Mickey “Mixin” Oliver, Ralphi Rosario, Kenny “Jammin” Jason, and Scott “Smokin” Silz. Another DJ, Jeff Davis who had worked at the Century Disco was supposed to be a sixth member, but Silz mentioned in an interview that he never showed up, leaving just the five members. Silz left the group in 1982. His void was filled in a city-wide, Hot Mix 5 sponsored ‘Battle Of The DJS’ that was won by Julian Jumpin’ Perez in 1984.
Julian then left the group and was replaced by Mario “Smokin” Diaz who became an official member of the Hot Mix 5. Julian would go on to additional fame at B96 in the 90’s with the B96 mixmasters including Bad Boy Bill, Brian Hit Mix Middleton, DJ Markski, Bobby D, Frankie Hollywood Rodriguez, Tim Spinnin’Schommer and others.
Check out Julian’s mixes from both eras below
