Nanoos is next.
Just ask the hundreds of thousands of people on TikTok who saw her blend the genres of footwork with Dominican merengue. It was a quick yet satisfying moment in one of her sets but it blew up online, both here in Chicago and around the world. Since Nanoos (born Nancy Bartekian) first posted the clip on the social media platform on Dec. 27, it has amassed more than 800,000 views and she has gained 3,000 new followers. Many viewers in the comments said they were eager to hear something like this when they go out in Chicago.
But Bartekian said audiences shouldn’t expect a repeat of what made her go viral in the first place. Nanoos operates under a much more eclectic and internationally vibrant mode for her DJ sets.
“What I like to do is I like to slip in the unfamiliar with the familiar,” she said.
Fans can experience this regularly at her rotating party, Go Baba Worldwide, a night dedicated to Afro, Arab and Caribbean sounds. She throws the party with QuJo, a producer and DJ and her manager.
Surprisingly, Bartekian, who has lived in Chicago for eight years, only began deejaying last year.
“I have gone to various bars and clubs and things like that. I’ve seen the nightlife. And it was super basic, super commercial, not really my particular taste in music,” she said. Bartekian began attending global-themed parties across the city, introducing her to an audience interested in hearing sounds from around the world. “People actually wanted to go out to nightlife and find new music, not just people who thought DJs were a jukebox,” she added.
Still, Bartekian, who is Palestinian and Armenian, didn’t see a lot of Southwest Asian and South Asian representation during these parties, specifically in Arab or North African music. And while she always wanted to DJ, the practice seemed inaccessible and expensive. However, she picked up the skill quickly after meeting QuJo and learning through him. “I had good taste in music, I had the will to learn. I was ready and I was committed to put the time and energy into this,” she offered. “I was very serious.”
Her first gig was at Blind Barber in the West Loop in May. Since then, she has begun to establish herself both in the local scene and around the country for her sets, which push older and newer Arab pop songs (along with classics) to the forefront.
“I’m for the people. I will mix in anything I personally love or that I know people love, but my forefront is to represent Arab music in the club and make Southwest Asian (and) North African people … feel safe in these club and bar spaces, where they can hear their music played out and feel happy and comfortable,” she said.
Important as well is the freedom of the dance floor. Contemporary club culture is often just people standing in the corner and watching others in the room. Nanoos aims to break that trend. “That’s why it’s a mix of Arab music with Caribbean music or Afro music that very much has the mentality of like, we’re all coming together to dance and have a good time and everybody goes home,” she said.
However, that much-needed jolt of energy on the dance floor has proven to be challenging. The nightlife scene in Chicago is small and it doesn’t provide many venues for people to throw parties. She has been told that her crowd sometimes gets too rowdy, and she doesn’t understand it. “We don’t care about bottle service, we don’t care about standing in the corner and just spending money. We want to dance and have a good time,” she said.
The new year will be focused on finding the right balance, while still taking audiences through an international journey with her music selection. Most recently, she launched A Night with Nanoos, her own party featuring just her and one other guest DJ. The night is largely focused on global genre blending, not just Afro, Arab, and Caribbean music. “Music is culture, and it’s a story. It’s telling what’s going on in the world. It’s the dance floor. It’s a space of education and accountability for things,” she said.
And while she’s not sure where social media best fits in with her plans, she’s willing to experiment and have fun while bringing others along for the ride. “That’s what friends like to say about me,” she said. “‘Nancy’s for the people.’”
A Night with Nanoos featuring BLESSTONIO is 9 p.m. Jan. 11 at Podlasie Club, 2918 N. Central Park Ave.; $5 (ages 21+) at www.podlasiechicago.com. Go Baba Worldwide is 9 p.m. Jan. 12 at The Point, 1565 N. Milwaukee Ave.; $10-$20 (ages 21+) at thepointchi.com.
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
