While some might keep cars or storage in their basement, Bronzeville residents Charles E. Okulinski, 45, and Patricia Okulinski, 40, have turned their space into an underground venue with a custom-made sound system (The Beatdown Sound System) as an ode to celebrating underrepresented culture and art, hoping to keep the Chicago reggae scene alive. The house is named "The Fort", inspired by the Chicago gang that "protected the neighborhood" and used to inhabit the space next to them.
Chuck, a Chicagoan with Mexican and Polish background, and Patty, Mexican born, California and Chicago-raised, mix reggae and roots vinyl records as one of their usual nighttime activities when they are alone. “On any average night when we come home from work, we go downstairs and start mixing and it can be anywhere from 1 hour to even 3 hours, we have our fun” says Chuck.
Patty and Chuck have known each other since 2002, got married and moved into their house in 2007, and have been hosting get togethers and parties ever since under the name "The Dub Club".
The couple recalls the first time they met, as Patty cooks lentil soup with ground turkey and Chuck mixes margaritas. “I was performing at smartbar in the city, and saw Patty standing there wearing this shirt from a skateboard shop I recognized so I was like where’s you’re shirt from, ‘blablabla’, and that was my in, we started talking for there.” When asked what would’ve happened if she wasn’t wearing that shirt, Patty adds, “he would’ve found any other excuse to talk to me.” “True, true” reveals Chuck.
Chef by day and DJ by night, Chuck reflects on his musical journey as he snacks on pistachios and sips on his margarita. "I was raised hip hop, so i do a lot of scratching… but now more into Patty’s type of music (reggae) because I cant recognize hip hop hop anymore, the message has changed." Chuck says. "It used to be conscious, but now its all about gold chains and superficiality, it isn’t the same feeling as going into the record store and getting excited about the new Wu-Tang record."
Patty rests her body on the countertop, disillusioned by the public school system she has witnessed during her time as a high school art teacher. "The system has ripped students from their creativity, made them feel uninspired, and many times they act very entitled." reveals Patty. "I love teaching but it's sad, because teachers get treated like the service of the school system. I often tell my students when they try to boss me around that I'm not their art waitress."
The basement is divided in two parts, a "chilling area" with art on the walls, and the music room with the speaker.
Patty stands in front of her art and posters featuring underrepresented cultures. On the top part of the wall she features art from "Dia de los Muertos" to honor her Mexican heritage, while the posters feature reggae events around the city.
The couple stands in front of their handmade soundsystem. "The sound system is fucking killer. We’ve done around 10-15 events with it and it makes the whole floor system." says Chuck. They have had the sound system since 2019, and the man who built it, who came all the way from Belize, lived in their house for 2 weeks as he set it up.
The couple smokes as they reflect on the story of their sound system. "The sound system community is big and international", reveals Patty "but we represent it in the city of Chicago, so we love sharing our vision with guests that come from all over and we love hosting them here in the house. We share our life with them for the weekend that they’re here. We chill here, make food, play some tunes. Sharing bread is such a big part of what we like to do… “you mean breaking bread.” interrupts Chuck. "No, I like sharing bread better." responds Patty. "Sharing bread is the most important thing to form a community." disregarding his comment.
Patty mixes reggae music as she sings into the microphone. "I want my music to be relevant and have a social justice message", she says as she plays a song regarding the BLM movement. "I want it to speak to people's hearts" she says.
Chuck begins counting after being asked how many records they have, and gives up, throwing his hands up in the air after counting to five. He laughs and reveals there must be thousands of records in their stacks. "They're our addiction" he says. "And we try to stay relevant and constantly checking that the message we are giving is one of acceptance, celebration, and activism."
Patty's intention when mixing is to always "Keep up." she says "Keep up bringing up those issues that matter, Racism, Global Warming, while still keeping up with people's liveliness and fun.We have to learn how to honor those topics while still celebrating life."
