There are two things you can count on when it comes to the current dance music scene in Chicago.  Firstly, “World’s Best Dance Club” Smartbar will always bring in the best artists to play on its unrivaled sound system, and secondly, lanky young Milwaukee export James Amato — the club’s booking agent and new dad to infant label Potty Mouth — will always be wearing his hat curiously cocked to the side. Perhaps the latter is in homage to the rave days, we don’t know. But one thing’s definitely for sure — Amato’s Potty Mouth imprint is finding favor with house fans seeking an updated perspective and is bringing a burgeoning electronic sound called “fidget” to new heights through a bevy of talented producers. Artists like Santiago & Bushido and Crookers are fashioning tracks that represent a rich casserole of electronic genres and set dancefloors ablaze. So how did all this come about?

How did the idea for Potty Mouth music first come about, and where did you get the idea for the name?
My mother always said I had a Potty Mouth (which is very true). You can ask any of my co-workers and I’m sure they will all agree. One night I told my former roommate that he had a Potty Mouth and stumbled across the idea/concept of calling something/someone ‘Potty Mouth’ but at the time had no use for the name.  A month or so later, in December of 2006, I hung out with Chris Santiago of ‘Santiago & Bushido’ from Chicago late one night who turned me on to the sounds of the Crookers. Early that year during a trip to Vegas, a friend of mine introduced me to the music of Dave Taylor aka Switch/Solid Groove. Both of those experiences were two times in a very long time that I got excited about music. My roots go deep with the passion I have for electronic music, but after living in a nightclub for 10+ years, you begin to hear it all and things can get a little stale. At the time I felt compelled and intrigued to invest myself and indulge into this new sound by launching an indie record label called Potty Mouth Music.

What do you think of the ‘fidget house’ moniker — and how does that term relate to the kind of music PM is putting out?
Potty Mouth artist Scoot Cooper said it best when he described fidget as “forward thinking house music” and I totally agree.  I’m not necessarily a fan of the term ‘fidget’ but have accepted the fact of it is what it is and has been coined that name. It seems to be the only term people have been able to successfully describe/relate to on a global scale. I just got tired of calling it “you know, the kind of music that Switch plays.” I don’t really like calling it “fidget house” more just “fidget” cause I feel the sound is more then just house, but techno, electro, hip hop, breaks & drum n bass. The beauty of the sound is that it crosses over a wide variety of genres that flourishes the sound within its own. My artists come from such a wide variety of backgrounds. I’m signing artists who used to produce trance, breaks hardcore and about everything else between here and there. It’s refreshing to be apart of something that’s new, that people are excited about. It creates a lot of positive growth and networking between a ton of artists that might not have known about each other in previous years. It opens minds and attitudes.

chris santiago, crookers duo, james amato, tim bushido