Closed Sessions turns 15 - DJ RTC reflects on Past & Present…
Photo by Jesus J Montero
Chicago’s music scene has never lacked talented artists, but over the last couple decades the infrastructure to support them has often rested on the shoulders of those that start as fans and friends that ultimately make it their mission to support the art they love. Few encapsulate this better than Alexander “DJ RTC” Fruchter. A Hyde Park native with a lifelong love for music, RTC's journey began in the city's record shops, where he evolved from a listener to DJ and later from journalist to label owner & beyond.
Our first encounter with RTC goes way back, before These Days took shape, when he was running Ruby Hornet, a trailblazing Chicago music blog that helped spotlight emerging local artists, often giving them their first taste of national exposure. The blog didn’t just serve the artists—it also guided a new generation of music writers, including our own Editor-in-Chief, Pedro Gonzalez. In 2009, Fruchter co-founded Closed Sessions, combining his music media experience with the recording capabilities of Soundscape Studios’ owner Michael Kolar. What started as a vehicle for well curated compilation records paired with beautifully shot documentations of the collaborative process, eventually became a full fledged independent label that supported releases for many of our favorite Chicago artists.
Now as the sole head of Closed Sessions, RTC finds himself ushering in a new era of releases from the label. Get more familiar with the past and present of one of our few hometown record labels as they celebrate their 15th year.
These Days: Alex, first and foremost, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. To begin, can you please describe a snapshot of who you are these days & what it means to be running a record label?
RTC: That’s deep. On the surface, I am a journalist, DJ, event producer, record label owner, and associate professor of instruction at Columbia College Chicago. Closed Sessions encapsulates all of that and is my vehicle to express myself through events, writing, and working with artists to release music. Beyond that, I am at a transition point in my life. When I started Closed Sessions, I was in my 20’s, living in a glorified studio apartment and just running and gunning. Currently, I’m well out of my 20’s, I have 2 young kids, and many responsibilities beyond Closed Sessions. So in many ways, I am a different person than I was at the beginning. But, at the same time, Closed Sessions is still a testament to my love for Hip Hop, my passion for DJing, dedication to the city of Chicago, and this lifestyle that I have been living since I got turntables and a tape recorder. Running a record label went from an aspiration and experiment to a real business, brand, and something I can share with the world. How to function and make money has changed several times since Closed Sessions started and I have had to change with the times - at the core though, running a label is still about finding great artists and trying like hell to get the world to care about them as much as I do.
TD: What does Closed Sessions have most in common now with the version of it that started 15 years ago?
RTC: I can try to answer that - but I’m also curious to hear the responses of those outside of Closed Sessions that have been with us on the ride for 15 years. There are people that bought our first releases with ShowYouSuck, Alex Wiley, and A-Villa, and they just purchased our most recent vinyl release, DJ Rude One’s Upper Space. We had a release party for Upper Space on October 18th. Someone came up to me and said, ‘it’s like nothing has changed since the rubyhornet days.’ I asked him to clarify, and he said, ‘you’re still out here, making noise, consistently doing things. A lot of people aren’t.’ Under the hood it’s not that simple. Keeping Closed Sessions going is a true grind with many sacrifices. The most consistent part of Closed Sessions is the desire to keep going and my desire to keep the legacy “unfuckwitable” as we used to say around the studio.
Photo by Terence Clayton
TD: Jumping back for a moment, talk to us a bit about your path in music leading up to starting Closed Sessions…
RTC: My path in music starts back in Hyde Park. I was mesmerized by The Box, MTV, Rolling Stone at an early age and loved so many genres from so many influences. Common lived a block away in one direction. My next door neighbor was a folk singer named David Bromberg, and it seemed like inspiration was everywhere just walking outside my parents’ apartment.
Rawkus Records and Okayplayer hit when I was in high school and it reframed music and Hip Hop as something that didn’t just exist on TV or the radio but all around me. That’s also when I started making daily trips to Dr. Wax, and saw music videos by groups like The Primeridian (“Battle Cry”). Through Dr. Wax, the Box, and seeing local flyers around the neighborhood, I discovered all the great indie Hip Hop being made not just in Chicago, but in my neighborhood. I took that with me to Bloomington, IN and started to get involved with like-minded students at Indiana University. That’s where I became heavily involved with the Hip Hop Congress, started throwing concerts, open mics, food drives and started DJing. I may have entered an emcee battle or two, but thankfully there were no cellphones and no footage will ever surface. While I was at Indiana University, I also started writing and cold-emailing artists to request interviews - Eventually another student at Indiana found me and gave me a place to publish these interviews. That was SoundSlam.com, one of the earliest music websites. This was the pre-blog era around 2004/2005. I graduated college and came back to Chicago to do Teach For America at Henderson Elementary. After school, I would switch into DJ RTC mode and interview my heroes, DJ wherever I could, and make mixtapes. I even had a talk show with Dave Jeff called Saturdays On The PHLI. I would bring my turntables to the PHLI store in Hyde Park, set up a couch, and we would do interviews right there in the store. I was writing bios for artists, working for a small management company called Bandit Productions - really doing any and everything I could to make a name for myself. I met 3 guys at one of my gigs that had a bunch of domains, one of which was called Rubyhornet. They wanted to turn it into a content site to boost their domain and advertising business. They trusted me with the keys and the rest is really history. That was a long answer, and I hope people are still reading.
TD: A lot of how These Days covers the Chicago music scene was informed by the work you did leading Ruby Hornet, how do you reflect on that work & the role of local music media within this scene both then and now?
RTC: The RubyHornet days were kind of like my own version of “Entourage”. I look back on those days and just think, ‘man, that was an amazing way to spend my 20’s.’ Being paid to write about music, go to concerts, DJ, make mixtapes - it was a dream come true and also a wildly hectic lifestyle. I loved it. As far as perspective, the main point of rubyhornet was to showcase Chicago Hip Hop music and culture from the inside looking out, not as “the press” showing up to cover things, but from an insider/creator perspective.
We wanted to change the narrative that you had to leave Chicago to make it in the music business (as an artist, business person, videographer etc). We also wanted to change the narrative that Chicago was the city of haters. I think rubyhornet and fakeshoredrive did a lot to ease those tensions and spark collaborations. There were outlets that were accessible, informed, and had a real stake in Chicago Hip Hop. RH and FSD were ways that people could see what everyone was doing and interact without the thought, ‘if this artist is on FSD or RH, then there’s one less spot for me.’ And then the live events - the blog came to life provided a platform to showcase and merge styles, neighborhoods, crews. I think that Chicago Hip Hop would not be where it is today without the work we did at rubyhornet. Anyone who says otherwise does not have a true recollection of history.
TD: How did you make use of perspectives gained through your experiences as a journalist, DJ, music fan, etc. and apply that to helping artists put out records on CS?
RTC: I think the through line for everything is story-telling. What got me interested in DJing at first was scratching and creating new songs using different scratches and phrases to create a thesis. When I started doing parties it made sense in my brain to move thematically through my sets - sure it’s also about BPM and matching sounds but my thing was always theme. “I Need A Dollar” into “Gimme The Loot”, “Rolling In The Deep” into “Hip Hop Is Dead”, the songs talk to each other. And that’s how I see working with artists and telling their stories, making people care about what they have to say and how they say it.
TD: There have been more than a few pretty drastic changes across the music landscape across the time that CS has existed; which shifts have been the most challenging to navigate & what have you learned by doing so?
RTC: Many changes indeed. Initially, I think every change made it easier for rubyhornet and Closed Sessions. We were in a wild west as the old model for selling music crumbled. We were new to game, and had no allegiance to a physical form of selling music and the record labels flailing were the same that we couldn’t get into anyway. That gap between heavy CD sales and the emergence of DSP’s made everything possible. Rubyhornet’s reach and my connections to other writers was Closed Sessions’ first form of distribution, and for many artists, I was their first defacto publicist. As things have changed, those blog curators have been extinct and replaced. This could be its own article, but I will sum it up by saying this - The Box, MTV, Rolling Stone, XXL, Nahright.com, WGCI, Q101, The Fader - all outlets were artists’ battle for attention and space. However, all of those outlets are built for musicians. The way you got onto those platforms were [mostly] based upon music criteria. The curators were those with experience as writers, DJ’s, program directors etc… In 2024, artists fight for attention on social media - platforms that were never designed for music and are not merit-based. It is about battling for attention and doing so on platforms that feature baby videos, cooking tutorials, slap boxing, live car chases etc. At the same time, tech companies have turned the music business into a mass-volume industry. The amount of music is never-ending, there is a forever life-cycle to music, and the supply of music has surpassed the demand. I could go on, but… man…
TD: When you think back on some of your most rewarding moments across the last 15 years of CS, which stick out?
RTC: Great question. There are too many to name, and also so many are a blur. I can think back to our 1st session with Curren$y and feeling like we had something, being on a boat in the Bermuda Triangle with BoatHouse, Kweku, and Quentin Tarantino, our Boiler Room party in NYC, studio sessions with Michael Kolar and Action Bronson, introducing my son to Bun B. And most recently, that Alchemist Legend Conversation is a moment I will never forget. It was the culmination of so many other little things. But one moment that forever stands out is when we did a Closed Session with Raekwon back in 2010. It took a lot to make that happen. We picked Rae up from the airport, and really spent a good weekend with The Chef. While we were driving around the city, he said, ‘you are the cool cats coming up, and we’re fans of what you do. We want to make this something special.’ That was great to hear, and Rae has become a good friend and mentor to me ever since.
TD: During that same time, you have also been teaching music business classes at Columbia College, a creative hub of its own here in the city. You have been instrumental in building their music business program into something powerful. What has it been like participating in constant evolving dialogue with young talent aspiring to get involved with the music world?
RTC: Teaching at Columbia has been interesting and rewarding. It is also evolving. When I started teaching at Columbia part-time, the students were not that much younger than me, and a few of the returning students were my age or older. So it was almost like teaching my peers or people I would see/work with. The students stay the same age, and now I’m much older and teaching my future peers. I see some of my students really out there killing it in the business - some doing way bigger shit than I’ve ever done. It reminds me everyday that I don’t have all the answers and that no matter how jaded I can be or how deflating this business can be - it is still a magical place for so many young and hungry kids. Every once in a while I catch someone who reminds me of myself when I was in college, just trying to put it together. Some of those students have become Closed Sessions interns - that’s a whole other all-star list, and now run their own labels, management companies, work at formidable brands etc. I see a former student doing something special every time I log into LinkedIn these days.
Photo by Jesus J Montero
TD: On the other end of that spectrum, your venture Legend Conversations is centered around deep discussions that unearth decades of wisdom collected from some of the most respected names in hip-hop. Please share a bit about that project & some highlights so far.
RTC: Legend Conversations is a dinner + interview + party experience. It emerged from my own feelings of being stuck, bored, and unfulfilled. This was summer 2021 - so Covid was very much still a thing, my son was about 9 months old and there were a lot of changes happening at Closed Sessions. I was experiencing some regret about leaving rubyhornet and wanted to get back into writing more and refresh my social circle. Life kind of felt like that scene at the beginning of “Anchorman” in which Ron Burgundy says, “We’ve been coming to the same party for 12 years, and in no way is that depressing.”
I thought that the environment was right for something like this. There’s a whole crop of artists that are aging in Hip Hop and they just happen to be some of my favorite artists of all-time. Selfishly, if I can get them to come and have dinner with me, talk to me, make some collectible merch, I’m going to do it. I was able to invite some friends to join, meet some new friends in the process, and bring something fresh to the table. Dave Jeff [my co-host] and I have great conversations, we make some amazing merch items with Jugrnaut, and work with people like Jesus J. Montero, Brian Fisher, Jack Olevitch and others to create these real special moments. And it saved me from a heavy burnout or worse.
TD: You took sole leadership of Closed Sessions in 2022, what did that time period look like for you in terms envisioning the future of the label & the reprioritizing that came with it?
RTC: Anyone that has worked at a label or managed an artist knows how precarious the success can be, and things can change at any moment. Riding those ups and downs can be incredibly draining. At this time in 2022 with the pandemic, a changing-industry landscape, and somewhat coming down from peak years, I think Mike and I both knew it was a good opportunity to make some changes and reassess what we were doing and why we were doing it. We came to this conclusion that I would take over Closed Sessions, and Mike helped that whole process tremendously. He loves CS and made it clear to me that while he no longer had a passion for running a record label, he wanted Closed Sessions to continue. He put me in the best position possible to assume his duties, instead of just walking away and leaving me to figure everything out. I sorely miss working with Mike at the studio, or going on the road - but it was time for a change.
This change freed me up a little bit to just get back to my roots and simplify things. I was excited to lean heavily into the indie hip hop space that first inspired me, get the vinyl going and just have fun with it. Becoming lean and mean took a lot of pressure off. I signed Defcee and went to work on For All Debts Public and Private from Defcee and BoatHouse. That album campaign and the success of everything showed me that I could do this. At the same time, we executed Legend Conversations with Jazzy Jeff and The Alchemist. I trusted myself and it was a fun time and full of education and growth.
TD: In our pre-interview conversation, you spoke a bit about creating more collectibles as part of CS releases. Can you share a few examples of what you’ve been doing as well as what you think those items can add to the fan experience?
RTC: I love to collect. I think the core Closed Sessions fan is a collector of something. Going over our IG followers, we have a lot of DJ’s and active vinyl users. Many of them are also into things like baseball + basketball cards, collectible figures, street wear etc. Just letting that part of my identity shine through to Closed Sessions has helped a lot. Through an epic group text with Dave Jeff, Brian Nevado, and Manny Rodriguez, we’ve created collectible merch for every Legend Conversation. When I am not slammed, I like to find relevant baseball cards from my collection and include them in orders, and I launched the 7” series featuring many of our earliest records that were “Z-Share classics”.
TD: The latest Closed Sessions release comes in the form of DJ Rude One’s second solo album Upper Space. With singles featuring the likes of Roc Marciano, Pink Siifu & Valee, this record had to be a fun one to help put together. What can you tell us about that?
RTC: I’d have to check with Rude, but I’m not sure “fun” is the exact word I would use haha. Working with Rude is always special to me. He put me on so many gigs and introduced to me some of the very DJ’s that inspired me to do it. He’s become one of my best friends, and this is the 3rd album that we’ve done together. The album is 9 new songs featuring Rude’s favorite emcees of the moment. The beats are experimental meets kind of boom-bap, that’s kind of the best way I can describe it. Rude can tell the story better, but a lot of Reds baseball games, mushrooms, expensive rugs, and passion for the craft went into this one. I love the album and hope the public does as well. It’s available on all platforms and in limited edition vinyl.
TD: Are there any additional projects on the horizon for Closed Sessions you can share about at this time?
RTC: Yes! It’s been a very quiet year for Closed Sessions in terms of releases, but that is about to change. Mother Nature just released their new EP, Capz N’ Stemz. That EP will serve as a precursor to their new album coming in early 2025. Over the summer, I was able to sign a new artist, Recoechi, who I am incredibly excited about. We just released his first single, “Cake”. Lastly, I was able to form a partnership with The Twilite Tone and his new label, All of The Above. I am really looking forward to working with Tone and help him achieves his future goals after all he has done for Chicago Hip Hop. Tone is a legend and deserves to be mentioned along with the likes of The Alchemist, NO ID, Madlib, etc… He is on that level and I’m going to help show the world. We just released his first single, “Sound Like” featuring Vic Mensa.
2025 will also see new music from Kipp Stone and Defcee, new Legend Conversations and where ever life takes us.
TD: On October 24th, Closed Sessions hosted its 15th anniversary party at Avondale Music Hall with a great lineup of special guests. What ingredients were essential for you when concepting what that celebration should feel like?
RTC: That is a hard question because it is very difficult for me to celebrate myself, or celebrate Closed Sessions - I have always been very subconscious about promotion. It is a necessary evil, but I still have a really hard time with it. I wrestled a lot with doing this party, and it has undergone many revisions. But at the end of the day, I wanted to provide a space to bring everyone together and take a second to reflect. And also just a moment to say, ‘there. I did it. I kept this label alive for 15 years.’ Do I have another 15 in the tank? I don’t know. It could end at any moment, and the community support is the key to keeping Closed Sessions going.
TD: Lastly for now, can you give our audience a playlist of 15 Closed Sessions’ essentials?