Sounds of the Chicago River sample pack

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Listen and learn more about the process here
 

Listen to Enrivered by Ozlenda, Competition Winner, 60 Seconds and Over Category

Listen to Bootcamp Beat by September & Laila Swopes, Competition Winner, 60 Seconds and Under Category

 

Friends of the Chicago River, Solidarity Studios and Planet Chambo (nature’s record label) are excited to announce the Sounds of the Chicago-Calumet River remix competition winners.

In August 2025, this collaborative team launched a sample pack featuring sound clips of the wildlife and waters of our rivers. We invited musicians, artists, and anyone inspired by these river beats to mix the sounds into their own unique pieces, with the goals of celebrating the river as a vibrant, living habitat; increasing public engagement; and building community connection through music production and sampling. 

The winners of the first Sounds of the River remix competition are Enrivered by Ozlenda for the best piece 60 seconds and over, and Bootcamp Beat by September & Laila Swopes for the best piece under 60 seconds. Eleven submissions were evaluated by Solidarity Studios, Friends, and an industry professional based on production quality, use of river sound samples, structural completeness, representation of the ecosystem, and aligning with the theme of healing and wellness. The pieces were also judged by students at Friends’ Chicago River Student Congress on February 28, who listened for the healing and wellness aspects of each piece, centering environmental connection and emotional response to nature. 

Competition Winner - 60 Seconds and Over Category - Enrivered piece by Ozlenda

Listen to Enrivered

Ozlenda is a Chicago-based producer and DJ blending Afrodiasporic rhythms with electronic soundscapes. He draws inspiration from sampling Congolese records in house and Afrohouse, as well as from the natural world. His production style and mixes are defined by a seamless integration of the diverse influences he has absorbed as an African who has lived in Germany, Florida, and Chicago for over a decade.

As an aspiring global citizen and artist, Ozlenda has performed in a wide range of settings, from the Cook County Forest Preserves in Chicago to bars in Kreuzberg, Berlin, and most recently, Belle Isle in Detroit. Check out Ozlenda’s Natural Elements performance at the Forest Preserves in collaboration with Planet Chambo. 

Competition Winner - 60 Seconds and Under Category - Bootcamp Beat piece by September & Laila Swopes

Listen to Bootcamp Beat

Honestly we were excited to make a beat from scratch for the first time as we love music and always wanted to know what the instrumental process was like. We put our skills to use with maybe some help from Cesar and our program members to cultivate the perfect environmental beat. I play the drums, we love the music world, and we both share environmental stewardship making this the perfect challenge for us!

The Sounds of the River sample pack invites you to dive into the layered soundscape of the Chicago-Calumet River system—a living archive of ecosystems, histories, and rhythms. It brings together field recordings captured along the river system: the rush of post-storm waters, the hum of industrial barges, the songs of city birds, and whispers of wind through native trees. More than just samples, these sounds invite you to listen deeply—to hear what the land remembers. 

Friends is proud to partner with Solidarity Studios, a grass roots record label that gives marginalized communities the tools and resources they need to tell their story through music technologies and hip-hop, and Creative Capitol- nature’s record label, to engage local artists and community members to connect with our rivers in this unique way. 

Follow @planetchambo and @solidaritystu on Instagram to keep up with their initiatives to preserve the sounds of our natural environments. Also subscribe to Planet Chambo’s Youtube for more music and nature content. And follow along here for the next round of the Sounds of the River remix competition.