It started as a joke, but it’s not just a joke.

“We are nautical by nature,” DJ Tony Skratchere says with his tongue gently in cheek as he quotes the title of his upcoming mixtape of yacht bounce, the fusion between ‘70s and ‘80s soft rock and New Orleans bounce music that has become a sub-genre if not citywide, then among many of the city’s DJs.

The hits of the Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross, Loggins and Messina and Pablo Cruise were semi-ironically rediscovered in 2005 when the video series Yacht Rock (now available on YouTube) was launched, looking at the fictionalized lives of the often-bearded makers of ‘70s soft rock. Those songs still have “old school, retro appeal,” Skratchere says, and “the show paid attention to the music lovingly.”

On Thanksgiving 2010, he and friends were amused by the idea of mixing yacht rock with bounce, but rather than let a good joke die with the night, he stayed with it and soon had yacht bounce remixes of Toto’s “Africa” and Christopher Cross’ “Sailing”, mixing the gentle, easy-listening sounds of these hits with the clatter of bounce’s trademark samples. By May, the sub-genre started to take off when DJs E.F. Cuttin and Black N Mild began to play yacht bounce whenever and wherever they could.

“Bounce is a specialized genre that’s not for everyone,” Skratchere says. “Anyone can listen to yacht bounce.” Now, the DJs involved have made more than 100 yacht bounce remixes, posting them mostly on Soundcloud.

Some of the DJs have stretched beyond traditional yacht rock boundaries in search of source material. Michael Jackson has been remixed as yacht bounce, as has Bon Jovi. “I thought about songs that would give you that feel of actually being on a boat, something that’s smooth and mellow,” DJ Black N Mild says. He considers singer Billy Ocean perfect for yacht bounce. “My dad used to play Billy Ocean so much when I was younger, and it was stuck in my head. I had to do ‘Color of Love’ as a mix”

Skratchere’s realistic about how the “yacht” and “bounce” balance is struck by the remixes—“Yacht bounce is the squeaky clean version of bounce”—and, he says, “I’m humbled and floored at the way it’s taken off.” Black N Mild describes the sub-genre as the perfect summertime beat.

To fuel the yacht bounce movement, retailer Dirty Coast and Hansen’s Sno-Bliz will host a yacht bounce party at the Rusty Nail Saturday night which will double as the release party for Tony Skratchere’s yacht bounce mixtape.

Until then, stay nautical.

Chicago – Street Player [DJ Digital Yacht Bounce Remix] by Dj Digital

The Yacht Bounce remixers:

DJ Tony Skratchere
DJ Black N Mild
E.F. Cuttin
DJ Quickie Mart
DJ Digital
DJ Black C
Impulss
DJ Turkey Neck
Shive:Im
TheJezereck