CHICAGO DOESN’T NEED FLOWERS,
THEY NEED LÉ BUMP
Words by: Kora Elms Fleming
Photos by: Makenzie Creden
Lé Bump isn’t just a DJ trio, duo, or event group. They’re bigger than that, and if you don’t see it now, they’ll make you pay attention. Ben Hale, Will Tran, and Mel Brunelle work as almost one entity, moving their different skills around their chessboard to finally materialize Lé Bump into this never-ending garden. “It’s a brand, it’s a place, it’s a time, it’s a moment,” Hale says. If you’re on Instagram in Chicago, you’ve probably seen Lé Bump circling your feed. Maybe some mutual friend from your college attended one of their parties, and you’re thinking, ‘Where the hell are they?’ That’s what Lé Bump does. They bring people into one place, providing killer music, and as Tran puts it, “Bringing happiness and joy, it’s so simple, but we try our best to do that with anybody and everybody.”
Lé Bump began as a duo with Hale and his friend Noah. They both learned how to DJ simultaneously, helping each other through remixes and digging to find the perfect transitions. When Hale moved out of his Bucktown loft, they decided to throw their first show, “...no furniture, just this big wide open space…that was where the whole thing started from,” Hale explained. From an empty apartment in 2022 to the Wicker Park Fest stage, Le Bump has changed and evolved with its members, becoming a crawling branch of ivy that your house can’t seem to let go of.
When Noah, the former “bump” to the “lé,” moved to Miami, Hale faced a fork in the road and quickly switched directions. He said, “Lé Bump started to take more of a form of a brand, an identity…rather than a duo, person, or group of people.” During the transition, they picked up Tran and “music encyclopedia,” Brunelle to join the Lé Bump team. With the addition of Tran and Brunelle to Hale,
Lé Bump found its groove--gradually putting in place ear worms and word worms for their audience to interact with.
Brunelle joined in late 2022, making his way in with the (still running) “Have A Good Week” playlist and newsletter. “When I got off tour I had been running a playlist called ‘Have A Good Week’…that was right around the time I started with Ben and Lé Bump. Ben asked if I wanted to make it part of Lé Bump, and I said ‘shit yeah,’” Brunelle explained. Each week this newsletter highlights a member of their network. Creatives of all kinds have been guests on Brunelle’s brainchild. But ultimately, “Have A Good Week,” “became a perfect melting pot of everything that we like, the people that we like, and the music that we like. It became a very perfect extension of our brand,” Brunelle says.
Adding the newsletter to Lé Bump, placed another flower in Lé Bump’s never-ending bouquet. Everyone can find something to interact with through Lé Bump. Ben explains, “You should have different facets of your universe that people can engage with…I want them to see the t-shirts and say, ‘Wait these guys also do parties?’ or ‘I read this newsletter every week’ but, ‘they also have a clothing line?’” This accessibility is what makes Lé Bump unique and memorable. People know Lé Bump because they make you know them. They make you want to go to West Loop or Wicker Park Fest or a random empty apartment; Lé Bump plants seeds in every crack on the sidewalk.
After gathering a following through their many events around the city, Lé Bump grew into taking nights at the Subterranean, a Wicker Park staple venue. Multiple successful nights at Subterranean put them on the radar of Wicker Park Festival’s organizers. I spoke with them a week before their set at the festival. They bubbled with genuine excitement, almost disbelief, and a cheeky confidence that got them there.
Ben said, “It’s a testament to showing up and doing it.”
That night Lé Bump had an after show at their new stomping grounds, Subterranean. Behind its walls and remixes, a community formed. People of every scene from streetwear to models to writers to graphic designers filled the space. Tran’s foreshadowing became all too clear when he said, “As vague as it sounds, we have people from every different aspect of music, fashion, and culture coming to our events…There’s some dude in all Balenciaga standing next to a dude in Vineyard Vines, and they’re both having a great time.” They gathered in swarms around the DJ booth, where I watched Hale, Tran, and Brunelle run the decks as one body, shifting, grooving, and supporting each other while making every person in the venue feel it. Tran described having to pinch himself when he found out they were performing, “It’s really unreal. Even when they told me, I was like, ‘Yall are lying’...‘What do you mean we’re performing?’” The energy of the room was palpable. I could feel the same excitement Tran, Hale, and Brunelle had the night we spoke. Seeing their work come to life (and having a great time doing it) was honestly an amazing thing to witness.
When you hear the words Lé Bump you think house music or rave night, but it’s not that. You’ll be dancing, but you’re not quite sure what’s in store. Their marketing makes them mysterious and elusive in the best way. Tran, Hale, and Brunelle come from Chicago fashion royalty. Working under Virgil Abloh and Dom C at local boutiques, they were able to “learn from those people on how they think and operate,” Tran explains. “The three of us take all of that gained experience, share it with each other, and have a really good sense on how to hit different markets, and make it not seem insane.” Because of this fashion background, Lé Bump mirrors its marketing after the drop cycle.
Their events and promotions mirror the classic drop, photo shoot, and sell formula. Lé Bump uses their resume to its advantage, taking tips and tricks from fashion and crossing them over to music. Ben says, “There has to be a storytelling part of it…One thing I learned was to ‘do whatever you can to make things look bigger.’ No matter what you’re doing.” If you take a peak into Lé Bump’s Instagram you’ll see this tactic in full swing. They photoshop their shirts onto Charli XCX and Paris Hilton, and put their next event on a fake billboard, making their brand seem exclusive, but widely popular, a club you want to be a part of too. Somehow they know how to perfectly mix authenticity, humor, accessibility, and a slight fear of fomo, which makes everyone want to know what Lé Bump is. They know no bounds, everything is in play, everything is ‘bumpin.
This mix of authenticity and accessibility led them to work with brands like Jumbo Time Wines (a natural wine company), Chicago streetwear brands, and local businesses like Easy Does It. But, Lé Bump isn’t chasing a quick check. They’re not selling out. They solely strive to do projects that grow their bouquet. Hale says, “A lot of my dreams and aspirations have always been of having a brand that follows very specific guidelines...There's longevity in doing something you think is cool and matters, and people latch on to that enthusiasm.” Lé Bump brings their decks and their brand to uplift and highlight others. With music that always wants to be at the forefront, they somehow intertwine it with old and new connections, creating a huge Lé Bump family, where everyone can grab their friend and start screaming when a Peaches remix comes on.
Okay, so what is Lé Bump listening to?
I got a variety of answers. After asking that dreaded question of “Who are you listening to right now? Who influences you?” I looked around the table as Brunelle, Tran, and Hale seemed to be rummaging through a vinyl collection in their heads. Tran started off strong with his DJ go-tos, “Doss and AG Cook,” but quickly transferred over to, “Vans Warped Tour Emo music…It’s not even a guilty pleasure, I just love that shit.” Hale wore an Oasis shirt that night, so of course that was a given, but he added in, “The Stilts, and The Stone Roses.” Brunelle explained the connection of house and electronic to other genres, “You slowly just start making those connections. I like hardcore music, I like techno. I like disco, I like house. I like rap, I like drum and bass and grime.” Lé Bump has killer taste, Vans Warped Tour Emo music included (obviously).
Lé Bump isn’t just a trio. They are a moving, breathing entity. Their vines engulf Chicago, twisting the music scene on its head and turning it into a party that you can't miss. As Hale says, “Lé Bump is not just going to see a person DJ, that's a moment, it’s a place to go to.” Lé Bump welcomes you with headphones in one hand and a flower in the other. Their weeds are ones you actually want to get stuck in. You might even run home to tell your friends you just had the best time of your life.
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