Jessica Herman

The Gap is not the only company using music to connect to a lifestyle and, ultimately, commerce. "ON the SEVENTH," a compilation mixed by Philadelphia producer/DJ King Britt and produced by Milan Records, is intended to embody the experience of lounging on the Chicago Park Hyatt's seventh floor.

Allison Engelman, the hotel's director of marketing communications, describes the clientele as a "hip, music-savvy and sophisticated crowd." "We're not just in the business of food and wine and selling rooms. We're in the entertainment business."

The album falls somewhere in between Milan's two primary markets-electronic music and soundtracks for films, such as "Monsoon Wedding," "Bend It Like Beckham" and "Before Sunset." However, instead of mirroring the vibe of a film, "ON the SEVENTH" translates the atmosphere of the hotel's restaurant, NoMI, into smooth rhythms and beats, transporting listeners seven stories high above Michigan Avenue.

The music isn't Fatboy Slim or rave-style beats, says Milan's director of special markets Nick Bobetsky, but "more downtempo, more disposable-income sort of house music." Tucked behind the album cover--a dramatic image of the dimly lit hotel dining room--is a lineup that includes both the DJ's own exclusive and unreleased tracks and additional artists such as Spacek, Josh Wink and Vikter Duplaix.

This is just one in a string of site-specific albums that Milan has recently produced; in addition to a collaboration with Park Hyatt in Tokyo, the LA-and-Paris-based record company has produced albums for LA's Café des Artistes and Paris' nightclub, Man Ray. Distributed by Warner/Elektra/Atlantic, the album is sold at major record stores as well as Park Hyatt hotels. Milan expects that King Britt's popularity among house-music aficionados will draw consumers who may never even step into the Park Hyatt.

King Britt is well-established in the underground scene, collaborating with artists such as Tori Amos, Yoko Ono and Digable Planets. Now he is developing a Chicago base of sorts. In addition to the Park Hyatt project, he starts a new monthly residency at Sonotheque this week.

King Britt spins at Sonotheque, 1444 West Chicago, (312)226-7600, on September 22.

(2004-09-14)

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