Did you know it is in Chicago that house music was born? African American DJs developed it in the early 1980s. As noted by chicago-trend.com, the underground genre of Chicago house music soon transformed into a global phenomenon.
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?
In 1977, DJ Frankie Knuckles came to Chicago with a dream of becoming the music director of a new club. It was situated in a former factory building in the West Loop area and was called Warehouse. At the time, the club owners did not realize that their establishment would become the birthplace of house music and the city’s official attraction.
Knuckles played a unique mix of disco, soul and sometimes rock. Then he decided to add a drum machine to his mixes. At first, Frankie’s performances were mostly attended by African Americans, Latin Americans and transsexuals, but things quickly changed. Frankie left Warehouse and founded his own club, Power Plant.
House music is named after the club where it was created. Frankie is considered the official founder of this genre. However, among other pioneers were Jesse Saunders (who created the first record), Marshall Jefferson, Ron Hardy and others.
Under the influence of Knuckles, a small group of DJs from the South Side known as the Chosen Few began their activity. The main figure in this group was Wayne Williams, who later became very famous in the house music industry. He worked with Jennifer Hudson, Aretha Franklin and Justin Timberlake.
In 1990, Chosen Few DJs founded Chosen Few Picnic and Festival. It is held every year and attracts about 40,000 music lovers.
Larry Heard is known as the person who started playing deep house music. His DJing style was more energetic than it was before. Heard’s signature aggressive style was sharply contrasted with Knuckles’s more mellow sound. Heard added to his playing style soulful house, which encompasses softer grooves, gospel vocals and classic instrumentation.
LOCAL CLUBS OF HOUSE MUSIC
In Chicago, house music fans can listen to it in a number of clubs.
- Smartbar was opened in 1982. F. Knuckles was the first to perform on the stage of this small basement club. Today, this venue hosts various international house DJs. The music of DJ Derrick Carter can also be often heard here.
- Berlin, located in the Lakeview area, was opened in 1983 and has been a place where one can enjoy house and dance music ever since. Berlin is rightfully called the best club in the city where you can listen to various house mixes.
- Spybar is an underground nightclub that regularly hosts techno and house music artists who come from around the globe.
The number of new clubs in Chicago is growing each year. Thus, house music began to unite individuals of all races and sexual orientations.
FESTIVALS AND OTHER EVENTS DEDICATED TO HOUSE MUSIC
Regarding events dedicated to house music, it is worth mentioning:
- Chicago House Music Festival and Conference – a unique event that celebrates house music. It takes place every year and attracts a crowd of fans of this music genre.
- Chosen Few Picnic is another major event of the year for house music lovers. It takes place in July in Jackson Park. DJs play unique house music tracks for 12 hours non-stop, which is the main feature of the event.
- My House Music Festival is a 2-day summer fest in Harrison Park. The fest features performances by many house DJs.
Considering all of the aforesaid, it can be concluded that house music has firmly established itself in the culture of Chicago.
