Tag Archives: Chicago House

Tevo Howard

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In Tevo Howard‘s words:

“I started to DJ at roughly thirteen or fourteen years old, putting us back to about 1987. After a knee injury in a skateboard accident (I wiped out) in 1987, I found myself sitting at home, bored, and with little interests other than skateboarding and music. With skateboarding out of the picture, I could only gather to mess around with the turntables that sat in the room my brothers and I all shared. I remember thinking that being a DJ was a hobby that wasn’t either illegal, or dangerous, and that it would be fun to DJ my own music as opposed to my brother’s music. I walked down to Gramaphone Records, which was about 10 blocks away, and bought one record. I had no idea what was about to happen.” … MORE

Cajmere

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Let’s face it guys, despite its many faults the United States of America is the most important country in history, musically speaking at least. Through the struggles of inner-city youth and disenfranchised African-Americans came the roots of Blues, R&B, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Funk, Disco, Hardcore, Punk, Hip-Hop, and last but not least Techno and House, whose dichotomic influence over the last quarter century of music and western culture cannot be overstated. Let’s take it back to 1991 to talk about Chicago-native Cajmere, AKA Green Velvet, AKA Curtis Allen Jones, considered to be part of the second vanguard of DJs to come out of Chicago after demi-gods Farley “Jackmaster” Funk, Frankie Knuckles, and Steve “Silk” Hurley.

Jones was a chemical engineering graduate student at UC-Berkley when he decided halfway through to say “Fuck it” and pursue his dream of becoming a house producer. Through trials and tribulations his dream came true in 1992 with his infectious club hit “Coffee Pot (Time for the Percolator)”. Since then he has consistently been releasing music under Cajmere, his more instrumental leaning moniker Green Velvet, or the numerous collaborations he’s done with the likes of Jaime Jones, Walter Philips, and Russoul. Beyond his impressive caché of tracks he has stayed true to his Chicago roots: an infectious meddling of disco, drum machines and catchy R&B vocals. This formula will never go bad, ever.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSaqw5pImEM]

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYJcE6jCwzo]

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Cajmere and Gene Farris – Coconuts
[audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/47451477/Coconuts%20(Original%20Mix).mp3]

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By Laurence ‘Pucho’ Henriquez

Storm Queen aka Morgan Geist

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Last year when Morgan Geist unleashed his Storm Queen project, adding his two cents to the new Chicago House revival, every DJ in the genre started drooling.  The hook of Look Right Through was just too damn good!  But for the longest time it was really the only Storm Queen artifact out there.  Part of me had accepted that it would be a one-track project, but alas!

One of my better birthday gifts last Tuesday was the release of Storm Queen’s second single It Goes On off Environ Records with both a vox and dub version included.  This one is a little different from his first jack-anthem release.  Sure it has that obligatory house beat, but isn’t focused nearly as much on a catchy chorus as it is on a slightly more abstract beat.  Regardless, it’s another winner from a dance music master.

You can purchase the release from Juno HERE

[audio=http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4285163/01%20It%20Goes%20On%20%28vox%29.mp3]Storm Queen- It Goes On

[audio=http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4285163/01%20Look%20Right%20Through%20%28vox%29.mp3]

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 (Download)

Posted by Patrick

Fresh Meat Records

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“Fresh Meat Records is an artist-run label and collaboration between Mazi Namvar (Audio Soul Project) and Nathan Drew Larsen, two music-heads who became friends during the second wave of house that ripped through Chicago in the early 1990s. That footprint having left its indelible mark, Fresh Meat Records has become the home to producers influenced by the “other side” of Chicago house – not the late 90s disco cut-ups – but the sometimes soulful, sometimes tracky, but always emotional, experimental-leaning synthesized dance cuts that are at the deep core of Chicago house music.”

If you do a little homework on label-head Mazi Namvar you’ll find he’s also half of Wasted Chicago Youth (with Justin Long).  The label also features Elef, Wiretappeur, Shenoda, Florian Kruse, Detroit native Kris Wadsworth, Nick Harris, and Mr. Brazil (who likes to spend time in Miami).

Proceed if you like house:

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[audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9306550/Magic%20Noise%20Goblins.mp3]

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[audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9306550/Asha.mp3]

Check out tons of their releases on Soundcloud

Trax Records

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If you’re recently getting into the Chicago and Acid House thing you’ll sound silly if you don’t know what Trax Records is.

“TRAX, the original home of house music, gave birth to the biggest movement in club music since the dawn of Disco. TRAX stands in a class by itself, as the quintessential music catalog that defines the house sound.TRAX is now back, with brand new releases, a catalog of remastered classics and great compilations”

There are way too many names on their roster to mention here, but these guys have been around for a long long time. The coolest part is that they’ve started working with a whole slew of current disco/ house producers to remix and re-edit their original catalog tracks. The new versions are fantastic and are offered on some pretty heavy Trax compilations.

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[audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9306550/13%20This%20Is%20Acid.mp3]

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[audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9306550/14%20Can%20You%20Feel%20it%20%28John%20Daly%20Re-Edit%29.mp3]

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/24479105]