BBC Radio 1 honors the late Frankie Knuckles, listen to his Essential Mix from 2000
Dance music has lost an icon. The passing of Frankie Knuckles marks the end of an era for the house music genre. Often referred to as the Godfather of House Music, Frankie was one of the original pioneers of a sound that would eventually consume the entire world. In his memory, BBC Radio 1 has planned numerous broadcasts including an interview with Benji B, FK's induction into the hall of fame by Pete Tong, and a commemorative mix from Skream.
Watch Frankie Knuckles’s Wavefront set with Jamie Principle from BE-AT.TV
Saturday's Legends tent at Wavefront Music Festival in Chicago was a unique tribute to those who made Chicago house what it is, from start to finish. Ralphi Rosario, DIZ, Gene Farris, and Derrick Carter back-to-back Mark Farina all delivered beyond expectation, but it was Frankie Knuckles set at the end of the evening (including a thirty minute live performance from the first superstar Chicago house vocalist Jamie Principle) that defined the whole festival for some.
Chicago Heritage legends reclaim throne at Wavefront Festival Day 2
With an overcast sky and many festival goers still recovering from the night before, the Saturday edition of the Wavefront Music Festival got off to a slow start, but by no means does that mean it was not one for the record books. The Wave Stage brought the bass with quality names like Caspa and Rusko, the Oasis Stage hosted some of the guys from Seth Troxler's Visionquest label as well as a lengthy set from the three men of Apollonia, and of course, the Legends tent belonged to Chicago house veterans Frankie Knuckles, Jamie Principle, Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, Ralphi Rosario, and Gene Farris (among others). Here's what really stuck out for us yesterday:
Designed with the dance floor in mind: the story of Chicago house
The eighties were both a tumultuous and exciting time in the history of music, and the tale to be told about the birth and evolution of electronic music is far from a predictable one. New York had disco, Detroit had techno, and Chicago had house. The growth of all three branches of this dance music tree are important, but at its core house music emerged from the Windy City as the umbrella genre's most universal derivative. As thousands prepare to make their way to Chicago's Montrose Beach this weekend for the second annual Wavefront Music Festival, complete with a Chicago Heritage Stage, let us pull back the curtain once again and explore the places from which this music came.