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.
Good Morning Mix – Larry Levan Live at Sound Factory (3/22/91)
There is a good chance that today's Good Morning Mix is older than some of our avid Dancing Astronaut readership. Dating back more than 20 years-- when hip-hop, disco, and house had fuzed together and clubs like Sound Factory (which is now present day Pacha NYC) -- hosted, at the time, superstar DJs like Larry Levan. Larry Levan, for those who are not familiar, is the premier driving force behind much of our present-day DJ culture. Although the bulk of Levan's career was made between 1977-1987 at Paradise Garage, in this set from 1991 at Sound Factory (only a year before his untimely demise) it's clear he was still managing to pave the way for house heads and producers for years to come. You may recognize C + C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" (pre-Jock Jams), Ram Jam's "Black Betty," and "Gypsy Woman" from Crystal Waters (name who sampled it!). These songs are all completely recognizable even for a younger generation, but Larry plucked them out of the herd as distinctive before anyone else could -- as he was wont to do. Stream the full set below.