DJ Spen: The 'Chicago Hour' Mix

The roots of house music stem from Chicago, whilst some may argue and contest such a statement it's hard to deny the influence that the city has upon the genre, even some forty odd years later. New York also has a place in the heart of house, a city born upon breaks and disco culture before being re-imagined by the likes of Larry Levan who interacted and with music by the likes of Frankie Knuckles, Jesse Saunders, Ron Hardy and Larry Heard. Dj Spen grew up in Baltimore, watching on with keen interest he observed the lineage between the cities, the pioneers and the sounds. In the eighties he was a hip hop dj, appearing regularly on the radio. It was only later that he would evolve his sound and begin to piece together his own musical narrative which lead to him being more prolifically involved in house music. Over the years he has released music most prominently via Basement Boys Records and Black Vinyl Records. It is at this point in his career in which we focus, a time when house music was alive, evolutionary and perhaps its most dynamic. We invited Dj Spen to record a mix, an ode to the sound of Chicago upon which he was raised and hasn't left since.