Chicago is known for many things—hot dogs, Michael Jordan, cool architecture, bad weather. But in 2022, the Windy City finally gained recognition for another talent when Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared a year-long focus on a star of its arts and culture community: dance.
For house music obsessives, the honor is severely overdue. After all, this is the city that birthed an international movement led by “Godfather of House Music” DJ Frankie Knuckles and the legendary label Trax Records, paving the way for pioneers like Joe Smooth, Felix Da Housecat, DJ Pierre, DJ Rashad, RP Boo and DJ Spinn. Driven by chaotic, fast-paced beats clocking in around 150 to 165 bpm, this is the music that provided the backdrop for footwork culture to emerge in the late 1990s. Called juke or…
