-[Listen]- Remembering Frankie Knuckles, The Godfather of House Music

Late Monday evening, the music world was stunned by the loss of Frankie Knuckles, the pioneer of house music. As a DJ, producer and remixer in the 1980s and ’90s, he laid the groundwork for the world’s contemporary electronic dance scene of today, and to say he’s a legend is an understatement. Knuckles ingeniously combined classical music, with a bit of jazz, the warmth of soul-music singing, disco and the rhythmic melodies of early R&B and rock. Sequentially, his work at a nightclub called The Warehouse in Chicago led to the creation of house music.

Originally from the Bronx, he moved to Chicago in the late 70’s and opened his own club, the Power Plant, and produced one of his first house anthems, “Tears” with Robert Owens. He then went on to mix records for superstars such as Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Depeche Mode, to name a few. Through his mixes, he introduced people from around the world to look at Chicago and the house scene with a new romanticism, and as the core of where it all began. If you’ve ever gone to any of his live sets, you can attest that the energy, and talented blends he brought to any venue was like no other.

Although this is a huge loss for Chicago and the EDM world, there is no doubt that his music and influence will continue to live on.