Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the original house music DJs and producers from the area, such as Ron Hardy and Phuture.
Armand van Helden is an American DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter from Boston. He is considered one of house music's most revered figures, with a career spanning three decades.
Farley "Jackmaster" Funk is an American musician, DJ and record producer of Chicago house and acid house music. He is notable for writing and producing a number of highly influential tracks in the mid and late 1980s.
Eric Miller is an American house music DJ, record producer and remixer. As E-Smoove, he worked for a number of years with Steve "Silk" Hurley and Maurice Joshua, before he hit the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1998 with "Deja Vu", which climbed to No. 16. The song reached No. 63 on the UK Singles Chart. His next U.S. dance chart entry came in 2002, when "Insatiable" hit No. 1. "Insatiable" was released under the pseudonym Thick Dick. It peaked at No. 35 in the UK. Both tracks featured lead vocals by his wife Latanza Waters.
Kym Sims is an American singer whose biggest success came outside her home market, most notably the Scandinavian countries and the United Kingdom. Sims began her career as an advertising jingle singer before breaking through into the dance music market. Following a battle with alcohol addiction, Sims returned to the Billboard Dance Charts reaching #6 with "Turn It Up" in 2017.
"Jack Your Body" is a song by American music producer Steve "Silk" Hurley, originally released as a single in 1986. It was included on the album Hold on to Your Dream (1987) under the alias J.M. Silk. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1987.
Raze was an American electronic dance music group formed in 1986 by multi-instrumentalist and producer Vaughan Mason. Raze also included the vocalists Keith Thompson, Wanda Sykes, Bobby Coleman and DJ Stephon Johnson.
"I Can't Turn Around" is a song written and originally performed by soul singer Isaac Hayes as the lead single from his 1975 album Chocolate Chip.
"Love Can't Turn Around" is a 1986 Chicago house song by Farley Keith Williams a.k.a. Farley "Jackmaster" Funk and Jesse Saunders featuring vocalist Darryl Pandy.
"Keep On Walkin'" is a song by American musician CeCe Peniston, recorded for her debut album, Finally (1992), on A&M Records. Written by Steve Hurley, Marc Williams and Kym Sims, it was released in May 1992 as the singer's third single from the album and was her third number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The single additionally peaked at number three on the US R&B chart, number 15 on the Hot 100, and number 10 in the United Kingdom.
"Nobody Else" is a 1998 song by American singer and songwriter CeCe Peniston. The composition was to be the lead single of the singer's originally scheduled album release on the Silk Entertainment label, as well as reportedly released on Steve Hurley's compilation The Voices of Life, Vol 1. The production of her album was cancelled eventually, and releasing of the compilation wouldn't happen either. However, the singer released another two singles on the label, "He Loves Me 2" the following year and "My Boo" in 2000.
"Shadows of Your Love" is a 1986 song performed by J.M. Silk featuring Steve "Silk" Hurley.
"Music Is the Key" is the debut single by J.M. Silk, and the first release issued on D.J. International Records in 1985.
"She's So Far Away" is a song by J.M. Silk, taken from the album Hold on to Your Dream, which was released in 1987 on RCA Records.
"Heart of Passion" is a song by J.M. Silk taken from the album Hold on to Your Dream, which was released on RCA Records, in 1987.
"He Loves Me 2" is a 1999 song by the musician CeCe Peniston. This single was to be originally included on the singer's album, which was not released. A remix of the song, Paul Johnson's Dancefloor Dub, entered the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where it peaked at number twenty-four in November 1999, after being classified number five as the Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts in the Club Play category.
George Jackson is a DJ, remixer, and music producer who specializes in the dance music genre. After college and then a brief teaching stint, Jackson left the school system, and became the label head for Silk Entertainment. It was there that he learned the executive side of the business, as well. There was also a creative opportunity for Jackson, as he remixed Ann Nesby’s rendition of “Lovin’ Is Really My Game ”. He also assisted Hurley, on the remix of “Soul Shakedown” by Bob Marley, which was released on Koch Records (Canada) and Silk Entertainment, and then Grammy nominated for best remixed recording in 2002.
"Too Blind to See It" is a song by American singer Kym Sims, written and produced by Steve "Silk" Hurley. It was released in 1991 as the first single from her eponymous debut album. The song peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, it reached the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, and the United Kingdom. A music video was produced for the single's promotion.
Michael A. Wilson is an American DJ and producer from Chicago. Initially a later member of Hot Mix 5, he later diversified into production; his 1990 single, "Another Sleepless Night", charted on the UK Singles Chart at No. 74, and when re-released in 1991 credited to Shawn Christopher, charted at No. 50. He also produced works by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, New Order, Mr. Lee, 808 State, and Ghost Town DJ's, and has been named as an influence by Octave One and Neal Howard.
