The Best House Music in Chicago for 2021

A guide to the best house music in Chicago for 2021. Featuring the top clubs, DJs, and events to check out this year.

The Best House Music Venues in Chicago

Chicago has been a hotbed for house music for decades, and it shows no signs of slowing down. With so many great venues to choose from, it can be tough to decide where to go to get your fix. Here are our picks for the best house music venues in Chicago.

Smart Bar

If you’re looking for a great place to hear some amazing house music in Chicago, look no further than Smart Bar. This popular spot is known for its top-notch sound system, which is perfect for dancing the night away. Smart Bar also has a great selection of drinks and a friendly staff, making it the perfect place to enjoy a night out on the town.

The MID

The MID is one of Chicago’s most popular venues for house music. The club has three floors, each with its own bar and dance floor. The main floor is where you’ll find the biggest names in house music, while the second and third floors are reserved for up-and-coming DJs. If you’re looking for a night of non-stop dancing, this is the place to be.

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There are a few staple house music venues in Chicago that have been around for years and have been attracting world-renowned DJs and producers. If you’re looking to get your fix of deep house, techno, or any other sub-genre, these are the places you need to go.

The successors to the legendary Warehouse and Music Box, Smart Bar has been a driving force in the Chicago house music scene since 1982. Located in the basement of Chicago’s Metro, Smart Bar has hosted some of the biggest names in electronic music including Derrick May, Jeff Mills, and Richie Hawtin. With a 50ft long bar, two main rooms, and a patio area, Smart Bar is the perfect place to dance the night away.

Another one of Chicago’s most iconic house music venues is The Mid. This West Loop club has been attracting world-renowned DJs since 2010, and it’s not hard to see why. The Mid features three floors, each with its own unique sound system and lighting setup. The main floor is where you’ll find the biggest names in electronic music playing sets that will keep you dancing all night long.

If you’re looking for a more intimate setting, Danny Martinelli’s Spyners Pub is the place for you. This Old Town spot has been attracting locals and tourists alike since 2004 with its great food and drinks menu and its endless supply of house music. Spyners Pub features two floors of music ranging from deep house to techno, so there’s something for everyone.

If you want to experience the best that Chicago house music has to offer, these are the venues you need to check out.

The Best House Music DJs in Chicago

Chicago is known for its house music scene, and there are some great DJs that play this genre of music. If you’re looking for the best house music in Chicago, then you need to check out the DJs that are listed below. You’ll find some of the best house music that Chicago has to offer.

Derrick Carter

Derrick Carter is a Chicago house DJ and producer who has been active since the 1980s. He is a member of the supergroup Dirtybird and has released several solo albums. His DJing style is characterized by turntablism, mixing, and creative track selection.

Born and raised in Chicago, Derrick Carter began his DJ career while still in high school. He soon started making a name for himself in the city’s underground house music scene. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the record label Crunch House with fellow DJ Mark Farina. The label released a number of well-received house music compilations and singles.

In 1995, Derrick Carter released his debut solo album, Do It Your Way. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on Billboard’s dance chart. He followed it up with another album, 1997’s Journey to Satta Massagana, which featured a more diverse range of sounds including reggae, salsa, and funk.

Derrick Carter has continued to release new music throughout his career, both solo and as part of Dirtybird. In 2020, he released the album Existence Is Resistance on the label. His music has been praised for its dexterous mixing and inventive track selection. He remains one of Chicago’s most celebrated house DJs.

Frankie Knuckles

Frankie Knuckles, born Francis Nigel Knuckles, Jr., was a Chicago DJ, record producer, and remix artist. He was dubbed the “Godfather of House Music” and was one of the first DJs to play house music in clubs. He helped to develop and popularize house music with his own style of DJing, which incorporated mixing multiple tracks together, using equalization and crossfading. He was also one of the first DJs to use drum machines, such as the Roland TR-808.

Knuckles started his career as a disco DJ in the 1970s. In 1977, he began working at The Warehouse, a club in Chicago. The Warehouse was one of the first clubs to play house music. In 1980, Knuckles left The Warehouse to open his own club, The Power Plant. At The Power Plant, Knuckles continued to develop his style of DJing and helped to popularize house music.

Knuckles’ remixes and productions influenced many subsequent house tracks. His best-known production is probably “Your Love,” a track he co-wrote with Jamie Principle and produced for singer Alison Hinds. “Your Love” reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart in 1990 and has been cited as an influential track in the development of house music.

Sasha

Sasha is a music producer, DJ, and record label owner from the UK. He is best known for his work in the house music genre. Sasha’s first breakthrough came with his remix of Hot Natured’s “Forward Motion”, which was released on the album Different Sides of the Sun in 2013. He has since released several mix albums, including Magnetic North and Scene Delete, both of which reached number one on the iTunes dance charts.

The Best House Music Producers in Chicago

Chicago has always been a hotbed for house music, and 2021 is no different. There are a plethora of great house music producers in the city, and it can be tough to keep up with all of them. In this article, we’ll be highlighting some of the best house music producers in Chicago.

Green Velvet

Green Velvet, whose real name is Curtis Alan Jones, is a Chicago house legend. He’s been making music since the early ’90s and is one of the most well-known house producers in the world. Green Velvet’s style is unique and hard to pin down; he often blends elements of techno, acid house, and disco into his tracks. His most famous song is probably “Flash,” which was a huge hit in the UK in 1995.

Gene Farris

When it comes to house music, there are few cities more influential than Chicago. The Windy City has been a hotbed for the genre since the 1980s, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. In fact, some of the best house music producers in the world currently call Chicago home.

One such producer is Gene Farris. A native of Chicago, Farris has been making waves in the house music scene for years. He got his start as a DJ in the late 1980s, and he quickly began to make a name for himself. In the early 1990s, he started producing his own tracks, and he hasn’t looked back since.

To date, Farris has released six albums, all of which have been incredibly well-received by critics and fans alike. He’s also collaborated with some of the biggest names in house music, including Steve Lawler and Green Velvet. There’s no doubt that Farris is one of the best house music producers in Chicago right now, and you can bet that he’ll be making waves for years to come.

Cajmere

Cajmere, real name Curtis Alan Jones, is a house music producer and DJ from Chicago. He is best known for his 1992 hit single “Percolator (It’s Time for the)” and for founding the house music label Cajual Records.

Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Jones began making music in his early teens. He started out as a rapper, but soon switched to producing electronic dance music after being inspired by early Chicago house DJs such as Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy. In 1991, he released his first single, “Percolator,” on the local label Dance Mania. The track became a breakout hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and #1 on the UK Dance Singles chart.

Since then, Cajmere has released a number of successful singles and remixes, including “Brighter Days” (with Dajae) and “Coffee Pot (It’s Time for the)” (with Jamal Moss). He has also produced tracks for a number of other artists, including Lil Louis, Ty Dolla Sign, and Nicki Minaj. In addition to his work as a solo artist and producer, Cajmere is also one half of the duo Green Velvet (with Calvin Harris) and a member of the supergroup Chemical Brothers (with Tom Rowlands).