Cue the bass…Deep in the heart of the ghetto, on the mean streets of Chicago’s infamous Southside, a music pioneer was born…
From the beginning, Thomas “DJ Slugo” Kendricks was influenced by his cousin, DJ Geno, a member of a local Chicago hot mix group, and other local icons such as the Hot Mix 5 (of Chicago radio). Slugo, with 20+ years in the game, over 20 albums in his pocket and over 50 CDs on the street, began a journey that lead him to become one of the original creators of a style of music commonly known as Ghetto House, more recently regarded as Juke.
Ghetto House, an urban dance sound created by inner-city producers from raw walks of life and derived from Old School House, is steeped with nuances from ghetto-life traditions and descriptions of the hood through rhythm. It moves beyond the just being and dives right into the metaphysical, with its rhythmic, infectious energy exciting the inner spirit and making folk return to their Motherland dance roots.
The magic struck Slugo at a high school dance where he asked the DJ if he could spin a couple of tracks. Although his set only lasted a brief 15 minutes, it ignited a flame that burns brighter than ever today.
From 1984-1987, Slugo honed his skills by observing the skills of his local heroes. Participating in heated DJ battles won him acclaim as a technical expert on the wheels of steel. He released his first truly professional mix tape Ghetto Mix Part III (1992). This tape landed in the hands of Ray Barney, CEO of the Chicago-based Dance Mania, one of the largest dance music labels in the world. Barney and Slugo formalized an agreement resulting in a long stream of releases on the Dance Mania label and affording Slugo the freedom to form his own label, Subterranean Playhouse.
During this same period, friend and fellow producer Paul Johnson introduced Slugo to a southern promoter, which culminated his professional merge into the rave scene. His unheard of Ghetto style of mixing quickly made him a favorite to tens of thousands of partygoers and promoters alike.
The release of the popular Cardboard Booty mix CD, called “the most influential ghetto house CD ever made” by London’s Underbeat Magazine, who also went on to call DJ Slugo, “the Ghetto-father of the American dance floor.” As his fame spread, releases with other national labels, such as Underground Construction, Dance Mania, GTI Records, Serotonin Records, Data Bass, CWAL Mob Recordings, Wide Records and Crosstalk International, Inc., as well as his follow up album, The Ghetto Don, flew off the shelves.
Taking his career to the next level, Slugo signed with the 1 electronic music booking agency in the United States, Teknomafia. With Teknomafia’s 10-year strong foothold on the nationwide rave, club & concert market as well as national distribution for his future releases, the only question that remained was where to begin. Slugo later said that this proved to be one of the best decisions made for his career. After Teknomafia shut their doors and in order to progress into mainstream music, DJ Slugo was the only electronic artist kept on the roster.
2002 saw Slugo returning to his roots with new projects, Where the Rats and Godzilla. Slugo calls these releases without a doubt, some of his best work. They have also without a doubt, exceeded the sales of nearly every other release he has done to this date and which lead to his wildly successful “Godzilla” track becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
After a yearlong respite to rethink his career path, Slugo is back in the game and taking the world by storm. Recent affiliations with England’s Wide Adventure and Crosstalk International, Inc. promise many great things to come.
“Imma keep making Ghetto House music because I love it!”
The saga continues…

For Bookings:

Email: bookdjslugo@gmail.com

DJ Flash has occupied the entertainment industry for over twenty years. A product of humble beginnings, his passion for music is what introduced him to spinning. 
Carrying crates of records to events for other DJs' that he met while working in the industry is where it all began. Attending various events, networking with local promoters in the Chicagoland area, and watching the music come to life by the DJ on the turntables. As an apprentice to the infamous DJ Bass and Tha DJ Hi-Speed, his musical influences crossed countless genres. DJ Flash became most known for his timeless mixes of Hip Hop, R&B, and House music. Pillow Talk Volumes 1 and 2, a compilation of R&B slow cut hits debuted as the first mixtape release by DJ Flash. He currently works at 106.3 FM (Crawford Broadcasting / 106.3 Chicago’s R&B) Visit www.djflash357.com/store to download and stream my free mixes. IG: @dj_flash357 Twitter: @djflash357 FB: @djflash357

Known as a “lawyer by day, DJ by night,” Alan King is one of the early members of the legendary Chicago-based DJ crew, the Chosen Few DJs (now consisting of Alan, Wayne Williams, Jesse Saunders, Tony Hatchett, Terry Hunter, Andre Hatchett and Mike Dunn).  In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the Chosen Few DJs was a group of popular DJs from the city’s south side who played their unique brand of soulful dance music to huge crowds at Chicago night spots of historic importance in the birth and development of house music, including Sauer’s, First Impressions, the Playground and the Loft.  Alan’s influence on the house music landscape has been felt for more than 40 years, and he has been cited as an inspiration by countless DJs including legendary house music DJs and producers Frankie Knuckles, Steve "Silk" Hurley and Chip E.  Alan still regularly plays to rave reviews at clubs and events throughout Chicago, the United States and across the world.  The Chosen Few DJs also host the annual Chosen Few Old School Reunion Picnic each July 4th weekend in Chicago, one of the largest and longest running house music festival events in the world!

fmcclellan83 is following