How a lifelong passion for electronic music and community building for Dirtybird Records head honcho Claude VonStroke helped establish Dirtybird as one of the preeminent brands in American electronic music.






In the early 2000s, long before he was Claude VonStroke, Barclay Crenshaw independently produced and directed the documentary Intellect: Techno House Progressive. Some regard Intellect as one of the most comprehensive films ever made about DJs and underground electronic music culture.



Intellect features a staggering amount of interviews from pioneering DJs and electronic music producers—Juan Atkins, Miguel Migs, Orbital, Paul Van Dyk, Deep Dish, Sandra Collins, Steve Lawler — the list goes on. Justin Martin, the first cornerstone producer on Dirtybird Records, also made much of the original music for Intellect rendering the catalyst for the foundation of Dirtybird Records.




“Derrick Carter and I were in New York on 9/11. I was completely broke. And I still had to finish my movie,” recalls VonStroke. Despite the tragic events, the desperate director did what had to save his fledgling documentary.




“I went and begged [Carter] to do his interview. He didn’t want to do it. No one wanted to do anything [after 9/11]!” said VonStroke, speaking to Gray Area at Dirtybird Campout. “But he came down out of his room at the W Hotel and did the best interview of the whole [documentary]. Last night, we were chatting about [Carter’s Intellect interview] for the first time since it happened,” reminisces VonStroke.




“Full circle. That’s 21 years later,” VonStroke says, a look of awe quickly spreading across his face.




Roots run deep at Dirtybird Campout.




CHICAGO HOUSE

“It’s so good!” barks DJ Sneak in response to a query from fellow DJ Mark Farina as two Chicago house legends join ringleader Derrick Carter in the Thursday night Bass Lodge booth.




Being onstage like that at Campout “is like cooking with your best friends in somebody’s kitchen that we know,” says Sneak.




“The funny part is that we don’t even speak about what we’re gonna play. We just show up and play. That’s always been our formula, we just freestyle. We’re so seasoned, we each have a style. When we come together — it’s magic.”




Deron Delgado, Dirtybird Records label manager, explains Campout’s booking of the three living Chicago house legends to open the festival.




“Sneak and Carter and Farina — we literally grew up listening to [them] before any of us were DJs,” says Delgado. “Personally, they’re three of my biggest influences growing up as a wee raver.”




Sneak says that “Derrick has always been our lead — I’m from Chicago too, Mark’s from Chicago. But Derrick has always been that lead and that light. He’s like the libra mama, you know? We follow his lead. His best is fucking incredible.”




“I’ve been in the business for 30 years. The last 15 years for me was really strange because the whole EDM thing switched demographics,” Sneak continues. “It wasn’t real talented DJs. It was talented performers, entertainers of some sort. But not DJs,” says Sneak.

Sneak might be right. The musical vapidity of EDM is likely not culturally sustainable. But it’s still a giant slice of the worldwide electronic music pie. But according to Sneak, a generational sea change might be at play.




“What’s happening now is there was two generations after EDM and now there’s this,” says Sneak. “They’re starting to be like, ‘we want authentic, we want underground. We want the real stuff — we want to know what it is that Derrick Carter and DJ Sneak and Mark Farina are known for.’”




As for his relationship with Dirtybird, Sneak says that “Claude’s around my age, we’re in the same circles. It’s great that there’s a new way, a new platform to expose these kids to real underground music.”







THE GANJA GARDEN

“I stopped smoking a couple of months ago and ironically booked the Ganja Garden,” Delgado, the label manager for Dirtybird Records, says before his Friday morning set at the Ganja Garden — the newest stage presented by Dirtybird in partnership with the People’s Remedy dispensary.




Explaining the thought process behind booking artists for Campout, Delgado says, “There’s the Birdhouse and the Bass Lodge. The Birdhouse is obviously the fun house, tech house stuff like that and then Bass Lodge where we can get totally weird and do whatever we want with it. We put out a lot of house and techno records but we’re all big fans of bass and drum and bass.”




The actual process behind the booking strategy?




“It’s a constant jigsaw puzzle,” concedes Delgado.




There’s also the ever-present question of how the label and events have created Dirtybird’s ongoing sound.




“We have our own sound, and I think that sound has a very big dynamic range,” analyzes Delgado. “Maybe when we first started 17 years ago it was more narrow but now the Dirtybird sound both at the label and at our events, is much wider.”




For VonStroke, the record label was created at lead partly as a rejection of the house music status quo.




“The record label was started because we didn’t really like what was going on in house [music] that much. It was cool, but… it’s actually the same stuff that’s getting popular right now,” says VonStroke. “This really glossy, vocal house that’s way too well produced. It doesn’t sound organic anymore. Like a pop producer is making it.”




VonStroke says he seeks something more from the electronic music he purveys to wide audiences.




“I wanted to add elements of hip hop and drum and bass and more gritty sounds into house. I mean, it totally worked [for Dirtybird]. But now, everyone’s cloned it five times over. So we’re always pushing the next thing.”




Pushed to articulate Dirtybird’s constantly evolving central sound, VonStroke responds with a chuckle. “We’re just doing everything that’s not bro house! Anything where you drink beer out of a shoe, we’re not releasing. And it’s kind of our fault that even happened. So — we’re sorry!”




What happens when everything is self-referential all the time? What has meaning then? Will Dirtybird swallow its tail feathers until it eventually blinks out of existence? Or does Dirtybird rise above the cultural fray to become an inter-generational dance music powerhouse? Only time will tell.




The future sound of Dirtybird for VonStroke?




“I don’t have any idea,” VonStroke says earnestly.







AN AUSTRIAN HOUSEHEAD IN AMERICA

Back on the scorching blacktop path near the entrance to the festival grounds, Regina walks sluggishly in the afternoon sun, her face obscured under a full-head tan-colored camping visor.




Originally from Austria but now located near Wilmington, North Carolina, she says there isn’t anything similar to Dirtybird Campout on the east coast where she lives.




“A different mindset,” she croaks in a heavy Viennese accent, voice already obliterated by 3:00 pm on day two.




Regina has strong feelings about house music and her conception of bass music.




“House music takes you on a journey to a new world. I dance with my eyes closed,” she reminiscences, her voice barely a whisper. “You want the people around you to create the energy.”




When asked about her thoughts about the different styles of bass music at Dirtybird Campout, she smirks in a quickly spiteful turn.




“I hate bass music!” she sputters.




It’s not a surprising opinion coming from a European house head like her. She’s immovable from her position that bass music cannot inspire the same feelings as house music.




Her perspective makes sense, though, when referring to Plump Record founder Kevin Knapp’s unique perspective on the physical and cultural divides between bass music in general and house and techno — a gap that spans both musical genres and the Atlantic Ocean.




“I’ve just spent nine years in Berlin. My partner and I just moved back [to America] in January,” says Knapp. “The scene in America and the scene in Europe are a bit more distant now than I think they were in the past. So I don’t know what Europe often considers ‘bass music’ is that influential for them right now from a cultural perspective.”




Perhaps this is where Dirtybird might be able to make its biggest cultural impact — by connecting artists, sounds, and aesthetics across genres and physical space itself.




PINK FUZZY GOLF CART

Back-back stage at the Birdhouse, Mary Droppinz winces in pain as she climbs into the passenger seat of the pink fuzzy upholstered luxury golf cart.




She’d just sprained her ankle in a personal training session before Campout began. Try to see if you can notice even a hint of that injury during her bouncy stage performance and other appearances in the various booths at Dirtybird Campout over the weekend.




Concerning the often disparate sounds that play at Campout, she says, “they totally coexist. I love house myself. I have a house side to me and I play that, but there’s also the bass side,” observes Droppinz.




“Dirtybird is a place where people that have really great tastes can come and just enjoy and frolic. That’s what’s cool — if you like bass and house the you just know there’s seasoned electronic listeners, and I like that”, says Droppinz.




“That’s what’s special about it here.”







A PERCOMANIAC AMONG DIRTYBIRDS

“I think my sound is pretty eclectic, a bit psychedelic, and probably a little disorienting at times,” says Dirtybird resident Lubelski. “My good friend [and Percomanics label mate] Wyatt Marshall loves to say that my sets are like getting beaten down by drums and synths.”




That’s a fair way to describe Lubelski’s unique, dynamically searching sound.




Regarding Dirtybird’s unique crowd, Lubelski says, “I think the Dirtybird crowd really loves their booty-shaking beats, but they are also very receptive to new sounds given the lineup that Claude has curated.”




And on the mixture of subgenres for the fan base at Campout and the friction between fans of different subgenres, Lubelski says at Campout, “there isn’t any sense of elitism or snobbery. All good vibes. It shows how Dirtybird places their priorities on fun, music, and community.”




Those who may wonder where Dirtybird’s future sound lies would be wise to pay attention to forward-thinking artists currently in Dirtybird’s orbit — artists like Lubelski, Droppinz, Nala, Ardalan, and Walker & Royce. These artists, who actively explore across genres and aren’t beholden to any hard and fast rule about electronic music, are those to pay attention to moving forward. They’ll set the future Dirtybird sound through their creative decisions in their upcoming releases — likely in unexpected ways.




Maybe that’s why VonStroke sounds so honest when he claims he has “no idea” where the sound of Dirtybird is going next.
























Dirtybird Residents on What Makes Campout Unique

Throughout Dj Sneak's nearly three-decade career, he's influenced the sound of countless producers. In 1997 he released "Sneak's A Freak," one of the earliest iterations of filtered disco house. The groundbreaking sound would go on to dominate dancefloors throughout the late 90s.




Even though many credit French producers for popularizing the sound, DJ Sneak created the blueprint for it. "Sneak's A Freak" was a significant source of inspiration for Daft Punk's 1997 track "Burnin," Dj Sneak even appeared as a background character in the music video shot in Chicago.




The French robots revered those who came before them and name-checked Sneak alongside Green Velvet, Derrick Carter, Paul Johnson, and several other Chicago house legends in "Teachers."









Dj Sneak and Daft Punk kept a close relationship throughout the late '90s and early '00s. Both staples of the halcyon days of Ibiza, they joined forces in 1999 at the now-shuttered El Divino nightclub for a once-in-a-lifetime b2b set.




El Divino's history runs just as deep as the many DJs and residencies that started there. While smaller than clubs like Amnesia and Pacha, it was ranked with the super clubs of the White Isle and was the jumping-off point for parties like Defected and Roger Sanchez's "Release Yourself."




Daft Punk and Dj Sneak's set is a brilliant snapshot of the sound of house music at the time. The trio blazes through hits like Armand van Helden and Dj Sneak's "Psychic Bounty Killaz," Gene Farris' "Low Down Diry World," and "Ghetto Style DJs," by Rhythm Masters. They brought classic disco vibes into the modern era with massive basslines and big banging beats.






The night was also a jumping-off point for even deeper collaborative efforts. Dj Sneak wrote the lyrics for "Digital Love," released in 2001 on Daft Punk's Discovery album.




Epic b2b's are the stuff of legend in dance music. And it goes without saying that this one was historic. We may not have been in the room that night, but at least we can relive the magic through the recording.



This B2B Set from Daft Punk & DJ Sneak is Disco House Heaven 

Hailing from Chicago, the acclaimed Puerto Rican-born selector DJ Sneak has a unique history with the city that never sleeps. When he made his first trip to the city in the 90s, the young DJ was still in the early days of his music career.




Sneak was a well-established part of the Chicago institution Gramaphone Records. A buyer at the popular record store, he regularly sold vinyl to industry titans like Green Velvet, Bad Boy Bill and worked alongside Derrick Carter. He became highly sought after for the procurement of white labels and exclusive cuts and had his own network of record shops throughout the country that dealt in the fiercely underground house music sound.

Helping run the record store by day, he led a double life as a budding DJ and producer by night, honing his own dynamic sound throughout the ’90s




“I was a buyer, so I bought from all distributors on the East Coast,” said Sneak. “I knew everybody’s names, everybody’s numbers…The education was really amazing.”




He continued networking and producing and eventually landed one of his biggest early releases on Green Velvet’s Relief Records, the Blue Funk Files EP, in 1996.




On his very first trip to New York, Sneak spent his time in the studio, dropping off records, and visiting the offices of foundational New York record label, Strictly Rhythm. His first day there, he met several artists he had worked with consistently as a distributor, which included Todd Terry (one of his inspirations for flipping disco records), Francois K, and Danny Tenaglia.




“I met them all in one day, and the next day, I was at Sound Factory Bar, and we’re all hanging out… I’m with Kenny [Dope], Roger [Sanchez] and Louie [Vega] is playing and I hear ‘Show Me the Way’…one of my favorite tracks I’ve made,” recalled Sneak. “He played that record eight times in an eight-hour period…I said, ‘Oh my God. Louie Vega is playing my fucking record.”




Acclaimed DJ and producer Louie Vega introduced Sneak’s unique sound at the famed New York club for a room full of industry icons.




“I went up to where he was playing and thanked him…I said, ‘Louie, thanks for playing my record man, I made that.’ He said ‘Oh man, I love that song… it’s so raw.’”




Later, Sneak’s genre-bending mixes and live sets would earn him continued support from Vega, Kenny Dope, Todd Terry, and a plethora of venerated New York DJs. “It was a Strictly reunion that night…and for a Chicago kid that had never experienced New York underground, I was blown away.”




The works and creativity that were a byproduct of New York nightlife and the scene inspired Sneak to continue producing original, dynamic records that would eventually become his claim to fame.






How Louie Vega Introduced DJ Sneak's Sound to New York City

The acclaimed DJ Sneak began playing out his original disco-infused house cuts in clubs around New York in the early 90s, creating a name for himself while simultaneously building connections with many of the biggest names in music we know and love today. Early supporters of the producer included Kenny Dope, Barbara Tucker, Todd Terry, Louie Vega, Roger Sanchez, Arman Van Helden, and Francois K.




Sneak was one of the first to champion the filtered-disco house sound. His sound largely inspired producers that spanned the globe. The famed electronic music duo Daft Punk name-dropped the “House Gangster” in their 1997 dance single “Teachers,” and also said that his 1997 track, “Sneak’s A Freak,” was the inspiration for their tune “Burnin’” from their iconic debut album Homework. They would go on to release a Dj Sneak remix of the song as part of the 25th Anniversary edition of the album in 2022.




What’s fascinating about Sneak’s championing of the filtered disco house sound is how the artist created it. Sneak limited himself to only four pieces of gear for his first productions. Not out of artistry but out of necessity. Stemming from his experimentation with the AKAI950 sampler, Sneak was ruminating on disco edits from mixtapes created by Ron Hardy and disco played out by Todd Terry.




“I went through each little button, and then one day, I found the filter. And I twisted a button. I was like, ‘whoa, what?’ And that became my trademark... So, Todd was doing straight disco, and I started filtering and making baselines out of shit. And then, sampling the same sample on another channel [for] the high end... The only people that were doing that shit were the drum and bass guys from the UK,” said Sneak in an interview with Gray Area.




And thus, Sneak established his dynamic sound and the filtered-disco house genre, inspiring an entire generation of house and dance music producers.

How Dj Sneak Inspired Daft Punk 

30 years into a career that has taken him to every corner of the globe, DJ Sneak has done an impressive job of remaining relevant. A big reason is simply his output. In the past decade alone he’s released albums like In Demand and Gangsters Paradise in addition to a slew of EPs that have kept his name in the conversation on house music.




Due to this, a great number of newer DJ Sneak (real name Carlos Sosa) fans are likely unfamiliar with the music that launched his career in the ‘90s. The production values may have been more minimal back then — and Sosa was still developing his creative process — but they’re nonetheless essential. They’re part of house music history, after all. The following five tracks paint a picture of the DJ Sneak sound at the outset of his illustrious career. 



Continue on with a good pair of headphones — or better yet, a nice, loud speaker system.





1. Muted Jazz

DJ Sneak began experimenting with music production in 1992. “Muted Jazz” appeared on the B side of his debut 1993 recording, Sneaky Traxx, a two-tracker that also inaugurated his Defiant record label. The song’s noodly jazz sample offered a glimpse of the style that would become his calling card in the years to follow.




2. Disco Erotica

DJ Sneak’s Moon Doggy E.P., released in 1994, marked a significant turning point in his career. It was his first effort out via Green Velvet’s Cajual Records and thus exposed him to a much wider audience. “Disco Erotica” was a favorite from the record; its jacking groove and futuristic melody ignited dance floors from the East Coast to the West.



3. Sneak Attack

Comprising eight songs altogether, DJ Sneak’s Blue Funk Files was his first of many studio-length albums. The title of “Sneak Attack” — which appeared on the effort — says it all. The track starts minimally enough, but after a spoken-word sample of its namesake enters the equation it shapeshifts into a chugging party starter. This inventive transition and nine-minute runtime made it an essential DJ tool after the album came out on Relief Records in 1996.




4. You Can’t Hide From Your Bud

DJ Sneak originally released “You Can’t Hide From Your Bud” on Derrick Carter’s Classic imprint in 1996. The track is credited for influencing a wave of “filter house” productions that fused disco instrumentals with glossy, then-cutting-edge sound design. Listen to the song’s infectious lead melody and it’s not hard to imagine why.




5. Smokey Hill Street

2001 marked the launch of DJ Sneak’s Magnetic Recordings, the most prolific of his three labels. He inaugurated it with the three-track EP Smokey Hill Street, whose title track centered around a tranquil jazz instrumental that reminded the world just how versatile of a sound signature he had developed. This record ushered in a new era for DJ Sneak, and its production values still measure up to modern standards.




5 DJ Sneak Tracks from the ‘90s that Only the Real Heads Remember

Outspoken about his love for house music and DJ culture for decades now, legendary producer DJ Sneak has, at times, had a less than amicable relationship with social media and the press. He gained widespread attention for his opinions on house music in the age of EDM, the commodification of dance music culture, and the demise of proper DJing. He’s passionate and pointed, and the DJ says his words have often been misconstrued on social media, especially by UK music publications leading him to write off social media for good.



“The love I have for house music, and the craft of DJing…I take pride in it. And that pride has shocked a lot of people, especially in the last 10 years when all this EDM shit came through, and I spoke out about Swedish House Mafia and everybody else,” he explained in a recent interview with Gray Area. “I was like, you’re all a bunch of phonies… it’s all a show. And I get it, you’re entertainers. You’re not disc jockeys. You’re not DJs who love music. But I grew up in it. And I’ve taken a lot of low blows because of that, when I’d speak my mind.”



The artist recalled tabloids fabricating stories and highlighting quotes from interviews he’d done to produce early forms of clickbait to sell magazines and gain clicks in a then-burgeoning digital economy. To combat this, the DJ began to confront the publications. “I started calling the ‘Mixmags’ back, and people were like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ and you know, I’m trying to be cool and get both points out.”



Despite his attempts to explain his views and balance the scales, his words continued to fall on deaf ears. He explains that publications refused to offer a fair and balanced viewpoint, so the artist decided to stop feeding the social media machine.



“I exited all that shit. I was DJ Sneak before [social media] came, so I made that decision to be like, ‘Yo, I’ll stand on my own two feet, and still do what I do’,” he said. “I still make music, I still love everything about the music part of [the music industry]. But the business of that? I can care less. I can survive on my own.”



Today, the house producer remains as offline as ever, though his discography and likeness continue to ricochet across social media. However, these days, his digital footprint mainly consists of positive reviews about his music, vinyl-only performances, and his latest creative endeavors.

DJ Sneak's Outspoken Relationship With Social Media

"House Gangsta" DJ Sneak moved to Chicago in 1983. In the summer of '84, he discovered house music, and the world hasn't been the same. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, the house producer arrived in the Windy City with his parents during the heyday of the hip hop and graffiti art craze and settled in a diverse neighborhood in Chicago.





The then thirteen-year-old DJ, who defined himself as a graffiti writer first and a hip-hop enthusiast second, was surrounded by a melange of sounds and cultures, and like a sponge, he soaked it all in.





"At that point, I went from regular drawing to graffiti, and the name 'Sneak' came from that art. Breakdancing, hip-hop, all the shit that was exploding in New York at that time was resonating everywhere—from New York to Chicago. It was part of culture," said the artist. "I thought, cool, I'm learning American culture. But really I was learning from a multicultural mix of Dominicans, Mexicans, Blacks, Polish, Ukrainians…All around me that was a mixture of people—in the neighborhood, we all lived there, man. And everybody there had their thing. They either loved freestyle, or they loved hip hop, but breakdancing was everything that year. The summer of 1984 is what I called the year of the culture really expanding."





And expand it did. Music on the fringes of the underground began proliferating across clubs and dance floors across the city and the East Coast. The DJ began to take in the sounds he was hearing around him, on the radio, and the records he heard his parents play at home.





"It was a culture shock…In terms of influence, man, I mean, I was listening to salsa, merengue—that was my shit all day. And the radio at that point…there was a couple of radio stations that were dedicated to dance music, even though it wasn't called dance music… It was semi disco, funk, and early electronic house," said DJ Sneak. "...The morphing of shit [on the radio], it was all combined, and it was every day, and 24 hours a day, so we were getting educated by just listening."





On the weekends, the avid radio listener and amateur DJ would listen to stations featuring live DJs spinning sets over the airwaves, DJs like Farley Jackmaster and Ralphi Rosario—two of his biggest inspirations. Hearing Rosario, also Puerto Rican, release works with Spanish vocals and samples inspired the artist to follow a similar path.





"Once I put one and one together, my interest for [house] music became bigger because [Ralphi Rosario's] music was early Latin house with his vocals on it, too. He was doing it in Spanish and I was like, holy shit, that's so me. And that was what really brought me into house music."





For DJ Sneak, Chicago's burgeoning local house music scene, full of innovative DJs and new sounds blended with elements of his own culture and its music, led to the discovery and an understanding of house music. This understanding led him to build a strong foundation for the expansive discography and dynamic sound the artist would create and hone in later years.

How DJ Sneak First Discovered House Music

Hispanic artists have played a prominent role in dance music since its inception. Their contributions to the culture can’t be understated. Dance music history is synonymous with the rise of Latinx producers in mainstream music. And as music has evolved, those artists have continued to be the backbone of the culture growing into global superstars.

 Hispanic DJs played a vital role in developing dance, hip hop, and pop acts. People like DJ Charlie Chase paved the way for the DJs of today. He was a member of the Bronx hip hop crew The Furious Five. Led by legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash, they were architects of the hip hop movement in the late 70s and early 80s.

David Morales, the DJ turned super-producer, helped change the face of remix culture with his multiple credits for Mariah Carrey. His work on "Fantasy" earned him a GRAMMY. He was one of the first producers to work in parallel with an artist on a remix, completely reworking their music. Before Morales, it was unheard of to have the remixer in the studio with the original artist.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we'd like to shine a light on the icons who continue to influence house and techno.

 

Louie Vega 

Bronx-born Luis Ferdinand Vega Jr. was born into a musical family. His dad was a jazz saxophonist, and his uncle was a singer in a salsa band. “Little” Louie started DJing at 13, and over three decades changed the face of dance music countless times. He held residencies at New York institutions like the Sound Factory and Studio 54. Vega was also one-half of three-time Grammy-award-winning duo Masters At Work with Kenny Dope. They became sought-after remixers when dance music was still in its infancy and worked with Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Earth Wind & Fire, and Madonna. He continues to etch his mark on global dance music culture today. His 2020 release, “Let It Go,” is the perfect example of the Nuyorican Soul sound he established with Kenny Dope in the mid-90s. A masterful blend of classic soul, Latin sensibilities, and house music.

 

 

Oscar G 

Award-winning DJ and producer Oscar G’s sonic footprint has endured for over three decades. The Cuban-American artist kicked off his career as one-half of the group Liberty City. Tracks like "Some Lovin,'" and Interceptor's, "Together," on their label Murk quickly found their way into the sets of Danny Tenaglia and Junior Vasquez. The four-time ASCAP songwriting award winner has officially remixed pop icons like Madonna and Jennifer Lopez. He continues to educate dance floors on the intersection of Latin American music and dance with residencies at Space Miami and Pacha, where he regularly transports dancers on 12-hour marathon journeys. 

 

Rebolledo 

Mexican-born, multimedium artist Rebolledo is noted as a forward-thinking artist and self-described Experience Creator. His creativity expands beyond his bass-forward psychedelic beats. As one of the creative minds behind the Burning Man art car, the Mayan Warrior, he exhibits how music, visual art, and cross-continental collaboration coalesces in one epic ode to movement and sound. He also brings a unique slant on music as part of Pachanga Boys with German producer Superpitcher. Their lilting tribal beats are the perfect engine for sunrises over the Playa. In 2014, FORBES Magazine named him one of 50 Mexican creatives with the most worldwide influence.   

 The Martinez Brothers 

The Martinez Brothers were born for a life of performance. Their father instilled a love for a diverse set of influences early on. He put Steven and Chris in church bands and encouraged them to collaborate with older musicians. Growing up inspired by house, disco, salsa, and soul, their musical selection is always ahead of the curve and versatile. They were noticed early on by New York legend Dennis Ferrer, who became a mentor and signed them to his label Objektivity. In 2011 they began their decade-long residency at DC-10 in Ibiza. They have become fashion icons, producing music for Givenchy and starting their own line with Seth Troxler, Tuskegee. In 2014 they did percussion for the Nile Rodgers album, It’s About Time. They were the only artists not associated with Rodgers band Chic invited to contribute.

 

Luciano

Luciano was born in Switzerland but moved to Chile when his parents divorced at age 11. He carved the path for dance music to flourish in Chile. When Luciano began DJing in the late 90s at 16 years old, rock music was the sound of the clubs. He worked tirelessly to legitimatize techno in Santiago. In 1999 he moved to Europe, just after he DJed for Chile’s installment of Love Parade, proving his years of hard work paid off. His work is heavily influenced by his Hispanic heritage. He incorporates the rhythmic sensibilities of traditional Chilean music into his music, be it minimal techno or tech house. 

 

DJ Sneak

Dj Sneak may be a polarizing figure in house music, but the Puerto Rican artists’ contributions to the culture are clear. Sneak was one of the many Chicago legends who worked the counter at Gramophone Records. He met Cajmere—aka Green Velvet— while working there. He helped launch his career as part of the second wave of house music makers in the Windy City. Sneak has released over 10 albums since 1996. He was name-checked on Daft Punk’s 1997 record, “Teachers.” And went on to write the lyrics for their 1997 release, “Digital Love.” His rapid-fire mixing skills continue to make him a crowd favorite around the world. His infamous I’m A House Gangster brand is all about bringing house music back to its roots and drawing the focus away from the sounds of commercial dance music.

 Ricardo Villalobos

Ricardo Villalobos is a Chilean-born DJ and producer who came up in the early 90s in Germany. While he never envisioned himself as a musician, he eventually forged a path that saw him travel the world studying percussion, a skill he applied to his expansive music. Known for his winding compositions, his gorgeously minimal tracks stretch and swell, incorporating influences of his home country and organic worldly soundscapes. His 2006 single “Fizheuer Zieheuer,” is a 37-minute long epic based on a horn sample from a Roma folk song “Pobjednički Čoček" by Serbian group Blehorkestar Bakija Bakić. It’s evidence that Villalobos is one of the few in dance music to push the envelope. Renowned for melting the dancefloor into a mass of liquid minimal bliss, he was selected as Resident Advisor’s top DJ of the year in both 2008 and 2010.

 

 Hernan Cayetano 

The Colombian-born DJ founded BAUM nightclub in Bogota. Before it closed its doors in 2020, it was Bogota's premiere spot for house and techno. Built in an old home that sat abandoned at the center of the capital city, Cayetano envisioned a nightclub and community building project. The tree growing through the middle of the house became the central focus of the DJ booth. And the community that coalesced around the club was truly unique. Despite the club's closure due to increasing residential complaints, Cayetano continues to produce BAUM Festival, which returns to Bogota on May 21, 2022. As a musician, he blurs the lines between house and techno. He can be found on the exclusive circuit of global festivals captivating dancers with his compelling sound.  

Kenny Dope 

Kenny Dope came up in the 80s DJing for block parties in Brooklyn under the name Masters At Work. He famously let Todd Terry borrow the name to record two releases. Todd returned the favor by letting Kenny borrow a drum machine and introducing him to “Little” Louie Vega. It sparked his career as a producer. His 1994 release under the moniker the Bucketheads, “The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind),” is an iconic piece of house music. But his career stretches beyond one hit. He was among the first dance music DJs to be commissioned for remix projects from the major labels and helped pave the way for the remix culture that persists today. His expansive catalog includes remixes for Luther Vandross, Daft Punk, Geroge Benson, and Tito Puente.

Nicola Cruz

Ecuadorian artist was born in France and spent his first three years there until he moved home to Quito. His parents encouraged his musical leanings and gave him a drum kit when he was 12. At 25, he collaborated and toured the US with the iconic Nicolas Jaar. His interest in the oral traditions of his ancestors and the rituals of native South Americans inform his explorative music. Highly organic, intensely creative, and strikingly beautiful, Cruz melds the worlds of the traditional with modern sound design masterfully. His blinding creative output saw him release five albums in the last five years while touring regularly. At only 33 years old, Cruz has a lot of musical experimenting ahead of him. 

10 Influential Hispanic House and Techno Artists

United States

DJ Sneak

Frankie Knuckles

Todd Terry

Words like legend, icon, and pioneer are tossed around wildly in dance music, often ascribed to those whose time in the industry falls far too short for such superlatives. However, when it comes to DJ Sneak, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with any other way to describe the multi-hyphenate artist who has influenced the direction of dance music in such innumerable ways. From leading the charge as part of Chicago's second wave of house music to inspiring Daft Punk with his trailblazing filtered disco sound, the DJ, producer, songwriter, label owner, and often outspoken self-professed "House Gangsta" helped draft the blueprint for modern dance music.

Born in Puerto Rico, he moved to Chicago in the dead of the winter in 1983. Spending the first months in the States inside, avoiding the bitter cold, and being unable to speak English meant the only way he could soak up American culture was through Chicago's vibrant and cutting-edge radio stations. WBMX FM's groundbreaking mix shows like 

 took early house music out of the bedroom studios and dark warehouses into homes, car stereos, and boom boxes.

"A couple of radio stations were dedicated to dance music, even though it wasn't called dance music [at the time]. It was semi disco, funk, and early electronic house. But it was every day, and it was 24 hours a day. We were getting educated by just listening," he explains.

No one knew they were at a critical inflection point for modern music. Hip-hop, funk, disco, and house formed the foundation for the following four decades of urban culture. On the weekends, DJ Sneak listened to Farley Jackmaster Funk and Ralphi Rosario, who he later learned was also Puerto Rican. "And once I put one and one together, my interest in the music became bigger because his music was early Latin house with his vocals. I was like, 'Holy shit. That's so me!' That really brought me into house music."

DJ Sneak spent the next ten years immersed in the city's DJ culture, eventually working at 

one of its most celebrated record stores, Gramaphone Records

. Alongside coworkers like Derrick Carter, he was at the epicenter of the second wave of house music and trusted by customers like Bad Boy Bill and 

—to slip them the best cuts and most exclusive white labels. The relationships he formed allowed him to promote his homegrown house music. After two years, he was on the rise off the back of the 

 released on Green Velvet's Relief Records.

Gramophone Records is a Chicago institution. It isn’t just a store. It’s a scene. The shop has been around for over 50 years and is an integral part of the city’s rich dance music legacy. Derrick Carter worked there. So did Jessie De La Pena. And I was the first person to get married there.

My name is Dani Deahl. I am a DJ married to Fei (Phives), another DJ. Yes, that makes us two DJs who got married in a record store.

Dance music is the foundation of my relationship with Fei. We met when he booked me to play the Porn & Chicken dance party, a weekly he used to organize. We hit it off and quickly forged a friendship through our mutual love of electro, tech house, and melodic techno. Then, shortly after, we had our first date on Record Store Day. We picked up cupcakes and delivered them to the busy staff at Gramaphone, spending the afternoon thumbing through bins of vinyl. Later on that night, we went to see Wolfgang Gartner.



Less than 30 days later, we were engaged. Then, two years later, we recreated that first date and got married inside Gramaphone Records.

Everything about our story “breaks the rules.” We met at one of Chicago’s wildest parties. We only dated for a month before making a crazy big life decision. We got married in a record store. But it’s who we are. I think sometimes… rules are arbitrary. And making your own rules in life can be just as important as those you choose to follow.

The rule we chose to follow: Make the event as unique to our personalities as possible. That guided all our decisions around the wedding, starting with Gramaphone as the location. Planning a wedding is stressful — especially when you want everything customized — but where it would be held was the easiest decision to make. There was never another option in our minds. The idea of sharing that moment in Gramaphone with our families just felt natural.

Once we made sure we could rent out the store, we built everything else around it. Our save-the-date invitations were artful mimics of Ticketmaster tickets (they were so indistinguishable from real tickets that they confused some relatives). The actual invitations were real 45 records with custom sleeves. Even our cake was decorated with the dotted pitch calibration pattern found at the bottom of a Technics 1200 platter.



Dance music carried through the ceremony into the reception. The tables were assigned dance genres instead of numbers (we sat at the house table, obviously), and friends DJed for us all night. The following week, we hosted a special edition of Porn & Chicken and “got married” a second time in front of everyone at the club. It was all an homage to our love of dance music and a way to share our story with the people who matter most in our lives.

Gramophone Records feels like it’s a part of my DNA. It isn’t just the place I got married. It was my gateway into house music. When I started DJing in high school, vinyl was pretty much the only option, and I was lucky to live in a city with multiple record shops. Back then, I’d take my allowance and ride the 22 bus every weekend to comb through the bins and buy a couple of pieces of vinyl. I loved the scuffed black and white checkered floor, the smell of the cardboard jackets, and the surprise of stumbling into famous DJs. The store was a second home.

I think many DJs in Chicago feel sentimental about Gramaphone like I do. And it’s incredible to see its reach continue to reverberate beyond the city. It’s not only still the best spot for locals to get vinyl, it’s also become a destination point for traveling DJs. Gramophone is more than a store. It’s a cultural touchstone.



I don’t DJ with vinyl anymore, but supporting the store is still important to me today. It’s given me so much over the years, and I literally would not be the person I am today if it didn’t exist. (That’s kind of crazy to think about!)

So, the next time Record Store Day rolls around (or if you happen to be in town for a music festival like ARC), maybe hit up your crush and head over to your local shop to bring the staff a snack and buy a few tracks. You never know how things will end up.




Dani Deahl is a celebrated music journalist, DJ, and producer. She will be performing at ARC Music Festival Sunday, September 4, 2023.











Why I Got Married In A Record Store

From Frankie Knuckles’ first live iterations of house music in Chicago’s warehouses, to the crafting of techno by Detroit’s Belleville Three, the origins of dance music are undeniably Black. Yet, of the current top 5 performing Beatport tracks, not one is released on a
Black-owned label. 

The white appropriation of Black genres, from jazz to hip-hop and beyond, on an institutional level, is no new issue. The erasure of Black people specifically from house, techno, and everything in between is however a largely ignored and ever-increasing phenomenon, driven by an, often willful, generational ignorance of the history of dance music. 

This is not to say that dance music should be halted in its natural evolution, or that dance music should not be produced by people not identifying as Black. Rather the existence and
platforming of non-Black dance music should not come at the cost of detracting these platforms from the marginalized communities that birthed it. Supporting Black-owned labels encourages a positive trickle-down effect, besides directing funds where they are most needed, whereby it directly supports the power of Black artists to platform and shape the future of dance music.   

Cajual Records 

Distributing various forms of beats, this label has been particularly iconic in its ownership of some of the notorious sounds from Chicago, where it is based. The label, which is close to celebrating its 30th anniversary, is owned by Curtis Jones, known also as Green
Velvet or Cajmere. The label stood out amongst other major labels of its time, namely Trax and DJ International, for its fair treatment of artists and community focus. Cajual features tracks by some of dance music’s most influential shapers, including the late Paul Johnson and Glenn Underground.

Apron Records

Julien Steven, the London DJ once known as FunkinEven, wears a multitude of hats
amongst which owner of Apron Records label. Having become somewhat of a ‘cult’
electronic phenomenon, the label features avantgarde sounds, such as Shanti Celeste’s
trippy techno and Space Ghost’s astral house. Apron Record’s latest release showcases a different side of the experimental label, with the mellow funk, soul, and house of Jarren’s album Antera. 

 





Sound Signature

Founded in 90s Detroit, this label is a must-listen for those dedicated to getting back to the origins of house music. Label-owner and DJ/ producer, Theo Parrish, is vocal in his championing of Black sounds and these come to light on his label where Detroit Techno meets jazz, disco, and Chicago house. A particular highlight of the label are Leron
Carson’s tracks released on Sound Signature between 2001 and 2021, these were in fact recorded in the late 80s, while the mysterious, to this day unknown, figure of Leron was still a teenager. 

 





Mahogani Music

Mahogani Music is another longstanding Detroit label. Alongside staying true to its geographical origins with hearty techno, this groundbreaking label also features classic house, disco and experimental R&B. Mahogani Music was founded by the legendary Moodymann, that is Kenny Dixon Jr, who has been one of the greatest advocates of keeping house and techno true to its origins, especially with regards to platforming
Black artists. Artists include Amp Fiddler, Flo Real, and Andrés.





Mother’s Finest

A discussion of dance music labels cannot forgo a mention of Berlin. Once a party held in the city’s infamous Griessmuehle, Mother’s Finest was launched by the party’s founder, Franklin de Costa, as a label in 2020. The label inaugurated its launch with a 15-track compilation, bringing breaks, dubstep, and ambient to a very Berlin techno backdrop. A later release focuses on the frantic energy and vocals that Nasty King Curl has to offer.





Deep Root Records

Based in New York city, this label was founded by Haitian-born Francis Mercier
and Ajamu Kambon. Releasing an eclectic mix of deep house and afro house, Deep Root has garnered support from some of the dance music industry’s most influential names, including Pete Tong, Black Coffee, and Blond:ish. Besides hosting the tracks of house music legends like Roland Clark and Rowetta, the label platforms the releases of up-and-coming talent from around the world, such as Brazil’s REFEL and Kenya’s Idd Aziz.





Founders of Filth

Prominent member of the second wave of Chicago house, Felix da Housecat, founded this label in 2017, in Montreal. He announced the launch of the label as “an imprint where no rules apply” and has stayed true to the depiction, releasing a steady stream of experimental house and electroclash. The label has released many of Felix da Housecat’s own masterpieces, often alongside equally adventurous artists such as Röyksopp and Chris Trucher. 

 





Boukan Records

Cergy-based Boukan Records is run by Bamao Yendé, resident at France’s Rinse and central figure to France’s modern dance floors. The label merges UK garage, breakbeat, kuduro, batida, and house, bringing signature warmth to the dancefloor. Don’t miss the label’s popular “Tumba Tic Tac” track, from Amor Satyr, a Brazilian-French collective combining Afro Beats and UK Jackin’. 

 





Purveyor Underground

This Toronto based label is headed up by Demuir, an internationally touring DJ at the forefront of jackin’ house sounds and committed to re-politicising house music. Purveyor Underground is at the heart of this mission: its dotted logo is a direct nod to the underground railroad, where quilts were hung from windows to aid slaves to freedom. With tracks featuring Gettoblaster, Missy, Darren Marshall, Phil Weeks, and more, the label offers a riveting education in house.






 


Kiwi Rekords

Conducta, real name Collins Nemi, has a distinct focus on moving sound forward, rather
than reminiscing the past or falling into electronic purism. This was his motivation founding UK-based garage label, Kiwi Rekords. Founded in 2019, the label has already proved immensely successful, tapping into a modern British sound with feel-good, high-energy releases from the likes of Sammy Virji, Oppidan, Germi, and many more.









10 Black Owned Dance Music Labels You Should Know

DJ Sneak's ability to shapeshift while maintaining a raw and edgy sound across subgenres earned him early praise from the likes of 

. On his first trip to New York, Sneak was floored when Vega dropped his track "Show Me the Way" at The Sound Factory for a room of industry icons, including Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, Francois K, and Barbara Tucker.

Louie Vega

Daft Punk & DJ Sneak @ El Divino, Ibiza 15.08.1999 (Classic Funky House Mix)

TRACKLIST (IN ITS ENTIRETY):  
01. DJ Sneak & Armand Van Helden - Psychic Bounty Killaz
 02. Buffalo Bunch - Buffalo Club 
03. Kraftwerk - It's More Fun To Compute 
04. Gene Farris - Low Down Dirty World 
05. DJ Sneak - Funky Enuff
 06. Mass Syndicate Feat. Su Su Bobien - You Don't Know (MAS Collective Radio Edit) 
07. Fun Kee Runners - The Real Tribute 
08. Raw Man - Number Seven 
09. Selected Works - Uncle Sam (Mousse T.'s Disco Sensation)
10. Fingers Inc. - In The Beginning (Acapella) 
11. Ministers De La Funk - Believe 
12. Alan Braxe - Vertigo (Virgo Edit) 
13. Rhythm Masters - Good Times 
14. Joey Jeremiah - Beatem Up 
15. Rhythm Masters - Ghetto Style DJ's
 16. Junior Sanchez - B With U 
17. Stephane Malca - Next To You (Better Days Mix) 
18. Le Knight Club - Mosquito﻿

thanks to "Doctor B"


He explains that there were two DJ Sneaks. Chicago Sneak brilliantly fused the city's deep and funky side with its bangin' booty bass alter ego. Todd Terry inspired New York Sneak to reimagine disco into what would become the prevailing sound of the late '90s, filtered disco house. And while French producers like Daft Punk eventually dominated it, he's largely credited with creating the subgenre's warbling, futuristic soundscape. Daft Punk even name-checks his influence in their single "Teachers" and enlisted him to write the lyrics for "Digital Love," released in 2000.

What's most impressive is that he did all this without a massive studio. He crafted his first hits with only four pieces of gear. And the filtered disco sound emerged due to experimentation and limitation.

"The first 20 records I did, I was messing around and practicing, and people liked what I was doing," he explains. "The filter came from the necessity of not having anything else to use."

In his early days, he ran across mixtapes from Ron Hardy, known for his disco edits. But Sneak explains that his primary influence for digging through old disco records was Todd Terry. He used the SP1200 sampler similarly to hip-hop producers to add his patented bone-crushing swinging drums to disco.

Sneak took the idea one step further when he acquired an Akai S950, a sampler with a less gritty sound.

"I went through each little button, and then one day, I found the filter. And I twisted a button. I was like, 'Whoa, what?' And that became my trademark. So, Todd was doing straight disco. I started filtering and making basslines out of shit. And then sampling the same sample on another channel [for] the high end. The only people that were doing that shit were the drum and bass guys from the UK."

For all of his influence musically, DJ Sneak has never been one to let his music solely speak for itself and has often been outspoken about the prevailing state of dance music. He's quick to mention that it's not house music that's changed. It's the industry. And throughout the EDM boom, he was sure to point out the hypocrisy of a culture founded by social outcasts and Black and Brown people, overrun with a celebrity ideology that put the DJ on a pedestal.

DJ Sneak Vs. Pioneer DJS-1000

Watch/listen as DJ Sneak plays only exclusive tracks he made on the Pioneer DJS-1000!

"Everybody says I make moves because I'm DJ Sneak, and I haven't put up with people's shit," he says. "I speak my mind. I've always been true and original towards the love I have for house music and the craft of DJing. I take pride."

He explains that when he spoke out about those at the upper echelons of EDM making a mockery of the art and culture, he did so with a complete understanding of the cash cow the industry had become.

"I was like [you're all] a bunch of phonies. It's a show, I get it. You're entertainers, you're not disc jockeys. You're not DJs who love music. But I grew up in it. So I took a lot a lot of low blows."

After a period of being a boisterous proponent for preserving the culture, and a lot of negative press that often took his words out of context, he hung up social media for good. Instead, he took back control of his masters and carried on as he had before, with the full intention of being an unapologetically authentic curator of the culture.

 saying, 'The first 30 years, you're just practicing to get it right. After 30 years, you're gonna get recognized, and people are going to really know,'" Sneak says, emotionally remembering his friend and mentor. "I'll stand on my own two feet. And still do what I do. I still make music. I still love everything about the music part of it. [The] music industry, the business of that. I can care less. I can survive on my own."

Gray Area Interview: DJ Sneak

Words like legend, icon, and pioneer are tossed around wildly in dance music, often ascribed to those whose time in the industry falls far too short for such superlatives. However, when it comes to DJ Sneak, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with any other way to describe the multi-hyphenate artist who has influenced the direction of dance music in such innumerable ways. 

Read the full Spotlight: https://grayarea.co/artists/dj-sneak/spotlight

▪️Follow DJ Sneak▪️
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/djsneak/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/DJSneakBusiness
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sneakthedj
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Beatport - https://www.beatport.com/artist/dj-sneak/267

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#grayarea #djsneak #housemusic

Words like legend, icon, and pioneer are tossed around wildly in dance music, often ascribed to those whose time in the industry falls far too short for such superlatives. However, when it comes to DJ Sneak, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with any other way to describe the multi-hyphenate artist who has influenced the direction of dance music in such innumerable ways. From leading the charge as part of Chicago's second wave of house music to inspiring Daft Punk with his trailblazing filtered disco sound, the DJ, producer, songwriter, label owner, and often outspoken self-professed "House Gangsta" helped draft the blueprint for modern dance music.







Born in Puerto Rico, he moved to Chicago in the dead of the winter in 1983. Spending the first months in the States inside, avoiding the bitter cold, and being unable to speak English meant the only way he could soak up American culture was through Chicago's vibrant and cutting-edge radio stations. WBMX FM's groundbreaking mix shows like Hot Mix 5 took early house music out of the bedroom studios and dark warehouses into homes, car stereos, and boom boxes.




"A couple of radio stations were dedicated to dance music, even though it wasn't called dance music [at the time]. It was semi disco, funk, and early electronic house. But it was every day, and it was 24 hours a day. We were getting educated by just listening," he explains.




No one knew they were at a critical inflection point for modern music. Hip-hop, funk, disco, and house formed the foundation for the following four decades of urban culture. On the weekends, DJ Sneak listened to Farley Jackmaster Funk and Ralphi Rosario, who he later learned was also Puerto Rican. "And once I put one and one together, my interest in the music became bigger because his music was early Latin house with his vocals. I was like, 'Holy shit. That's so me!' That really brought me into house music."




DJ Sneak spent the next ten years immersed in the city's DJ culture, eventually working at one of its most celebrated record stores, Gramaphone Records. Alongside coworkers like Derrick Carter, he was at the epicenter of the second wave of house music and trusted by customers like Bad Boy Bill and Cajmere—aka Green Velvet—to slip them the best cuts and most exclusive white labels. The relationships he formed allowed him to promote his homegrown house music. After two years, he was on the rise off the back of the Blue Funk Files EP released on Green Velvet's Relief Records.




DJ Sneak's ability to shapeshift while maintaining a raw and edgy sound across subgenres earned him early praise from the likes of Kenny Dope, Todd Terry, and Louie Vega. On his first trip to New York, Sneak was floored when Vega dropped his track "Show Me the Way" at The Sound Factory for a room of industry icons, including Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, Francois K, and Barbara Tucker.


He explains that there were two DJ Sneaks. Chicago Sneak brilliantly fused the city's deep and funky side with its bangin' booty bass alter ego. Todd Terry inspired New York Sneak to reimagine disco into what would become the prevailing sound of the late '90s, filtered disco house. And while French producers like Daft Punk eventually dominated it, he's largely credited with creating the subgenre's warbling, futuristic soundscape. Daft Punk even name-checks his influence in their single "Teachers" and enlisted him to write the lyrics for "Digital Love," released in 2000.




What's most impressive is that he did all this without a massive studio. He crafted his first hits with only four pieces of gear. And the filtered disco sound emerged due to experimentation and limitation.




"The first 20 records I did, I was messing around and practicing, and people liked what I was doing," he explains. "The filter came from the necessity of not having anything else to use."




In his early days, he ran across mixtapes from Ron Hardy, known for his disco edits. But Sneak explains that his primary influence for digging through old disco records was Todd Terry. He used the SP1200 sampler similarly to hip-hop producers to add his patented bone-crushing swinging drums to disco.




Sneak took the idea one step further when he acquired an Akai S950, a sampler with a less gritty sound.




"I went through each little button, and then one day, I found the filter. And I twisted a button. I was like, 'Whoa, what?' And that became my trademark. So, Todd was doing straight disco. I started filtering and making basslines out of shit. And then sampling the same sample on another channel [for] the high end. The only people that were doing that shit were the drum and bass guys from the UK."




For all of his influence musically, DJ Sneak has never been one to let his music solely speak for itself and has often been outspoken about the prevailing state of dance music. He's quick to mention that it's not house music that's changed. It's the industry. And throughout the EDM boom, he was sure to point out the hypocrisy of a culture founded by social outcasts and Black and Brown people, overrun with a celebrity ideology that put the DJ on a pedestal.




"Everybody says I make moves because I'm DJ Sneak, and I haven't put up with people's shit," he says. "I speak my mind. I've always been true and original towards the love I have for house music and the craft of DJing. I take pride."




He explains that when he spoke out about those at the upper echelons of EDM making a mockery of the art and culture, he did so with a complete understanding of the cash cow the industry had become.




"I was like [you're all] a bunch of phonies. It's a show, I get it. You're entertainers, you're not disc jockeys. You're not DJs who love music. But I grew up in it. So I took a lot a lot of low blows."




After a period of being a boisterous proponent for preserving the culture, and a lot of negative press that often took his words out of context, he hung up social media for good. Instead, he took back control of his masters and carried on as he had before, with the full intention of being an unapologetically authentic curator of the culture.




"I remember Frankie Knuckles saying, 'The first 30 years, you're just practicing to get it right. After 30 years, you're gonna get recognized, and people are going to really know,'" Sneak says, emotionally remembering his friend and mentor. "I'll stand on my own two feet. And still do what I do. I still make music. I still love everything about the music part of it. [The] music industry, the business of that. I can care less. I can survive on my own."
























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