PATTERNBRAKER ARTISTS

TERRITORY: NORTH, SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA

PERFORMANCE: DJ

BOOKING AGENT: kelly@patternbraker-artists.com

Chicago house music legend Mike Dunn, has been DJing and producing music for over twenty years. Hailing from Englewood, Chicago, Mike started out DJing at the local block parties that took place playing disco, funk, soul and prototype Chicago house tracks.

 

“I was one of the first cats bringing two reel-to-reels and spinning with them at the parties. I was bringing out two Pioneer 707s, doing the Hummingbird, Jacks, The Courtyard, etc. I’d bring a drum machine, too. I would make tracks right then as the party was going. Way before my guys Daft Punk and all of them were doing live gigs, I was doing that at the basement parties - just bringing drum machines and doing everything live. A lot of my early tracks came from me doing them at the party when the party was going on. I’d save it in memory and bring it home and polish it up. But I listen to it now and it’s like, damn... didn’t use enough cleaner!”.

 

Word soon spread about his talents and Mike was booked for various clubs in and around Chicago, DJ’ing with house music innovators such as Ron Hardy, Larry Heard and good friend Armando Gallop. It wasn’t long before Mike got the production bug, resulting in his first release in 1987, “Dance You Mutha” on Westbrook Records, he also started to produce and engineer for other Chicago artists, such as Armando, Tyree Cooper and Bam Bam.

More house and techno productions followed in the late 80s with Mike’s distinctive vocal delivery and trademark hip-house, acid, production style, to create tracks such as ‘Let It Be House’, ‘Magic Feet’ and “Face the Nation”, sometimes under the name Mike Dunn but also under aliases such as MD Connection, MDIII and QX-1.

 

He continued to produce and release throughout the 1990s, with releases on labels such as Nervous, Nitestuff and Tribal America, whilst also working with other producers and vocalists such as Syleena Johnson, Byron Stingley, Mina Jackson, Kool Rock Steady and Kym English to name a few.

More recently tracks like Phreaky MF’ on French label Robsoul and ‘God Made Me Phunky’, re-released on Defected records, have raised his profile and deliv- ered his music to new audiences. Whilst new interest in Mike’s original old school jamz have taken him to work with the new generation of house and techno producers and labels.

 

After a break from DJ’ing in Europe of 10 years, 2015 was the year that Mike came back to the Europe to play prestigious venues such as Panorama Bar, Fabric, Sub Club to name a few, showcasing the Chicago Legends talents.

 

2016 see’s Mike continue to DJ at clubs and festivals around the world as well as keeping his production game up, with an album and 12”s due later on in the year on moreaboutmusic records, some remixes and a 12” release on clone’s jack for daze imprint. There’s also a new live project with Terry Hunter (House In HD).