CBSCM Video Archive

Chicago’s Recording Industry

Chicago has a rich history of producing and
disseminating Black Music. From Gospel to Blues to House Music, Chicago has been in the forefront of ensuring the world is made aware of great music. From Alligator Records and Chess Records to Trax Records, Chicago’s recording industry provides tremendous insight on the cultural spaces their artists frequented. Moderator: Ayana Contreras; Panelists: Braxton Holmes, Khris Hutchinson, and Hugo H.

Chicago Blues: Screening & Discussion

Screening of excerpt from documentary film, Born in Chicago - The Documentary Movie Film documenting the Chicago influence in Blues music. Starring Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, Barry Goldberg, Charlie Musselwhite, Steve Miller, Elvin Bishop, Harvey Mandel, Nick Gravenities and Corky Siegel and Buddy Guy. The film highlights major Blues clubs on the South and North sides of Chicago. Moderator: Lauren Lowery; Panelists: John Anderson, Fernando Jones, and Samantha Gloria Bannister

Clubs, Crews, & Houses: The politics of belonging & membership in Chicago’s Black social spaces

Social and membership clubs became essential networks of safe and lucrative social interaction and leisure that facilitated navigation of the city for Great Migrants and their descendants. This panel is a glimpse at the complex cultural work of these social networks in Chicago and their relationship to the development of House music. Moderator: Duane Powell; Panelists: Larissa Johnson, Jamal Moss, Keith Green, Kirkland Townsend, Lady Sol, and Craig Cannon

Black Sociality & Spectacle from the Dreamland Cafe to the Bismarck

In this music listening lecture and dialogue, Ayana Contreras and Duane E Powell take us on a journey through black forms of social pleasure across the 20th century. Using music as a lens, these DJ-music historians discuss the sounds, venues, fashion, and social issues surrounding black joy and pleasure in Chicago’s social music and dance spaces. DJs: DJ Ayana Contreras (Reclaimed Soul) & DJ Duane Powell (Rearview Sessions)

Basements, Pubs, & Clubs: South Shore's Queer Nightlife Networks

South Shore's queer community played a pivotal role in developing the house and social scene from the 1980's to the present in this neighborhood. This conversation pays special homage to recently transitioned South Shore DJ and tastemaker Craig Cannon. Moderator: Lori Branch; Panelists: Dana Powell, Darrell Hill, and Frederick Dunston

Sock Hops, Juice Bars, & High Schools: The Southside’s Teen Scene through Chicago’s Public and Catholic schools

The South Side’s teen scene was instrumental in the development of house music and dance culture. Panelists discuss the differences between parties at Catholic and public high schools and unpack why high schools and teen ingenuity were so critical to the growth of the early scene. Moderator: Larissa Johnson; Panelists: Kirk Townsend, Craig Alexander, Celeste Alexander, Noshaluv Rime, and Charles Matlock

Clubs, Crews, & Houses: The politics of belonging & membership in Chicago’s Black social spaces (part 2)

This panel continues the rich discussion about the complex cultural work of House dance crews and fashion houses and their relationship to the development of Chicago’s black social cultures. Moderator: Duane Powell; Panelists: Todd McCurry and Tina Howell

When Disco became House Music: Origins of Chicago House Music

Many Chicagoans contributed to the global phenomenon that is House Music. Who are the unsung architects and how does House Music parallel other Chicago Black Music genres? Moderator: Jesse Saunders; Panelists: Marta Bailey, George Daniels, Craig Loftis, and Rob Olson

Where’s it Now? House Music Material Culture Preservation Strategies 

Join the Blackivists in conversation about Chicago House Music cultural materials and experiences. Panelists discuss the importance of preservation and some practical strategies for caring for personal collections. Moderator: Khari B. | Discopoet; The Blackivists© | Tracy Drake, Raquel Flores, Steven Booth, Skyla Hearn, and Stacie Williams

Creating Black Social Spaces Thru Black Entrepreneurship

This discussion explores Black entrepreneurship and creativity in 90s Wicker Park. We take a deep dive into the important influence and impact of spaces like Lit X, Square One, and the Silver Room. Moderator: Meida McNeal; Panelists: Howard Bailey and Eric Williams

From the South to the North

This panel explores the 90s wave of house music as many DJs migrated to Chicago’s Northside to keep building and maintaining the culture through lofts and small clubs. Moderator: Duane Powell; Panelists: Jevon Jackson, DJ Frique, and Diz

The Four Corners: House, Hip Hop, and Acid Jazz Intersections

By the 90s, Chicago house was sharing space with hip hop and acid jazz. This panel looks at the ways these crossings and tensions showed up on the scene. Moderator: Duro Wicks; Panelists: Fathom DJ, Jesse de la Pena, Lori Branch

CBSCM @ Reunion Chicago (July 2019)

CBSCM @ Westside Justice Center (Sept 2019)

Latinx pioneers in Chicago nightlife, social spaces & queer networks

This panel explores Latino/a contributions and intersections with the development of house. Moderator: Yvette Magallon; Panelists: DJ Phatman (Zentra / EvilOlive / Arbella) DJ Martino "Spinnin" Ramos (Jenals / Rainbo / ALCRTAZZ) Lugo Rosado (DJ / Remixer / Producer / Co-owner, 51st Street Records), and Cat Venezuela (Dancer / House Supporter)

West Side Record Stores & Music Production

This conversation considers the importance of Westside record stores and record labels as well as the Westside’s contributions to Chicago House, Juke, and Footwork. Moderator: Duane Powell; Panelists: George Daniels, Jarius King, and Jarvis Mason

CBSCM Virtual (July 2020)

CBSCM Virtual (September 2020)

CBSCM Virtual (October 7 2020)

DJ Collectives in Chicago

This panel explores the strengths and challenges of being part of DJ collectives. Topics include ways of fostering collaboration, building local and globally connected DJ communities, and imagining the future of House and Black social culture under the early days of the pandemic. Moderator: Meida McNeal; Panelists: Greg Gray (Nu Bang Clan), Lady D (Superjane), and Rae Chardonnay (Party Noire, Black Eutopia)

Chicago House in the 2000s / 90s House & Hip Hop Connections

The first panelists unpack the significance of their experience in the 90s, as they travel back in time to share the sounds, sights, and smells of Wicker Park where house and hip-hop collided. The second panel continues the exploration of hip-hop, house, poetry, and social consciousness through the 2000s. Moderator: Duane Powell; Panelists: Sean Alvarez and Sonia Hassan

Record Stores

This panel looks at record stores as an integral part of house music culture. As meeting grounds, educational spaces, cultural archives, record stores broke through segregation lines. Moderator: Duane Powell; Panelists: DJ Michael Serafini, DJ X-Ray, and Angel Bat Dawid

CBSCM Virtual (October 17 2020)

CBSCM Virtual (December 2020)

CBSCM Virtual (March 2021)

Tracing the Latinx Dancefloor: A Brief Exploration of Latinx in House and Alternative Dance in Chicago

These panels explore Latinx contributions to Chicago's house and alternative dance music. The panelists discuss the Latinx house microcultures of all the sides of Chicago, covering the pre-house of the early 80s, the initial boom of house in the mid-80s, and the rise of new dance music forms in the late 80s. Tracing the Latinx Dancefloor in the 1980s Moderator: David Chavez Panelists: Louie Gomez, Lugo Rosado, Jose Torres DJ Set: La Spacer & Cqqchifruit Dancer's Break Panelists: La Spacer & Cqqchifruit Moderator: Meida McNeal Exploring Chicago's Early Latino Alternative Dance Music Scene Moderator: Jesse de la Peña Panelists: Jimmy Muñoz, DJ Trancid Echodroides, DJ Greedy (replacing Pablo Punkout Gonzalez) DJ Set: DJ Greedy

The Fantastic Four Reunion

How did women contribute to the development of house music? The first all-female DJ collective the Fantastic Four reunites for some "hot mixing" and a discussion of the group's impact on Chicago's burgeoning house music scene in the 80s. Moderator: Duane Powell (Opening) DJ Set: First Lady (Closing) DJ Set: Celeste Alexander

Stop On A Dime: Dance Music Industry & the Effects of COVID-19

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a global shift to assess public health, racial justice, and our day-to-day lives as we know it. How did COVID-19 pandemic impact the Black artists in the dance music industry? Panelists discuss their perspectives of the impacts of COVID-19 on their work and the industry writ large. Moderator: Larissa Johnson Panelists: Jamie 3:26, Sheree Hicks, Ron Trent DJ Set: DJ Ron Carroll

CBSCM Virtual (April 2021)

CBSCM Virtual (May 2021)

CBSCM Virtual (July 2021)

And The Beat Goes On: Passing House Music Culture to the Next Generation

Why are intergenerational conversations so essential to the preservation and sustainability of House music? Panelists come together to discuss their first encounters with House music, how the game has changed over time, and what's at stake for the new generation of artists to keep the beat going. Moderator: Lauren Lowery Panelists: Akili King, Alan King, Zernell Gillie, Dave Maze DJ Set: DJ Quicktastic

All We Want To Do Is Dance: Dance Crews of the Past, Present, and Future

How did Chicago dance crews and artists engage the development of house music across different eras of social dance such as juke, jacking, and footworking? In this multigenerational conversation panelists discuss the versatility of house music, embodied understandings of tempo, the significance of the B-side to house culture, and more. Moderators: Duane E. Powell, Meida McNeal Panelists: Valerie "Widow" Ford, Murdamommy, Darryn Jones DJ Set: Erika Kane

The Category Is!: A Dive Into Chicago's Ballroom Scene

How did the ballroom scene begin to take root in Chicago? In what ways did Black LGBTQ+ artists cultivate a sense of community and family across different houses who were battling on the ballroom floor? Panelists explore these queries, legacies, and changes in the Chicago ballroom scene over time. Moderators: Duane E. Powell Panelists: Wardell Avant Garde, Adonte Prodigy, aaron enigma Intro DJ Music: Erika Kane

CBSCM Virtual (April 2022)

CBSCM Virtual & In Person (June 2022)

We Take Care of Us (Part 2): A Conversation Exploring Ways Chicago's House Community Honors Its Past While Supporting Its Present Through a Practice and Politic of Love

In this panel, local house music legends come together to discuss house music’s cultural impact and how to preserve the culture of house music for future generations. The conversation explores the panelists’ personal house music experiences, space-making and community building in house music in a post-pandemic world, the necessity for mentorship in house music, philanthropic work, and the documentation of the culture. Moderator: Danielle Sanders Panelists: Chef Michael Airhart (Taste for the Homeless), Deejay Alicia (Legacy Center for Education), Vince Adams (10,000 Steps)

Mapping Black Social Dance: Exploring Chicago Stepping, House, Hip Hop, & Footwork Panels 1-4

Panel 1 of the Mapping Black Social Dance collection focuses on Chicago stepping culture through the intergenerational experiences and live dancing of Chicago steppers D’onminique Boyd Riley and Dave Maxx. The conversation explores bopping versus stepping, bop and new bop, the connections of partner work and to the music, and the dancers’ individual memories.

Panel 2 of the Mapping Black Social Dance collection centers on Chicago house dance and culture, as experienced and performed by Jarvis Mason and Erika Jarson. They discuss their journeys to house dance and personal connections to it, the differences across house spaces and communities, partner/communal house dance vs solo, Chicago house culture, and the moving culture of house music.

Panel 3 of the Mapping Black Social Dance collection explores Chicago hip-hop dance and new gen house, featuring personal archives, recollections, and dances from artists Bravemonk and KSoul. They share how they got into the hip hop and new house spaces, their training and the influence of background and social space on their art, how they practice, telling their stories through dance, and how the forms change as they move into the mainstream.

Panel 4 of the Mapping Black Social Dance collection focuses on footwork dance culture in Chicago, sharing the growth of modern footwork, live performances, and archives from artists Diamond Hardiman and Murdamommy. They discuss their introductions to footwork, the connections between house and footwork/juke, the influence of social media versus live performance on juke/footwork culture, the associations between footwork and trauma, and resilience in footwork.

The Group Panel of ‘Mapping Black Social Dance: Exploring Chicago Stepping, House, Hip Hop, & Footwork’ brings together the panelists from all four conversations to reflect on the event in its entirety and their experience in this dance moment. The conversation emphasizes the cross-generational cultural impact that all forms of Black social dance have had on Black people and the necessity to continue archiving these forms and having these conversations to pass down in the future.

Chicago Black Social Culture Map Panel: Mapping Black Social Culture

How do intergenerational populations reflect on their experiences in Chicago’s landmark social dance cultures and how does that dance culture facilitate their liberation? In this intergenerational panel conversation, steppers, house dancers, and footworkers discuss what led them to their dance form, how and why they practice, and the ways in which these cultural traditions facilitate freedom-making, and even show their dance styles after the conversation! Moderator: Damon Williams Panelists: Detro, Donald Boyd, D’onminique Boyd Riley, Erika Jarvis, Mike Strode, Murdamommy

Chicago Black Social Culture Map Panel: Mapping Black Social Culture Part 2

How do intergenerational populations reflect on their experiences in Chicago’s landmark social dance cultures and how does that dance culture facilitate their liberation? In this intergenerational panel conversation, steppers, house dancers, and footworkers discuss what led them to their dance form, how and why they practice, and the ways in which these cultural traditions facilitate freedom-making, and even show their dance styles after the conversation! Moderator: Damon Williams Panelists: Detro, Donald Boyd, D’onminique Boyd Riley, Erika Jarvis, Mike Strode, Murdamommy

Heavy Lifting: The Architecture of the Party

From making the space and building the team to cultivating the sound and promoting the event, the work of making a party is certainly not easy. We learn how that happens as panelists discuss the ‘heavy lifting’ that goes into building the architecture of a party, share the work that goes into their specific roles, reflect on success and failures, review artifacts of past parties, and give advice to the next generation of house party architects. Moderator: Lori Branch Panelists: Craig Loftis, Tonka Toi, Dwayne Woods

Documenting Nightlife: A Conversation with Chicago Photographers

The documentation of the Black social experience is nothing without a documenter, and this panel celebrates just that: those Black photographers that document nightlife in Chicago and Black life writ large. An intergenerational group of photographers invested in the house scene discuss their variant photography backgrounds, mediums, and subject focuses, the practice of documenting Black social scenes, how they documented within the pandemic, and more, alongside sharing excerpts of their work and insight on their inspiring artistic processes. Moderator: Mario Smith Panelists: Kymon Kyndred, Seed Lynn, and Shay Turner

How We Roll Chicago Roller Skating Culture Part 1

Roller rinks have historically hosted many different culturally significant moments. Aside from being a physical space where loved ones can spend time with each other, they play a pivotal role in exposing, cultivating, and preserving different music genres such as house music. This conversation will dive into the history of roller rinks and their undeniable relationship with our culture. Moderator: David Stovall Panelists: Josh "Batsmoke" Smith DJ Free DJ Khali Melon

How We Roll Chicago Roller Skating Culture Part 2

Roller rinks have historically hosted many different culturally significant moments. Aside from being a physical space where loved ones can spend time with each other, they play a pivotal role in exposing, cultivating, and preserving different music genres such as house music. This conversation will dive into the history of roller rinks and their undeniable relationship with our culture. Moderator: Jessica and Justine (HP Skate) Panelists: Calvin Small, Josh "Batsmoke" Smith, DJ BAM, Seed Lynn.

CBSCM @ South Shore Culture Center (July 2023)

CBSCM @ HAMILTION PARK (Octorber 2023)

The Changing Vocabulary of House Dance

Inspired by the immersive work of Gary Simmons, this panel discussion is centering on different artists who have a diverse background in house music and nightlife. You will hear personal accounts of what pulled them to the craft and their outlook on the evolution of the culture. Moderator: Erika Jarvis & Rae Chardonnay Panelists: Amansu Eason, Jarvis Mason, Danny Tolbert II aka Forty, and Barbra “Bobbi” Raufmann.

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The Art of the DJ Part 1

This program dives into the intergenerational power and impact of the DJ craft. Since its very inception, Djing has taken many turns and seen a myriad of faces stepping up to the turn tables. These conversations will talk about not only the evolution of the craft but the culture surrounding it. Panel 1: The Scene and Techniques Then vs. Now Moderator: Quicktastic Panelists: Jaytoo and Lady D

The Art of the DJ Part 2

This program dives into the intergenerational power and impact of the DJ craft. Since its very inception, Djing has taken many turns and seen a myriad of faces stepping up to the turn tables. These conversations will talk about not only the evolution of the craft but the culture surrounding it. Panel 2: The Present and Future of DJing and Dance/Music Party Culture Moderator: Duane Powell Panelists: J-Star, DJ K-Tea, DJ Double 8, Zora, and Gene Hurt.

On the Radio, Radio, Radio: Local Radio Stations & the Rise of House Music Part 1

Radio stations have played a very vital role in the expansion of House music. Aside from solely playing the music, many radio hosts have done an important job of preserving the culture that comes with the genre. This first panel will focus more on youth-centered radio stations & programming. Panel 1: Herb Kent's, Punk Out, College Radio, Youth Centered Programming. Moderator: Mario Smith (Lumpen Radio) Panelists: Lauren Lowery (WNUR, Vintage Radio), Jaytoo (WHPK), Taigo Onez (WHPK), and Champagne & Brandy (WNUR)

On the Radio, Radio, Radio: Local Radio Stations & the Rise of House Music Part 2

Radio stations have played a very vital role in the expansion of House music. Aside from solely playing the music, many radio hosts have done an important job of preserving the culture that comes with the genre. This second panel will focus more on more adult mainstream radio stations. Panel 2: House Music Foundations: R&B. Soul, and House Music via Radio. Moderator: Lauren Lowery (WNUR, Vintage House) Panelists: First Lady (Satellite) and Mario Smith (Lumpen Radio).