Derrick Carter, Janky, Not Guilty DJs

One of the pinnacles of Chicago house music's '90s wave, Derrick Carter began DJ’ing at the age of nine, spinning disco records at family reunions. Born and raised in the western suburbs, Carter was into music from a young age, but during his teens Chicago's house scene sucked him in for good. Before long Carter became a strong presence in the city's underground dance scene. "When I got my driver's license at 16 my sneak ability was validated," he laughs. "I was a fierce bedroom jock for a long time. After you mix for the love of it for six or seven years, you get it pretty tight and you can take it on the road." He got by working at dance-music specialty stores like Gramaphone and gigging at parties. Later he landed regular DJ stints at Shelter, Foxy's, and Smart Bar. Though he doesn't spin much locally anymore, when he does he attracts large crowds. Most of the time he works in Europe, where he's become a minor celebrity among dance-music aficionados. Derrick’s sets are rooted in house, but he freely travels outside club tastes, seamlessly incorporating old-school disco, soul, jazz and whatever catches his fancy. Janky, a Turkish-American DJ from Chicago brings infectious energy to some of the hottest queer house and techno events. Blending cunty vocals, deep, sexy basslines, and driving drums, Janky’s underground sound moves seamlessly between tech house, techno, and minimal grooves, keeping the energy high and the dance floor locked in wherever they go. Not Guilty DJs are a local house music collective formed by longtime crate diggers Steff Perez and Amanda Sperzel. The two specialize in blending disco-flavored house with soulful grooves, latin rhythms, and something you weren’t expecting. Not Guilty DJs have opened for some of their favorite artists including Purple Disco Machine, Ron Carroll, MYD, Mono Neon, and The Knocks.