Chip E.

American DJ and House Music pioneer Chip E.
Chip E.
Birth name Irwin Larry Eberhart II
Born Chicago, Illinois
Genres Pop, contemporary R&B, dance, house
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, remixer, producer, DJ
Years active 1982-present
Labels D.J. International, Sights & Sounds[1][2]
Associated acts Frankie Knuckles, Nikki Phoenix[3]
Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, Chip E. in Miami at the red carpet premier of "What We Started"

Irwin Larry Eberhart II known as Chip E., is an American DJ and record producer.

Life and career

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Chip E. attended St. Ignatius College Prep, Kenwood Academy, Columbia College and DePaul University. He started spinning records in 1982 and by 1984 he was producing records. In 1985 Street Mix magazine declared Chip E. as the "Godfather of House Music."[4] In 1987, he became the first (and still the only) Chicago artist to be in regular rotation on all three major Chicago radio stations (WBMX, WGCI-FM and B96).[5] Former B96 programming manager Joe Bohannon (Joe Bo) made the decision to add "If You Only Knew" to regular rotation and with that began the transition of the station from CHR (contemporary hit radio) to a dance music station.

Chip E's first recording "Jack Trax" was an extended play record that featured "Time to Jack" as well as "It's House". These songs are considered by many as the first House record, and the first to use the terms "Jack" and "House" as they relate to the genre.

Chip E. assisted Frankie Knuckles when he co-produced Frankie’s first record You Can’t Hide. Other artists Chip jump-started into the music world were Lidell Townsell, Kevin Irving, and Harri Dennis of The It. By the age of 21 Chip E. was a worldwide name. Because of difficulties getting out of a contract with D.J. International records, Chip decided that he would rather not record if he had to do it for D.J. International. His first release "Jack Trax" is one of the most coveted early house music releases, fetching upwards of $1500.00 (USD) on eBay.

Going Underground

Around 1995 Chip e. stopped recording music but could be found doing the rare DJ gig in Britain or Italy, Chip E. had moved into "the realms of mythology."[6] However, while Chip E. wasn't seen much in the music scene, he had resurfaced as a film and DVD guru. Besides work with artists such as Michael McDonald, Fleetwood Mac, Prince, The Dead, and The Black Eyed Peas, Chip E. Als produced a feature-length documentary on the subject of house music. The documentary is entitled The UnUsual Suspects - Once Upon a Time in House Music.[7] was released in the summer of 2005.

Chip E. with a Roland Axis Controller (circa 1986)

Back to Jack

In 2017 Chip E. connected with Carl Cox and the two started working on new music. Carl mentioned in the film "2017" that Chip's record "Time to Jack" was the first House/Techno record. Since their connection, Chip has released "Like This" (a remake of his '80s classic) with the group SLAM on Soma Records, "Time 2 Jack" with Carl Cox on Intec Digital, and collaborations with Gettoblaster and Saladin on We Jack and Phunk Junk Records.

Chip E. DJ'd at the 20th Anniversary of the Ultra Music Festival, and the following night joined Carl Cox on stage to premier their collaboration "Time 2 Jack" in March 2018. Since then Chip has been playing festivals around the world including Thailand and Cuba.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Label Page". Sights & Sounds. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  2. ↑ "Official Site "Visit my Label"". Sights & Sounds. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  3. ↑ "Nikki Phoenix Teams With 'Godfather of House'". XBIZ. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Unusual Suspects". Apple.com. Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  5. ↑ "House Symposium Biographies". Columbia College Chigcago. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  6. ↑ Bidder, Sean (1999). House: The Rough Guide. London: Rough Guides. ISBN 1-85828-432-5.
  7. ↑ "The UnUsual Suspects: Once Upon a Time in House Music". IMDb. Retrieved 2005-08-28.
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