Jesse Saunders
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Upcoming gigs
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articles
Past sets
In the press
They Invented House Music in Chicago Basements. 36 Years Later, They're Still Playing the Same Park.
Chicago's Chosen Few Picnic and House Music Festival marked its 36th year on July 11, 2026, in Jackson Park, with founding DJs Wayne Williams, Jesse Saunders, Tony Hatchett and Alan King still headlining the event they started as a backyard reunion in 1990.
Sarah H. · 4 min read
House Music's Biggest Festivals Now Belong to Private Equity. Chicago's Oldest One Still Belongs to the Neighborhood.
The Chosen Few Picnic & Music Festival returns to Chicago's Jackson Park on July 11 for its 36th consecutive year, still run by the same DJs who started it as a backyard gathering in 1990, with no private-equity owner, no EDM headliner and no dynamic pricing scheme.
Josh D. · 4 min read
Who Created House Music? The Chicago DJs Who Built a Sound From Disco's Ashes
House was not invented by one person. It was built in early-1980s Chicago by a small circle of mostly Black and gay DJs, from Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy behind the decks to Jesse Saunders, Larry Heard and Marshall Jefferson on the records.
Sarah H. · 5 min read
In 1982, Britain Tried to Ban the Drum Machine. Chicago Had Other Plans.
Forty years before the AI music debate, Britain's Musicians' Union voted to outlaw the exact machines that were already building house music in Chicago.
Josh D.
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