House Music Chicago Testimony
Lori Branch and Hannah Viti
Publishing Details
About This Podcast
House Music Chicago Testimony is a series of intimate conversations with the people who built Chicago house music. Hosted by DJ and historian Lori Branch, a South Side native who was there at the beginning, each episode goes deep into the stories of pioneers, friends, and well-known Chicagoans without whom the scene would not exist. These are stories about sound, community, memory, and the lives behind the music, preserved while we still have the chance. Produced by Lori Branch and Hannah Viti. Funded by a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Events.
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Recent Episodes
#6 Vick Lavender | "A Job in the Business"
“A Job in the Business” Vick Lavender has never taken the easy road. Born in Louisiana, and raised on Chicago's west side, he came up on dub tapes, Italo, and New Wave records before deep house had a…
#5 Dajae [Karen Gordon] | "Everyone Knows Dajae. Nobody Knows Karen."
Karen Gordon 'aka Dajae' grew up in West Englewood on Chicago's South Side. Music was in the house. Her father, Reginald Gordon, was a doo-wop singer who performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. She had…
#4 Toni Shelton | ”Everybody Has Somewhere to Go"
Toni Shelton, known throughout Chicago as Disco Tony, has been throwing parties since 1979. As the city's first solo female house music promoter, she's built a legacy that spans over four decades:…
#3 Craig Loftis | "It All Started in Craig's Basement"
Some of the best history gets told between old friends. Before there were house music producers, there were kids in basements with cheap turntables and cheaper cassette decks, staying up all night…
#2 Robert Williams | "The Warehouse Would Not Have Existed"
Without Robert Williams, there may be no house music, or at least not as we know it today. As the founder and owner of the legendary Warehouse club, the space where Frankie Knuckles first DJ'd and…
#1 Lori Branch | "I Feel Evangelical About the Music"
In this first episode of House Music Chicago Testimony, host Lori Branch tells her own story — from growing up on Chicago's South Side to becoming one of the first female DJs on the emerging house…
Teaser: Meet the Voices of Season 1
Before we even called it house music, these people were living it. In Season 1 of House Music Chicago Testimony, host Lori Branch sits down with five legends who were there at the very beginning.…
Trailer: House Music Chicago Testimony with Lori Branch
Every story about Chicago house music starts somewhere different. A record, a club, a night that changed everything. Host Lori Branch, a South Side-born DJ and historian who was there at the…
Frequently Asked Questions
House Music Chicago Testimony has published 8 episodes since March 2026, covering topics in Documentary, Music.
House Music Chicago Testimony is currently moderate with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 55m.
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