Kool Herc at ES
Kool Herc at ES
When he first arrived in the U.S. with his immigrant parents in 1967 at the age of twelve, Jamaican-born Clive Campbell, aka DJ Kool Herc, carried with him the seeds of a cultural movement. Bearing memories of classic DJ soundclashes and block parties in his hometown of Kingston, he would later aim to recreate similar events on the streets of the Bronx -- rigging up his own sound system with two turntables, PA columns, and a guitar amp, and setting up block parties in the park, spinning (against the disco trend of the time) a selection of funk, soul, and breakbeat-heavy selections that provided a dance-friendly vibe that folks weren't getting anywhere else. And with that, Campbell established the first of hip-hop's four elements, paving the way for all that would follow.
Tomorrow night, DJ Kool Herc will be making an appearance in Chicago, spinning a headlining set of classic material at a dance party that'll be taking place at the Experimental Station in Hyde Park. Local jazz/experimental bassist-about-town Josh Abrams will also be on hand, getting the event started with an opening set of his own. (Anyone who's caught Abrams spinning at Danny's or at numerous other spots around town knows that he's more than adept at dropping a mean groove.)
The event is being held in conjunction with the art series "Representations: A Series on Culture, Politics and Aesthetics," which is co-orgnaized by artist and University of Chicago Coordinator of Arts Programming, Theaster Gates. The Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Avenue (just south of the U of C Midway). 8pm-12 midnight. There's a suggested donation of $10 for the general public.
Excerpted from article by Graham Sanford for “Transmission”