Max HeyraudOne of the founding fathers of the legendary Chicago ghetto-house scene DJ Deeon has been pronounced dead this morning. Best known for his work with seminal label Dance Mania, Deeon was instrumental in creating the infamous ghetto-house sound.
DJ Deeon‘s death was announced this morning (Tuesday 18th July) via his Official Facebook account. The post reads: “I am sorry to announce the legendary Artist, Producer, DJ, Label owner, and my friend Deeon ‘DJ Deeon’ Boyd gained his wings today. The family thanks you for your support and will announce arrangements in the coming days. Thank you for your understanding.”
It was understood that DJ Deeon had been suffering from health issues as of late with the Chicago native sharing multiple images from the hospital. A most recent image pictured from a hospital bed, urged fans to pray for him which sparked concern.
Though he is regarded as the original maestro of ghetto dance music among Chicago DJs and throughout the world, Deeon began tiny, on Chicago’s south side. He sold DJ mixtapes in the parking lot of his apartment complex and hosted house parties in the projects. These cramped living room gatherings sparked the inspiration for Deeon’s music, which he simply refers to as “for the strippers, for the street.” While tunes like “Accelerate” from Dance Mania did well internationally, he had no backing or play from Chicago clubs. Deeon refers to ghetto as the “stepchild of Chicago house”.
Eventually the incredible response from his music forced the clubs to concede and play his records. These “techno with a ghetto edge” tracks have found their way to dancefloors across the globe, making Deeon an icon of dance music. Deeon found his home on Chicago’s own Dance Mania label, where he released hits like “3 Fine Hoes”, “Work Dis MF”, “Da Dick Suck” and “House O Matic”. These seminal records have been tearing up dancefloors for decades and will continue far past his death.
Check out DJ Deeon’s Global Mix contribution for Four Four Magazine below.