Chosen Few Picnic

Jesse Saunders is an American house music musician, DJ, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur. His 1984 single, "On & On", co-written with Vince Lawrence, is widely regarded as one of the first house music records to be commercially released on vinyl. Throughout his career, Saunders has founded and managed multiple independent record labels, produced music and films, and worked in artist promotion and management. He is a member of The Recording Academy.

With his roots intertwined in house music for the past 15 years, Terry Hunter has traveled the globe sharing his passion for soulful house music while continuing to produce dance-floor packing hits for his Ts Box record label. Pleased with the success he has garnered in the house music community, but still looking to fulfill his appetite with new genres of music Terrys latest adventure in his musical journey showcases his production talent in the hip hop arena. Born in August 1970 on the Southside of Chicago, Terry was introduced to music at a young age, I really didn't know I could make a living at becoming a DJ at first. I just thought it would be an expensive hobby because at the time I was a vinyl junkie which was an expensive habit. Terry continues, My love became so strong for DJing that I spent entire summers in my bedroom & local records stores just hanging around & not playing with my friends. Thats when a few years later, I knew in my heart this is what I was born to do. Having the influence of music all around him, at a time when the Chicago house music scene was on the verge of an international explosion, Terry debuted onto the scene with his first release, a house track entitled Madness. I created a big buzz on the record by playing it myself at various parties," Terry states, It started out as a basement track, but became much more. Having made an impact on the local scene with his first track, he moved on to create a style of spinning that consisted of collaborating great songs with a unique soulful presence. Being one of the masterminds behind UBQ, he then teamed up with Music Plant, a music production and talent management company. Terry began DJing throughout the world enlightening his fans with his signature sound which has become a blueprint for many DJs to follow. During these travels, various musical influences abroad expanded his outlook, which allowed him to include some of it into his production. Terry has lent his production talents to classics such as When I Fell In Luv, Sweet Music, Out on the Dance Floor and the club crossover anthem from Georgie Porgie, Life Goes On. He has also remixed tracks for artists such as Michael Jackson, Twista, Mary J. Blige, and Masters At Work. Terry has also co-written tracks with Raheem DeVaughn, You (Jive), Syleena Johnson, And He Makes Me Say (Jive) and Rhymefest Mr. Bluecollar (J Records). Alongside longtime friend Kenny Dope, Terry also remixed the Kanye West track Addiction (Dope Wax), which has become a staple in DJ record crates. An active member of the Violator All Star DJs, Terry is excited about his work with fellow Chi-town native Rhymefest. The two have formed Plugg City an outlet for Chicago hip hop and R&B. Terry has also been instrumental in the development of Twone Gabz an up and coming Chicago hip hop artist. Asked about the future, Terry declares, I see myself with plenty of hit records while trying to educate the younger generation to appreciate musicianship along with their own individual style.

Deep in the mean streets of Chicagos infamous South Side, in the heart of the ghetto, a music pioneer was born... DJ Slugo (Thomas Kendricks) was influenced early on by his cousin, DJ Geno who was a then-member of a hot-mix group called Kickass Productions. Along with the influences of other local acts such as the Hot mix 5, Slugo began a journey that would lead him to become one of the original creators of a style of music that would soon become known as Ghetto House. In 1983 Slugo approached the DJ at his high school dance & asked if he could spin a couple of tracks. Though the set only lasted a brief 15 minutes, it ignited a flame that burns brighter than ever today. Later that same year he began DJing alongside Geno, & Devo. By borrowing some equipment to produce some very popular mixtapes for his schoolmates, he eventually earned enough money to purchase his own equipment. From 1984-1987 Slugo honed his skills by observing the skills of his own local heroes. Later he participated in heated DJ battles that began to win him new acclaim as technical expert on the wheels of steel. In 1993 he released his first truly professional mixtape Ghetto Mix Part III. It was this tape that landed in the hands of Ray Barney, CEO of one of the largest dance music labels in the world, Dance Mania. After an introduction to Barney by DJ Deeon Slugo formalized an agreement that would result in a long stream of releases on the Dance Mania label. The financial freedom afforded to Slugo by this deal allowed him to form his own label, Subterranea Playhouse, which is planning many more releases in the near future. During this time, friend & fellow producer Paul Johnson, introduced Slugo to a southern promoter which began his professional introduction into the rave scene. His unheard of Ghetto Style & mixing quickly made him a favorite to tens of thousands of party kids & promoters alike. In 1997, a friend & associate by the named Lucky took Slugo along on a recording session to his family of recording artists, the CWAL Mob. His association with CWAL Mob led to the release of the popular Cardboard Booty mix CD which was called the most influential ghetto house CD ever made by Londons Underbeat Magazine who also went on to call DJ Slugo, the Ghetto-father of the American dance floor. As his fame spread, releases with other national labels such as Underground Construction as well as his follow up album, The Ghetto Don flew off the record store shelves. Although already promoted through an existing agent, Slugo decided to take his career to the next level & signed on with the ..1 electronic music booking agency in the United States, Teknomafia. With Teknomafias 10-year strong foothold on the nationwide rave, club & concert market as well as national distribution for his future releases, it was only question of where to begin. As Slugo later said, This proved to be one of the best decisions I could have made for my career. After Teknomafia shut their doors in order to progress into mainstream music, DJ Slugo was the only electronic act they kept on their roster. Slugo's manager, Trevor Chowning says, "Slugo is a true one-of-a-kind artist. When you find a gem like him you really have to appreciate what a gift it is to work with him and to know him as a friend." Since that time he has released several other mix CDs with CWAL Mob, 2 with Detroit based label Data Bass & also GTI Recordings. One Data Bass release, Born Ghetto was ..1 in radio play for several months in the midwest. 2002 saw the return of Slugo to his roots with a new project which included 3 other Chicago DJs (these were entitled CWAL Ghetto DJs & Back the F*** Up!). Slugo calls these releases, without a doubt, some of my best work. They have also, without a doubt, exceeded the sales of nearly every other release hes had to date. His most recent affiliations with Super-Producer, the Legendary Traxster, assures Slugo a continued place at the top of his game. His wildly successful "Godzilla" track became a worldwide phenomenon. After a year long respite to rethink his career path, Slugo is back in the game and taking the world by storm. Recent affiliations with England's WIDE Records promises many great things to come. In his own words, Slugo says, No matter what anyone out there may say or think, Ghetto will never die as long as Slugo remains to live. The saga continues...

Curtis McClain is a house producer and vocalist from Chicago, IL, United States. He is best known as the vocalist who sang Marshall Jefferson's classic 'Move Your Body'. One of the best known classic house tracks credited to McClain himself, was 'Let's Get Busy' (1988), credited to Curtis McClaine & On The House (note the different spelling of McClain / McClaine).