Ron Trent: Chicago Roots and the Reach of Prescription

Ron Trent was raised in Chicago and began DJing at school parties when he was young. His first record appeared on Armando Gallop's Warehouse Records in 1990. It included "Altered States", an early production that crossed the city's house clubs and the emerging techno audience.

Trent met Chez Damier after Damier returned to Chicago from Detroit. They started Prescription in 1993 and used it for their own work, joint productions, and records by a small group of collaborators. Trent later ran Future Vision, Electric Blue, and Music and Power. His productions often develop over long arrangements in which percussion and played keyboard parts change the rhythm around the drum machine.

The selection starts with Trent's Prescription partners, then follows producers and musicians who developed deep house through their own labels in Chicago, Paris, Frankfurt, and London. Sound Shelter's deep house collection gives a wider view of their records.

Chez Damier

Chez Damier is the recording name of Anthony Pearson. He grew up in Chicago, then moved to Detroit and opened the Music Institute with Alton Miller and George Baker. Derrick May was one of the club's Friday night resident DJs. Damier also handled business and studio work for Kevin Saunderson's KMS label before returning to Chicago. He and Ron Trent founded Prescription and recorded together under several credits. Damier later used Balance as an outlet for his own records and other producers. Sound Shelter's Chez Damier guide follows his direct drums, restrained keyboard parts, and vocal house arrangements.

Anthony Nicholson

During the 1990s, Chicago producer Anthony Nicholson worked with Ron Trent under names including Urban Sound Gallery and African Blues. Their records appeared on Prescription and Clairaudience. Nicholson later developed his own catalogue through Clairaudience, Circular Motion, and Infinite Audio, and has also used aliases such as Miquifaye and Afterglow. He works as a musician and visual artist as well as a producer. House rhythms provide the base for live percussion, keyboards, voices, and artwork that Nicholson often develops as parts of the same project.

Peven Everett

Peven Everett is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Harvey, Illinois. He received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music as a teenager, then left to perform with jazz musicians including Betty Carter and Branford Marsalis. Everett later worked with Roy Davis Jr. on "Watch Them Come", credited to Men From the Nile featuring Peven Everett. He then built a solo catalogue and released much of it through his Studio Confession label. House, soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues all appear in work that Everett often writes, arranges, plays, and sings himself.

DJ Deep

Paris DJ and producer DJ Deep, whose full name is Cyril Etienne des Rosaies, became part of the city's early house scene through club sets with Laurent Garnier and radio programmes on Radio FG and Radio Nova. His production projects have included The Deep with Julien Jabre and several collaborations with Roman Poncet. In 2003 he started Deeply Rooted House, later shortened to Deeply Rooted. The label gave him a practical way to release house and techno from established artists alongside new producers from France.

Lars Bartkuhn

Needs brought Lars Bartkuhn together with his brother Marek and DJ Yannick, who is also credited as Jan Elverfeld. The trio worked as a production team and label, releasing house that drew heavily from jazz, fusion, and Brazilian music. Bartkuhn later recorded under his own name through Sonar Kollektiv and Rush Hour. He also moved into live performance and production for jazz artists. Harmony and played instruments sit at the centre of his writing, with club rhythms supporting guitar, keyboards, and detailed arrangements.

Alex Attias

Swiss DJ and producer Alex Attias relocated to England in 1997 and recorded as Mustang and Beatless. He also worked with Dego as Plutonia. Alex and his brother Stephane founded Visions Inc. in 1999, with bases in London and Switzerland. While based in London, Alex worked from the Goya building alongside other West London producers. His releases have appeared on Ubiquity, Compost, Neroli, Mule Musiq, and Planet E. Across house and broken beat, he has worked with singers and instrumentalists while keeping the rhythm suited to clubs.

Sound Shelter's earlier Ron Trent playlist guide provides a longer listening route. You can also follow Ron Trent on Sound Shelter to see new releases and stores with copies in stock.