Chicago councillor calls for two 24-hour clubs dedicated to house music in the city

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Chicago city councilor Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has put forward a suggestion that the city should open two new 24-hour clubs dedicated specifically to house music, to honour the city’s status as the birthplace of the genre.

House music was born in Chicago,” Ramirez-Rosa said in a short thread of Twitter which laid out his idea. “I’ve met many tourists who are shocked to learn Chicago has no late-night house music clubs. We should consider allowing two 24-hour nightclubs (one downtown/northside, one southside) to tap into the international market for Chicago house music.”

He continued: “Licensees would pay a premium and be required to support Chicago’s cultural heritage of house music by funding workshops, symposiums, classes, or events,” positing the idea of the club closing and a lecture on the influence of Frankie Knuckles following as one means of combining a celebration of the music with education of its history.

Under Chicago’s current city rules, clubs typically close at 2am, with some having the ability to remain open until 4am. Ramirez-Rosa wants to change that so that club closing hours aren’t so heavily regulated.

It remains to be seen whether his calls for such a celebration of the city’s house music will be heeded by other officials. 

In other Chicago house news, four unreleased remixes from the city’s late house pioneer Frankie Knuckles will be getting a vinyl release next month.

Legendary Chicago house label DJ International Records relaunched at the start of this year.

(Photo via Kevin Dooley)

House music was born in Chicago. I’ve met many tourists who are shocked to learn Chicago has no late-night House music clubs. We should consider allowing two 24-hour nightclubs (one downtown/northside, one southside) to tap into the international market for Chicago House music.

— Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa ✶ (@CDRosa) June 1, 2021