Frankie Knuckles DJ set from 1986 shared online for the first time: Listen

A rare Frankie Knuckles DJ set from Valentine’s Day 1986 has been shared to SoundCloud by Chicago music luminary Braxton Holmes. 

The 80-minute recording was made at the now-defunct C.O.D. Club in the Windy City. Located at 1201 West Devon Ave., the mid-sized space was once a hotbed for the area’s famed punk and alternative rock scene. 

DJs became a more regular fixture in the mid-late-1980s, with house music names including Ron Hardy and Craig S. Loftis among the guests. As a mix, the tracklist packs disco and early Chicago house music. 

At the beginning of this year, Knuckles’ birthday was marked with the release of a track from the Director’s Cut project, of which he formed one-half. Watch a video showcasing his room-sized record collection, now housed in Chicago’s Stony Island Arts Bank thanks to the efforts of The Frankie Knuckles Foundation.