House Music Legend Chip E. Lights Up Chicago November 18

Acid House is a style that Chicago can proudly call its own, and on Friday November 18th Primary Nightclub will be bringing you another installment of their wildly successful party “All I Want is Acid.” It’s been a while since I’ve seen Chip E., and I caught up with him before the big gig:

So Chip I see you were also interviewed by the Channel 4 BBC documentary crew on Chicago House Music recently! What was that like and what did you talk to them about?

Talking to the documentary crew was very interesting. Many of the questions seamed slanted towards a certain individual, and a certain view of what the birth of House Music was about. Sadly, it wasn’t until after the interviews were done that I was able to confirm that the actual producer of the documentary was a stakeholder. My issue with this is that the viewers will expect an objective documentary, but instead they’ll be spoon-fed a single and inaccurate view. When I created my documentary in 2005, The Unusual Suspects: Once Upon a Time in House Music, I was always upfront with interviewees, and to further my objectivity, I decided not to be on camera or to influence the conversations.

Documentaries can be tough… I was telling the production crew that for all the many docs I’ve appeared in I can only think of two that have actually come out. So many people want to tell a story but very few can bring it to its completion. Is it because there are always surprise expenses that cripple the project or are there other issues that inevitably rear up?

The film business isn’t too far from the music business. Not only does it take a great product, passion and follow-through, but it also requires creating a good marketing plan and locating the proper distribution streams.

I vaguely remember that copies of your documentary The Unusual Suspects became highly coveted and were going for very high prices on eBay! What’s the status of that and have you thought about doing more stories on the subject of House?

The Unusual Suspects did end up becoming a collectors item, especially the Italian and Japanese releases. Many don’t know but the original 2005 US release was first available through 5 Magazine. I really appreciate the love and support you’ve shown throughout the years. I’ve seen it go for over $800 on eBay, and routinely for $200 to $300 on Amazon.com

We’re currently thinking about doing an updated version… and including many of the people we weren’t able to include in the first 2 rounds.

What’s been going on with you since we last spoke? I know you were doing DJ gigs and some traveling?

Not much has changed, I’m still living part time in Chicago, and part time in Tokyo. Somehow I’ve been doing more gigs in the US as well as in Europe, next month I return to Asia, kicking off my tour in Thailand. But this month I’m looking forward to spinning with Czboogie and my guy Frankie Vega at Primary on Nov. 18th.

I can’t wait to play with you at the upcoming Acid party at Primary next Friday. What have you been playing lately and who are some of the artists you’ve been feeling?

I’m still mixing classics with new music, but what really has me excited are Cratebug’s edits. I’ve actually told David “Cratebug” Macias that he shouldn’t call them “edits,” he should call them “reincarnations.” He really has a lot of passion and technical expertise as well as the creativity of a true House Head. It’s for that reason that I’ve adopted Cratebug as the first Godson of House Music.

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Chip E will be playing at “All I Want is Acid” on Friday, November 18th at Primary Nightclub (5 W. Division) alongside Acidman, Frankie Vega & Czboogie.