Alan King

Alan King is one of Chicago’s original house music DJs and one of the early members of the legendary DJ crew “The Chosen Few.” Alan's profound influence on the house music landscape has been felt for more than 30 years, and he has been cited as a major influence by countless DJs and producers including Frankie Knuckles, Steve "Silk" Hurley and Chip E. In a 2007 interview discussing his move from New York back to Chicago, Grammy Award winning DJ and producer Frankie Knuckles observed: "One of the best things about returning to Chicago is catching up with some of the home-grown talent. I like to hear the spin that some of them put on house music - that's what sparks me. The brilliant Andre Hatchett is the perfect example. He is one of two guys in Chicago who have the biggest impact on me. The other is Alan King. They are the truest to the house music form, yet there is soul, personality and individuality in what they're doing. They're the real thing." In the late '70s and early '80s, the Chosen Few DJs (then consisting of Wayne Williams, Jesse Saunders, Tony Hatchett, Alan King and Andre Hatchett) were among the Chicago DJs primarily responsible for spreading the soulful brand of dance music that came to be known as "House Music" at legendary Chicago night spots, including First Impressions, Sauer's, the Playground, and the Loft, a club of historic importance in the birth and development of House Music. Still together more than 30 years later and with the addition of their newest members, legendary DJ and producer Terry Hunter and Chicago house music icon Mike Dunn, the Chosen Few DJs bring you the annual Chosen Few Old School Reunion Picnic every July in Chicago, one of the largest house music festival events in the world. Alan regularly plays to rave reviews at clubs and events throughout Chicago and nationally, including Bang Sundays at The Shrine in Chicago, New York's Sullivan Room, Tambor Party in Atlanta and the Winter Music Conference in Miami. Alan's current monthly residency at Chant is one of Chicago's hottest parties, and his wildly popular Podcasts routinely top the rankings of house music podcasts on Podomatic.com. In 2012, Alan was commissioned by L.A.'s Hidden Beach Records to create a promotional "Mixtape" and write the liner notes for a new release, "CRATES: Remix Fundamentals Volume I," a collection of dance remixes of songs by Grammy Award winner Jill Scott. In 2013, Alan again authored liner notes for Terry Hunter's mix compilation, Bang, on BBE Records. Alan has also been featured in numerous articles, books and films about house music, including the book The Record Players: DJ Revolutionaries, and Chip's E's acclaimed documentary "The Unusual Suspects: Once Upon a Time in House Music." Alan and the rest of the Chosen Few DJs were featured in the June 2012 issue of Ebony magazine and were recently recognized at a celebration honoring the 100 Most Influential DJs in Chicago House Music History. In July 2012, Alan was profiled in Crain's Chicago Business for his "double life" as a law firm partner and groundbreaking DJ.