Chicago’s Ron Trent

Sitting in a brightly lit studio on the top floor of a building located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, I’m marveling at the clothing array of clean lines, bright colors, and sumptuous fabrics that were used in the photo shoot which wrapped up shortly before my arrival. I’m excited to start my interview with Ron Trent, a musical icon in underground dance music. Mr. Trent has a quiet confidence about him that belies the indelible footprint he’s made on the development

of house music culture as we know it today. At the time of our conversation he had just closed out a European tour and is on his way to making a few stops in the US, including here in Los Angeles for a week. His busy schedule allows him to travel throughout the world regularly and I’m grateful that he’s taken the time to sit down with me today to share his experience in the

evolution of house music, his career influences, and his opinions regarding the future trajectory of club culture.

Ron’s numerous talents—as a composer, producer, record label owner, musician, and DJ—have developed gradually throughout his career that spans over 40 years. Growing up in Chicago, he says he attributes his early affinity to music to his father who was a record collector, disco DJ, and percussionist. Soon after Ron discovered the unprecedented, curated dance music played by Frankie Knuckles, a resident DJ at the Warehouse club who would later be known as the “Godfather of House Music.” Ron was inspired by Frankie’s skill of transitioning records together and manipulating songs to create a cohesive “story” that listeners could emotionally and physically engage with

during his sets. Having witnessed the evolution of disco to modern dance music firsthand, Ron has become a

historical expert on underground club culture. During his teenage years in Chicago, he says the only way to experience the exciting and new disco-infused music on the dance floor was to have a membership to clubs such as Warehouse and Music Box. This membership-based attendance helped create a safe space for people who faced discrimination in the 80s. It also

limited the general public’s entry to hear exclusive and cutting-edge music being played by the likes of Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, which could only be found on recorded mixtapes or a diligent search in a record store. Ron says he remembers Ron Hardy as bold and fearless, often breaking and mixing new tracks on the dancefloor, which would later be featured on

mainstream radio. At the age of 14, after being exposed to the sounds of Chicago’s underground dance scene, Ron says he was inspired and motivated to produce music. With limited access to electronic

studio equipment, using his knowledge of percussion instruments he released his first track