DJ Funk, the Chicago ghetto house producer who innovated the genre and gave it its name, has died. The Guardian reports that Funk's collaborator DJ Slugo announced his passing in an Instagram post on Wednesday. Funk was suffering from stage-four cancer, and his family has launched a GoFundMe to help with his funeral costs. Funk was 54.
DJ Funk was born Charles Chambers, and he came to prominence on the Midwestern rave scene in the early '90s, releasing his Ghetto House Anthems series on Funk's own Dance Mania label. Funk's raunchy, sample-heavy style had some things in common with what Detroit ghetto-tech artists like DJ Assault were doing, but it was more based in the four-on-floor thump of classic house music. His hyperactive mixing style set him apart from most of his contemporaries, and burned CDs of his DJ mixes circulated in the late '90s. Funk's work helped set the stage for Chicago juke music, and that scene is still thriving today.
Funk's sound proved influential in Europe. Daft Punk names Funk as one of their inspirations on "Teachers," a track from their debut album Homework. Later on, Justice got DJ Funk to remix their 2013 track "Let There Be Light," and Crookers remixed Funk's track "Bounce That Ass." In later years, Funk continued to DJ around the world and to collaborate with producers like Will Clarke and TJR. Check out some of Funk's work below.
