Legendary house DJ, producer, label head and former member of The Basement Boys has been featured in this month’s DJ Mag.
DJ Spen began his illustrious career in the mid-’80s as a radio DJ, making hip-hop beats his group The Numarx: a trio that would go on to write and record ‘Girl You Know It’s True’, later covered and made into a smash hit by Milli Vanilli. The years that followed saw Spencer move away from hip-hop and towards the classic Chicago house sound that would define his career, after teaming up with storied production collective The Basement Boys. Producing as Jasper Street Co., Spencer released his first 12″ through Basement Boys Records in 1995, the energetic gospel house cut “A Feeling”. This was the first in a legendary series of releases for the label that brought Spencer commercial and critical success over the next decade, bringing him international recognition as a pioneer of house music. As part of their Wax Lyrical feature, DJ Spen spoke with DJ Mag about his early days in Chicago:
The first actual nightclub I went to was called The Mustache in Baltimore. It was like walking into something I’d seen on TV. […] I was 13 years old and had just played a gig with my group the Numarx — opening at the Baltimore Civic Center for a hip-hop artist named Davy DMX.
Spen also commented on his influences, “waxing lyrical” about the innovative production found in Stevie Wonder’s 1973 album Innervisions, and naming three essential tunes that never leave his bag:
“‘Let No Man Put Asunder’ by First Choice, because it is the definitive dance music classic for me. ‘Mirror Dance’ by Afefe Iku, because it makes me want to be creative in the mix. And Kerri Chandler’s ‘Hallelujah’, because it just sounds phenomenal on any system. Most crowds will hit the dancefloor when any of these songs come on.”
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