EX.698 Ron Trent

  • Published
    Feb 1, 2024
  • "Art and music are the same, they're just different dialects." The Chicago house legend talks about co-curating the photo exhibit Walk The Night and nightlife's '90s heyday.
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  • Ron Trent grew up in Chicago, where he dreamed of being a musician from a young age. He would end up becoming one of the architects of the Chicago house sound and working alongside contemporaries like Chez Damier. His label, Prescription Records, became a renowned purveyor of deep house. He spread his vision from the American Midwest to New York, Europe and beyond. In this Playing Favourites conversation recorded live at Refraction Festival in Miami, Trent talks to Resident Advisor music critic Kiana Mickles about the songs and dance floors that shaped him in this early part of his musical trajectory. In addition to playing some of his favourite jazz, funk and disco tracks, he reflects on clubs like Studio 54, Paradise Garage and The Warehouse, which he claims matured him as an artist and irrevocably shaped the trajectory of club culture. Trent was instrumental in co-curating an exhibit called Walk The Night (which premiered at this multidisciplinary event), a photographic homage to these spaces and other historic clubs around the world. To hear more about the legacy of Trent's favourite clubs and the music that shaped him, listen to the episode in full. Correction, February 2nd: A previous version of this article failed to mention that the talk took place as part of Refraction Festival.
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