Latinos In Da House recognizes the DJs, artists, dance crews and personalities that shaped Chicago house from the start.

Add another landmark event to Chicago’s long summer celebrating the city’s house music legacy.

Latinos In Da House presents its inaugural conference on Saturday, September 28 2024. The conference focuses specifically on the vital contributions played by Latinos in shaping four decades of Chicago house music history. Latinos In Da House is “more than just a celebration,” co-founding member Cesar Rolon told 5 Mag. It’s a “recognition of the rich history and ongoing contributions of Latinos to house music.”

While house music is “rightly” acknowledged for its roots in Chicago’s Black community, the story of Chicago house is “incomplete without recognizing the vibrant Latino presence that has shaped and enriched the genre,” Rolon says. “From the earliest days, Latino DJs, dancers and music lovers embraced house music, infusing it with their unique cultural perspectives and sounds. The energy and innovation brought by Latino artists and audiences have left an indelible mark on house music, making it a truly multicultural genre.”

The Latino influence in the early days of Chicago house music was huge, and remains so, from pioneering DJs and remixers like Ralphi Rosario, second wave DJs like DJ Sneak, Bear Who?, Légo and Johnny Fiasco to international superstars like Liz Torres. An exhaustive list of key artists and DJs would require a lot of time and some serious heads in the room to compile, though latinosindahouse.com has a pretty good one, including DJs, promoters, artists and an incredibly detailed list of Latino dance crews.

Latinos In Da House will hold a series of events leading up to the conference, which will take place on Saturday, September 28 2024 at the Roberto Clemente HS auditorium in West Town. Sign up at latinosindahouse.com.