DJ Slugo (Thomas Kendricks) was influenced early on by his cousin, DJ Geno who was a then-member of a hot-mix group called Kickass Productions. Along with the influences of other local acts such as the Hot mix 5, Slugo began a journey that would lead him to become one of the original creators of a style of music that would soon become known as Ghetto House. In 1983 Slugo approached the DJ at his high school dance & asked if he could spin a couple of tracks. Though the set only lasted a brief 15 minutes, it ignited a flame that burns brighter than ever today. Later that same year he began DJing alongside Geno, & Devo. By borrowing some equipment to produce some very popular mixtapes for his schoolmates, he eventually earned enough money to purchase his own equipment. From 1984-1987 Slugo honed his skills by observing the skills of his own local heroes. Later he participated in heated DJ battles that began to win him new acclaim as technical expert on the wheels of steel. In 1993 he released his first truly professional mixtape Ghetto Mix Part III. It was this tape that landed in the hands of Ray Barney, CEO of one of the largest dance music labels in the world, Dance Mania. After an introduction to Barney by DJ Deeon Slugo formalized an agreement that would result in a long stream of releases on the Dance Mania label. The financial freedom afforded to Slugo by this deal allowed him to form his own label, Subterranea Playhouse, which is planning many more releases in the near future. During this time, friend & fellow producer Paul Johnson, introduced Slugo to a southern promoter which began his professional introduction into the rave scene. His unheard of Ghetto Style & mixing quickly made him a favorite to tens of thousands of party kids & promoters alike. In 1997, a friend & associate by the named Lucky took Slugo along on a recording session to his family of recording artists, the CWAL Mob. His association with CWAL Mob led to the release of the popular Cardboard Booty mix CD which was called the most influential ghetto house CD ever made by Londons Underbeat Magazine who also went on to call DJ Slugo, the Ghetto-father of the American dance floor. As his fame spread, releases with other national labels such as Underground Construction as well as his follow up album, The Ghetto Don flew off the record store shelves. Although already promoted through an existing agent, Slugo decided to take his career to the next level & signed on with the …1 electronic music booking agency in the United States, Teknomafia. With Teknomafias 10-year strong foothold on the nationwide rave, club & concert market as well as national distribution for his future releases, it was only question of where to begin. As Slugo later said, This proved to be one of the best decisions I could have made for my career. After Teknomafia shut their doors in order to progress into mainstream music, DJ Slugo was the only electronic act they kept on their roster. Slugo’s manager, Trevor Chowning says, “Slugo is a true one-of-a-kind artist. When you find a gem like him you really have to appreciate what a gift it is to work with him and to know him as a friend.” Since that time he has released several other mix CDs with CWAL Mob, 2 with Detroit based label Data Bass & also GTI Recordings. One Data Bass release, Born Ghetto was …1 in radio play for several months in the midwest. 2002 saw the return of Slugo to his roots with a new project which included 3 other Chicago DJs (these were entitled CWAL Ghetto DJs & Back the F*** Up!). Slugo calls these releases, without a doubt, some of my best work. They have also, without a doubt, exceeded the sales of nearly every other release hes had to date. His most recent affiliations with Super-Producer, the Legendary Traxster, assures Slugo a continued place at the top of his game. His wildly successful “Godzilla” track became a worldwide phenomenon. After a year long respite to rethink his career path, Slugo is back in the game and taking the world by storm. Recent affiliations with England’s WIDE Records promises many great things to come. In his own words, Slugo says, No matter what anyone out there may say or think, Ghetto will never die as long as Slugo remains to live. The saga continues… |
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