11/06/2025
This video is from the 1986 documentary short, HOUSE MUSIC IN CHICAGO, produced by Phil Ranstrom. It features pioneering House Music group, JM SILK, led by DJ and Grammy-nominated producer, Steve "Silk" Hurley, performing at the opening of The Powerhouse, the second nightclub Frankie Knuckles opened after he left The Warehouse, and the first being The Power Plant. This footage is the only professional-quality visual media from this early period, when House music was just starting to hit the radio.
QUINCY JONES
After the opening of Frankie's new dance club, Phil brought his short film to Quincy Jones Entertainment in LA, in the hopes that it would launch a partnership to produce his dramatic-musical film involving the key players during the early Chicago House period - a kind of "Krush Groove/Purple Rain meets David Lynch" treatment. For over a year, Phil was in regular contact with Mr. Jones' executive producer in charge of film & television, as she analyzed how House was trending worldwide. Timing was everything.
But Quincy Jones was an early supporter of rap music, and his feet were already planted there. He had once said, "I fell in love with hip hop because it reminds me of bebop." Those are strong words. As weeks and months passed, it became more and more unlikely that Jones would embark on something that could conflict with his already sizable commitment. Despite Qunicy's executive producer supporting Ranstrom's House Music film idea enough to keep the discussion alive for a year and presenting it to Jones multiple times in different contexts, the writing was on the wall.
Both his son and grandson later produced rap records and films, and his daughter, Kidada, was living in a romantic relationship with Tupac Shakur for months, up to the time of his death.
To see more, visit: https://vimeo.com/showcase/11897501?fl=so&fe=fs
