House head start: City, Sox build buzz for Saturday’s Chosen Few music festival

Loyalists of house music had no shortage of events getting them ready for the upcoming international music festival that’s captivated Chicago for nearly three decades.

Whether you spent your lunch hour at Daley Plaza dancing your heart out to house music, or spent time at Pier 31 putting your toes in the sand and onto the deck grooving, the Chosen Few DJs were behind the turntables giving house heads a taste of what they’ll get this Fourth of July weekend at the 29th annual picnic and festival in Jackson Park.

The last six years, Daley Plaza has been the home of the Hot Lunch Mix. Once a month — from May to October — the space adjacent to the Daley Center becomes a one-hour party. This year, the DJs were honored by Cook County.

“In 1977, as I danced next to my buddy, [DJ] Alan King, and the Chosen Few DJs, I never once envisioned today, but here we are. We appreciate you,” Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry said June 26 at the end of the monthly lunch mix. Lowry presented the Chosen Few with a resolution that was to be read at the next county board meeting.

On select Saturdays, the DJs presents Summer Saturday Series at 31st Street Beachside Bar and Grill.

And the Chicago White Sox also show love to the genre by hosting an annual Chosen Few DJs night about a week before the festival. House music is played pre-game and between innings at The Patio inside the ballpark, between innings and at an after party at ChiSox Bar & Grill.

Chosen Few DJs night at the Chicago White Sox game against the Minnesota Twins, June 28, 2019. | Kathy Chaney/Sun-Times

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Chosen Few DJ Alan King at Chicago White Sox game, June 28, 2019. | Provided by Lehia Franklin Acox

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Chosen Few DJs Hot Lunch Mix at Daley Plaza, June 26, 2019. | Kathy Chaney/Sun-Times

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Chosen Few DJs Hot Lunch Mix at Daley Plaza, June 26, 2019. | Kathy Chaney/Sun-Times

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Chosen Few DJs at White Sox game, June 28, 2019. From left: Tony Hatchett, Mike Dunn, Alan King, Andre Hatchett, Terry Hunter and Wayne Williams. (not pictured, Jesse Saunders) | Provided by Lehia Franklin Acox

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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry presented a county resolution June 26, 2019, to the Chosen Few DJs at Daley Plaza. | Kathy Chaney/Sun-Times

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“As the picnic got bigger and more important to people, it just felt right to get them in the spirit earlier for the festival. The excitement about the festival warranted us having events at Daley Plaza and the White Sox,” said King.

Fellow DJ Wayne Williams agreed, adding that some of those free events give them the opportunity to mix for fans who won’t be able to attend the picnic.

“Even though we keep the cost low, lower than the other festivals, we know everybody can’t afford the picnic. We want those who can’t come to Jackson Park to come see us at the other venues,” said Williams.

The mecca of house music will be center stage Saturday as tens of thousands of dance aficionados from around the globe gather for the 13-hour party.

The Chosen Few DJs Picnic & Festival, a culmination of all the events, will welcome at least 40,000 attendees. People arrive as early at 4 a.m. to claim their spots, set up tents and barbecue grills and get ready for the “transformative” feeling of “peace” that many say only house can provide.

The DJs — Mike Dunn, Andre Hatchett, Tony Hatchett, Terry Hunter, King, Jesse Saunders and Williams — will share the lineup with vocalist Thelma Houston (“Don’t Leave Me This Way”) and Grammy-award winning DJ David Morales, among other guest DJs from around the nation, all ready to feed the souls of house music fans.

King said it has amazed him to witness the love for the genre grow rapidly since its inception, and later how the small picnic evolved into a massive event that encourages camaraderie.

“It’s transformative. There’s no other experience in the world quite like the Chosen Few experience. The love and peace is in the air,” he said.