Figure · cross-linked record

Frankie Knuckles

DJ whose early career is tied to New York before Chicago

DJ1970s–2010s2 rooms · 3 connected figures

Biography

Frankie Knuckles is often cited within both New York and Chicago dance-music history. His early career is associated with New York venues including the Continental Baths, before a later Chicago residency that is widely linked to the development of house music. He died in 2014.

Sonic profile

house disco garageChicago houseNYC disco / garage roots

Knuckles is most associated with the development of Chicago house, but his selections are usually traced back to New York disco and garage — soulful, song-driven dance records reworked for the floor. He is often called the 'Godfather of House.'

Rooms they shaped

Continental Baths

1968–1976 · Upper West Side, Manhattan

ClosedPerformance space

DJ — Early career

Sound Factory Bar

early–mid 1990s · Flatiron, Manhattan

ClosedClub

Connected figures

People who appear in the same rooms — follow the thread.

Bette Midler1 shared

Performer

Larry Levan1 shared

Resident DJ of the Paradise Garage

Louie Vega1 shared

DJ and producer; half of Masters at Work