When 48-year-old Joseph “Pepe” Porter came of age on Chicago’s southeast side in the 1980s he was submerged in the world house music. “There’s a very large amount of DJs who, during the origination of house music back in the early 80s [came] from the southeast side, who’ve gone on to 30-plus-year careers,” Porter says. According to Porter, each block had about two or three house DJs, and they’d spin at local parties—they provided Porter with ample opportunity to dive into the culture in his backyard. He tried his hand at DJing, “but mostly I was a partygoer.”
Maze’s program will be on hand at the fest to give DJ lessons to kids during the early part of the afternoon. The fest runs from 4 to 10 PM. Tickets are $20 at the gate, $10 in advance, and $5 for teenagers; children 12 and younger and senior citizens can get in free. Like the Chosen Few Picnic, this house festival is family friendly.
