Biography
Chicago-based DJ, producer, and songwriter Aaron Smith has specialized in deep, soulful house since the early 1990s. His most active stretch during that era came through the UBQ Project partnership with Terry Hunter, which issued multiple original cuts and delivered remixes for Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Masters at Work, and additional artists. Yet Smith’s signature release remains the 2004 single “Dancin’,” a track that received repeated remixes and samples across subsequent years before achieving widespread meme circulation in the late 2010s.
Smith and Hunter launched UBQ Project in 1990; their debut single “Into the Night” was co-written by Chicago house legend Ron Trent. The EP Volume II followed in 1991 and spotlighted the single “When I Fell N Luv,” performed by Kathy Summers. Further UBQ Project singles surfaced throughout the decade, with key selections gathered on the 1994 full-length All the Best. The duo also supplied remixes for numerous house and R&B acts, among them Zhané (“Hey Mr. D.J.” and “Vibe”), Michael Jackson (“This Time Around”), Full Intention (“America [I Love America]”), and others. Smith additionally issued a handful of solo singles, notably “U Got Me Going Around” in 1993 and “Keep the Love” in 1996.
In 2004 Smith issued “Dancin’,” featuring vocalist Luvli. The upbeat, energetic number slowly gained traction as a club and radio favorite, especially the JJ Flores & Steve Smooth remix, which entered Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay chart in early 2006. Laidback Luke’s remix appeared in early 2012, though Krono’s 2013 version ultimately proved the track’s most enduring iteration. After Ultra Records released the video in 2014, it accumulated several million views. The song later became a staple among meme creators and was sampled by Don Diablo on his 2016 track “Cutting Shapes.” Once the Krono mix of “Dancin’” was paired with footage from the video game A Hat in Time, the track surged in popularity, accumulating hundreds of millions of streams and reaching Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart in 2019.
Smith and Hunter launched UBQ Project in 1990; their debut single “Into the Night” was co-written by Chicago house legend Ron Trent. The EP Volume II followed in 1991 and spotlighted the single “When I Fell N Luv,” performed by Kathy Summers. Further UBQ Project singles surfaced throughout the decade, with key selections gathered on the 1994 full-length All the Best. The duo also supplied remixes for numerous house and R&B acts, among them Zhané (“Hey Mr. D.J.” and “Vibe”), Michael Jackson (“This Time Around”), Full Intention (“America [I Love America]”), and others. Smith additionally issued a handful of solo singles, notably “U Got Me Going Around” in 1993 and “Keep the Love” in 1996.
In 2004 Smith issued “Dancin’,” featuring vocalist Luvli. The upbeat, energetic number slowly gained traction as a club and radio favorite, especially the JJ Flores & Steve Smooth remix, which entered Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay chart in early 2006. Laidback Luke’s remix appeared in early 2012, though Krono’s 2013 version ultimately proved the track’s most enduring iteration. After Ultra Records released the video in 2014, it accumulated several million views. The song later became a staple among meme creators and was sampled by Don Diablo on his 2016 track “Cutting Shapes.” Once the Krono mix of “Dancin’” was paired with footage from the video game A Hat in Time, the track surged in popularity, accumulating hundreds of millions of streams and reaching Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart in 2019.
Albums
Singles
