Glenn Underground

Among producers specializing in deep house, Glenn Underground ranks among the most profound, building upon Larry Heard's foundational Chicago recordings through his own grounded rhythms that draw nearer to disco's spiritual essence than most house music of the era. His unauthorized reworking of the foundational disco track Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," produced by Giorgio Moroder, has become an essential selection in house DJ record collections. Recording under the GU moniker, he contributed material to the emerging Chicago imprint Cajual/Relief as well as European outlets such as Peacefrog, DJAX-Up-Beats, SSR, and Guidance. Growing up in Chicago, he frequently observed his uncle's ensemble during rehearsals and took up the Fender Rhodes keyboard belonging to the group. By 1991 he had begun both DJing and capturing tracks on tape for incorporation into his performances.

An early effort involved an edited interpretation of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" that rapidly gained traction throughout Chicago clubs and convinced Cajual Records founder Cajmere to start issuing Glenn Underground material. Over the course of 1995-1996 the label put out more than a dozen GU singles and EPs, even as additional singles and the debut album Atmosfear appeared in 1996 on the British imprint Peacefrog. The 1997 Secrets of CVO EP on Guidance broadened his engagement with 1970s sources through spare, minimalist fusion-funk, including a guitar solo by Stevie Israel on the track "House of Blues." That same year Peacefrog released the compilation The Jerusalem EP's, showcasing an expansive range spanning Detroit techno, deep funk, and house. Glenn Underground had previously launched the collective Strictly Jaz Unit alongside longtime associates Boo Williams, Brian Harden, Tim Harper, and Cei-Bei, resulting in the LP Future Parables on London's Defender Records. The solo album A Story of Deepness arrived in 1999. Glenn Underground and Williams additionally operate Strictly Jaz Productions.