Ron Trent

Ron Trent distinguishes himself as perhaps the sole Chicago house producer behind one of techno's most acclaimed singles ever, unveiling the fourteen-minute creation "Altered States" during 1990 before turning from its rigid, hypnotic trance grooves toward a more melodic and immersive deep house aesthetic. Raised in Chicago, he absorbed extensive musical knowledge from his father, a disco DJ who operated a record pool. Still attending high school at the time of his initial outing on Armando's Warehouse label, Trent rapidly emerged as a dominant presence locally before leaving a lasting imprint on New York's scene. Upon resettling in his native city throughout the 2000s, his contributions as multi-instrumentalist, producer, remixer, DJ, and label head had already spread through underground dance music worldwide, with his involvement extending well into the 2020s. His joint efforts encompass the Afrobeat-inspired collective Urban Sound Gallery alongside the Latin house fusion project Batidos. Beyond multiple mix CDs and dozens of singles and EPs, Trent has issued solo albums including Primitive Arts (1999) and Dance Floor Boogie Delites (2011), plus What Do the Stars Say to You (2022), which blended styles, eras, and regions through guests spanning Azymuth to Khruangbin. Between those two albums, the compilation Prescription: Word, Sound & Power gathered standout tracks from Trent's acclaimed Prescription label.

Following "Altered States," which first appeared as the B-side to the 1990 12" "The Afterlife," Trent put out several additional singles prior to teaming with Chez Damier, who had previously worked with Kevin Saunderson and co-owned Detroit's historic Music Institute club. The duo cut tracks for Saunderson's KMS under the names Chez-N Trent and Ron & Chez D before launching their own Prescription imprint. That venture generated significant attention in deep house circles via its debut release, Romanthony's "The Wanderer" (1994), though it functioned chiefly as a vehicle for their own instantly collectible productions. Trent shifted over time from individual efforts and work with Damier to assemble a group of producers and vocalists known as USG, standing for Urban Sound Gallery. While later residing in Brooklyn, Trent and USG introduced themselves via the exquisite track "N Came U" on Clair Audience. He also formed another alliance with Anthony Nicholson. During 1999, a pair of Trent full-lengths surfaced on British imprints: first came USG's African Blues on Distance, followed by his own debut solo album Primitive Arts on Peacefrog.

Trent kept releasing 12" singles under his own name plus numerous one-off solo and joint aliases, yet complete studio albums and commercially available DJ mixes appeared regularly across the 2000s and 2010s. In those decades a fresh wave of dancers discovered Trent's expanding catalog through consistent reissues. His production albums from the period include Dance Floor Boogie Delites (2011) and Raw Footage (also 2011), issued via the artist-run Future Vision and Electric Blue. Among his DJ mixes are Mix the Vibe: Urban Afro Blues (Nite Grooves, 2000), Giant Step Records Sessions, Vol. 1 (Giant Step, 2001), Deep & Sexy, Vol. 2 (Wave, 2003), and Coast 2 Coast (NRK, 2007). Throughout, Trent's classic tracks received periodic revivals from attentive labels such as the Netherlands-based Rush Hour, which assembled highlights from the celebrated Prescription catalog on Prescription: Word, Sound & Power (2017). A limited boxed set called Music and Power (2020) featured a 12" single ("The Coming") paired with a mixed double CD. Continuing his active role as remixer, Trent delivered well-regarded versions of St. Germain's "Rose Rouge" and Khruangbin's "Shida" in 2021. Khruangbin, together with Azymuth's Ivan Conti and Alex Malheiros plus Jean-Luc Ponty and Gigi Masin, contributed to Trent's fittingly titled WARM project, which produced the reflective yet engaging album What Do the Stars Say to You in 2022.