DJ Deeon
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DJ Deeon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DJ Deeon in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Deeon Boyd |
| Also known as | Debo |
| Born | October 5, 1966 Chicago, Illinois |
| Origin | South Side, Chicago |
| Died | July 18, 2023 (aged 56) |
| Genres | Ghetto house[1] |
| Years active | 1980–2023 |
| Labels | Dance Mania |
Deeon Boyd (October 5, 1966 – July 18, 2023), known under his stage name DJ Deeon, was an American Chicago house DJ, credited with pioneering ghetto house and helping create the Dance Mania label.[2]
Boyd was born in Chicago in 1966. Growing up in a housing project in the South Side, he became interested in electronic music after listening to "Numbers" by Kraftwerk off their 1981 album Computer World, later discovering house mixes on WBMX.[3]
Career
Boyd started DJing in 1980, with Boyd being influenced by Kraftwerk, John Rocca, and Soulsonic Force.[4][5] He helped with the creation of the Dance Mania label with Ray Barney as well as creating the sound of ghetto house in the Chicago area.[6]
Boyd released his debut EP in 1994, named "Funk City".[7] After "Funk City", he released "Freak Like Me" in 1996, which is regarded as his most successful work.[7] Boyd would continue to release music regarded as classics in the house genre, such as "Bomb 96", "2 B Free", "Wicked", "Back 2 Skool", "House-O-Matic" and "The Freaks".[7][8] He was named in the Daft Punk song "Teachers" from their 1997 album Homework.[9]
In 2015, the record label Numbers reissued four tracks from Boyd in the EP Deeon Doez Deeon!.[10] In 2016, a remix of his track "Freak Like Me" by Lee Walker featuring Katy B and MNEK was released on Defected Records, reaching #80 on the UK Singles Chart.[11] In 2021, Boyd released Destiny on the label Teklife, with the proceeds of the project going to DJ Rashad's family after his death in 2014.[12] Starting from May 5, 2023, Boyd released four EPs over the span of 2 days, those EPs being "Bad Robot", "Glasgow to London", "My CPU" and "Space Age Digital Pimp".[13]
Personal life
In July 2020, Boyd launched a crowdfunding campaign for his health issues, having no income from gigs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no disability benefits due to his previous touring.[14] In June 2022, he revealed through his Facebook account that he had gone through amputation and pneumonia and was in an intensive care unit. A GoFundMe had started to cover his medical costs.[15][16] On July 18, 2023, he died of undisclosed causes.[17]
Artistry
Boyd's style has been described as minimal and raunchy, a staple of the ghetto house genre.[9] He personally described his work as "Get-freaky-with-a-stranger music. Girls kissing girls music. Stress-relief music."[7] He was known for using the Roland TR-909 drum machine as the main backbone of his tracks, the instrument "pushed to the breaking point, asked to provide a waterfall of drum sounds".[18]