Boo​ ​Williams​ ​has​ ​been​ ​a​ ​part​ ​of​ ​Chicago’s​ ​house​ ​music​ ​entourage​ ​since​ he first​ ​stepped​ ​up​ ​to​ ​the​ ​turntables​ ​in 1981. Born Willie Griffin in 1967, he grew up listening to blues,​ ​jazz, and​ ​disco,​ ​all before he began spinning records under the watchful eyes of the city’s legendary house music originators, among them Frankie Knuckles, Gene Hunt, and Ron Hardy. Through the ’80s and ’90s, Williams found himself a regular at local spots such ​​Mendel​ ​High​ ​School,​ ​The​ ​Humming​ ​Bird,​ ​Gentle​ ​Persuasion,​ ​The​ ​Bismarck​ ​Hotel, and​ ​The​ ​Congress​ ​Hotel, all before he’d even stepped foot into production.

If playing music established Williams’ artistic reputation in Chicago, making music cemented his reputation beyond it. Introduced by Glenn Crocker (a.k.a Glenn Underground), the founding member of the Strictly Jaz Unit and one of Chicago house’s most revered names, Williams began experimenting with production in the early ’90s.

Williams learned of Crocker’s music-making one evening at local spot the Power House. With Williams behind the decks, Crocker handed him a tape, which he played, and the room went off: “From that point, I was smiling because the crowd was slam dancing,” Williams recalls. “That’s a Chicago thing! I was amazed because I didn’t know that Glenn [Crocker] made music like that.”

Sometime later, Crocker borrowed Williams’ tape deck to show off some more of his new material, and this formed the basis for a fruitful and longstanding relationship. Under Crocker’s instruction, Williams learned the ropes of music-making before releasing his first EP, A New Beginning, in 1994 on Relief Records. “….I would go over to his [Crocker’s] house almost every day until nightfall to work on music, then I would start to spend the night over his house making music all day and night,” Williams recalls.

These early experiments formed the basis for a long and ever-growing discography. In there, you’ll find a collaborative record with Crocker himself, 1995’s Boo Williams vs Glen Underground, concealed somewhat by an almost unfathomable number of solo EPs, DJ mixes, singles, and compilations, plus two albums, 1996’s Home Town Chicago and 2001’s Universal Limits. He also released as Willie Snickers, Moon Man, and Strictly Jaz Unit.

Much of this material, an authentic and soulful strain of house music, serves as the bar to which modern producers in these genres try to reach; and, while it’s nearly three decades old, it’s as popular among house DJs today as it was back then. (“Mortal Trance,” released in 1997 on Residual Records, then by Amsterdam’s Rush Hour, is one of several stone-cold classics.) As more releases come, and his tours continue, Williams etches himself deeper and deeper into house music history.

Williams’ XLR8R podcast comes straight from his Chicago studio, recorded just recently at XLR8R‘s request. It’s slick, smooth, and deliciously soulful, formed of records old and new, joined by one common purpose: “I select the records that make people dance and move, you have to dig for it,” he says. Download it now via the button below.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

01. What have you been up to recently?

I’ve been taking it easy post-summer so I can find a way to make my music better and keep the industry going.

02. Where was this mix recorded?

At home in the place I call the Lab.

03. How did you select the tracks that you included?

I select the records that make people dance and move, you have to dig for it.

04. How does the mix compare to one of your club sets?

Can never really compare, in the club it’s live and upfront in your face.

05. Where do you do your record shopping these days?

Anywhere and everywhere.

06. What’s next, looking forward?

Heading to Brazil this weekend and Europe in November to give the masses a great service!

Tracklisting

01. Dj Fudge “Ponta Negro” (Kif)
02. Glenn Underground “Mystic Futuuristic” (Strictly Jaz Unit)
03. Souidynaamic “Nyirit” (Purple)
04. Glenn Underground “Vision” (Remix (Strictly Jaz Unit)
05. Doza “The Nautilus” (Hunt & Gather)
06. Pirahnahead “NGTVNRG” (Whasdat)
07. Glenn aka C.V.O “Protoype” (Strictly Jaz Unit)
08. Boo Williams “TST Wreck” (Strictly Jaz Unit)
09. Unknown “MAS” (Unknown)