POSTCARDS FROM 88… Gene Hunt

There’s no doubt that the summer of 1988 marked a watershed moment in the history of dance, as the house rhythms of Chicago, artistic exuberance of Ibiza, and electronic soundscapes of Detroit surged through club culture. Acid house had arrived.

With this in mind, 909originals presents ‘Postcards from 88’, a series that sees leading DJs, promoters, journalists, club owners, photographers, and of course the clubbers themselves, shed some light on just what went on during those halcyon days, 30 years ago.

This week’s Postcards from 88 comes from a Chicago house music pioneer, who has worked with everyone from Frankie Knuckles to Ron Hardy to Carl Cox over his 30+ year career… Gene Hunt.  

Q. Do you remember what you were doing as the Summer of 1988 started?

I was still in high school. But I had gigs every weekend, and I would also work on tracks and do remixes on my reel to reel tape recorder.

Q. Was there a particular tune or tunes from the Summer of 1988 that stood out for you?

808 State’s Pacific was one of favourites. That track had so many vibes, and it was a groove. Also Strings of Life by Derrick May, and Thompson and Lenoir’s You Can’t Stop the House.

The following year, I released my first record, Living in a Land, on Trax Records.

It was a proper 909 Acid track; back in that day, everyone used to make their stuff on a 707. Also we would play uncut stuff on tape, and from reel to reel.

Q. How do you think the ‘spirit of 88’ changed dance music, and clubbing in general?

It’s an amazing vibe – the music grabs your soul and the truth is right there!

Q. If the ‘you’ from 1988 could give the ‘you’ from 2018 a piece of music-related advice, what would it be?

Don’t stop the groove. Keep it going as long as you can.

[Thanks again to Gene for this week’s interview. Postcards from 88 continues next week. Check out the other interviews in the series by clicking here] . Kudos to TheMikkehouse and Boiler Room for the YouTube uploads]