DJ Sneak

These days, so many house DJs and producers are indistinguishable from one another. That's probably because most of them are trying to emulate Chicago's DJ Sneak and his counterparts, who were at the vanguard of the Windy City's nascent house scene in the mid-'90s. Looking back to disco melodies and beats, Sneak helped create a signature sound that sparked a paradigm shift in dance music. Early on, he produced a handful of tunes that helped propel the burgeoning underground hipster sound into the mainstream. Since then, Sneak has done his best to keep house music relevant and vital by pumping out songs flush with thick, infectious melodies layered on top of funky beats and rich instrumentation. Catch him in the act this Saturday, August 12, at Shelter.