D.J. International Records is a Chicago

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

founded in 1985 that specializes in

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

, a type of electronic dance music. In the 1980s, DJ International Records released music by key house innovators such as

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1 ...

Ron Hardy Ron Hardy (May 8, 1958 – March 2, 1992) was an American, Chicago, Illinois-based DJ and record producer of early house music. He is well known for playing records at the Muzic Box, a Chicago house music club. Decades after his death, he is re ...

(his 1986 remix of

the It ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

’s track “Donnie”), Hot Mix 5 member

Farley "Jackmaster" Funk Farley "Jackmaster" Funk (born Farley Keith Williams; January 25, 1962) is an American musician, DJ and record producer of Chicago house and acid house music. He is notable for writing and producing a number of highly influential tracks in the ...

(his 1986 track " Love Can't Turn Around"), Steve “Silk” Hurley (his 1985 "

Music Is The Key "Music Is the Key" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor and all-male American a cappella group Naturally 7. The song was written and produced by longtime collaborators Rob Tyger and Kay Denar and recorded for Connor's third studio a ...

"), and Marshall Jefferson (his 1986 song " Move Your Body"). DJ International Records also released

ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000 ...

’s song "It's You", Dymond's " Wild About Your Love" and

Liz Torres Elizabeth Larrieu Torres (born September 27, 1947) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Torres is best known for her role as Mahalia Sanchez in the NBC comedy series ''The John Larroquette Show'' (1993–1996), for which she received two ...

' " What You Make Me Feel". The label also had

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

, such as Adonis's 1987 " The Poke", and Tyree's " Acid Over" and there were late 1980s

hip house Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and hip hop, that originated in both London, United Kingdom and Chicago, United States in the mid to late 1980s. British group the Beatmaste ...

recordings, too, such as Fast Eddie's "

Hip House Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and hip hop, that originated in both London, United Kingdom and Chicago, United States in the mid to late 1980s. British group the Beatmaste ...

" and "

Yo Yo Get Funky ''Yo'' is a slang interjection, commonly associated with North American English. It was popularized by the Italian-American community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1940s. Although often used as a greeting and often deployed at the ...

". In the early 1990s, the label released Mike Dunn's song " Jass Yo Azz Off". Udiscover Music called the "history of DJ International...the history of house music, the very DNA of modern dance music." In 2019, the label’s master recordings that were not acquired by other entities were bought by Universal Music. In August 2020, DJ International debuted a posthumous Frankie Knuckles track ‘Carefree (I Am A Star)’ as the first release from the forthcoming ''Jackmaster 7'' album, a follow-up of the six ''Jackmaster'' albums the label put out between 1987 and 1991.

References

American record labels House music record labels Universal Music Group Record labels established in 1985 1985 establishments in Illinois {{record-label-stub