Concert Preview--Bad Boy Bill at Voodoo Lounge

There aren't many names within the global house community as recognizable as Bad Boy Bill's. As the long-time poster boy for Chicago house, Bill has been taking house music to higher and higher levels since the mid-'80s, when he used to open for the famed Hot Mix 5. While he cut his teeth playing grimy Southside parties and building on the foundation started by pioneers like Frankie Knuckles, his DJing prowess eventually spilled outside of the Chicago area, as raves and dance culture grew more popular in the early 1990s. As a multifaceted DJ, Bill was known back then for consistently rocking some of the hottest and most intense sets that many house audiences had ever experienced. Two decades later, that still hasn't changed. Although he's definitely a part of the second wave of Chicago house stalwarts, he also, as one of the most versatile DJs in the history of the genre, mixes electro and downtempo sets with the best of them. He's in town spinning a special set and promoting his newest release, Behind the Decks Live, an interactive CD/DVD combination that's getting solid reviews. If you want to judge it for yourself, catch him this weekend at Voodoo, where he'll be on the decks until the wee hours of the morning. --Jonathan Cunningham