Winter Holiday. Sinesa Lazarevic and Frankie Knuckles

On May 8, a spectacular celebration of the birthday of legendary promoter Sinesa Lazarevic will take place in the ZIMA project, without whose participation the trendy Jazz Cafe, Circus, Theatrical Apartment, Shambala, and Zima have resonated in Moscow. In addition to all friends and allies, Frankie Knuckles, a man whom many call the "Godfather of House Music," is coming to celebrate with the birthday boy.

Frankie Knuckles.

The man whom many call the "Godfather of House Music" began his career as a DJ in the early '70s in New York. At that time he was still a teenager, several years before the emergence of Disco, the first style in the burgeoning club movement. Years later, in Chicago, he was already mixing old disco hits with the rhythms of contemporary drum machines for an advanced audience in clubs Music Box and Warehouse. Another ten years later, Frankie Knuckles returned home to New York as a producer and arranger for many pop stars. His career has lasted longer than anyone's in this business, and his name will forever remain in the annals of history.

Born in 1955, Frankie Knuckles listened to a lot of jazz from childhood, thanks to his sister and her music collection. Before his first DJ set in 1971, he devoted much time to promoting and clothing design. Later fate brought him together with Larry Levan; at that time they worked together in a new club of Nicky Siano, "Gallery," and later in another iconic place - "Continental Bath." Larry later left to open his own club "Soho Place," while Frankie worked as a resident DJ there until its closure. When a group of promoters approached Larry asking him to be a DJ at a new Chicago club, he preferred to give way to the more capable Frankie rather than pursue his own commercial interests. Thus, in 1977 Knuckles ended up in Chicago, surprising visitors at the WAREHOUSE with his unusual New York mixing technique.

In 1983, Frankie opened his first club The Power Plant. At that time, Ron Hardy in the Music Box preached gay culture, but in contrast, Knuckles focused on musicians from the southern states of the USA, such as Marshal Jefferson, Larry Heard, Adonis, Steve "Silk" Hurley, and many others.

After 15 years, Frankie had accumulated DJ experience, created his own tracks, released his own singles, and had his own label Trax Records. In the mid-'80s, his works such as "Your Love", "Baby Wants To Ride", "You Got The Love", and "Angel" (in collaboration with vocalist Jamie Principle) became classics of Chicago house. His further career repeatedly brought him together with stars like David Morales, Fingers, Robert Owens, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Inner City, and En Vogue. But this happened already in New York, where Frankie moved in 1987.

Ultimately, in 1991 the VIRGIN studio signed Frankie for the release of his first album "Beyond The Mix." Singles from this album "The Whistle Song", "Rainfalls", and "Workout" hit every possible dance chart. His second album, released in 1995, "Welcome To The Real World," continued releasing singles and producing young artists.