Mike Dearborn

Though he was born on Chicago's south side and grew up listening to house, Mike Dearborn's recordings for Djax-Up-Beats have been embraced more by the worldwide underground techno and tech-house axis. Though he began his production career in the late '80s, Dearborn retired early after being chiseled by a succession of greedy Chicago labels. A deal with the underground Dutch label Djax gave him another shot in 1991. His nine releases for the label -- including club classics like "Strictly Underground," "Hardcore Swinger" and "Unpredictable" -- made his name around the world as ...