Theo Parrish

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Theo Parrish (born 1972) is an American DJ and record producer based in Detroit. He’s known for his genre-spanning DJ sets and unconventional house music. He runs the Sound Signature label and is a member of the group 3 Chairs.

He was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Chicago, where he absorbed jazz, soul, and other sounds. He studied at the Chicago Academy of the Arts and the Kansas City Art Institute, where he worked on sound sculptures using live instruments, voices and loops. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1994, he moved to Detroit and joined the city’s music scene. He released “Lake Shore Drive” as a Moodymann B-side in 1995, and his first solo EP Baby Steps came out in 1996. He started the Sound Signature label in 1997 and released his debut LP First Floor in 1998 on Peacefrog Records. Parrish is part of 3 Chairs (with Rick Wilhite, Moodymann, and Marcellus Pitman), The Rotating Assembly, and T.O.M. Project. He often uses the Akai MPC 2000XL in his productions.

Parrish’s sets mix classics and obscurities from disco, jazz, soul, and new wave into slow-burning, immersive grooves. Critics note his mastery of repetition and the way his long performances educate and entertain about black dance music.