With 30+ years of experience behind the decks and a deep affection for music that runs multiple lifetimes, Lee Collins embodies the definition of a house veteran. Born and bred in Chicago, Lee’s passion started right at home, where his mother played the records he later started to collect on vinyl and playing at 13. To him, collecting and playing records were intertwined, since he always play something interesting Lee keeps coming back to the record stores. That mentality hasn’t left him since.
Lee, like Sadar Bahar, grew up in the pivotal time for dance music in Chicago, where he was surrounded by some of the pioneers who paved the way for DJs like himself. Having had the opportunity to learn his DJ-ing trade under the wings of legendary pioneers Frankie Knuckles, Farley Keith, Ron Hardy, Andre Hatchett & Robert Owens, Lee quickly began incorporating his own musical preference, partly inherited from his mother, into his mixes. This resulted in the progressive funky soul sound that’s he’s still known for today.
In 1983, Lee started his own college radio show called Disco Madness, named after the album containing his favorite record "Let No Man Put Asunder" by First Choice. It gained much interest from the Chicago house community that at a certain moment in 1985, Disco Madness was rivaling WBMX’s Hot Mix Five! The radio show also kickstarted Lee’s career and resulted in various “Disco Madness” club nights at the legendary Music Box in 1986. After another residency at Bad Boys, around the start of the 90s, Lee went in the studio to produce music, where he created his first 12” single: "Thrill Me" - Rhythm Section, alongside long-time friend Anthony Nicholson. Later, Lee teamed up with Sadar Bahar and Russoul and formed a production company called "Soul in the Hole". Lee and Sadar are currently in the studio working on the "Soul in the Hole" album.
Whether it’s through his own productions or when he puts records on the turntables, the spirit of the Music Box, arguably the foundation of house music and club culture, lives on through Lee and the Soul In The Hole project!
