Steve Poindexter (born 1965) is an American

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

producer and DJ. He is best known for his 1989 track "Work That Mutha Fucker", which is considered to be one of the first Chicago

ghetto house Ghetto house or booty house is a subgenre of house music which started being recognized as a distinct style from around 1992 onwards. It features minimal 808 and 909 drum machine-driven tracks and sometimes sexually explicit lyrics. The templat ...

tracks.

Early life

Poindexter was born in 1965. His father was a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer and his mother was a backup singer for

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...

. In 1975, at the age of ten, Poindexter started DJing for Saturday night parties held at Mendel High School on the South Side of Chicago.

Career

Inspired by

Jesse Saunders Jesse Saunders (born on 10 March 1962) is an American house music musician, DJ, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur. His 1984 single, ''" On & On"'', co-written with Vince Lawrence, is widely regarded as one of the first house musi ...

' "On and On", Poindexter and his cousin John Hunt started experimenting with

drum machines A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

and began creating edits to play at parties. Poindexter's first record, the '' Work That Mutha Fucker'' EP, came out in 1989 as the first release on his and

Armando Armando may refer to: * Armando (given name) * Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd * Armando (producer) Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...

's label Muzique Records. The title track, built on the

Casio is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It ...

RZ-1 drum machine and featuring Poindexter's repeated "work that motherfucker" vocal

sample Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

, is considered to be an iconic

track and hugely influential on the genre. Ghetto house producer

DJ Deeon Deeon Boyd (October 5, 1966 – July 18, 2023), known under his stage name DJ Deeon, was an American Chicago house DJ, credited with pioneering ghetto house and helping create the Dance Mania label. Early life Boyd was born in Chicago in 196 ...

listed "Computer Madness" from the EP as one of his five top ghetto house tracks, describing Poindexter as "a leading legend in this shit" for his generation of house producers.

Discography

;Albums * ''Man at Work'' (1996) ;EPs * '' Work That Mutha Fucker'' (1989) * ''Short Circuit'' (1989) * ''Phase II'' (1991) * ''Chaotic Nation'' (1991) * ''190 Octane'' (1993) * ''Demolition Man'' (1997) * ''Rise'' (1999) * ''The State of Shock EP'' (2010) * ''Street Fighter EP'' (2015) * ''Classic Collection, Vol 1'' (2016)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poindexter, Steve House musicians DJs from Chicago 1965 births Living people American electronic dance music DJs