‘Rivalry is our last name:’ Chicago and Detroit battle on the dancefloor

In Chicago, it was house. In Detroit, it was techno. The two genres ushered a new electronic sound into the dance music world. Despite their proximity and shared roots in disco, some consider them rivals. But are they? And what about their adjacent dance cultures, Detroit jit and Chicago footwork?

Curious Midwest is a collaboration between Curious City, WUWM’s Bubbler Talk and WDET’s CuriousiD. We’re answering listener questions about the connections between these cities.

WBEZ’s Erin Allen and WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley focus on Detroit and Chicago, the two cities that became ground zero for electronic dance music and footwork from the Midwest.