Headphone Highlights – House Shoes: Hip-Hop Instrumentals

House Shoes, AKA Michael Buchanan, isn't concerned with popularity. Unfailingly outspoken, the Detroit-born DJ and producer condemns and exalts music with equal vigor. If he hates your record, expect soul-atomizing honesty. If he loves it, he’ll play it endlessly. For instance, after befriending a young J Dilla at a local record store and becoming enthralled by his music, House Shoes spun Dilla beats ad infinitum at famed Detroit venues like St. Andrews Hall, putting down the foundation for Dilla's career. During his years in the Motor City, House Shoes also championed then-unknown rappers like Danny Brown and Quelle Chris. Since moving to Los Angeles, he's become a fixture in the city’s perennially vibrant music scene, releasing his own music (2012's _Let it Go_), DJing at internationally renowned clubs like Low End Theory and hosting a weekly radio show on LA-based internet radio station dublab.