House Shoes

House Shoes' crucial role in the development of Detroit hip-hop was fully understood only by those who closely witnessed the DJ/producer's activities as an artist and advocate. Born Michael Buchanan, House Shoes was raised in Lathrup Village, a small city surrounded by the Detroit suburb of Southfield. From the mid-'90s through the early 2000s, he was a resident DJ at Detroit's St. Andrew's Hall. He worked at a number of record stores in and around the city, including Melodies & Memories and Street Corner Music. Slowly but surely, he racked up production credits for the likes of Common Ground, Proof, and Elzhi. Through House Shoes Recordings, he issued Phat Kat's J Dilla-produced "Dedication to the Suckers," a ten-track compilation of rare Dilla mixes and productions titled Jay Dee Unreleased, and The House Shoes Collection, Vol. 1: I Got Next — a two-CD set featuring material from Slum Village, Guilty Simpson, Royce da 5'9", Lacks, Dabrye, and several others, with some material produced by House Shoes himself. As a DJ, he also went on the road with many of the above-mentioned artists, as well as Aloe Blacc and Mayer Hawthorne. Production-wise, House Shoes — who eventually relocated to Los Angeles — was never one to flood the market, though his output increased around 2010-2012. This culminated in an album, Let It Go, issued on the Tres label in June 2012.