A perennial innovator in soulful music and the arts, Ron Trent originally aspired to be an architect—an ethos he carried onto the dancefloor as a pioneering architect of house music.

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Inspired by his father’s record pool in the late ‘70s, Ron diligently studied, collected, and DJ'd from an early age, leading to the release of the seminal Altered States at just 14. Under the mentorship of Hula & Fingers, key figures in Chicago’s house and R&B scene, he refined his skills as a producer and musician, shaping the signature soulful, emotive sound that defined his influential label, Prescription, alongside Chez Damier in the early ‘90s.

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A champion of his home city, he founded SODA in 2016 to preserve underground music’s legacy, helping launch the Silver Room Block Party and Move Your Body Festival. His deep musical knowledge also fuelled his Giant Step/Sony productions, featuring artists like Amel Larrieux, Anastacia, Donnie, and Carl Hancock Rux.