DJ MERK 1, born and raised on the north side of Chicago, is widely revered for his eclectic selections which fuse classic hip-hop, downtempo, funk, break beats, soul, boogie, neo soul & acid jazz, rounded out with upbeat atmospheric sounds.

Crediting his unique style and love of vinyl to a Classic Rock and Chicago Blues record collection passed down from his father, Merk1 began his foray into Hip Hop culture as a B-Boy in the mid-90′s Hyde Park / The Point scenes. But after having battled legendary crews like Chi Rock Nation, Brickheads, Push Squad, Adidas Boys, Phase II, it was a natural progression to step into the other ‘elements. As a graf writer, Merk1 has been a member of the preeminent Chicago crew CMW as well as a founding member of the Dirty 30 (D30). And as a DJ he’s one half of the Dirty Social w/ DJ Intel and The Soul Patch Crew.