We recently connected with Elijah Horton and have shared our conversation below.

Elijah, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project is the one I joined in 2022 and am still a part of currently. In the summer of 2022 I started DJing for the South Loop Farmers Market in Chicago, IL. The first couple of years I would DJ for the market a handful times during their summer market season.

The following year I began DJing at the Hyde Park Farmers Market here in Chicago, during their summer market season. At the start of 2024 I became the resident DJ for the South Loop Farmers Market first indoor winter market season.

Initially, when I learned how to DJ and started going to local venues trying to get gigs, I had it in my mind that I would be playing parties, lounges, bars, clubs etc. That was what I saw on social media, so that was what I assumed for myself. When I first started DJing at the farmers market it was a bit unsettling. I was unsure of myself and if it was a good fit. I felt out of my comfort zone. The market was on a Thursday afternoon. I was still very much learning. I was battling self doubt, ego, struggling with how I would be perceived as a DJ that plays at farmers markets.

As time went on, I came to recognize and appreciate the opportunity for the blessing it is. It is a chance to connect with people, share happiness and joy with people. A chance to be in the moment.

Present day the South Loop Farmers Market has expanded to two locations and I am DJing at both of them for their winter indoor market season. On Saturdays, the market takes place at Roosevelt Collection Shops (150 W Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL) and on Sundays at Water Tower Place (835 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL).

The Hyde Park Farmers Market indoor winter market season takes place in November & December at The Promontory (5311 S Lake Park Ave W, Chicago, IL) and during the summer just across the street.

DJing at farmers markets is the most meaningful opportunity I’ve been blessed with by far!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was introduced to music by my late father. He played a huge role in the love I have for music and how I relate to it. As kids, my younger brother and I would ride around in the car with my dad. He would play his CDs and explain to us what made the music so special, as we were forced to listen. That planted a seed. A seed that I’m just beginning to understand, and reap the fruits of now.

Music gives us the ability to express ourselves in ways when words simply do not suffice. We can connect with people. The connection piece is something that I have grown to appreciate in recent years. That is what brings me the most joy and gratification, being able to connect with people.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It does feel like a calling. All of us go through dark times in life. I myself have had over a decade long struggle with anxiety, and depression. We all have fears, and face battles with self.

Sharing music with people gives me the opportunity to let them know that they are not alone in their struggles. That they are seen in their endeavors. Even if for a few moments while they are visiting the market, and they get the chance to hear a song from their childhood possibly. Remembering ‘simpler’ times, and the nostalgia that provides. That brief reprieve from life’s issues. As humans, all we want is to be happy. It is easy to forget the ‘why’ in the business of life in America.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I play a lot of music from the 60s, 70s & 80s. It is what my father raised me on. Soul, groove, jazz, boogie, disco, funk, r&b. When older people, those that lived through those decades hear that music and instantly get taken back in time. The joy that overcomes them. Seeing them smile, dance and groove to the music. Some of them share with me stories of the first time they heard a song, or a special story related to a song, artist or album.

For them to know that the history of that music, the messages of that music lives on. To see them enjoy life again like it’s 1976 and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life just came out. That is the biggest reward for me as a DJ.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/djelithesaint
• Instagram: @eli_thesaint
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ElitheSaint

Image Credits

-Alexander White
-Matthew Gabriel