| House | |
| Stylistic origins | Disco, Hi-NRG, Synth Pop |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins | Chicago, US |
| Typical instruments | Drum Machine, Synthesizer, DAW |
| Derivative forms | Juke, Techno, Trance |
| Subgenres | |
| Acid House, Balearic House, Deep House, Electro House, Euro House, French House, Garage House, Hard House, Jackin' House, Leftfield House, Microhouse, Moombahton, Organic House, Outsider House, Piano House, Progressive House, Stutter House, Tribal House, Tropical House | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Bass House, Bassline House, Disco House, Electro Swing, Freestyle House, Funky House, Future House, Gangsta House, Ghetto House, Hip House, Jazz House, Phonk House, Tech House | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Brazilian Bass, Latin House, Vinahouse | |
| Local scenes | |
| Chicago Hard House, Chicago House, Detroit House | |
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in the mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino-American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other locations such as London (the first European city in the world to bring house music from Chicago), New York City, New Jersey, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami. It then reached Europe, and since the early to mid-1990s, it has been infused into mainstream pop and dance music worldwide.
Early house music was generally dance-based music characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats and rhythms centered around drum machines, off-beat cymbals, and synthesized basslines. Whilst house displayed several characteristics similar to disco music, it was more electronic, minimalistic, and less structured around the song rather than a repetitive rhythm. House music today, whilst keeping several of these core elements, notably the prominent kick drum on every beat, and a tempo of 130 beats per minute, varies a lot in style and influence, ranging from the soulful and atmospheric deep house to the more minimalistic microhouse. House music has also fused with several other genres creating fusion subgenres, such as Euro house and tech house.
It has its roots in disco, primarily consistent with electronic instrumentation and elements of funk, disco, and techno. Subgenres include acid house (house made with Roland synthesizers) and trance (music similar to techno with house song structure). Daft Punk, whose music crossfades house, techno, funk, acid, pop, rock, and hip-hop, is an example of a highly acclaimed house artist. House music is a blend of Disco, Electro, Soul, Jazz, Salsa, Electronica, Electronic, Soul, Pop, Hip-Hop, Dance, DJ, Club, Independent, Experimental, Underground, Rave, Acid, Latin, Funk, Synth-Pop, Micro, Minimal, Techno, Gospel, Chillout, Lounge, Bassline, Breaks, Hardcore, Tribal and many more.
House music actually began in 1981 in Chicago, when Disco was on its way out and Dance music was having a backlash in America. In 1982 A radio station launched a so-called House Mix show called (HOT MIX 5) that was really unique according to people as they didn't have people doing mixes on Radio and was very unique to people as they did know mixes in clubs but mixes Radio was just phenomenal. (HOT MIX 5) really gave just the meat & beat of the records and that's what really made it famous. As the show progressed, they started to do really creative things like cutting tape and not just using 2 turn tables and a mixer. In 1983 a new club opened in Chicago, The Muzic Box. Over the years, there have been many House sounds. To this day, House music remains extremely popular around the world.
The first, original, and earliest style of House music, is (Chicago house) and DJs launched Trax Records. House music was about produce it's very first track (Jamie Principle- Your Love). This was the original rawer version of the well-known much loved Classic 1987 Frankie Knuckles Version. No longer recycling old Disco, House music was something new, something fresh but it just wasn't on vinyl until the second House track (Jesse Saunders- On+On). However, it wasn't much and didn't do as good as Your Love but it was what triggered the Chicago house boom out of the cubs and into the city. By 1985 every kid in Chicago with their drum machine and keyboard was making House. From early releases from Adonis, Farm Boy, Chip E and Raze. However, despite the record company having a string of classics, bitterness was bubbling at Trax Records. The same year the first style of House music came out, House Music was also spreading and gaining popularity in New York created their version of (Deep house), (NY Garage), the second House music sound to come out.
But In late 1985 a new style of House was born,(Acid house). In 1986 House music was ready to cross the Atlantic. In Manchester DJ's weren't just playing House music, they were making it. In 1986 the first British House track was released, (T-Coy-Carino). House music was also being made in Ibiza. By 1987, House music had arrived in every country in the world. In 1988 in the Netherlands 3 new House sounds were born, (Hard house), (Gabber house) and (Mellow house). In 1987 a new style of House music was made, (Pop house). (Pop house), a House sound that was Pop with house beats really made progress. This was when House music really started to cross all boundaries. Krush- House Arrest (1987), was probably the first (Pop house) track to go Top Of The Pops back in 1987. It wasn't long before a series of (Pop house) tracks spread across the nation. In 1988, (Coldcut.- Doctorin The House) took House to Great Britain's Top Of The Pops as well. But it was Black Box's (Ride On Time) that really had House at Top Of The Pops and at No.1 for 6 weeks back In 1989. In that year in Italy, another Style Of House music was produced, (Italo house, also known, as Italian house), with DJs & Artists such as 49ers, F.P.I. Project, The Mixmasters, and RFTR.
In 1987 Steve Silk Hurley's Jack Your Body was the House track that reached No.1 in Britain. In 1986 another style of House music was made. It's name, (Hip-House), House music with a blend of hip hop and rap in it. M/A/R/R/S/-Pump Up The Volume (1986) was the first (Hip house) track, so it seems. In the late 80's, 3 new House sounds shot out and made really big success, (Rave house),(Techno house, also known as House Techno Or Tech house), (Break house) and (Leftfield house). Artists in this House music genre are, Forgemasters, Rhythm Is Rhythm, Sweet Exorcist, Lost Entity, Tricky Disco, LFO, Rhythm On The Loose, Space Opera, Bizzare Inc., Rhythmatic, 808 State, The Hynophisist, Baby Ford, Fast Eddie, Basstonik, Leftfield, Man With No Name, Brian Pern (although he was a progressive rock singer/songwriter), Liquid Oxygen, Altern 8, Cubik, Lil Louis, Cyclone, Cola Boy and many more. By 1990 House music dominated Pop music. Even Pop Legend Madonna created her first and only House tune (Vogue, 1990) that was a massive (Pop house) classic. In the same year, another House music sound was made, Soulful house. A House beat with lots of soul in i, and by 1990& 1992) Disco house was invented. With artists such as, N-Joi, Ce Ce Peniston, Crystal Waters, Lisa The Cult Jam etc. This was when big clubs opened such as Ministry Of Sound who were one of the biggest clubs to be making House music.
Back In 1990 euro house was created by mixing Eurodance with house. In 1993 A House sound in Germany called Microhouse was created. This House sound was very very futuristic, and very minimal techno style as that's where Microhouse's roots came from. From 1992 hard house started to go in the charts with [Felix's Don't You Want Me, 1992], [Human Resource's- Dominator and Got My Fire Burning, both 1991]. When House Music arrived in France, two styles of house music were created with [Big House], House Music mixed with big beat such as [Code Secret- Fantom House, 1989] [Downtempo House], House Music with downtempo such as [Bomb The Bass- Say A Little Prayer, 1989] and [Synth Pop House] with [New Order's- Round And Round 1989], which became a massive House track in France. Also blissful acid house tracks were being made there with the French House track [The Garden Of Eden's- Garden Of Eden, 1988]. Also the same year back in Britain, acid house tracks started to go in the pop charts with acts like S-Express with their two No.1 House tracks, [Theme From S-Express] being the most popular followed by [Super Guyfly] and [Hey Music Lover] all three from 1988. [Samantha Fox's- Love House, 1989], [D-Mob's- We Call It Acieed, 1988] and [A Guy Called Gerald's- Voodoo Ray, 1988]. Back In Chicago house music artists and DJs were flying over to Britain to play at clubs such as the Hacienda, Ministry Of Sound and Cream and the Manchester Warehouse. In 1988 Joe Smooth came to Britain and played live on stage his international House track [Promised Land]. In 1995 a new style of House Music was being developed with a funky and jazzy groove and sound, funky house which really started to sweep the dancefloors with artists and DJs such as The Original, Basement Jaxx, Martin Solveig, Uniting Nations, X-Press2 and many more.