Defining "house" has always been debatable, because it has as much to do with fashion, drugs and ambience as it does with sound. For those who don't get it, house is just a predictable tempo, hovering slightly above or below the 120 to 130 BPM (beats per minute) range, with a faceless formula of kick drums, bass line, high-hats and claps. But for those who live it like a religion on the dance floor, house is ultimately "a feeling" - as immortalised in Fingers Inc.'s sermon "Can You Feel It?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garage Just as "house" described what DJs Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy played at "The Warehouse" in Chicago, "garage" references the spiritual and sexual euphoria achieved by the late Larry Levan at Paradise Garage in the '80s. Levan's DJ sets included Philly-soul classics (MFSB's "Love Is The Message"), pop vulgarities (Van Halen's "Jump"), electro-funk (D-Train's "You're the One For Me") and oddities (Cookie Monster's "C is For Cookie"). DJs, producers and club proprietors have been trying to recreate this eclectic vibe since the Garage closed its doors in 1987. Today, "garage house" combines elements of exalted vocals, churchy keyboards and rough, disco grooves.
Classics:
Loose Joints "Is It All Over My Face" (West End, 1980)
Marshall Jefferson "Move Your Body" (Trax, 1987)
Satoshi Tomie "And I Loved You" (ffrr, 1990)
Contemporary Artists:
Masters At Work, Joe Claussell, Basement Jaxx
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acid "Acid house" is arguably the most popular form, mostly because of its late '80s UK subculture (raves, smiley-face T-shirts, ecstasy). The hypnotic sound of "acid" comes from the Roland TB-303 Bassline Machine - a model that was initially deemed a failure by its Japanese inventors until the legends of the "Chicago Trax" scene started tweaking its frequencies. Coupled with 808 and 909 drums exclusively, most acid tracks that followed seminal releases by Phuture and Adonis were derivative, monotonous and boring without drugs. In recent years, the 303 has been put to much more inventive use on records by Josh Wink, Plastikman and Kruder & Dorfmeister.
Classics:
Phuture "Phuture Trax" (Trax, 1987)
Adonis "Quit Pokin' At Me"(DJ International, 1988)
Fast Eddie "Acid Thunder" (DJ International, 1988)
Contemporary Artists:
Hardfloor, Miss Djax, Acid Junkies, Frankie Bones
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hardcore In the post-acid late '80s UK rave scene, young DJs began mixing hip-hop breaks and MC sound bites into house sets. It saturated the scene with rough-sounding tracks rife with samples of James Brown's "Funky Drummer," Chuck D's "Bass!" and the unforgettable "ooh yeah" of '"It Takes Two," rocking it double-time. American DJs like Fast Eddie and Tyree Cooper rapped over tracks, calling it "hip-house," while British producers like Shut Up and Dance showcased a dynamic sense of rhythm that became a prototype for drum & bass. More recently, Chemical Brothers simmered back to a traditionally funkier tempo; their revival of this sound is called "big beat" in the UK or "funky breaks" in the U.S.
Classics:
Royal House "Can You Party?" (Idlers, 1988)
Tyree Cooper "Hardcore Hip House" (DJ International, 1988)
Nicolette "Dove Song" (Shut Up & Dance, 1991)
Contemporary Artists:
Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers (pre- Surrender ), and Propellerheads< /p>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Progressive Since the mid-'90s, a lot of 20-something ex-ravers are retreating to bigger clubs for progressive house. The tracks are fuelled with a primal sense of drum programming, overly ecstatic vocals and faster tempos. Progressive house, also called hardhouse, is ironically, regressive; it unapologetically rejects the "artistic" elements of other genres (i.e., the cadence of drum & bass, intellectualism of techno, devotion of garage) in favour of a pure party vibe. Most commercial house hits are edits of progressive house favourites.
Classics:
Armand van Helden "Witchdoktor" (Strictly Rhythm, 1994)
Dave Clarke "Southside" (Bush, 1996); DJ Dan "That Zipper Track" (Moonshine, 1999)
Contemporary Artists:
Carl Cox, Junior Vasquez, and Danny Tenaglia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garage Just as "house" described what DJs Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy played at "The Warehouse" in Chicago, "garage" references the spiritual and sexual euphoria achieved by the late Larry Levan at Paradise Garage in the '80s. Levan's DJ sets included Philly-soul classics (MFSB's "Love Is The Message"), pop vulgarities (Van Halen's "Jump"), electro-funk (D-Train's "You're the One For Me") and oddities (Cookie Monster's "C is For Cookie"). DJs, producers and club proprietors have been trying to recreate this eclectic vibe since the Garage closed its doors in 1987. Today, "garage house" combines elements of exalted vocals, churchy keyboards and rough, disco grooves.
Classics:
Loose Joints "Is It All Over My Face" (West End, 1980)
Marshall Jefferson "Move Your Body" (Trax, 1987)
Satoshi Tomie "And I Loved You" (ffrr, 1990)
Contemporary Artists:
Masters At Work, Joe Claussell, Basement Jaxx
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acid "Acid house" is arguably the most popular form, mostly because of its late '80s UK subculture (raves, smiley-face T-shirts, ecstasy). The hypnotic sound of "acid" comes from the Roland TB-303 Bassline Machine - a model that was initially deemed a failure by its Japanese inventors until the legends of the "Chicago Trax" scene started tweaking its frequencies. Coupled with 808 and 909 drums exclusively, most acid tracks that followed seminal releases by Phuture and Adonis were derivative, monotonous and boring without drugs. In recent years, the 303 has been put to much more inventive use on records by Josh Wink, Plastikman and Kruder & Dorfmeister.
Classics:
Phuture "Phuture Trax" (Trax, 1987)
Adonis "Quit Pokin' At Me"(DJ International, 1988)
Fast Eddie "Acid Thunder" (DJ International, 1988)
Contemporary Artists:
Hardfloor, Miss Djax, Acid Junkies, Frankie Bones
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hardcore In the post-acid late '80s UK rave scene, young DJs began mixing hip-hop breaks and MC sound bites into house sets. It saturated the scene with rough-sounding tracks rife with samples of James Brown's "Funky Drummer," Chuck D's "Bass!" and the unforgettable "ooh yeah" of '"It Takes Two," rocking it double-time. American DJs like Fast Eddie and Tyree Cooper rapped over tracks, calling it "hip-house," while British producers like Shut Up and Dance showcased a dynamic sense of rhythm that became a prototype for drum & bass. More recently, Chemical Brothers simmered back to a traditionally funkier tempo; their revival of this sound is called "big beat" in the UK or "funky breaks" in the U.S.
Classics:
Royal House "Can You Party?" (Idlers, 1988)
Tyree Cooper "Hardcore Hip House" (DJ International, 1988)
Nicolette "Dove Song" (Shut Up & Dance, 1991)
Contemporary Artists:
Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers (pre- Surrender ), and Propellerheads< /p>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Progressive Since the mid-'90s, a lot of 20-something ex-ravers are retreating to bigger clubs for progressive house. The tracks are fuelled with a primal sense of drum programming, overly ecstatic vocals and faster tempos. Progressive house, also called hardhouse, is ironically, regressive; it unapologetically rejects the "artistic" elements of other genres (i.e., the cadence of drum & bass, intellectualism of techno, devotion of garage) in favour of a pure party vibe. Most commercial house hits are edits of progressive house favourites.
Classics:
Armand van Helden "Witchdoktor" (Strictly Rhythm, 1994)
Dave Clarke "Southside" (Bush, 1996); DJ Dan "That Zipper Track" (Moonshine, 1999)
Contemporary Artists:
Carl Cox, Junior Vasquez, and Danny Tenaglia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
