The History

of

House Music

A visual interpretation of the history of house music.

By Jose Ybarra III

TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction ................................................................ 4

Musical Elements ......................................................... 7

In The Beginning ......................................................... 8

Gaining Popularity .......................................................11

Early House Pioneers .................................................. 12

Heading Overseas ...................................................... 15

Subgenres .................................................................16

The Future of House Music ...........................................19

4

INTRODUCTION Housemusicisagenreofelectronicdancemusicinfluencedbythe music of disco, R&B, Soul, and Funk. Originating out of Chicago, IL in the early 1980s, beginning in the underground club scene. The WarehouseNightclubwasoneof thefirstvenueswhere thisnewgenre could be heard. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that it went commercial in the UK and quickly gained popularity worldwide. This booklet will explain the musical element of the genre, how it all got started, the rise in popularity, and most importantly the key artists that transformed this new kind of sound that we today know it as house music.

5Night photograph of Chicago’s skyline.

6

Clockwise starting from top left:Roland TB-303 Bass Line Synthesizer,

Akai MPC2500 Drum Machine,& Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer.

7

MUSICAL ELEMENTS House music can be described as an up-tempo beat generally ranging around 126bpm. Tempos tended to be a lot slower in the early years of the genre. The prominent kick drum on every beat is the most important part of the rhythmic structure. Known to be calledas“fouronthefloor”asheardintheeraofdiscomusic.Artistsused various synthesizer and drum machines to create the different elements of the song. The drum machines built the drum loop that also included hi-hats on quaver off beats between each kick and a snare drum or clap sound on beats two and four of every bar. Using the various synthesizers to create a unique basslines and synthlines. Another importantelementwas samplingmusic thatpeoplehaveforgot about and bringing it back in a fresher style.

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IN THE BEGINNING… In the early 1980s Chicago DJs were mixing a variety of genres that mainly included disco. One DJ in particular was Frankie Knuckles who was playing in small clubs around town and in 1977 he was invited to play at The Warehouse Nightclub on a regular basis. He started mixing in more euro electronic tracks and edits he made himself to appeal to crowd. The audience at this time only consisted of gay black and Latino men, but slowly gained admiration by everyone else.AfteradmissiondoubledatTheWarehouse,Knucklesopenedhis own club called The Power Plant and his loyal followers went with him. In retaliation they renamed The Warehouse to The Music Box and hired Ron Hardy to DJ there.

9

The Warehouse Nightclub206 South Jefferson Street, Chicago, IL

Frankie Knuckles

Ron Hardy

10

Vinyl bins found in various record stores.

Hot Mix 5 Radio Show

First record label to start having house music.

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GAINING POPULARITY Aspopularityspreadforthisnewgenre,recordstoresbegansellingrecordsofthisnewstyleofmusic.Labelingthebins“AsheardatTheWarehouse”andslowlybecameknownashousemusic.LarryHeard (one of the early house producers) said the genre got its name from kids who were making these songs in their homes using the newly affordable electronic instruments. However the term came about, thegenrewasgainingpopularity fast.AradioshowcalledHot Mix 5 brought this new genre to the masses. Ran by Farley “Jackmaster”FunkamongstfourotherDJsplayedavarietyofmixesthat included exclusive new tracks from upcoming producers. Trax Recordswasoneofthefirstlabelstostartpressingvinylofthesenew artists.

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EARLY HOUSE PIONEERS

Jamie Principle - Your Love (1984)A repeating arpeggiated synth line with a poem that was written for his girlfriend.

Jesse Saunders - On & On (1984)Co-written with Vince Lawrence; it was the first record with a house DJ as the artist.

13

DJ Pierre - Acid Trax (1986)Used the TB-303 Bass Synth and created the “squelch” sound now known as Acid House.

Marshall Jefferson - Move Your Body (1986)Also know as the House Music Anthem; it was the first house song to use a piano.

14Ministry of Sound Nightclub - London, UK

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HEADING OVERSEAS In1986thefirsthousetracktohittheUKpopchartswasFarley“Jackmaster”Funk’s“LoveCan’tTurnAround”whichfeaturedDarrylPandy. Many more tracks made it on to the charts showing that house music was unstoppable. In 1987, Knuckles, Heard, Jefferson, and other DJs did an international tour around the UK boosting up its popularity even more. Huge raves began to form around the country in big open areas. These new drug infused raves became knownas“TheSecondSummerofLove,”whichhappened inSanFranciscotwodecadesearlier.Aftergainingbadpublicityfromthemedia the government stepped in to control the parties. Even with allthecontroversythemusicflourishedandartistsstartedcreatingtheir interpretation of this dance music.

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SUBGENRES With popularity growing worldwide, the sound of house has changed with its region creating various subgenres. Producers taking thestyletoawholenewlevelcreatingrichersoundsinfluencedbyotherinstrumentsandsounds.Acidhouseforexampleemphasizesontherepetitive“squelch”soundmadebytheRolandTB-303.Ambienthouse on the other hand has a more atmospheric style by using synth pads and soft vocals. Progressive house can be described as a melodic style using layered piano synth chords with huge buildups and drops. Disco house takes a look back on the era it came from and gives new life to the classic genre. Tech house takes the more minimal approach being influenced by the Detroit-style techno,which was developed around the same time as house music. Electro

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house has a heavier style to it by using harmonically rich analogue basslines. Dutch house took the style of electro and added high-pitched lead sounds, tribal drums and broke it down into a minimal structure. These are only but a few of the many subgenres out there.

This studio can create, mix, and master songs.

18Electric Daisy Carnival 2011 - Las Vegas, NV

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THE FUTURE OF HOUSE MUSIC It’s apparent that house music is here to stay. Emerging more andmoreinmainstreampopandhip-hopworlds.Artiststodayarefindingmorefreshandinnovatewaystoproducesoundsandcreateamazing music to keep the crowds wanting more. With big budget events including Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Miami’s Winter Music Conference, to name just a few. These events bring more variety of music to the masses and bring everyone together. Nonetheless house music doesn’t forget where it came from. On August10,2005themayorofChicagonamedit“HouseUnityDay,”inhonorofthe21stanniversaryofthegenre.Appreciatingthedreamthe pioneers had that someday their music would spread a message of peace and unity throughout the world.

© 2011 Jose Ybarra III / JY3design