Why is it Called House Music?

Deep House, Tropical House, Minimal House, Tech-House, Electro house, Acid House, Progressive House, Honestly What Ever You Want to Call It-House.... If I were to make an attempt at specifying the minute differences between all sub-genres of House music, we'd be here for a very long and (quite frankly) boring amount of time. So instead, I'm going to round them together and explain the basis of what defines a song to be classified as "House".

House music is a genre that's heard around the globe, from festival main stages all the way to underground raves. It can be relatively slow and euphoric with progressive melodies and sequences (Appendix A), or it can be the polar opposite, and by that I mean heavily distorted and piercing bass lines with crunching percussion (Appendix B). That's why I believe in some senses that House music has a doorway for everyone.

Appendix A: Willaris. K - Alchemy

Appendix B: Tsuki - Flow

But... where did the name 'House' come from? The genre originated from a South Chicago club (ironically) named The Warehouse. It was in 1977 when Frankie Knuckles (Appendix C), also known as the Godfather of House joined the club as a resident. It would be within the next 5 years when he was able to call the venue his own (Red Bull, 2019). Frankie made the club known as the 'hot spot' in town, he would mix Underground Disco, Independent Soul and European Electro together in combination with a drum machine. Knuckles would use the drum machine to consistently layer a substantial kick on each beat of every bar. This pioneering technique created a constant pulse throughout his sets, regardless of his vinyl song choice (Appendix D). By doing this, Frankie made it easier for himself to play "marathon DJ sets", from which he became greatly famous for. These 8 (sometimes 12 or 14) hour sets became expected of him when punters came to the club (he had to find a way to make it easier for himself, right?)(Culture, N. 2014). The exuberant style of his performances became so popular, Chicago record stores were forced to answer the customer requests for "Warehouse Music", which was later shortened to "House Music" (Redbull, 2019). As time passed, more DJ's started to include this style into their sets; legendary names such as Larry Levan and Ron Hardy started to emerge and went on to become known as accompanying pioneers in the Chicago House scene (The Beginnings of House Music. 2019).

Appendix C: Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse in 1981

Appendix D: excerpt of Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse

Over time, drum machine synthesizers started to become more prominent in what was turning into the birth of House. By replacing the melodic guitars of Disco with electronic sound waves, and exchanging a "wallet" snare drum technique with an ADSR controlled drum kit, the (then) futuristic feeling of house started to blossom. Frankies Avant-garde use of the synthesizer became (in my opinion) the defining features of house music today. For instance...

If you broadly compare the genres of House and Disco:

• Both have a 4/4 kick pattern with a snare/clap on the 2nd and 4th beat (Appendix E)

• Both incorporate 8th or 16th note hi-hats (Appendix F)

• Disco is predominantly made with live (sounding) instruments (keyboard, drums, guitar) (Appendix G)

• House is predominantly made with synthesised instruments (bass-lines, programmed drums, modulating melodies) (Appendix H)

Appendix E: 4/4 kick with a clap on the 2nd and 4th beat(s)

Appendix F: 8th note open hats with arbitrary 16th note closed-hats

Appendix G: Pseudo Echo - Funky Town

Appendix H: Fisher - You Little Beauty

I think slapping titles on the different sub-genres of House is extremely subjective, as long as it has a 4/4 or "four-to-the-floor" kick pattern and accented snare/clap off-beats, it's feasible to categorise it as House. In saying that, as far as possible creative direction for a genre like this goes, I believe the options are near endless. Artists can incorporate virtually any defining feature of any genre well... Ever, just as long as that simple drum sequence is present for the entirety (or majority) of the playback, it can be nominated for the title of House.

The video below is a mix analysis of my original song "i hAVe sOmEThiNg wROnG WiTh mY bRAin", The reference track used for this mix was You Little Beauty by Fisher (Appendix H). But first, take a listen to the full track, for free!

ATOM. - i hAVe sOmEThiNg wROnG WiTh mY bRAin

Mix Analysis -

In the video above I speak about a Reverse Reverb, which is (in theory) exactly what the name says it is. normal reverbs are an infinite/indefinite amount of delays which (can) fire immediately after an audio signal is present. These delays are continuous, but slowly fade in volume, density, frequency (etc.) over time. A reverse reverb is the same thing flipped on its head, it happens before the source audio file, it starts quiet and gradually builds in the same way as the bold text above fades, it's also a great way to lead in new sounds (Roth, D. 2018).

This song was very enjoyable to make and I plan to continue heading down this pathway of production and mixing.

Jordan.

References:

The Beginnings of House Music. (2019). Retrieved 20 August 2019, from https://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/webprojects/LiveMiss/Chicago-House/house-text.htm

Culture, N., Features, A., & Legacy?, W. (2014). What Can DJs Learn From Frankie Knuckles' Legacy? - DJ TechTools. DJ TechTools. Retrieved 22 August 2019, from https://djtechtools.com/2014/04/03/what-djs-can-learn-from-frankie-knuckles-legacy/

Red Bull Music Academy Daily. (2019). Retrieved 20 August 2019, from https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/02/frankie-knuckles-1995-interview

Chicago's famous Frankie Knuckles mural has found a new home. (2019). Retrieved 20 August 2019, from https://mixmag.net/read/chicagos-famous-frankie-knuckles-mural-has-found-a-new-home-news

Roth, D., & Roth, D. (2018). How to Create a Reverse Reverb Effect (In Only 50 Seconds). Musician on a Mission. Retrieved 23 August 2019, from https://www.musicianonamission.com/reverse-reverb/