House Music History |
> Electronic Music History > House Music History | |||||||||
ELECTRONIC MUSIC | |||||||||
> Late 19th cent. early 20th cent. > 1940s to 1950s > 1960s to late 1970s > Late 1970s to late 1980s > 1980s to early 2000s |
|||||||||
In 1983 the Muzic Box club opened in Chicago. Owned by Robert Williams, the driving force was a DJ, Ron Hardy. The chief characteristics of the club's sound were sheer massive volume and an increased pace to the tunes. The pace was apparently the result of Hardy's heroin use. The club also played a wider range of music than just disco. Groups such as Kraftwerk and Blondie were well received, as was a brief flirtation with punk, dances like "Punking-Out" or "Jacking" being very popular. | |||||||||
Two tunes are arguably the first House music, each arriving in early 1984. The tune that was chronologically first was Jamie Principle and Frankie Knuckles' "Your Love", a huge hit in the clubs, but only available on tape copies. The second, "On And On" by Jesse Saunders was later but on vinyl (Shapiro, 2000). | |||||||||
> Post-rave
fusions > Growing commercial interest |
By 1985 house music dominated the clubs of Chicago, aided by the musical electronic revolution - the arrival of newer, cheaper and more compact music sequencers and drum machines (such as the legendary Roland TB-303 in late 1985) gave House music creators even wider possibilities in creating their own sound, indeed the creation of Acid House is directly related to the efforts of DJ Pierre on the new drum machines. Of equal importance was the rise in Chicago of the Trax record label, founded by Larry Sherman (the owner of the only vinyl pressing plant in Chicago). This was something of double-edged sword. In its favour Trax was very fast to sign new artists and press their tunes, establishing a large catalogue of House tunes, but the label used recycled vinyl to speed the pressing process resulting in physically poor quality records. Also disappointing was that many artists signed contracts that were rather less favourable towards them than they hoped. | ||||||||
> Styles
of ambient : music * Organic ambient music * Nature inspired ambient music * Isolationist ambient music * Ambient electronic music * Ambient dub * Ambient groove |
|||||||||
Trax became the dominant House label, releasing many classics including "No Way Back" by Adonis, Larry Heard's "Can You Feel It" and the first so-called House anthem in 1986, "Move Your Body" by Marshall Jefferson. This latter tune gave a massive boost to House music, extending recognition of the genre out of Chicago. Steve 'Silk' Hurley became the first house artist to reach number one in the UK in 1986 with "Jack Your Body". This and other tracks such as such as "Music is the Key" and "Love Can't Turn Around" helped moved house from its spiritual home to its commercial birthplace - the United Kingdom. | |||||||||
> History > Musicology |
|||||||||
HOUSE MUSIC | In Britain the growth of house can be divided around the "Summer of Love" in 1988. House had a presence in Britain almost as early as it appeared in Chicago however there was a strong divide between the House music as part of the gay scene and 'straight' music. House grew in northern England, especially Manchester, as an extension of the 'Northern Soul' genre. The key English club was the Hacienda in Manchester, founded in 1982 by Factory Records. But until 1986 the club was a financial disaster, the crowds only started to grow when the resident DJs (Pickering, Park and Da Silva) started to play House music. House was boosted by the tour in the same year of Knuckles, Jefferson, Fingers Inc. (Heard) and Adonis as the DJ International Tour. Amusingly one of the early anthemic tunes, "Promised Land" by Joe Smooth, was covered and charted within a week by the Style Council. The first English House tune came out in 1986 - "Carino" by T-Coy. Europeans embraced House music, and began booking legendary American House DJs to play at the big clubs, such as Ministry of Sound, who's resident, DJ Harvey brought in Larry Levan. (...) | ||||||||
> Late
1960s to early 1980s > Early 1980s-Late 1980s : Chicago years > Late 1980s-Early 1990s : British Connection > Social aspects of raves > Late 1980s to early 1990s : United States > Early 1990s to mid 1990s : " Summer Love" > Mid-1990s & beyond > The rise of the UK "superclub" |
|||||||||
> History > Musicology |
|||||||||
< Previous page | |||||||||
Terms & Conditions | Copyright | Privacy Policy | Credits | < Back to Home |