House Music by Octobria Saddler
General History
House Music is a musical genre that is thought of to be the electronic offspring of disco music and was pioneered by many talented DJs that started off originally as homespun music. Known for its rich unpolished and rough sound, this genre of music was a way for house DJs to perfect their skill and become connoisseurs in producing and remixing. The production of this homespun music was originally played in clubs such as the Warehouse located in Chicago. One of the pioneers, DJ Frankie Knuckles, began DJing at the famous dance venue in 1977. With the Warehouse being the first club House music was introduced to, the name was abbreviated titling the genre “House”.
Pioneers
House music wouldn’t be what it is without the original pioneers of the style of music and their innovation with mixing in home recording studios. This included the heavy use of the analog synthesizer and the mixing of spoken words replacing the singer/vocalist that would normally be apart of a song. To list a few of those pioneers: Frankie Knuckles, Farley “Jackmaster” Funk, Jesse Saunders, Steve “Silk” Hurley, DJ Pierre, Marshall Jefferson, and Larry Heard. Out of this list of people, Frankie Knuckles really set the tone. With the nickname of “the Godfather of House”, he has received the first Grammy for the Best Remix as well as a day named after him awarded to him by President Barack Obama.
Music by some Influences of House
Patrick Cowley, the pioneer of electronic dance music, and Italo Disco, the genre which originated in Italy, were some of the main influences on House Music with their heavy disco sounds. Below are some samples of the two.
How House Music Gained its Exposure
With the help of radio shows and clubs, it allowed for the DJs that were so creative with this genre of music to share the music style and introduce it to dance clubs. Some of the clubs were of course the Warehouse, Music Box, as well as the Powerplant. They also gained exposure through Radio Shows such as WGCI and WBMX.
Subcategories of House
- acid house
- deep house
- speed garage
- garage
- hip house
