define house music

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The definition changes depending on who I ask (or who writes the music reviews/rants/whatever).
Independent variable:perception of what house music is.
Dependent variables:age, location (especially UK vs US), actual dj-ing experience, depth of partipation in certain subcultures, and so on.

This may be a stupid question but it won't stop nagging at me.

Please break it down. Argue amongst yourselves!

― , Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Is there a certain song structure for house music?

― Llahtuos Kcin (Nick Southall), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

oh whoops, well ok.

Also,
DV: house
IV's: all that other stuff

fuck this internet stuff

― , Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Disco with more reliance/emphasis on beat

― Andy K (Andy K), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Andy K likes to jack his body.

― Former Supposed So Called Nihilist Teenage Drug Disco Addiction Counselor (mjt), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:58 (twenty-two years ago)

FSSCNTDDAC OTM

― Andy K (Andy K), Saturday, 31 January 2004 15:00 (twenty-two years ago)

haha

― tricky disco (disco stu), Saturday, 31 January 2004 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

In the beginning there was Jack, and Jack had a groove... And from this groove came the groove of all grooves. And while one day viciously throwing down on his box, Jack boldy declared, "Let there be HOUSE!" and house music was born.

I am, you see, I am the creator, and this is my house! And, in my house there is ONLY house music. But, I am not so selfish because once you enter my house it then becomes OUR house and OUR house music! And, you see, no one man owns house because house music is a universal language, spoken and understood by all.

You see, house is a feeling that no one can understand really unless you're deep into the vibe of house. House is an uncontrolable desire to jack your body.

And, as I told you before, this is our house and our house music. And in every house, you understand, there is a keeper. And, in this house, the keeper is Jack.

Now some of you who might wonder, "Who is Jack, and what is it that Jack does?" Jack is the one who gives you the power to jack your body! Jack is the one who gives you the power to do the snake. Jack is the one who gives you the key to the wiggly worm. Jack is the one who learns you how to walk your body. Jack is the one that can bring nations and nations of all Jackers together under one house.

You may be black, you may be white, you may be Jew or Gentile. It don't make a difference in OUR House. And this is fresh.

― tricky disco (disco stu), Saturday, 31 January 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

tricky stole my answer!

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 31 January 2004 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Jack Dangers?

― Leee Majors (Leee), Saturday, 31 January 2004 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

mr. fingers!

learn yr history leee!

it's been sampled a trillion times...

― tricky disco (disco stu), Saturday, 31 January 2004 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

actually the "Jacks House" speech first appeared on this release by Rhythm Controll before it was made even more famous by Mr Fingers (on Can You Feel It)

― pete from the street, Saturday, 31 January 2004 18:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm an American, td! The only history I know is we bailed out the French@!!

― Leee Majors (Leee), Saturday, 31 January 2004 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

and to contribute another thought to the original question - I think House is just a continuation of the trend for dub/extended 12" mixes of disco,funk,r&b tunes that were big in club/dance settings - but also following the technology changes of the 80's that made it easier for amateurs/unknowns to get into the music scene with basic synth gear and home recording set-ups, and also gave them more direct & faster feedback from audiences on refining/updating the sound..

― pete from the street, Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:00 (twenty-two years ago)

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

(that was meant to be sincere, btw)

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a listenable Dave Matthews Band.

― Aja (aja), Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Not everyone understands house music. It's a spiritual thing. A body thing. A soul thing.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Just like jazz.

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Barry OTM in one aspect, but I think the question is regarding genrefication of music as opposed to broader music philosophies and ideals.

If you tell someone house music is a spiritual listening experience that affects your body and your soul- categorically speaking that could represent gospel, opera, who knows.. and while all of those may exemplify the "house" ideal and feeling, record stores would be hard-pressed to classify all of those as house. But definitely an important aspect of house music!

― pete from the street, Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

is the spiritual element in house more pronounced than the physical connection / release aspect of dance music in general then? i still don't really get house music. a few years ago people were telling me the one reliable difference between house and techno was a handclap or other sound replacing the third beat in every bar, but it can't be that simple..?

― ryan kuo (ryan kuo), Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

ryan-
these specifics are the gray areas that I think are hard to pin down to one style. I think people deeply involved in any form of music will tell you that it is a spiritual experience, but I do see a tendency of more "house" people mentioning that spiritual element as being greatly important than I do from a lot of other dance circles.

Regarding instrumentation, hand claps, etc.. there are more tendencies than rules - house tends to tap into a lot of natural percussion elements whereas techno sticks to the 909 (but again there are artists on both sides that break that rule). Some might say house is influenced more by artists like Prince, East Coast Disco, and danceable Jazz like Booker T's "Melting Pot" or Lonnie Liston Smith "Expansions" whereas Techno looked toward Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, New Order.. but there are too many cross-overs and inbetweens to make too many hard rules- its all just dance music..

― pete from the street, Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

another tendency worth mentioning- a lot of house adds a bit of swing to the 4/4 beat : one of the few points that sets most dance mania records apart from proper techno - that and the fact that they're in chicago ;)

― pete from the street, Saturday, 31 January 2004 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Certainly Derrick Carter's stuff has the swing element to it, to me anyway.

Barry's post was actually a quote! One which I was thinking of posting as I opened the thread. It works well as a point though I guess.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 31 January 2004 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Thought that sounded familiar :)

Agreed re: Derrick Carter..

How about Chicago Djaxx stuff like DJ Rush & DJ Skull - generally considered hard house, but basically techno w/ some crazy swing stuff going on in the rhythms - although Skull did have some nice deep house early on as well.

― pete from the street, Saturday, 31 January 2004 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

DJ Rush is techno to me I guess.

Was just thinking, I dug out Waves 2 mixed by Archigram, on Crydamoure, today. There is a major swing element to Crydamoure's take on French house, I mean I guess it can be traced to them allegedly ripping off Sneak but nonetheless.

Fantastic mix all the same.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 31 January 2004 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

i've not heard that, I have some of the 12"s but havent given them a proper listen in a couple years- maybe i'll dust them off, & i'll keep an eye out for the archigram mix.. :)

― pete from the street, Saturday, 31 January 2004 21:22 (twenty-two years ago)

if you only check out "Carnaval" by Archigram themselves it'd be worth it! Just noticed our own Andy K did the All Music review of them.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 31 January 2004 21:36 (twenty-two years ago)

original definition...low-budget DIY version of gay electronic disco from chicago in the mid 80s with immediate relatives in detroit and new york.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 31 January 2004 21:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Barry's post was actually a quote!

I was away from my computer for several hours ... yes, it's from "House Music" by Eddie Amador (1998, I believe). It's one of my fave house tracks ever.

No musical genre can be defined in fourteen words, but that quote is a damned fine attempt at it.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 1 February 2004 01:16 (twenty-two years ago)

98 or 88?

― M Matos (M Matos), Sunday, 1 February 2004 02:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, 1998. I know what you're thinking : a person has to have BALLS to call a track "House Music" in the year 1998 (as opposed to 1988), but the song is just that damn good.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 1 February 2004 04:03 (twenty-two years ago)

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