House music is a genre that has truly transcended generations and geographies.
While you’ve almost certainly heard its four-to-the-floor grooves and driving synths countless times, you might be less familiar with the genre’s unique history, innovators, and subgenres. In this article, let’s dive into the full story of house music, and take a look at how you can experiment with its sounds yourself if you’re interested.
See the table of contents below to navigate to a specific section.
What you’ll learn about house music:
- What is it?
- History
- Characteristics
- Subgenres
- Influential artists and DJs
- How to make your own house track
Feeling ready? Let’s dive in!
What is house music?
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that’s characterized by sonic elements like four-on-the-floor beats, drum machines, and synthesizers. It’s a direct descendant of disco, birthed by the innovative DJs and producers from Chicago’s underground club scene.
The history of house music
While it’s still continuing to evolve to this very day, house music has a rich history that’s deeply rooted in the cultural and musical landscapes of the 1980s.
The origins of house music
House music first emerged from Chicago’s underground club culture in the early ’80s, with Robert Williams and his partners coming across a nondescript brick building with blacked-out windows in the industrial part of downtown. At the time, police shutdowns had caused a number of venues to close (including his own US Studio), so Williams took the abandoned factory at 206 Jefferson Street and started hosting parties at it—christening the venue as ‘the Warehouse.’
The former factory quickly came to life at nighttime, with predominantly gay Black and Latino crowds coming together to dance in an otherwise heavily segregated club scene. Alongside other innovators like Ron Hardy, the Warehouse’s first musical director and resident DJ Frankie Knuckles started experimenting with new sounds at the venue by mixing disco and soul tracks with electronic beats—giving birth to what we now know as house music.
For a more in-depth look at the Warehouse and Frankie Knuckles’ enduring legacy, see our article below:
Why is it called house music?
As you might be able to infer from the story above, the name comes directly from the Warehouse, where house’s unique sound was formed. It’s said that Williams would describe events at the Warehouse as “house parties” or “house music” on promotional posters, and club goers were quick to embrace the name as well.
The characteristics of house music
While it’s now a broad umbrella that encompasses multiple subgenres, house music is defined by several key characteristics that set it apart from other genres.
House music BPM
House tracks typically feature a tempo ranging from around 120 to 130 BPM (beats per minute). This range is ideal for the steady, pumping kicks that keep the energy flowing on dancefloors.
The elements of house music
Beyond the tempo, several sonic elements define the sound of house tracks:
- Four-on-the-floor beats: A consistent beat where the kick drum hits on every beat, the four-on-the-floor is the central rhythm that drives house tracks. Here’s an example of what a four-on-the-floor groove sounds like.
- Basslines: Alongside the four-on-the-floor beat, deep and repetitive basslines often form the backbone of house tracks.
- Synthesizers and drum machines: Electronic instruments like the Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines are staples in house music production. Today, software instruments and audio sample libraries are also widely used, allowing producers to create house tracks even if they don’t have access to physical equipment beyond a computer.
- Vocal samples: Soulful vocal snippets are also frequently used to add emotional depth and a human touch to house’s electronic beats. Many tracks will also opt to have a vocalist compose and sing an original part as opposed to using pre-existing samples.
What’s the difference between house and dance music?
This one is a square-and-rectangle situation—house music is simply a subset of dance music. Dance music encompasses all house music alongside other genres such as techno, trance, dubstep, and more.
Subgenres of house music
Many different types of house music have emerged since Frankie Knuckles’ days at the Warehouse. While they’re tied together by the characteristics we outlined above, these subgenres each have their own defining elements that make them feel distinct from one another—let’s take a look at a few popular examples below.
1. Deep house
Deep house features slower BPMs, a focus on lush, atmospheric sounds, and soulful vocals. Larry Heard’s “Can You Feel It” is cited as one of the earliest deep house tracks:
2. Progressive house
Emerging in the early 1990s, progressive house is characterized by its Euro disco influences, more exploratory elements, and longer track durations. Spooky’s “Don’t Panic” is a seminal progressive house track:
3. Tropical house
Tropical house incorporates elements of dancehall and Balearic house, emphasizing a laid-back, summery vibe. This is the type of house you might hear at a festival like Tomorrowland—Kygo and Conrad Sewell’s “Firestone” is a good example:
4. Acid house
First originating as “hi-NRG” music, acid house is characterized by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303. Sleezy D’s “I’ve Lost Control” is referred to as one of the earliest recordings of acid house:
5. Tech house
Tech house marries the soulful elements of house with minimal techno influences. It has experienced a resurgence in recent years, with tracks like FISHER’s 2018 hit “Losing It” breaking into mainstream popularity:
Influential house music artists and DJs
House music has seen numerous influential producers and DJs shape its evolution over the decades, including some of the names we’ve already highlighted above. While it’s impossible to create a completely exhaustive list, let’s take a look at a few key figures across different eras.
1980s
- Frankie Knuckles: Known for pioneering the sound of house at the Warehouse and producing classic tracks like “Your Love” and “Where Love Lives (Come On In).”
- Larry Heard (Mr. Fingers): A leader of the influential group Fingers Inc. and a pioneer of deep house whose 1988 album Another Side was the first long-form house LP.
1990s
- Masters at Work: The garage house production and remix team consisting of “Little” Louie Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez, credited with bringing the “Golden Age” of Latin house.
- Daft Punk: Without doubt one of the most influential acts in dance music history, with their influence carrying into later decades as well.
2000s
- Eric Prydz: Known for bringing house sounds to the forefront of mainstream music with hits like “Call On Me.”
- Swedish House Mafia: A Swedish house supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso that set the stage for the EDM boom of the early 2010s.
2010s onwards
- Calvin Harris: Known for blending house influences with pop genres and breaking records with collaborations like “We Found Love” and “This Is What You Came For.”
- Avicii: Brought progressive house and electro house to the top of international charts with hits like “Levels,” “Wake Me Up,” and “Waiting For Love.”
How to make house music
Making a house track involves composing and arranging various elements like drum patterns, basslines, and synth melodies. Today, this is typically done in digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Ableton Live or FL Studio.
That said, if this article inspired you to want to experiment with house’s sonic building blocks yourself, you can give it a try for absolutely free—and right on your web browser—with Create. Create automatically makes sure sounds are in the same tempo and key, so you can build a house beat that sounds cohesive with minimal music theory knowledge. If you do have experience with using a DAW, you can also check out artist-crafted house loops and one-shots here and see veteran producer Isaac Duarte break down the genre from a production perspective below:
And there you have it! Hopefully this article gave you a foundational look into house music’s rich history, sonic characteristics, and diverse subgenres. What other genres would you like to see us explore next? Start a conversation with us via the Splice Discord.
Explore the building blocks of house music and other genres:
July 12, 2024
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