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Downtempo
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Chill out
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Trip hop
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Deep house
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Balearic Beat
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House
 Downtempo (or DownTempo) is a laid-back electronic music style
often intended more for listening and socializing than dancing, though
some releases are unmistakably produced for the dance floor. Often the
names lounge music or chill out are used to refer to songs
demonstrative of the genre, but those names also refer to other styles
of music, and downtempo encompasses a wider variety of styles than
those terms alone would indicate.
The downtempo genre draws heavily on dub, hip hop, jazz, funk, soul,
drum 'n' bass, ambient, and pop and is often confused and/or mated with
closely-related styles like IDM, trip hop, and acid jazz.
Kruder & Dorfmeister from Austria and Thievery Corporation from the
United States are amongst the most well-known bands of the genre. Both
founded their own influential labels: G-stone and Eighteenth Street
Lounge. Other important labels promoting downtempo music are Stereo
Deluxe (Germany), Grand Central (UK), Tru Thoughts (UK), Switchstance
Recordings (Germany), and Couch Records (Austria).
Go up
 Chill
out, a term derived from a slang injunction to relax, emerged in
the early and mid-1990s as a catch-all term for various styles of
relatively mellow, slow-tempo music made by contemporary producers in
the electronic music scene. A number of compilations with "Chill Out"
in their titles were released in the mid-1990s and beyond, helping to
establish the genre as being very closely related to downtempo and trip
hop but also incorporating, especially in the early 2000s, slower
varieties of house music, nu-jazz, and lounge music. The genre also
includes some forms of trance music, ambient music, and IDM, and it has
entirely subsumed the older genre Balearic Beat, although that term is
still used interchangeably with chill out. Chill out is generally
tonal, relaxing (or at least not as "intense" as other music from the
styles it draws from), and generally does not incorporate music that
emphasizes "hard," "deep," or particularly hypnotic rhythms.
An entire culture surrounding chill out music has evolved, with many
fashionable bars and clubs, designed with a retro or futuristic
ambience, devoted to the genre. Ministry of Sound in London has hosted
many chill out events in places such as Ibiza and there are hundreds of
mix compilation titles including the words "chill out" or just "chill"
that cater for the chill out audience. As of 2005 "chill out" is
recognized by all major UK dance magazines and their charts.
The chill out styles are similar to the Leftfield scene inspired by the
band of that name. There are many bands that make chill out music, such
as the aptly named Chillage People; DJs that specialize in chill out
like Dr. Chill, Unity Dub, The Only Michael, Chris Coco, Pete Lawrence
and Mixmaster Morris, the latter known for having released Global
Chillage; organizations that focus on this style like Portugal's
Chillout Zone and Liquid; record labels like Liquid Sound Design, Vagalume, Ultimae and Interchill; and events such as The Big Chill and
Sundaze. Often music is mixed with video art mixed by VJs with gentle,
relaxing images of nature or electronic graphics.
The Big Chill festival is a large annual event catering for chilled out
clubbers and families in Eastnor Castle, Worcestershire with resident
acts including Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay.
Go up
 Trip
hop (also known as the Bristol sound) is a term coined by British
dance magazine Mixmag, to describe a musical trend in the mid-1990s;
trip hop is downtempo electronic music that grew out of England's hip
hop and house scenes. Characterized by a reliance on breakbeats and a
sample-heavy sound pioneered by Coldcut's remix of Eric B. & Rakim's
"Paid in Full", trip hop gained notice via popular artists such as
Portishead, Massive Attack, Tricky, and rock-influenced sound groups
such as Ruby, California's DJ Shadow, and the UK's Howie B.
Londoners Morcheeba and Glideascope are also often associated with this
sound. The latest addition to this line of performers is Jem. The
Bristol Sound came out of the wider Bristol Urban Culture scene.
The “trip” in “Trip-Hop” refers to the “out-of-this-world” state
following the use of a drug. This provides insight into Trip-Hop’s
strong connection with the senses. Furthermore, the “hop” in “Trip-Hop”
explains how Trip-Hop is derived from Hip-Hop.
The style is perhaps typified by the song "Unfinished Sympathy" which
has frequently been described as one of the best songs of all time,
according to polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines
and reviewers. [1] A reviewer for the BBC has said that: "More than a
decade after its release it remains one of the most moving pieces of
dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly
as a ballad by Bacharach or a melody by McCartney."
Trip-Hop originated in the 90's in Bristol, England, during a time when
American Hip-Hop was taking over Europe's music industry. British DJs
decided to take Hip-Hop to a whole new level. They developed Hip-Hop
into a different style, marking the birth of Trip-Hop. The originators
in Bristol devloped Hip-Hop with a laid-back beat (down tempo). Bristol
Hip-Hop (Trip-Hop's predecessor) is characterized by the emphasis on
slow and heavy drum beats, the sampling of old records, and the
elimination of all rap elements that exist in American Hip-Hop. The
group Massive Attack, by releasing their debut album "Blue Lines" in
1991, spear-headed the "Bristol Hip-Hop movement" (known as the "First
Coming of Bristol Sound"). One also has to note that the inventors of
Bristol Hip-Hop did not intend to create a "dark" atmosphere with their
music.
 1994 and '95 saw Trip-Hop near the peak of its popularity. Massive
Attack released their second album entitled "Protection." Those years
also marked the rise of Portishead and Tricky. Portishead's female lead
singer Beth Gibbons' sullen voice was mixed with samples of music from
the '60s and '70s, as well as sound effects from LPs, giving the group
a distinctive style. Tricky's style was characterized by murmuring and
low-pitched singing. Artists and groups like Portishead and Tricky led
the second wave of the Bristol Movement (a.k.a. "Second Coming of
Bristol Sound"). This second wave produced music that was dreamy and
atmospheric, and sometimes deep and gloomy. The British press termed
this style of music "Trip-Hop," refering to this evolved style of
Hip-hop.
Incidentally Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky actually had a
common history. Massive Attack's three members used to work with
Tricky, under the group "The Wild Bunch" (headed by Nellee Hooper in
1982), explaining why many Massive Attack songs feature Tricky.
Portishead member Geoff Barrow also previously helped produce Massive
Attack's "Blue Lines."
The Bristol sound
The Bristol sound was the name given to a number of bands from Bristol,
England, in the 1990s. These bands spawned the musical genre trip-hop,
though many of the bands shunned this name when other British and
international bands imitated the style and preferred not to distinguish
it from hip-hop.
It is characterised by a slow, spaced-out hip-hop sound that a number
of artists in the early and mid 1990s made synonymous with the city.
These artists can include the aforementioned original Bristolians
Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky and others such as Way Out West,
Smith and Mighty, Up, Bustle & Out, and The Wild Bunch. The Bristol
Sound was part of the wider Bristol Urban Culture scene
Post Trip-Hop
Early Trip-Hop lacked diversity and variety, as the genre was in its
early stages of developments. As electronic music became developed and
pioneers like Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky released new albums
in '94 and '95, a new generation of Trip-Hop artists emerged. "Post
Trip-Hop" artists included Morcheeba, Alpha, Mono, The Aloof, Cibo
Matto, etc. These artists integrated Trip-Hop with Ambience, R&B,
Brit-Hop, Breakbeat, Drum N' Bass, Acid Jazz, New Age, Sympony, etc.
Furthermore, vocals expanded beyond melancholy female voices.
Eventually Trip-Hop developed into a diversified genre that was no
longer limited to the "deep, dark style" of the early years,
eliminating the original impression of Trip-Hop as "dark and gloomy."
Abstract Hip-Hop
James Lavelle, owner of the famous Trip-Hop label Mo'Wax used to say,
"British Hip-Hop lacks the lyrical skills of U.S. counterparts, but
British kids have got the musical side." This offers insight as to why
Trip-Hop artists like DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, and DJ Cam often choose to
strip out vocals in their works. The absence of vocals produces an
effect that emphasizes the intrinsic nature of the music, allowing the
listener to step into unknown territory (just like viewing an abstract
painting). Though this style of music is coined "Trip-Hop," many artist
(including DJ Shadow) frown upon this term, disagreeing with the
interpretation. DJ Cam calls this style of music "Abstract Hip-Hop."
Go up
 Deep
house is a style of house music. It is loosely defined by the
following characteristics that distinguish it from most other forms of
house music:
• relatively slow tempo (110–125 bpm);
• de-emphasized percussion, including:
• simpler drum machine programming;
• gentle transitions and fewer "build-ups";
• less "thumpy" bass drum sound;
• less pronounced hi-hats on the off-beat;
• sustained chords or other tonal elements that span multiple bars;
• increased use of reverb, delay, and filter effects;
• a featured solo R&B vocalist, often male, exhibiting soul, jazz,
and/or gospel influences;
• jazz influences or samples in the instrumentation.
Not all of these need to be present or fully satisfied in order for
house music to be called "deep house"; fans of the style typically just
identify it by its subjective "feel" rather than by the presence or
absence of specific elements.
The term "deep house" first appeared in the music press in the late
1980s, usually in reference to the music of Larry Heard.
Go up
Balearic Beat is a style of
electronic dance music that emerged in the late 1980s and was popular
into the mid-1990s. The style was named for its popularity among
European nightclub and beach rave patrons on the Balearic island of
Ibiza, a popular tourist destination. Some dance music compilations
referred to the style as "the sound of Ibiza," even though many other,
more aggressive and upbeat forms of dance music could be heard on the
island. Major artists credited with popularizing Balearic Beat include
Soul II Soul and Enigma.
 The Balearic Beat sound was initially typified by a distinctive,
relatively heavy, slow (90–110 bpm), R&B-influenced beat consisting of
bass drum, snare, and hi-hats (often produced with a Roland TR-909 drum
machine) programmed in certain laid-back, swing-beat patterns; soul,
Latin, African, funk, and dub affectations; and production techniques
borrowed from other styles of dance music that were popular at the
time. Vocals were sometimes present, but much of the music was
instrumental. The sounds of acoustic instruments such as guitar and
piano were sometimes incorporated into Balearic Beat.
UK disc jockeys Paul Oakenfold and Danny Rampling are commonly credited
with having "discovered" Balearic Beat in 1986 while on holiday in
Ibiza. Reportedly, they were introduced to the music at Amnesia, an
Ibizan nightclub, by DJ Alfredo from Argentina, who had a residency
there.
Having been primarily associated with a particular percussion pattern
that eventually fell out of vogue, the style eventually faded from
prominence, and its repertoire was subsumed by the more general "chillout"
and "downtempo" genres.
Ibiza is still considered by some to have its own 'sound,' however.
Compilations such as Global Lounge Sessions: The Balearic Sound of
Ibiza, released in 2002, continue to be released. These generally
feature house music and certain downtempo selections, not the old style
of Balearic Beat, per se. Some prefer to use the term more generally,
however, to apply to all of these styles.
A less common synonym for Balearic Beat is Balearic House.
Go up
 House music refers to
a collection of styles of electronic dance music, the earliest forms
beginning in the early- to mid- 1980s. The name derives from the
Warehouse club in Chicago, where the resident DJ, Frankie Knuckles,
mixed old disco classics and Eurosynth pop. Club regulars referred to
his selection of music as "house" music.
The common element of most house music is a 4/4 beat generated by a
drum machine or other electronic means (such as a sampler), together
with a solid (usually also electronically generated) bassline. Upon
this foundation are added electronically generated sounds and samples
of music such as jazz, blues and synth pop. House music has been
sub-divided into a bewildering number of sub-categories, some of which
are described below.
Proto-history: from disco to house: late 1960s to early 1980s
House music, techno, electro and hip hop musicians owe their existence
to the pioneers of analogue and sample based keyboards like the Moog
and Mellotron that enabled a wizardry of sounds to exist, available at
the touch of a button or key.
Although most people believe house music to have originated from Donna
Summer's "I Feel Love", fully formed electronic music tracks actually
came before house. Early American Sci-Fi films and the BBC Soundtrack
to popular television series Doctor Who stirred a whole generation of
techno music lovers like the space rock generation during the 1970s,
influenced by the psychedelic music sound of the late 1960s and bands
such as Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, Amon Duul, Crazy World of Arthur
Brown, and the so-called Krautrock early electronic scene (Tangerine
Dream and Klaus Schulze). Shunned by many as a "gimmick" or "children's
music", it was a genre similar and parallel to the Kosmische Rock scene
in Germany. Space rock is characterized by the use of spatial and
floating backgrounds, mantra loops, electronic sequences, and
futuristic effects over Rock structures. Some of the most
representative artists were Steve Hillage's Gong and Hawkwind.
Kraftwerk's 1970 classic "Ruckzuck" mixed live instruments with
electric that culminated in a monotonous epic of bass, wild drums and
strange sound effects. Pink Floyd's 1973 album, Dark Side of the Moon,
was highly influential on acid house with steady beats and Moog
flurries. The mid-1970s saw a spattering of techno-inspired music
usually through ambitious producers wishing to experiment with Moog and
Mellotron type keys on more conventional rock bands such as the Steve
Miller Band's 1975 track "Fly like an Eagle" which was later heavily
sampled by Nightmares on Wax in 1990.
The late 1970s saw disco utilise the (by then) much developed
electronic sound and a limited genre emerged, appealing mainly to gay
and black audiences, it crossed over into mainstream American culture
following the hit 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. As disco clubs filled
there was a move to larger venues. "Paradise Garage" opened in New York
in January 1978, featuring the DJ talents of Larry Levan (1954–1992).
Studio 54, another New York disco club, was extremely popular. The
clubs played the tunes of groups like The Supremes, Anita Ward, Donna
Summer and Larry Levan's own hit "I Got My Mind Made Up". Drugs
including LSD, poppers and quaaludes boosted the stamina of the
clubbers. The disco boom was short-lived. There was a backlash from
Middle America, epitomised in Chicago radio DJ Steve Dahl's "Disco
Demolition Night" in 1979. Disco returned to the smaller clubs like the
Warehouse in Chicago, Illinois.
Opened in 1977 the Warehouse in Chicago was a key venue in the
development of House music. The main DJ was Frankie Knuckles. The club
staples were still the old disco tunes but the limited number of
records meant that the DJ had to be a creative force, introducing more
deck work to revitalise old tunes. The new mixing skills also had local
airplay with the Hot Mix 5 at WBMX. The chief source of this kind of
records in Chicago was the record-store "Imports Etc." where the term
House was introduced as a shortening of Warehouse (as in these records
are played at the Warehouse).
Despite the new skills the music was still essentially disco until the
early 1980s when the first drum machines were introduced. Disco tracks
could now be given an edge with the use of a mixer and drum machine.
This was an added boost to the prestige of the individual DJs.
Chicago years: early 1980s - late 1980s
In 1983 the Music 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
1983. 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).
By 1985 house music dominated the clubs of Chicago, in part due to the
radio play the music recieved on 102.7 FM WBMX, and their resident DJ
Team the HOT MIX 5. Also, the music and movement was aided by the
musical electronic revolution - the arrival of newer, cheaper and more
compact music sequencers, drum machines (the Roland 909 and 808 and
707, and latin percusion machine the 727) and bass modules (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.
Two record labels dominated the house music scene in Chicago, DJ
International Records, owned by Rocky Jones and Trax Records owned by
Larry Sherman (Trax self pressed records and the quality was not as
good as the Disc Makers pressings of DJ International).
 Many of the songs that defined the era came off of those record labels.
Steve Hurley's "Music is the Key", Chip "E"'s "Like This" and Fingers,
Inc. "Mystery of Love" (1985) were amongst some of the defining songs
that came off of DJ International. While Trax released "Jack the Bass"
& "Funkin With the Drums Again" by Farley Jackmaster Funk in 1985
followed the next year by House Classic "Move your Body" by Marshall
Jefferson and "No Way Back" by Adonis.
This was something of a 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.
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 1987 with "Jack
Your Body". This and other tracks 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.
The British connection: late 1980s - early 1990s
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, the Midlands and the South East. Founded in 1982
by Factory Records the Hacienda in Manchester became an extension of
the "Northern Soul" genre and was one of the early, key English dance
music clubs. 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. Many underground venues and DJ
nights also took place across the U.K. like for instance the private
parties hosted by an early Miss Moneypenny's contingent in Birmingham
and many London venues. House was boosted in the UK 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,
whose resident, DJ Harvey brought in Larry Levan.
The underground house scene in cities such as Birmingham, Manchester
and London were also provided with many underground Pirate Radio
stations and DJ's alike which helped bolster an already contagious, but
otherwise ignored by the mainstream, music genre.
One of the earliest and most influential UK house and techno record
labels was Network Records (otherwise known as cool cat records) who
helped introduced Italian and U.S. dance music to Britain as well as
promoting select UK dance music acts.
But house was also developing on Ibiza. A hippy stop-over and a site
for the rich in the 1970s by the mid-1980s a distinct Balearic mix of
house was discernible. Clubs like Amnesia where DJ Alfredo was playing
a mix of rock, pop, disco and house fueled by Ecstasy, began to have an
influence on the British scene. By late 1987 DJs like Paul Oakenfold
and Danny Rampling were bringing the Ibiza sound to UK clubs like Shoom
in Southwark (London), Heaven, Future and Purple Raines Spectrum in
Birmingham. But the "Summer of Love" needed an added ingredient that
would again come from America.
In America the music was being developed to create a more sophisticated
sound, moving beyond just drum loops and short samples. New York saw
this maturity evidenced in the slick production of disco house
crossover tracks from artists such as Mateo & Matos. In Chicago,
Marshall Jefferson had formed the house 'super group' Ten City (from
intensity), demonstrating the developments in "That's the Way Love Is".
In Detroit there were the beginnings of what would be called techno,
with the emergence of Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson.
Atkins had already scored in 1982 with Cybotron and in 1985 he released
Model 500 "No UFOs" which became a big regional hit, followed by dozens
of tracks on Transmat, Metroplex and Fragile. One of the most unusual
was "Strings of Life" by Derrick May. The NME described it as "George
Clinton and Kraftwerk stuck in an elevator". It was a darker, more
intellectual strain of house that followed its own trajectory.
"Techno-Scratch" was released by the Knights Of The Turntable in 1984
which had a similar techno sound to Cybotron and is possibly where the
term techno originated, although this is generally credited to Atkins,
who borrowed the term from the phrase "techno rebels" which appeared in
writer Alvin Toffler's book Future Shock (see Sicko 1998).
 The records were completely independent of the major record labels and
the parties which the tracks were played at never played any commercial
pop music.
The combination of house and techno came to Britain and gave House a
phenomenal boost. A few clubs began to feature specialist House nights
- the Hacienda had "Hot" on Wednesday from July 1988, 2,500 people
could enjoy the British take on the Ibiza scene, the classic "Voodoo
Ray" by A Guy Called Gerald (Gerald Simpson) was designed for the
Hacienda and Madchester. Factory boss Tony Wilson also promoted acid
house culture on his weekly TV show. The Midlands also embraced the
late 80s House scene with many underground venues such as multi storey
car parks and more legal dance stations such as the Digbeth Institute
(now the 'Sanctuary' and home to Sundissential).
Social aspects of raves
Rather than be confined in the clubs ambitious promoters took the music
to large temporary sites such as fields, handling up to 30,000 people
in a single illegal event, called a rave. Promoters like Sunrise,
Energy, Biology, Fantasia and World Dance held massive events in
defiance of the police and music industry. Unlike many nightclubs they
were open to all ages and people.
The press lead the general public to believe that the events were
shaped solely by the consumption of ecstasy, but others pointed out the
music was refreshing and intoxicating enough without consumption of
drugs. The British tabloid press helped publicize the scene, generally
portraying rave parties in a negative light, which tended to alarm
institutions such as the government and the police. Many tunes became
hits from these events such as "Everything Starts with a E" by the
E-Zee Possee," which was created by a savvy music producer rather than
a band, "The Trip" by S'Express and "NRG" by Adamski who became the
first rave superstar.
The publicity and the knowledge that these events could make
significant amounts of money led more professionally criminal groups to
take an interest in raves. The police became more active in preventing
or closing down raves. As the second "Summer of Love" arrived in 1989
the police became even more oppressive, culminating in a 1990 Act of
Parliament. This was counter-productive, it both forced raves back
underground and increased the criminal presence in organising raves.
But the music continued, one of the longest lasting and influential
groups grew out of the rave scene, named Orbital after the M25
motorway. Their British hit "Chime" was snapped up by Pete Tong's FFRR
label. By the end of 1989 House was mainstream music in Britain, it
charted regularly with "Ride on Time" from Black Box being at number
one for six weeks.
Although some venues in Wales (such as Wentwood Forrest near Newport)
were still successfully holding outdoor raves well into the early
1990s, the majority of outdoor raves from the Midlands, the North West
and South East were gradually closed down by the police, this did not
deter the events organisers and new indoor venues were once again
sought. Large country venues that were used to entertain many hundreds
of revellers and smaller (up until then) weaker commercial inner city
nightclubs were exploited to fill the House scene gap. These events
were fueled by illegal pirate radio stations, the mass production of
flyers and word of mouth. Free raves and outdoor events continue to
take place in the Forest of Dean.
The most significant revolution in house music took place in the very
early 1990s with bedroom musicians like Unique 3, LFO, Nightmares on
Wax, N-Joi, 4-Hero, Shut Up 'N' Dance, Ryhmatic and Altern8. These Rave
musicians were counted by their hundreds due to the way sampling had
become affordable to the masses (thanks to Akai), hundreds of other one
off white label artists enjoyed instant fame like The Prodigy and Zero
7, this unusual version of house steered away from the monotonous
Balearic beats that prevailed at the time and eventually jungle music,
drum and bass and breakbeat eventuated by musicians who experimented
with live breakbeats as opposed to the usual Roland 909 Drum Machine
kick and snare.
Developments in the United States in late 1980s to early 1990s
Back in America the scene had still not progressed beyond a small
number of clubs in Chicago and New York, Paradise Garage was still the
top club, although they now had Todd Terry, his tune "Weekend"
demonstrated a new House sound with hip-hop influences evident in the
quicker sampling and the more rugged bass-line. While hip-hop had made
it onto radio play-lists, the only other choices were Rock, Country &
Western or R & B.
Influential gospel/R&B-influenced Aly-us released "Time Passes On" in
1993 (Strictly Rhythm), then later, "Follow Me" which received radio
airplay as well as being extensively played in clubs. Another US hit
which received radioplay was the ghettotech single "Time for the
Perculator" by Cajmere. Although these are generally grouped in with
classic house now, the early 1990s sound was different from the early
1980s Chicago house WBMX sound - due at least in part to digital audio
improvements.
After the "Summer of Love": early 1990s to mid 1990s
 In Britain, further experiments in the genre boosted its appeal (and
gave the opportunity for new names to be made up).
House and rave clubs like Lakota, Miss Moneypenny's and the original
C.R.E.A.M. began to emerge across Britain, hosting regular events for
people who would otherwise have had no place to enjoy the mutating
house and dance scene.
The idea of 'chilling out' was born in Britain with ambient house
albums like the KLF's Chill Out. A new indie dance scene was being
forged by bands like the Happy Mondays, The Shamen, New Order, Meat
Beat Manifesto, Renegade Soundwave, EMF, The Grid and The Beloved. Two
distinctive tracks from this era were the Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds"
(with a distinctive vocal sample from Rickie Lee Jones) and the Happy
Mondays' "Wrote for Luck" ("WFL") which was transformed into a dance
hit by Paul Oakenfold.
The Criminal Justice Bill of 1994 was a government attempt to ban large
events featuring music with "repetitive beats". There were a number of
abortive "Kill the Bill" demonstrations. Although the bill did become
law in November 1994, it had little effect. The music continued to grow
and change, as typified by the emergence of acts like Leftfield with
"Release the Pressure", which introduced dub and reggae into the house
sound. In more commercial areas a mix of R&B with stronger bass-lines
gained favour.
The music was being moulded, not just by drugs, but also the mixed
cultural and racial groups involved in the house music scene. Tunes
like "The Bouncer" from Kicks Like a Mule used sped-up hip-hop
break-beats. With SL2's "On A Ragga Trip" they gave the foundations to
what would become drum and bass and jungle. Initially called breakbeat
hardcore, it found popularity in London clubs like Rage as a "inner
city" music. Labels like Moving Shadow and Reinforced became
underground favorites. Showing an increased tempo around 160 bpm, tunes
like "Terminator" from Goldie marked a distinct change from house with
heavier, faster and more complex bass-lines: drum and bass. Goldie's
early work culminated in the twenty-two minute epic "Inner City Life" a
hit from his debut album Timeless.
UK Garage developed later, growing in the underground club scene from
drum and bass ideas. Aimed more for dancing than listening, it produced
distinctive tunes like "Double 99" from Ripgroove in 1997. Gaining
popularity amongst clubbers in Ibiza, it was re-imported to the UK and
in a softened form had chart success: soon it was being applied to
mainstream acts like Liberty X and Victoria Beckham.
4 Hero went in the opposite direction - from brutal breakbeats they
adopted more soul and jazz influences, and even a full orchestral
section in their quest for sophistication. Later, this led directly to
the West London scene known as Brokenbeat.
Mid-1990s and beyond
Back in the US some artists were finding it difficult to gain
recognition. Another import into Europe of not only a style but also
the creator himself was Joey Beltram. From Brooklyn his "Energy Flash"
had proved rather too much for American House enthusiasts and he need a
move to find success. The American industry threw its weight behind DJs
like Junior Vasquez, Armand van Helden or even Masters at Work who
appeared to churn out endless remixes of mainstream pop music. Some
argued that many of the formulaic remixes of Madonna, Kylie Minogue,
U2, Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, Spiller, Mariah Carey, Puff Daddy,
Elvis Presley, Vengaboys and other bands and pop divas did not deserve
to be considered house records.
The rise of the UK "superclub"
During this time many individuals and particularly corporations
realized that house music could be extremely lucrative and much of the
1990s saw the rise of sponsorship deals and other industry practices
common in other genres.
To develop successful hit singles, some argued that the record industry
developed "handbag house": throwaway pop songs with a retro disco beat.
Underground house DJs were reluctant to play this style, so a new
generation of DJs were created from record company staff, and new clubs
like Miss Moneypenny's, Liverpool's Cream (as opposed to the original
underground night, C.R.E.A.M.) and the Ministry of Sound were opened to
provide a venue for more commercial sounds.
By 1996 Pete Tong had a major role in the playlist of BBC Radio 1, and
every record he released seemed to be guaranteed airplay. Major record
companies began to open "superclubs" promoting their own acts, forcing
many independent clubs and labels out of business. These superclubs
entered into sponsorship deals initially with fast food, soft drinks,
and clothing companies and later with banks and insurance brokers.
Flyers in clubs in Ibiza often sported many corporate logos.
Many UK clubs were playing much the same music as the commercial dance
shows, as were many bars, supermarkets, and television advertisements.
Dance music was perceived by many young people as being increasingly
outmoded. Many older DJs seemed to be playing year after year, leading
to the term "Dad house". House music became racially segregated, in
contrast to its inclusive beginnings; some major UK clubs were
reportedly refusing to book black DJs. MDMA became less popular than
cocaine but created an entirely different atmosphere. Ketamine and GHB
also appeared on the club scene during this time.
House music and the new century
 As of 2003, a new generation of DJs and promoters, including James
Zabiela and Mylo, were emerging, determined to kickstart a more
underground scene and there were signs of a renaissance in
Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and other racially-mixed
cities, as well as in Canada, Scandinavia, Scotland and Germany. For
example, in 2004 the Montreal club Stereo celebrated its sixth year in
operation and in 2005 The Guvernment in Toronto with Mark Oliver is
celebrating it's 9th anniversary. Stereo, opened in 1998, was modeled
after the seminal New York City club Paradise Garage, focusing the
experience on the quality of sound and lighting. The key to house music
was re-invention. A willingness to steal or develop new styles and a
low cost of entry encouraged innovation. The development of computers
and the Internet play a critical role in this innovation. One need only
to examine how house music has evolved over time to evaluate the effect
computers and the Internet have had on house music and music in
general.
In 2005 house music seems to be in limbo. The soulful Latin- and black-
influenced house has been largely replaced with a more electronic
harder sound as in hard house or hardstyle. The Euro music such as
trance and hardstyle are taking over the house music scene as a rebirth
of new club music and reducing the influence of soul. Critics have
labelled this new type of house music as a commercialized version of
hardcore techno.
Just recently, Richard Daley, Mayor of Chicago proclaimed August 10,
2005 to be House Unity Day in Chicago last July 27, 2005 in celebration
of House Music's 21st anniversary. DJ's like Frankie Knuckles, Marshall
Jefferson, Paul Johnson and Mickey Oliver were cited among the many
other DJ's who came together to celebrate the proclamation at the
Summer Dance Series event organized by Chicago's Department of Cultural
Affairs.
House music is uptempo music for dancing and has a comparatively narrow
tempo range, generally falling between 118 beats per minute (bpm) and
135 bpm, with 127 bpm being about average since 1996.
Far and away the most important element of the house drumbeat is the
(usually very strong, synthesized, and heavily equalized) kick drum
pounding on every quarter note of the 4/4 bar, often having a
"dropping" effect on the dancefloor. Commonly this is augmented by
various kick fills and extended dropouts (aka breakdowns). Add to this
basic kick pattern hihats on the eighth-note offbeats (though any
number of sixteenth-note patterns are also very common) and a snare
drum and/or clap on beats 2 and 4 of every bar, and you have the basic
framework of the house drumbeat.
This pattern is derived from so-called "four-on-the-floor" dance
drumbeats of the 1960s and especially the 1970's disco drummers. Due to
the way house music was developed by DJs mixing records together,
producers commonly layer sampled drum sounds to achieve a
larger-than-life sound, filling out the audio spectrum and tailoring
the mix for large club sound systems.
Techno and trance, the two primary dance music genres that branched off
from house in the late 1980s and early 1990s respectively, can share
this basic beat infrastructure, but usually eschew house's
live-music-influenced feel and black or Latin music influences in favor
of more synthetic sound sources and approach. Hence, all but strict
purists would generally consider any track with this basic electronic
drumbeat some sort of house music, as long as it is (or is paired with
material which is) live-influenced, black, or Latin sounding.
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