Music / Styles A–Z / Groove and the dance floor · 08 of 35
House
House was created in Chicago in the early 1980s by DJs and producers from the city's queer Black underground scene: a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat at about 115 to 130 BPM.
- Where and when
- Chicago, early 1980s
- Tempo
- Typically 115–130 BPM
- Played on
- Drum machines (TR-808, TR-909, TR-707), synths, samples
What it is
House was created in Chicago in the early 1980s by DJs and producers from the city's queer Black underground scene. It is a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat at a typical 115 to 130 BPM.
For the producer. Kick on beats one to four, snare or clap on two and four, off-beat hi-hats. The drums almost always come from a drum machine, often a Roland TR-808, TR-909 or TR-707; congas and bongos add an African feel. Acid house is defined by the squelch of the Roland TB-303. Producers use sampled instruments rather than session players, and the layers stay sparse.
The records that made it
From the lesson Groove and the dance floor, where the sources are listed · links open a search
- 1984On and OnJesse Saunders · Sometimes called the first house record.
- 1985Jack'n the HouseFarley "Jackmaster" Funk
- 1986Move Your Body (The House Music Anthem)Marshall Jefferson
- 1986Can You Feel It?Mr. Fingers
House in this month’s records
New releases the press we read wrote about, tagged house on MusicBrainz · updated with every build