History of House

[brianmole 0]

Hi all,

 

I am researching a little project with huge niche appeal I hope. It was kind of an odd decision whether to post or not, but as I am amongst friends here, I am sure 'our secret' is safe http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/flirt.gif I am looking at putting on a special night in a really nice venue with no 'noise environmental issues', probably a weekday as most of us work weekends, and the music theme will be something like 'the history of house'. This will probably appeal to mainly DJ's and a few other 'passionate' types, but could be fun.

 

My memory ain't what it was, and the 90's I kinda fell into a hole http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/hiding.gif , but I am on the rebound, so help me out! What are those seminal tracks that define house music for you? Would you be interested in spinning them?

 

Now, I'm guessing by the nature of the event, this 'gig' will not pay, but who knows, if it goes well, we should also share in the return.

 

So, we need Marky Marc's little speakers as monitors, NIM's mate's F1 stacks for the audience, Eskie's amazing knowledge and bird pulling power, and RobbieD's collection of tunes, Vinnie (wearing his Alice Cooper gear) on the door for a start http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/laugh.gif

 

Share your thoughts:

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thumbup.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/laugh.gif

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

We will also need turntables.... http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/tongue.gif

 

 

[KrazyKaz 0]

This might help, then again it might not.

 

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Danno13 0]

I'm only 19 so the early 90s house was a bit before my time... but to me "Needin' you" by David Moralas sums up house, or at least my first memories of it...

 

I'd definatley be interested in a night like this though!

[brianmole 0]

QUOTE (KrazyKaz @ Jul 7 2006, 01:59 PM)

This might help, then again it might not. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif

Brill, just the info I need. Thx.

[KrazyKaz 0]

QUOTE (brianmole @ Jul 7 2006, 02:12 PM)

QUOTE (KrazyKaz @ Jul 7 2006, 01:59 PM) This might help, then again it might not. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif Brill, just the info I need. Thx. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/cool.gif

[RichardP 0]

Cor nice idea. By 'eck it takes me back...

 

Rarely ever get a proper chance to spin some of the original house favourites !!

 

Old school faves - for me, would likely include:

 

Kenny 'Jammin' Jason - Can U Dance

Nitro Deluxe - Let's Get Brutal

Royal House - Can You Party

Mr Fingers - Can You Feel It

Adonis - Do It Properly

Ralphi Rosario - You Used To Hold Me

A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray

Joe Smooth - Promised Land

 

 

ps. anyone have a copy of DMC's mid-'80s megamix: "The House That Jack Built" going spare? That mix rocked http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thumbup.gif

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

South Street Players, Who keeps changing your mind (fresh fruit mix)

 

Nush, You girls

 

Pizzaman, Trippi on sunshine

[Kingy 0]

Didn't someone once publish a post on here about the beginings of the house scene? Maybe Ian Stewart?

 

I can't find it, but I am sure someone did. Could be my dementia setting in again... http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/censored2.gif

[RichardP 0]

QUOTE (DJ Marky Marc @ Jul 7 2006, 02:11 PM)

Nush, You girls

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/toot.gif Shake that ass!

[Eskie 0]

Sounds like it could be a good night Bri' http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thumbup.gif

I'm assuming you already have a pretty good knowledge of the early house scene and the Wikipedia is pretty comprehensive although not all of the dates are entirely accurate, they touch upon 'Garage' which came from Larry Levan and the tunes he was spinning the Paradise Garage in NY but suggest that it was late 80's/early 90's. I can remember in 1986 working at a basement club in Oxford St in the west-end, called Oxfords. We were mainly playing rare-groove, soul, jazz-funk but also started playing a fair bit of the Chicago house scene. One of Paul Simpson's early projects, Serious Intention had 2 wicked tunes out at the time that I was always playin and they were hugely popular on the underground scene: "You Don't Know" & "Serious", both were termed as being "Garage" tunes. Paul Simpson went onto produce various other artists and Todd Terry started doing similar stuff.

Apart from "You Don't Know" my other personal fave house tunes from back in the day are

Urban Soul-Alright

Nitro Deluxe-This Brutal House

Jungle Bros-Girl I'll House You

Frankie Knuckles-Move Your Body

Jamie Principle-Your Love

LFO-LFO (just for that lethal bassline!)

 

 

[Digital discos 0]

My personal favs

 

 

Early Acid House/Rave Scene

 

Altern 8 - Come With Me

808 State - Cubik State

Prodigy - Your Love

 

Quadrant Park House/Italian Piano classics stuff

 

Bizarre Inc - Playing With Knives

FPI Project - Risky

49ers - Touch Me

 

Later Stuff

 

David Morales - Needing U

Watergate - Heart of Asia

Atlantic Ocean - Waterfall

 

[transeurope 0]

Wow, reading this post just reminds me what a rut non-RnB music has fallen into.

 

49ers was a great track!

Romanthony - Now That You've Left Me

Bjork - Big Time Sensuality

 

Who did the one "I'm having a heart attack....are you ready now"? Seminal at the time, don't think it would go down well now...

 

SL2 Any Track

 

Bizarre Inc..Such A Feeling....way better than playing with knives, although that was great too

 

Pamela Fernandez - Kickin' In The Beat

 

K-Klass = Rhythm Is A Mystery

 

Bassheads - Is There Anyone Out There?

 

Rishing High Collective - Fever Called Love

 

Fire Island - There But For The Grace Of God

 

Underworld - Rez

 

could go on all night http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

[Corabar Steve 0]

Brian, when you get everything sorted post something about it on the site you're known as "Spark" on, if you've visited there recently you'll know why.

 

 

(Cryptic or what?)

[Corabar Steve 0]

QUOTE (transeurope @ Jul 8 2006, 02:10 AM)

Wow, reading this post just reminds me what a rut non-RnB music has fallen into.

& R&B isn't in a rut that makes the grand Canyon look small????????? http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/yucky.gif

[brianmole 0]

WHOA, some great memories there that come flooding back http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/notworthy.gif Played some of these tunes on Friday evening in my cans whilst the background music was on. Wicked.

 

Keep the info coming chaps, http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thumbup.gif

 

A little question; I remember some HI NRG tracks that were very big in the gay scene in the late 80's by people like Sylvester, Divine, Donna Summer, etc..., they seemed to me to be an early influence to house music. Does this ring a bell? I'm thinking that I ought to include seminal non-house tracks that influenced the genre.

 

 

 

 

Corabar, will do when I have some plans ready. It's sparc BTW, not spark - can you guess why?

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

QUOTE

It's sparc BTW, not spark - can you guess why?

 

YES but shall i spoil it for the rest of them http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/tongue.gif

[Supradave 0]

I read an excellent book a couple of years ago while on holiday a couple of years ago about the history of Clubbing. I think it was called last night a DJ saved my life.

 

If you can search that book out it has an entire chapter on the beginnings of the house scene in America from people like Frankie Knuckles etc.

 

It is an excellent book if you love music and essential reading for a DJ.

[RobbieD 0]

What a great thread! And thanks for the name check Brian.

 

There are far far to many tracks to list here, and I could spend weeks going through my vinyl if I started to try and list loads.

 

But I can claim that I was there 83-85, spending vast amounts of money each week on the latest imports on the DJ International and Chicago Trax labels.

 

Steve 'Silk' Hurleys "Jack Your Body" seems to be widely regarded as the first big crossover (club to chart) house track, but I have always considered Colonel Abrams' "Trapped" from around a year before to be the first track to establish house in the mainstream. "Trapped" was, for me at least, absolutely massive, and still a floor filler even today.

 

Another track that I still play to this day is the dub mix of Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jessie Saunders (feat Darryl Pandy) - "Love Can't Turn Around" (marked on the label as "Dub Can't Turn Around". (Track 2, side A of the original 12".) Just love the Acappella break downs in this version!

 

One track that has been going around in my head over the past few days, without actually hearing it anywhere (does anyone else get this, continuous music in your head at every hour of the day, and random tracks you haven't heard for years popping up in your "internal playlist") is "Let The Music Use You" by the Night Writers (86/87?) from just after the early house boom. I must dig it out and play it again.

 

If you have the Hacienda comp in my signature below, then you will have heard "Don't Make Me Wait" by the Peach Boys - a great early / pre house track (82/83?) that at the time was very fresh and unlike a lot of the stuff around. Larry Levan was actually the guy behind this track.

 

It also reminds me of another early house track from from two or three years later "Donnie" by The It. An early DJ International release that again sounded very fresh and different. This track was around the same time as the early Fingers Inc and Frankie Knuckles material from the same label.

 

I also remember loving early tracks from artists such as JM Silk, Chip E, Jamie Principle, Joe Smooth, Marshall Jefferson, Mr. Fingers, - hang on, I could go on for hours, so will stop here!

[Eskie 0]

QUOTE (RobbieD @ Jul 10 2006, 10:30 AM)

If you have the Hacienda comp in my signature below, then you will have heard "Don't Make Me Wait" by the Peach Boys - a great early / pre house track (82/83?) that at the time was very fresh and unlike a lot of the stuff around. Larry Levan was actually the guy behind this track.

Don't Make Me Wait is a top top top top tune http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/toot.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/toot.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/toot.gif

It was on one of the early Streetsounds albums. It was very different to everything else at the time and some people associated it with the electro scene which was getting huge around the same time.

 

The first few Streetsounds albums were absolute classics with so many superb tracks. Morgan Khan was really on the ball, although he started letting it slip a little as the series progressed http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/sad.gif ...mind you, Streetsounds also gave us the magnifique Electro & Jazz Juice series http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/notworthy.gif and then of course there were the priceless box sets- The Philly Story and The Dance Decade http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thumbup.gif The Philly one was probably the best box set ever released in my opinion.

[RobbieD 0]

QUOTE (Eskie @ Jul 10 2006, 10:46 AM)

QUOTE (RobbieD @ Jul 10 2006, 10:30 AM) If you have the Hacienda comp in my signature below, then you will have heard "Don't Make Me Wait" by the Peach Boys - a great early / pre house track (82/83?) that at the time was very fresh and unlike a lot of the stuff around. Larry Levan was actually the guy behind this track. Don't Make Me Wait is a top top top top tune http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/toot.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/toot.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/toot.gif It was on one of the early Streetsounds albums. It was very different to everything else at the time and some people associated it with the electro scene which was getting huge around the same time. Hi Eskie,   Did you used to play the dub mix? I did and thought I was the only one, but I was pleased to see that the Hacienda album decided to go with the dub mix too.   It's just that little bit more spaced out / empty / minimal, which was the appeal of the track anyway.     Also gotta love the Streetsound albums ("It's all about the product") but the down side to them was low sound quality and volume due to the amount of tracks they used to fit on each LP.

[Ian Stewart 0]

A great idea,

 

how about harlequin 4 - set it off (think it was them that did it)

and one of the earliest tunes that crossed over was Colonal Abrams - Trapped

[brianmole 0]

QUOTE (Supradave @ Jul 10 2006, 09:56 AM)

I read an excellent book a couple of years ago while on holiday a couple of years ago about the history of Clubbing. I think it was called last night a DJ saved my life. If you can search that book out it has an entire chapter on the beginnings of the house scene in America from people like Frankie Knuckles etc. It is an excellent book if you love music and essential reading for a DJ.

AHA! This book was read by my mate Dave doubledex, and this triggered the conversation which led to this thread. I am alledgedly getting the book for my birthday http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

[Eskie 0]

QUOTE (Ian Stewart @ Jul 10 2006, 11:27 AM)

how about harlequin 4 - set it off (think it was them that did it)

That was another great tune. Harlequin Force did it originally and there was a cover by Masquerade on the streetsounds label around the same time. "The Kraze" then used the main lyric section and used it on their hit "The Party" which has been re-released and remixed numerous times over the last 15 years or so.

 

QUOTE (Ian Stewart @ Jul 10 2006, 11:27 AM)

and one of the earliest tunes that crossed over was Colonal Abrams - Trapped

Wasn't as good as his dad's hit with the Smurfs http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/rolleyes.gif

[RichardP 0]

QUOTE (brianmole @ Jul 10 2006, 11:19 AM)

QUOTE (Supradave @ Jul 10 2006, 09:56 AM) I read an excellent book a couple of years ago while on holiday a couple of years ago about the history of Clubbing. I think it was called last night a DJ saved my life. If you can search that book out it has an entire chapter on the beginnings of the house scene in America from people like Frankie Knuckles etc. It is an excellent book if you love music and essential reading for a DJ. AHA! This book was read by my mate Dave doubledex, and this triggered the conversation which led to this thread. I am alledgedly getting the book for my birthday http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif A highly recommended read, yes - also read this on holiday a couple of years ago! It's by the same guys who wrote "How To DJ (Properly)".   The old Studio 54 was one place I wanted to go hang out whilst in NY earlier this year (not too sure why, maybe just to let my imagination take me away?) though ran out of time - next visit, perhaps http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/rolleyes.gif   BBC Two & Three are running lots of quite interesting music documentaries lately, maybe there'll be one devoted to this topic! Anyone see the "1989" year documentary recently, with the history of the illegal rave? Pretty entertaining!