What Is Chicago House Music?

Chicago House Music grew out of the post-disco dance club culture of the early 1980s.

After disco became popular, certain urban DJs, particularly those in gay communities, altered the music to make it less pop-oriented.

Chicago House Music has a mechanical beat, with deepening bass grooves, and elements of electronic synth pop, Latin soul, dub, rap, and jazz grafted over it. Perhaps more irreverent is the suggestion that it "comprises a devout, though decadent beat... a relentless sound designed to take dancers to a new high...a wilful mix of sin and salvation".

When Did Chicago House Music Begin?

Chicago House Music had its origins in Gospel music. These were not just American - popular music from the European electronic pop groups Depeche Mode and Soft Cell and the earlier, more disco-based sounds of Giorgio Moroder, Klein & MBO, as well as Italian productions, all contributed to the Chicago House Music sound.

Chicago House Music originated in Chicago's legendary nightclub "The Warehouse" in 1977. A mix of old disco classics and new Eurobeat pop, Chicago House Music was popularised by DJ Frankie Knuckles, whilst working at the club. Whilst house music itself was in part originally targeted at the gay community, the main interest of the Warehouse was simply to promote Chicago House Music, which was as diverse as the clients.

How did Chicago House Music Evolve?

In the summer of 1986 Chicago House Music was beginning to dominate the play list of Europe's most influential DJs. Within a matter of months and virtually unsupported by the national radio networks, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk "Love Can't Turn Around", Raze's "Jack The Groove", and Steve "Silk" Hurley "Jack Your Body" made their way into Britain's top ten. Thus "jacking", a term used by Chicago dancers to describe the frenetic body pace of the Chicago House Music Sound became the new buzz word of the club scene. A further rush of "Jack Attacks" ensued, including Bad Boy Bill's "Jack It All Night Long", Femme Fion's "Jack The House", Chip E's "Time To Jack", and Julian "Jumpin" Perez "Jack Me Till I Scream".

In 1984, the development of Chicago House Music took a surprising turn, with the release of Walter Gibbons' independent 12" record called "Set It Off". This had a significant impact at Paradise Garage, the black gay club in New York and a "Set It Off" craze spread through the club scene. The tone of this Chicago House Music was primitive and consisted of haunting, repetitive beats ideal for mixing and extending. "Set It Off" immediately became an underground club anthem, finding a natural home in Chicago, where a whole generation of DJ's including Farley and Frankie Knuckles regularly played it at the clubs and on local radio stations.

Chicago House Music evolved into an international success, commencing with a resurgence of new independent dance labels springing up in Chicago, led by Rocky Jones DJ International. At this time, Chicago was alive with musicians. Radio DJs mixed whole nights of Chicago House Music without uttering a word and clubs like The Power Plant stayed open all-night.

Chicago House Music continued to spread throughout the world, to Detroit, New York and London, where a gang of renegade funk boys called M/A/R/R/S took the British charts by storm, climbing to Number 1 with "Pump Up The Volume". Chicago House Music has also infiltrated the very heart of pop music and dynamic cultures like the Latin and Hispanic dance scene.

The Future of Chicago House Music

By 1987, Chicago House Music had metamorphosed into the deep, highly sophisticated sound of "Acid House", identified by its characteristic electronic "squelch" sounds - resulting from DJs experimenting with the Roland TB-303 electronic synthesizer-sequencer. The original Chicago House Music continued to be submerged by the "acid epidemic". This modern upbeat type of psychedelic music was called Trance Dance by London club DJ's. Press hostility and public outrage reached a peak after "We Call It Acieed" by D. Mob reached number 1 on the British pop charts, with radio stations reluctant to play the record and the BBC's "daytime" phone in program holding a nationwide debate on its acceptability. However, acid house continued unabated and saw the rise of Brooklyn's Todd Terry, who is famous for his experimentations with the extremes of hi-tech music.

Chicago House Music has undergone many changes since Frankie Knuckles first introduced it to The Warehouse nightclub. Chicago House Music remains popular in Europe and Australia and Chicago's Mayor introduced House Unity Day on August 10, 2005 in celebration of House Music's 21st anniversary. Two newer forms of Chicago House Music called Ghetto House and Jacke (named after the dance Jackin' "Footworkin'" dance style have been developing in Chicago.

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