1990’s House Music: The Best of the Decade

Join me as I take a trip down memory lane and explore the best house music of the 1990s. From classic tracks to lesser-known gems, we’ll revisit the sounds that defined a decade.

Introduction

Welcome to our guide to the best house music of the 1990s. This was a decade that saw the rise of electronic dance music and the birth of rave culture. House music was at the forefront of this revolution, and it remains one of the most popular genres today.

The 1990s was a golden era for house music, with classic tracks being produced by some of the genre’s biggest names. This guide will take you through some of the best house tracks of the decade, from commercial hits to underground anthems. So whether you’re looking for a nostalgic trip down memory lane or you’re just discovering house music for the first time, this guide is for you.

The Beginnings of House Music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Chicago club scene in the 1980s. House music was created by DJs and producers who were influenced by disco, post-disco, garage house, and techno. The first house music tracks were created with a drum machine, a synthesizer, and a sequencer. House music quickly became popular in the Chicago club scene and soon spread to other cities.

Early House Music in Chicago

It is generally accepted that house music originated in Chicago in the early 1980s. One of the first tracks to gain popularity was Farley “Jackmaster” Funk’s “Love Can’t Turn Around”, which was released in 1986 and reached number one on the UK dance charts. This was followed by a string of other Chicago-based house tracks that found success in the UK, such as Marshall Jefferson’s “Move Your Body” and Mr. Fingers’ “Can You Feel It”.

While these early tracks were popular in club settings, it wasn’t until the late 1980s that house music began to achieve mainstream success. This was due in part to the emergence of acid house, a subgenre of house music that featured elements of disco and psychedelic pop. One of the most famous acid house tracks is 808 State’s “Pacific State”, which was released in 1989 and reached number ten on the UK Singles Chart.

The mainstream success of acid house led to a rise in popularity for other subgenres of house music, such as deep house and techno. By the early 1990s, house music had become one of the most popular genres in both club and radio settings. The genre continued to grow in popularity throughout the decade, with hits such as Daft Punk’s “Around the World” and Armand Van Helden’s “U Don’t Know Me” helping to bring it to a wider audience.

The Birth of Acid House

In the late 1980s, a new style of house music began to emerge in clubs in Chicago and New York City. This new style, which came to be known as acid house, was characterized by its use of synthesizers and drum machines to create a distinctive, repetitive sound. Acid house quickly gained popularity in the UK, where it became associated with the “second summer of love” of 1988.

The Golden Age of House Music

House music first became popular in the 1980’s, but it reached its peak in the 1990’s. This was the golden age of house music, when the genre was at its most creative and experimental. Artists pushed the boundaries of what was possible, and the results were some of the most iconic tracks of the decade. Let’s take a look at some of the best house tracks of the 1990’s.

The Second Summer of Love

In the late 1980s, a new generation of young clubbers was coming of age, and they were looking for a new sound. Derrick May, Juan Atkins, and Kevin Saunderson—the so-called Belleville Three—had been making music together since high school in the Detroit suburbs. In 1987, they founded the record label Transmat to release their own music and that of their friends. The following year, May’s “Strings of Life” became an overnight sensation in the UK, and Atkins’s “Altered States” was not far behind.

Meanwhile, another group of young Americans was making its way to England. Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, and Marshall Jefferson—the godfathers of house music—had been spinning records at the Warehouse, a legendary Chicago club, since 1977. In 1987, they followed May and Atkins across the Atlantic and started playing at a small club in London called Shoom.

The mix of American house and British acid house created a sound that was unlike anything that had come before it. Basslines were deeper, drums were harder, and acid squelches and 303 bleeps added a layer of otherworldly menace. The Second Summer of Love had begun.

The Madchester Scene

The Madchester scene was a musical and cultural scene that developed in the English city of Manchester in the late 1980s, particularly around the nightclub The Haçienda. The music that emerged from the scene mixed alternative rock, synth-pop, and dance music, and was labelled by the press as “Madchester”. The scene was propelled by ecstasy culture which was alternately optimistic and nostalgic.

In 1988, The Haçienda began to play a mix of house and acid house. The Resistance were soon holding large acid house parties at the Haçienda on Whitworth Street West every Tuesday. There was no dress code; people just came as they were. Record labels associated with Madchester include Factory Records, Deconstruction Records, and Acid Jazz Records.

The Madchester scene fizzled out towards the end of the decade with changes in musical taste, drug use and changes in Manchester’s nightlife infrastructure. However, its influence can still be felt in contemporary British music.

The Legacy of House Music

House music first originated in Chicago in the early 1980s. The genre was created by DJs who were influenced by disco, electronic, and soul music. House music quickly spread to other parts of the United States and then to the rest of the world. By the 1990s, house music was one of the most popular genres of music.

The Second Wave of House Music

In the early 1990s, a second wave of house music gained popularity in Europe and the United States. This style of house music was influenced by techno and incorporated more experimental elements than the music of the first wave.

This new style of house music was often darker and more atmospheric than the music of the first wave. It was also more experimental, incorporating elements of other genres such as acid house, dub, and techno. This second wave of house music is sometimes referred to as “intelligent dance music” or “IDM.”

The experimental nature of this second wave of house music led to a greater variety of subgenres and styles, from deep house to hard trance. Althoughthe second waveof house music did not achieve the same widespread popularity as the first wave, it had a significant impact on electronic dance music and continues to be influential today.

House Music Today

Despite its humble beginnings in the clubs of Chicago and New York, house music has gone on to conquer the world. Nevertheless, the sound of house has changed considerably since its early days – while remaining true to its roots. In this article, we’ll explore how house music has evolved over the years, and what it sounds like today.

Originating in the mid-1980s, house music was born out of a fusion of disco and electronic music. Early pioneers such as Frankie Knuckles and Marshall Jefferson helped to shape the sound of house, with their intention being to create a more stripped-back and minimalistic version of disco. House tracks typically featured a four-on-the-floor drum pattern, simple melodies, and occasional vocals.

The 1990s saw house music explode in popularity, with dance clubs across Europe and the US playing host to huge parties where revelers would dance all night long. Producers such as Daft Punk, Armand Van Helden, and Sasha & John Digweed helped to bring the sound of house to a wider audience through their work on compilations such as Renaissance’s Themix series. At the same time, new subgenres such as progressive house and trance were beginning to emerge.

Today, house music is more popular than ever before. It has been absorbed into popular culture through its use in television shows, movies, and advertising. And while some purists may bemoan the fact that it has become more commercialized, there’s no denying that it still packs a serious punch on the dancefloor.

If you’re wanting to get into house music, then there’s no better place to start than with these essential tracks…