The Best House Music of All Time

From deep house to techno, these are the best house music tracks of all time according to DJ Magazine.

Introduction

In the late 1980s, a new style of dance music emerged from the nightclubs of Chicago. Called house music, it was based on a fusion of disco, soul, and particularly Latin American and African rhythms. By the early 1990s, house music had become the dominant form of club music around the world. It spawned dozens of subgenres and helped to launch the careers of several major artists, including Madonna, Moby, and David Guetta. In this article, we’ll count down the best house tracks of all time.

The Early Days

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized by DJs who played in nightclubs and at underground parties. House music quickly spread to other parts of the world, and by the 1990s, it had become one of the most popular genres of dance music.

Frankie Knuckles

Frankie Knuckles was born in the Bronx in 1955 and – like many of the era’s great DJs – he started out playing R&B and disco in local clubs. In 1977, he moved to Chicago, where he became the resident DJ at The Warehouse, a club that would go on to be immortalised as the birthplace of house music.

In the early days, Knuckles played a mixture of Chicago soul tracks and imported European disco records, but it was his ability to seamlessly blend these diverse genres that made him such a popular figure at The Warehouse. As house music began to evolve in the early 1980s, Knuckles played an important role in its development, creating his own unique style that would come to be hugely influential.

Although he never produced any of his own tracks, Knuckles’ skill as a DJ and remixer meant that he was in huge demand – both in Chicago and further afield. In 1987, he relocated to London, where he enjoyed considerable success playing at various clubs including Heaven and The Cross. He also toured extensively around Europe and America, helping to spread the gospel of house music to new audiences.

Knuckles died in 2014 at the age of 59, but his legacy as one of house music’s founding fathers remains secure. His influence can still be heard in the work of today’s DJs and producers, and his contribution to dance music culture is immeasurable.

Marshall Jefferson

Born in Chicago in 1963, Marshall Jefferson is one of house music’s most important innovators and producers. His 1986 track “Move Your Body” is widely considered to be the first true house anthem, and his work with Larry Heard as Mr. Fingers helped to define the genre’s atmospheric, soulful sound. In the early ’90s, he produced some of his best-known tracks, including “Ride the Rhythm” and “The House Music Anthem,” both of which topped the U.K. dance charts. Jefferson has also worked with a who’s who of house music artists, including Frankie Knuckles, Satoshi Tomiie, and Armand Van Helden.

Larry Heard

Larry Heard is a renowned American house music producer, DJ, and composer from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s, when he created the “Chicago sound” of house music with his gritty, soulful productions. Heard’s most famous track is probably “Can You Feel It,” which was released on his own label, Alleviated Records, in 1986.

The Golden Age

The 1990s was a decade that saw the birth of a new genre of music – house. This new style of music was a blend of traditional house music with a more club-oriented sound. This new sound quickly gained popularity and soon became the dominant force in the electronic dance music scene. The 1990s was truly the Golden Age of house music.

Daft Punk

Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement; they also had success in the years following, combining elements of house with synth-pop. They are considered one of the most successful electronic music acts of all time; according to Listen to This, As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2, they have sold over 9,666,000 albums worldwide as of 2009 and are also noted for their work in film scoring, scoring Disney’s Tron: Legacy in 2010. The duo composed the score for the 2013 film Random Access Memories, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year and won Best Dance/Electronica Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. In October 2014, GQ magazine ranked Daft Punk at number 28 on their list of “The 50 Most powerful People in Fashion”.

The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo composed of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, who met in Liverpool in 1989. They came to prominence in the UK with their second album Dig Your Own Hole (1997), which contained the landmark singles “Block Rockin’ Beats” and “Setting Sun”. But perhaps their greatest moment was supplying the soundtrack to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, with a thumping remix of their 1997 classic “Electronic Battle Weapon 6”.

Fatboy Slim

Fatboy Slim is one of the most successful house music artists of all time, with a career that spans over two decades. He is best known for his hits “Praise You” and “Rockafeller Skank”, but has released dozens of other great tracks over the years. Fatboy Slim’s unique style combines elements of techno, hip hop, and rock, making him one of the most innovative and original producers in the genre. If you’re a fan of house music, then you definitely need to check out Fatboy Slim’s discography – you won’t be disappointed!

The Modern Era

House music has been around for decades, but it wasn’t until the early 1990s that it started to gain mainstream popularity. The modern era of house music began in 1992 with the release of the track “No More Tears” by the group Masters at Work. This track helped to popularize the subgenre of deep house. Since then, house music has continued to evolve and grow in popularity. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best house music of all time.

Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris is a Scottish record producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top-ten singles “Acceptable in the 80s” and “The Girls”. His second studio album, Ready for the Weekend (2009), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and includes the chart-topper “I’m Not Alone”, as well as the top-five single “Ready for the Weekend”. His third studio album, 18 Months (2012), saw Harris achieve massive commercial success with single releases including “Bounce”, “Feel So Close”, “Let’s Go”, and “Sweet Nothing”. He released his fourth studio album, Motion, in 2014. It received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number two in the UK. In 2016 Harris topped Forbes’ list of highest paid DJs for the fifth consecutive year.

Harris has won a number of awards throughout his career, including a Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2013 for his song “We Found Love”, which was also nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. He has been nominated for five Brit Awards—winning one—and three NME Awards. Additionally, Harris topped DJ Magazine’s poll of Top 100 DJs three times between 2013 and 2016. He was placed at number ten on VH1’s Greatest Hits of Hip Hop in 2007 and number nine on Madonna’s Confessions Tour from 2006. In 2012 he appeared on Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain list.

Avicii

Avicii, born Tim Bergling, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and producer who specialized in house music. He is best known for his hit singles “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother.” Avicii was one of the highest-paid DJs in the world and had a net worth of $85 million at the time of his death.

Avicii began creating music at the age of 16 and soon caught the attention of Swedish House Mafia member Sebastian Ingrosso. In 2011, Avicii released his first single, “Levels,” which charted in several countries and became a top 10 hit in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. He followed up with the release of his debut studio album, True, in 2013. The album featured electronic interpretations of country music songs and debuted at number one in Sweden.

Avicii’s success continued with the release of his second studio album, Stories (2015), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. In 2016, Avicii retired from touring due to health issues related to pancreatitis. He died by suicide in April 2018.

Tiesto

Tijs Michiel Verwest OON, known professionally as Tiësto is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Breda. He was named “The Greatest DJ of All Time” by Mix magazine in a poll voted by the fans. In 2013, he was voted by DJ Magazine readers as the “best DJ of the last 20 years”. He is also regarded as the “Godfather of EDM” by many sources. In 1997, he founded Magik Muzik and released the first edition of his Magik Muzik compilation series. Tiësto met Arny Bink, owner of Black Hole Recordings and Magnetic Recordings in 1999; the two decided to work together and released Tiësto’s first official single “Flight 643” under Black Hole Recordings on 13 April 2000 which became an instant hit, selling more than 10,000 copies in the Netherlands.

Conclusion

These are only a few examples of the best house music of all time. There are many other great songs out there, but these are some of our favorites. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!