"On and On," Jesse Saunders (1985) - The rap is corny, and it sounds as if it was recorded in a primitive home studio. But "On and On" ranks as the first house record, selling out quickly at Importes Etc. and gaining a huge club following.
"Time to Jack," Chip E. (1985) - "Jacking" became a dance move unique to house, apparently established in Chicago clubs. Similar to today's "freaking," "jacking" involved one person bending over while the dance partner would grind against his/her bottom. Phrases such as "jack your body" were added to the vernacular, leading to a number of house tracks with "jack" in the title. "Time to Jack," however, remains the original, with Joe Smooth chanting the title phrase over the beat.
"Music Is The Key," JM Silk (1985) - This legendary DJ scored with this hit, heavily influenced by Kraftwerk and Afrika Bombata, among other artists. "Music Is The Key" exemplifies the Chicago house sound, a combination of disco with 80s techno.
"Move Your Body," Marshall Jefferson (1986) - Unofficially titled the "House National Anthem," this track cements house's new status as an indepdent genre. In the British documentary Pump Up the Volume: The History of House (2001), Jefferson stated that "Move Your Body" was his attempt at defining the sound, much like Bill Haley and the Comets established the term "rock and roll" with "Rock Around the Clock."
"Love Can't Turn Around," Farley "Jackmaster Funk" featuring Darryl Pandy (1986) - Pandy, an opera-trained singer, became a house superstar thanks to Farley "Jackmaster Funk's" production. At times campy but featuring a raucous piano break, it became one of the earliest house hits in the U.K.
"Can You Feel It," Mr. Fingers (1986) - Mr. Fingers was the alias of DJ Larry Heard, who created this precursor to other house subgenres like ambient and chillout music. The sermon in the middle preaching about the history of house shows the deep soul present in the music.
"Promised Land," Joe Smooth (1988) - Inspired by his stint on the highly successful DJ International tour of the U.K., Smooth penned this dance-take on Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. These two influences resulted in a house classic, to the point where the Style Council released their cover of "Promised Land" a week after the original was released.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Well done Kit. An excellent overview of the genre for the novice, and a very thorough recap for the already acclimated.
-Glen
2 - Dyrkness
I disagree with the sentence "In England, the music branched into related forms such as techno, drum and bass, jungle, trip hop, and other endless subgenres." Techno began in Detroit and Jungle and D&B had it's roots in Reggae and Techno.
3 - Kit O'Toole
Thank you, Glen!
Dyrkness,yes, techno had roots in Detroit, mainly through Derrick May (most famously "Strings of Life," a great techno tune). And, yes, there are connections between D&B and reggae and dub. But England, more than anywhere else, seemed to transform house into several different forms--see the British documentary I mentioned in my column. Quite simply, I didn't have the room to include techno, D&B, etc. in this piece. Maybe I'll discuss them in a future column. Thanks for reading and for your comments!
4 - John D
hey I really enjoyed this article! I didn't know the background so really enjoyed learning about it.