House Music- One of Disco’s Children

Written By Kensedeobong Okosun

House music is a derivative of disco music and just like the latter, the former’s name refers primarily to a location, historically tied to the Warehouse, a Chicago club where DJ Frankie Knuckles lived in 1977; and secondly, to the aesthetic which started as plain and unsophisticated music intially, replacing the singer with spoken words.

DJs like Knuckles who pioneered the House sound derived inspiration from the home recording studio’s analog synthesizer and electronic technology. Some of the initial releases of House DJs included Marshall Jefferson’s “Move Your Body” and Larry Heard’s “Can You Feel It” which are demonstrations of the efficacy of the then ubiquitous Japanese technology paired with a minimalist approach to music production.

House music would eventually procreate its own set of offsprings like deep house, diva house, house pop, acid house, hip house, garage, speedgarage, trance, electro house, etc. And is commonplace in European dance venues due to its instrumental configuration and texture which is widely appreciated by the youth.

The following playlist pays respect to the pioneer artists, some experimentalists and newbies of this genre.

  1. Adeva. “Respect” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmh_ljJ3h6U Adeva (1989).

  2. C+C Music Factory. “Gonna Make You Sweat” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaTGrV58wec Gonna Make You Sweat (1990).

  3. Cece Peniston. “Keep On Walkin” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xP_E0bac44 Finally (1992).

  4. Colonel Abrams. “Trapped” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bomSK2RDPAY Colonel Abrams (1985).

  5. Crystal Waters. “Gypsy Woman” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqThf-MpCjs Surprise (1991).

  6. Deborah Cox. “Who Do You Love” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRe2yC7zFNI Deborah Cox (1996).

  7. Diana King. “Shy Guy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TilY_7AoJI Bad Boys (1995).

  8. Dr. Alban. “It’s My Life” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvErUgBtUyA One Love (1992).

  9. Gabrielle. “Dreams” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVLEVEdvxYg Find Your Way (1993).

  10. GALA. “Freed From Desire” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3l7fgvrEKM Come Into My Life (1996).

  11. Janet Jackson. “Together Again” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ0GpZklSt4 The Velvet Rope (1997).

  12. Jody Watley. “Ecstacy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjKRnv8leRQ Intimacy (1993).

  13. Joyce Sims. “Come Into My Life” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ggGQRvR2g Come Into My Life (1987).

  14. Linda Clifford. “Whatcha Gonna Do” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEErILPEPJA Non-Album Single (1995).

  15. M People. “Fantasy Island” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnurO6pY-0U Fresco (1997).

  16. Robin S. “Show Me Love” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HP9Z_3exGE Show Me Love (1990).

  17. Soul II Soul. “Keep On Movin’ “ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTRsySXOojA Keep On Movin’ (1989).

  18. Stromae. “Ta Fête” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEucb8qtBmA Racine carrée (2013).

  19. Sybil. “Don’t Make Me Over” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzeUz9tTR3g Let Yourself Go (1987).

  20. Whitney Houston. “Every Woman” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY_VwPUqcGQ The Bodyguard Soundtrack (1993).

Kensedeobong Okosun

Kensedeobong Okosun is a music enthusiast, music researcher, music journalist with expertise in music selection & planning, vocalist and an author. Her academic article “Sisterhood and Soul Music as expressions of Black Power” is featured in the edited volume, Black Power in Hemispheric Perspective (Raussert & Steinitz, eds, 2022). She has reviewed Dorothea Gail’s Weird American Music for the Forum for Interamerican Research (fiar, 2019). Her literary review on Nigerian music titled “Nigerians and their Music” has been published on the Nigerian news platform Sun News Online, while her article “Remembering Victor Uwaifo, “Guitar Boy” and the quest to meet Mami Wata” graced The Nigerian Observer.

Kensedeobong’s blog highlights music’s interconnectivity with society and comprises personal music experiences, researched information, concept playlists for multiple themes, etc.

A hard-core 90s R&B fan, she utilises the vehicle of memory, to position long forgotten music of yesteryears on the front-burner.

She is persuaded that music is a core conduit of collective harmony, equanimity, vitality and healing. And as such requires criticality in the filtration process, in order to disseminate meaning. Her blog promotes music equality and diversity.

She resides in Germany.

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