The Origins of House Music
The Origins of House Music
If you ask ten different people where house music started, you’ll probably get ten different answers. That’s because, like most genres, house didn’t just appear one day—it was shaped by people, places, and circumstances that stretched across cities and decades. The truth is more layered than “Frankie Knuckles invented house music,” though he played a massive role (MasterClass, 2023).
I’m 20 years old when writing this, and I only really started getting into house music and DJing when I was 18. I’m still learning as I go, and the more I dive into this world, the more I realize just how deep it runs. So, consider this both a history lesson and a reflection on my own growing passion for house music.
The Death of Disco and the Birth of Something New
By the late 1970s, disco had reached its peak. It was everywhere—on the radio, in movies, in suburban clubs. But mainstream oversaturation led to a fierce backlash, particularly among rock fans who saw disco as inauthentic and overly commercial. This all boiled over in 1979 with Disco Demolition Night, an infamous event at Chicago’s Comiskey Park where thousands of disco records were blown up on live TV. The event was as much a rejection of disco’s audience as it was of the music itself (NPR, 2023).
Crowd sets rejected records on fire at Disco Demolition night in Comiskey Park, Chicago, July 12, 1979. ST-17500981-E1, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM; photograph by Jack Lenahan
However, the death of disco was a catalyst rather than an ending. Disco’s DNA—steady beats, looping basslines, euphoric vocals—was repurposed by DJs experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers. In dark, smoke-filled underground clubs, a new sound began to emerge, one that retained disco’s danceable grooves but stripped away much of its gloss and orchestration in favor of raw, machine-driven beats. This sound would come to be known as house music (Icon Collective, 2022).
Chicago’s Underground: The Warehouse and the Pioneers
The origins of house music are deeply tied to The Warehouse, a members-only nightclub in Chicago where Frankie Knuckles, a New York transplant, was the resident DJ. From what I’ve read, Knuckles played an eclectic mix of disco, soul, European synthpop, and anything else that fit the vibe. What made his sets unique was the way he manipulated records—extending grooves with reel-to-reel tape edits, layering drum machines over tracks, and creating a continuous mix that never let the energy drop (South Side Weekly, 2021).
But Knuckles wasn’t alone. DJs like Ron Hardy, Jesse Saunders, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, and Larry Heard (Mr. Fingers) were all experimenting with new sounds. These DJs took disco’s grooves and made them heavier, more hypnotic, and distinctly electronic. According to many, the term “house music” wasn’t something they invented—it was something their audiences started using. One theory claims the name came from a sign at a tavern that said, We Play House Music, referencing the music played at The Warehouse (5Mag, 2023).
Learning the Technical Side of House
I’ll be honest—when I first started DJing house music, I wasn’t thinking about the technical details of the genre. But the deeper I got into it, the more I wanted to understand why it worked the way it did. Why did certain beats make people dance? Why did some transitions feel so seamless while others felt awkward? That’s when I started paying attention to the actual building blocks of house music.
Drum Machines and Synthesizers
House music’s defining feature is its four-on-the-floor beat—a steady bass drum hit on every quarter note. This structure, borrowed from disco, was enhanced by new drum machines that allowed producers to tweak the rhythm beyond what was possible with live drummers. The Roland TR-909 became the cornerstone of the genre, with its deep, punchy kick drum and crisp hi-hats shaping the drive of early house records (MasterClass, 2023).
Another defining element was the use of synthesized basslines. The Roland TB-303, initially designed as a bass accompaniment tool for guitarists, was repurposed to create the squelchy, resonant basslines that would define acid house. Producers like Phuture (an American house music group from Chicago, founded in 1985 by Earl "Spanky" Smith Jr., Nathaniel Pierre Jones aka DJ Pierre, and Herbert "Herb J" Jackson) made heavy use of the 303, tweaking its resonance and cutoff filters to create otherworldly textures (5Mag, 2023).
Sampling and Loop-Based Production
Sampling also became integral to house music production. Producers chopped up disco vocals, gospel shouts, and funk loops, layering them over programmed drum patterns to create a sense of continuity between old and new dance music traditions.
Tracks like Marshall Jefferson’s “Move Your Body” used piano stabs and uplifting vocal lines to push the genre toward a more anthemic sound (Icon Collective, 2022).
Loop-based production techniques meant that a track’s groove could last indefinitely, which was a crucial element in shaping house’s hypnotic quality. DJs would extend breakdowns and create long, rolling rhythms that locked dancers into a trance-like state (South Side Weekly, 2021).
The Global Spread of House Music
I think one of the coolest things about house music is how it traveled. It wasn’t just a Chicago thing. In New York, Larry Levan was doing something similar at Paradise Garage, another legendary club. Meanwhile, Europe was paying attention. By the mid-80s, Chicago house tracks like Love Can’t Turn Around had blown up in the UK, where club culture was thriving. British DJs and promoters ran with the sound, giving rise to the UK’s Second Summer of Love (1988–89), where house and acid house soundtracked massive, unlicensed raves (NPR, 2023).
Where I’m At Now
I’m still figuring things out. I don’t think you ever really stop learning about music—it’s too vast, too rich, and too full of surprises. But the more I dig into house, the more I appreciate just how much it’s shaped the way people experience dance floors, festivals, and even pop music today.
Four decades later, house music is still evolving. It’s splintered into countless subgenres, from deep house and tech house to afro house and progressive house. It’s influenced pop, hip-hop, and everything in between. Artists like Daft Punk, Disclosure, and even Beyoncé (with Renaissance) have brought house elements into the mainstream. But at its core, house music is still about the same thing: community, movement, and freedom.
If you’re into house music, DJing, or just love exploring different sounds, check out my YouTube channel, where I share mixes and breakdowns of different house subgenres. It’s a space where I keep learning, experimenting, and sharing my passion for the music. Click here to check it out!
Want to dig deeper?
MasterClass. (2023). Chicago House Music: A Brief History. Retrieved from MasterClass
NPR. (2023). Chicago’s Birth of House Music. Retrieved from NPR
5Mag. (2023). Chicago House Music History and Culture. Retrieved from 5Mag
South Side Weekly. (2021). Chicago Legends Debate the Origins of House Music. Retrieved from South Side Weekly
Icon Collective. (2022). The History of House Music. Retrieved from Icon Collective
