A documentary about the early days of House music. It has interviews with the first DJs and club owners in Chicago. Initiating in a random club in Chicago, House Music spreads first around the city and then worldwide. The interviewees talk about the places, the audiences, and the turning points of their House journey.

The House DJs first start by adding creative elements to their mixes of other records. They play and cut the best parts of the records, creating a unique dance atmosphere that distinguishes them from other parties. In time, they start to employ some of the new drum machines and synthesizers that are not aimed at producing songs but to practice. These devices become the main instruments of the producers of House music.

Culturally, the roots of House music are also tied to the Black and gay scene of Chicago. It takes time for the upscale audiences. The House DJs playing at the high school parties serve as an encounter with middle-class Black kids.

Some House music DJs do not see themselves as artist or musician. They self-criticize the songwriting and the lyrics.

In the early days there was also anti-House propaganda coming from the gatekeepers of the existing music industry meddled with racism. The “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey Park, on July 12, 1979, was a tipping point.

Notes

1. Disco Demolition

New York / Brooklyn

[Nick Siano – DJ/Owner, The Gallery] Nick attends a party at ‘The Loft’ (David Mancuso’s), 647 Broadway. The music and the lights affect him. He thinks that people will love this music. For him, it’s the beginning of dance music.

[Nile Rodgers – Musician/Producer] Relates to women, gay, black power movement: the need for your voice to be heard. These people became comrades and met at the ‘nightclub’. Another attendee of Loft. Precursor for the other clubs to follow.

The Gallery, 172 Mercer Street, NY

The Gallery opens, and everybody goes there. 80 – 100 – 600 people in a short time. Frankie Knuckles and his friend Larry Levan join. 

The Continental Baths, 230 W. 74th Street, NY

Larry starts playing here, and Frankie helps with the lights. In 6-7 months, Frankie takes over after his experience. But Frankie didn’t have an identity, he was still impersonating Larry.

Chicago, 1977

The Warehouse, 206 S. Jefferson Street, Chicago

[Robert Williams – Club Owner] shows the club he had which is now transformed into an office building. The ‘house’ was the great Frankie Knuckles. Robert launches The Warehouse, a private gay club. People didn’t know anything about the music. He calls Frankie to play.

The disco era was an economically bad period.

On the LPs it says “Disco Single”, then the music industry started to put this title on everything they want to sell. That led to low quality, and people got sick of it and started seeing it as a bad taste.

During a baseball match, there is an anti-disco protest. People burn disco records and throw to the field. The protest is organized by radio personality Steve Dahl who organized this “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey Park, in July 12, 1979.

[Vince Lawrence – Producer] Steve Dahl was frustrated because he was fired from the radio which switched from rock to disco. Vince was also there during the events in the stadium. He mentions that the records that were burned were not only disco records, some of them were only records from Blacks. The message was “If you’re Black, or you’re gay, then you’re not one of us. You’re not truly a Chicagoan.”

[Joe Shanahan – Founder, Smart Bar] We went further, deeper underground.

2. Going Underground

[Lori Branch – DJ, Aisha Mays – Warehouse Regular] 

[Craig Loftis – DJ/Producer]

All went to the Warehouse when they were 15, or 16. Getting the IDs from other people to get in.

[Jesse Saunders – DJ/Producer] Warehouse was a gay club, but when you’re in, nothing matters (?)

[Honey Dijon – DJ/Producer] Members-only club. No homophobia, no sexism towards women. 

The great sound design in the Warehouse, leave yourself to the music.

Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse 1981 (excerpt)

[Marshall Jefferson – DJ/Producer] Coolest underground dance music.

People on Frankie Knuckles

You can hear some bands only in the Warehouse, nowhere else. Frankie playing the two records together. Increasing the durations for the parts that are loved. It was not like songs, it was like a soundscape. Like a train coming, getting louder and louder, and then passing. He didn’t just play the records, he added a style to the music.

Frankie was sharing his mixes as tapes. Those were being copied thousands of times by people. With the tapes, that style of DJing spread out the city, other DJs started doing similar things.

Due to the “gay problem” in Chicago, we sat at home listening to these tapes between parties.

1982

The Warehouse was no longer safe. Frankie thought of being a club owner. He opened up The Power Plant. 

Robert Williams gets Ron Hardy as a DJ and opens The Music Box.

The Music Box, 326 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago

[Traxman – DJ/Producer] The Music Box was like “boom boom boom boom”, closer you get, the harder you feel. 

People on Ron Hardy & The Music Box

Really hard music, all night. He did a lot of experimental tricks with the records. It came from him due to his heroin addiction. He thought the music was slow, so he pitched it up. The Music Box was next to a dock, always green lights felt like sci-fi. No seats, no chairs, only the lightbulb and dance floor. You’re forced to dance.

3. Becoming DJs

[Chip E – DJ/Producer]

[Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley – DJ/Producer]

[DJ Pierre – DJ/Producer]

Listening to Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles, new DJs arising, the get some equipment and learn the art. 2 copies of every record, cutting to each other, doing tricks, our equivalent of sampling. If there’s a new record, we hide the name. So other DJs cannot know it. 

In the late 70s and early 80s, DJs performed at high school parties, sweet 16 parties, etc. Schools were throwing dances to raise money for school activities. Mendel Catholic High School was one of them. These school performances connected the underground gay disco scene and the middle-class Black kids on the south side. That was the source of what became House Music.

4. Your Love: The Anthem

Jamie Principle’s (with Frankie Knuckles) “Your Love” (1986) became the first big record. (song wiki)

Everyone has a different opinion on what House came from and who started it. In 1984, it started to mold into a particular sound. The pattern you keep hearing, then it got labeled as house music. 

Jamie Principle is from Chicago. Frankie started playing it. Since Frankie played it, it got very popular.

5. In The Record Biz Now

[Nemiah ‘Mitchbal’ Mitchell – CEO Mitchbal Records\Vince’s dad] Shows the record On & On by Jesse Saunders. It turned out to be a classic.

[Jesse Saunders] Jesse became popular. Vince Lawrence brought a tape to him. Vince made music with his friends while he was young, Z Factor. They made their first songs in the Fast Cars album. Jesse and Vince started working together. They had the equipment: 4 track recorders, a Poly-61 and an 808.

on 808:

Roland said that it was designed as a practice device. But for us, this was the beginning. We wanted to make a record that would move people the way that the best parts of the best songs move people at those parties.

Jesse started to copy his song and sell it because people wanted it. Then he learned the pressing process. The demand was too much that they found a place and reconsidered it as a business. They sold 12K records to the stores by door-to-door selling in a week. And they said “Fuck parties, we’re in record business now.”

On & On was the point where people saw for the first time a record, entirely made at home. The entire town started making records.

6. A Lightbulb Goes Off

The DJs discuss what they used: Casio’s drum machine (Casio RZ-1), Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-110, 808.

All the other DJs seeing Jesse publish a record said that “Well I am a DJ, I can publish a record too”.

Chip E: I started doing records not to be an artist. I just did it to add to my competitive advantage as a DJ. Time to Jack (1985). First song that put the word “jack” into the record.

Rule of house music: the tech that it used to create it. They were using the equipment seen as amateur, and limited by others.

7. An Industry Emerges

Trax Records by Larry Sherman. Producing a lot of records and trying to make money. They were using low-quality recycled records. So, not all the records sounded well.

8. Expanding the Genre

Recorded “Move Your Body” (1986) on Roland TR-707 drum machine, Roland JX-8P Keyboard, and Prophet 2000 Keyboard. (Marshall Jefferson) – Elton John vibes. Played at 40 bpm but sped up to 120 bpm.

In time, some people started making more musical. Terrible songwriting (Jefferson).

The diverse community at the House parties.

Marshall Jefferson: “All of them did records. I did entire genres.”

9. New Sounds

Roland TB-303 Bass Line was to be accompanied by the piano player. They advertised it with jazz musician Oscar Peterson. However, its aim was not to record or perform with. Starting to turn the knobs, and it’s a jazz session. Adding 707 and jamming. They brought the music to Ron Hardy as the only person to play it.

At the Music Box, Ron started playing it to test it. At first, the people didn’t like it. But then he played it 4 times, and people went crazy. That was the beginning of the Acid tracks.

DJ Pierre (Phuture) – the godfather of Acid House. The song, Acid Tracks. It started with the experiments with Roland TB-303 Bass Line.

House Music is on the news. Now it meets with a more upscale audience. Also, it topped the charts in London. 

10. Going Global

Getting popular in the UK. The surprise: “White people like house music?”

First in NY, then in London. Going to a festival with 10000 people. 

[Tim Lawrence – Author, Love Saves the Day] Summer of 1988, in Manchester, Tim is a student. The club The Haçienda plays house: outer worldly, deconstructed, postmodern, samples coming in and out. The arrival of ecstasy in the UK. Drug and music combined and House music exploded, in the summer of Love.

Artists and producers weren’t aware of the money that was made by Larry Sherman. Sherman took the money to himself.

The new Mayor in Chicago banned the parties. Radio stations stopped playing House on the radio. Life was dying.

Marshall Jefferson: “We weren’t musicians. We weren’t songwriters. We did what we did. We did it straightly good for our talent level. But overall I don’t think we had the musical talent to progress to that next level. Other people took it to the next level, briefly. But, I don’t think the songwriting was there. We were focused on the groove. We had a great groove so. And, that’s what we did.”

Closing remarks on Chicago and House music and audience, amateurism (non-musician making music), experimental music, and dance music.

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