A short history of house...Chicago house

I have friends whose eyes glaze over at the very mention of house music. I know what they're thinking. Thumping banging beats, irritating repetitive synthesized euro vocals or cheesy piano filled tat. Yes house has a lot to answer for these days.

Just last week a mate remarked at a gig that she knew she was old because she couldn't bear to listen to house anymore. So, at the risk of sounding like Carrie Bradshaw, later that night I got to thinking. What is it I used to like about house? Of course I woke up the next morning and, as ever, forgot I'd even asked myself a question.

Until yesterday. I've been contributing to a music book this week so I've been typing away in my boudoir listening to all sorts. And when a classic Chicago house track came up:


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I took the opportunity to listen to some old songs. Wow. I'd forgotten just how good these early house tracks still are. Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body" from 1986 was the first time anyone had played piano on a house track. And it still gets people moving today. Along with Frankie Knuckles, Jefferson is considered " a Godfather of House".

I have to admit I spent most of the mid-90s while at University in a haze of house. Britpop passed me by entirely because I was dancing my tits off at house all-nighters and warehouse parties (proper ones where you had to go to a dark dodgy boozer to find out the secret location). I just love dancing in places where everyone is there for the music. Still do really. Which is why I like festivals now. Except I'm not as young as I used to be, so I usually suffer the next day.

I could waffle on about all the different sub-genres of house but you'd probably start yawning. So I'd just like to introduce you, if you don't know them already, to a few of my favourite Chicago house tracks.

Chicago house is the earliest form of house. It is funky, edgy-disco, gospel-influenced dance music. The term 'house' comes from Chicago where it meant something cool, hip, fresh or bad. Alternatively some say a Chicago club called The Warehouse gave birth to the genre's label. Either way, my ex-boyfriend first introduced me to it (ten years after it had erupted out of Chicago in the early 1980s). Many a happy time was spent falling in love to these tunes while recovering after days of hard partying.


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"Baby Wants To Ride" is a very naughty song by Frankie Knuckles. I've since realised it's about a dominatrix persuading a guy to let her have her wicked way. Ooh er.

Then there's "You Used To Hold Me" by Ralphi Rosaio.


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Sample lyrics include "What that dorky chic got wouldn't satisfy a cheese stick let alone my baby/She better take her big longhaired butt and move on 'cos he's mine, all mine." Love it.

I end on what is probably my favourite Chicago house track, "Promised Land" by Joe Smooth. It's got it all - funky rhythm, piano and strings, and an optimistic but not cheesy message.


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So don't diss house until you've listened to these classics. All of them are on The Original Chicago House Classics (2002) album (it's on Spotify).