How to Spot a Deep House Record
There are some many different genres of house out there that it isn't always easy to tell what style of music you are listening to, especially in the heat of the moment on the dance floor.
This can be a problem later on if you are at your local record shop trying to find more music in a specific style that you really enjoyed.
This article talks about a few of the clues that indicate that the track you are grooving too is a deep house record.
Deep house is an interesting style that reaches all the way back to innovative DJ Frankie Knuckles, who is said to have out some of the first deep house tracks in 1987.
In fact, the style is named after an EP he released that same year.
Over time, the genre has evolved but still maintains some basic features that have held true over the intervening period.
Deep house music doesn't assault the listener with rapid-fire beats or heavy synth lines.
Instead, it displays a laidback groove that usually hovers above 110 beats per minute but never surpasses 125.
This house genre doesn't go for flashy melodies or attention-grabbing builds and releases but rather works to create a sonic environment that encapsulates and relaxes the listener.
Think of deep house as the musical equivalent of a watercolor painting.
This means that each of the elements in the track act as brush strokes to build a full sonic picture.
The building blocks of deep house music are fairly simple.
Some people have called this style 'jazzy house' thanks to the frequent inclusion of jazz samples or the use of seventh and ninth chords, which are typically held over more than one bar in order to provide a landscaping effect.
Reverb and echo are liberally applied in order to help flesh out the sound of the track, but never to the point where percussion starts to acquire a booming sound.
Filters can also be used to take the edge off some of the cymbals and higher frequencies.
One of the final defining features of deep house is the use of a male vocal in a soulful, almost gospel-influenced vein.
The lyrics are often deeply emotional and in tune with the overall vibe of the track.
The down-tempo nature of deep house music means that a wide variety of artists have produced in this style in order to give their albums a wider range.
This includes groups that straddle the line between pop and dance music like the Basement Jacks and Cassius, as well as more traditional house acts such as David Morales and Junior Vasquez.
This can be a problem later on if you are at your local record shop trying to find more music in a specific style that you really enjoyed.
This article talks about a few of the clues that indicate that the track you are grooving too is a deep house record.
Deep house is an interesting style that reaches all the way back to innovative DJ Frankie Knuckles, who is said to have out some of the first deep house tracks in 1987.
In fact, the style is named after an EP he released that same year.
Over time, the genre has evolved but still maintains some basic features that have held true over the intervening period.
Deep house music doesn't assault the listener with rapid-fire beats or heavy synth lines.
Instead, it displays a laidback groove that usually hovers above 110 beats per minute but never surpasses 125.
This house genre doesn't go for flashy melodies or attention-grabbing builds and releases but rather works to create a sonic environment that encapsulates and relaxes the listener.
Think of deep house as the musical equivalent of a watercolor painting.
This means that each of the elements in the track act as brush strokes to build a full sonic picture.
The building blocks of deep house music are fairly simple.
Some people have called this style 'jazzy house' thanks to the frequent inclusion of jazz samples or the use of seventh and ninth chords, which are typically held over more than one bar in order to provide a landscaping effect.
Reverb and echo are liberally applied in order to help flesh out the sound of the track, but never to the point where percussion starts to acquire a booming sound.
Filters can also be used to take the edge off some of the cymbals and higher frequencies.
One of the final defining features of deep house is the use of a male vocal in a soulful, almost gospel-influenced vein.
The lyrics are often deeply emotional and in tune with the overall vibe of the track.
The down-tempo nature of deep house music means that a wide variety of artists have produced in this style in order to give their albums a wider range.
This includes groups that straddle the line between pop and dance music like the Basement Jacks and Cassius, as well as more traditional house acts such as David Morales and Junior Vasquez.
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