Learn the secrets of house music production from some of the biggest names in the industry. The Secrets of House Music Production book is the essential guide to producing cutting-edge house music.
Sound On Sound editor Paul White delivers the definitive guide to recording and mixing in the project studio.
Featuring 350+ full-colour pages packed with pro techniques, practical photos, detailed illustrations and hands-on walkthroughs, The Producer's Manual brings together everything you need to take a mix from initial recording to final master, including:
All you need to get great recordings: from vocals and drums to guitars, bands and acoustic instruments. Choose the right mic, review classic recording techniques, learn how to tame spill and get the most from performers.
In-depth 101-style guides to dynamics and compression, reverb, pitch correction, studio acoustics, monitoring and more.
Taking your mix to the next level: explore the techniques and the pitfalls. Essential jargon-free theory backed by practical insights on everything from EQ through mixdown approaches to classic hardware profiles.
How to master your own material when the budget doesn't stretch to professional mastering.
The Producer's Manual is supplemented by tricks and insights gleaned from over 20 years in the industry and interviews with some of the industry's biggest producers, including Tony Visconti, Alan Parsons and many more.
Funky house music as a genre would at first seem fairly simple to define - any house music that displayed a preponderance of funk samples, a funk-inspired bassline or a strong soul influence, combined with drum breaks that draw inspiration from 70's and 80's funk records. However, upon closer examination it appears as though funky house has broadened to the point where it is no longer possible to paint all artists operating within this genre with the same brush. Let's take a look at four funky house producers who represent a few of the different directions that this musical style has taken in the past 15 years.
1. Olav Basoski. This Dutch producer has been churning out funky house hits since 1997. He has also become a sought-after remixer, known for adding a touch of funk to almost any production. He broke through to a huge audience after releasing a remix of Moby's 'Bodyrock' in 1999, which used sampled disco strings, filter sweeps and a hot vocal and bassline to propel the track up the dance charts. The song is also notable for its electro-inspired breakdown mid-way through.
2. Les Rythmes Digitales. Also known as Jacques Lu Cont, this alias for Stuart Price has served him well on the funky house music scene. LRD productions often adopt a funky slap bass style, and make use of the same type of vocal sampling used in French house without resorting to the same level of filtering that is often a marker of that genre. In addition to his work with a number of pop artists, Price is celebrated for his LRD track entitled 'Jacques Your Body', which came out in 1999.
3. Armand van Helden. An artist who has dabbled in many different areas of the house music sound, Armand van Helden got his start producing some of the funkiest tracks around. His remix of 'Spin Spin Sugar' by the Sneaker Pimps was the first in a line of funky house music releases that would light clubs on fire in both the United States and Europe. He followed it up with 'The Funk Phenomena', the disco-tinged 'U Don't Know Me' and the dual attack of 'Flowerz' and 'The Boogie Monster' in 1999.
4. Cassius. Veterans of the French hip hop scene Le Funk Mob found an outlet for their house music energies with Cassius. Combining elements of filter, French and funky house, Cassius was all over the place sonically, although most tracks were anchored by solid funk basslines and soulful vocals. Some of their most representative work can be heard on the singles '1999', 'The Sounds Of Violence' and 'Feeling For You'.
Have you seen the new electrohouse nudisco music video from Grum? It's called "I Can't Shake This Feeling" and the arrival of Grum is already causing hyperbolic excitement amidst the house / electro / disco community in anticipation of his forthcoming full length release "Heartbeats" which you can get more information on at his official website www.heart-beats.co.uk
You'll definitely want to check out the new video to Grum's "I can't Shake This Feeling" on youtube as part of the build up for the offical album launch.
"I Can't Shake This Feeling" is a great feel good club track with impecable production continuing the renewal of house music with 80's style electro vibes – incorporating bold synthesized stabs and drum sounds and all round streamlined, polished and synthetic sonic aesthetic. It seems in injecting these past influence
Grum is part of the huge movement of electro, synth disco and funky electrohouse that is enjoying a massive resurgence at the beginning of the new decade, and Grum comes from the stable of pedigree that includes Mylo who was the producer de jour of the electrohouse movement as it bubbled away in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century when Mylo's "Drop The Pressure" became a land mark track.
Funky and and disco influenced soulful deep house came to prominence in the mid to late 90's with the arrival of the french house sound championed by acts such as Daft Punk, and saw hits such as "Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust top the charts internationally, to be followed by more funky house classics such as "Lady" and "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Spiller which blew the sound up worldwide.
It was perhaps at this point that the house sound which was traditionally soulful and funky lost it's edge as it became more mainstream, while underground audiences sought something edgier, giving rise to the Electroclash movement which saw the overproduced, overthough house sound eschewed in favour of a punkier aesthetic driven by the do-it-yourself ethos of a new type of laptop based producers working out of their bedroom's – just like Grum. Fischerspooner was a key Electroclash act that rose to prominence which has been name checked by Grum as an influence in renewing and bringing previously overlooked 80's themes and techniques into the 21st century with deft precision.
It was then to be huge hits such as Benny Bennassi's "Satisfaction" Fedde Le Grande's "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" Eric Prydez's reworking of 8o's classic "Call On Me" and of course Mylo's "Drop The Pressure" that cemented the return of house music to mainstream audiences under a new guise: That of electrohouse.
But what has been fascinating has been the embrace of Hip Hop artists who are now using more electrohouse influenced productions on chart topping hits that has made electrohouse bigger and more influential than ever and the signature sound of brash keyboard stabs and synthetic drum sounds can be heard on many of the biggest hits in the top 40 now. The punters are really going for Grum's new single "I Can't Shake This Feeling" - here's what they're saying around the blogs:"He may reside in Leeds but Grum certainly ain't grim - he's super, super!"
"New Grum original track. It's a doozy. The music video is fantastic as well, combining 4 of mans favourite things: Grum, babes, food, n humour."
"Damn Grum's got it right. A video based around tasty girls scarfing piles of food. wow. Delicious."
"EARGASM! I kid you not . . . it has got a really 80s vibe to it. In any case, its a superb kind of funk. You can also expect Grum's usual killer beats mixed in. Can't wait to hear more. As for the video, well, you decide. One of the funniest stuff I've seen this week."
"At first I was like, "Cmon, another slow motion video? And even more, a slow motion video of girls and food." But no, I was wrong. There is more to this video that more frames per second. Be sure to check out this one for some good times."
Apparently Grum was named for being a "grumpy bastard" in his younger days, which is somehwhat bemusing given the feel good factor behind is groovy electro house music. The song in particular is reminiscent of many 80's pop classics with a soaring female vocal that sounds a little like Laura Brannigan who had hits with "Gloria" and "Self Control"
The video is a bold mix of the sexual and erotic, with the disturbing and somewhat gruesome footageof sexy girls stuffing their faces with all types of food laid out for them by a sleazy disco style director.But it also tells a humourous narrative of a father seeing his daughter portrayed in one of these videos as he sets out to rescue her from iniquity.The video closes as the father bursts into the studio reproaching the sleazy director with the humourous slogan "We've got plenty of spaghetti!"
I myself had never heard of "Feeder" videos but apparently this is an established genre in adult movies. There has been thematic comparisons with the video for Simian Mobile Disco's "Hustler" which also features attractive girls, but from Benny Benassi's "Satisfaction" to Eric Prydez "Call On Me" I think you can safely say that within the genre there is an established tradition of combining gorgeous girls with somewhat bizarre and abstract items and contexts.Whatever the case be sure to check out this electrohouse music video from Grum for yourself: "I Can't Shake This Feeling"!
Disco music gets a bad rap. People decry the genre as a plastic, soulless, producer-driven music fad that deserves scorn for being empty and unfulfilling. Many music fans were happy to see disco die in 1980, but the truth is that disco never passed on. It spawned a new generation of dance music that branched out and evolved into the global phenomenon known as house music. So how exactly did disco give birth to house music? Here's the story.
So a gay guy and a black dude walk into a warehouse....just kidding! Well, actually that's not too far off. Here's the short version.
Larry Levan started spinning disco records together at those crazy Paradise Garage parties in New York.
Soon after Disco Demolition Night (when white kids killed disco at a White Sox game), Chicago started developing a new, electronic, drum-machine happy sound.
Frankie Kunckles brought his gay-friendly crate of thumping disco tracks to Chicago and the kids got into it. Stuff like "Let No Man Put Asunder" from First Choice rocked the Warehouse in 1983.
Soulful, bangin' disco tracks collided with what-the-hell-sounding beats from Jesse Saunders, Farley Jackmaster Funk and a bunch of other DJs, remixers and record producer types in Chicago.
All the kids wanted to buy the records that were playing at the Warehouse in Chicago, and after some abbreviating -- the house music label was born.
In Detroit, Juan Atkins (/Cybotron), Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson originated a techno touch alongside the Chicago house music sound.
If you want to learn more, there's a video on it -- Pump Up the Volume. This documentary outlines the history of house music's muddied origins. From swinging disco tracks to squelching, experimental knob-turning, to the base kick of techno's first producers, this three-part video has it all.
Part 1 starts with Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage and goes through the early house music scene in Chicago.
In Part 2, you can learn about how Brits got hold of the stuff and used their Northern Soul infrastructure and connections in Ibiza to club the music out to the Euro masses. Detroit's take on house also gets attention.
Part 3 takes you through some of the more recent house music scenes, you know -- all that splinter faction definition label stuff. Anything Goldie says is hilarious, and Armand Van Helden seems like a pretty chill dude.
Sure, these Google vids don't offer the best presentation. And yeah, some of the music you'll hear is a bit wack, but this documentary from 2001 is a bridge that connects the house music of today to the disco classics of yesteryear. Understanding the details of this evolution will give you a greater appreciation for the ever-evolving history of dance music.
Christopher Stout writes and manages Funk Deli, a funky lifestyle blog that delivers slices of funk on a daily basis. Visit Funk Deli to learn more about funk, disco, electro, soul, and hip hop music, and check out funky gear, events, clothes and kicks from all around the world.
Chicago's second surge of house music was influenced by Curtis Jones aka Green Velvet, Roy Davis Jr, Chicago then, had not comprehended the potential of its new house sound until Farley Jack Master Funk, released Love Can't Turn Around, and he became an overnight sensation in the USA. Chicago house forefather was recently nominated for a 1998 Grammy -- in the "new re mixer of the year" category other stars including The Chicago house producer-re mixer-songwriter Steve Silk Hurley, went on to be a four-time Grammy nominee.
The Chicago House Music Association a non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding and developing house music. The Chicago House Music Association CHMA strives to preserve and inspire local and international awareness and appreciation of the origins, history, culture, and future of Chicago house and its artists, producers, and DJ's via the Internet, conferences, forums, and events.
At a time when the Chicago House music scene was on the verge of an international explosion, Terry debuted his first release, a House track entitled Madness. Meanwhile, the largest concert and dance party in the history of Chicago House will take place on September 15th at the newly renovated Congress Theater in Chicago with 30 of the hottest artists and DJ's in the genre performing live sets for the first time ever.
By 1990, a lot of styles were seeping into the regional purity (odd term, that, since house was the result of such a melting pot to begin with) of pure Chicago house and as the mixes after this cutoff point just went to all to hip-hop and other styles of dance music, house music evolved.
The kind of music that refers to a style of electronics dance music is known as house music. The earliest form of house music was played in the early to mid 1980's. House music was developed by club DJs in the city of Chicago in United States. The influence of certain elements like the funk infused dance music style and disco style can be seen heavily in house music. The origin of the name house music is uncertain. Some suggest that the name is derived from the name of the club called The Warehouse. In the late 70's and early 80's warehouse parties that were held underground were very popular in the city of Chicago. Now one of these underground parties that were frequented mostly by Latino and black gay man was known as the warehouse.
The Dj at The Warehouse Frankie Knuckles mixed European synthpop music with mixed classic disco music, punk recordings, industrial music and the new wave music for people who were regulars there. Frequent clubbers referred this music as House Music and thus the name cam into being. But as mentioned earlier this is disputed. Musician Larry Heard claims that the term House Music comes from the fact that most of the Djs records the music at their house. Generally these Djs use drum machines and synthesizers to record the music at their house and hence the term House Music came in to being. Dj Chip E has another story to tell behind the popularity of the name House Music. Chip claims that the name came from the method of recording at a studio. However none of the claims are conclusive.
House music developed in houses, clubs and garages where mostly teenagers and local club goers used to assemble. The popularity of house music increased when the music was played in commercial radio. House music was much longer and conceptual then any other type of music and also this music was not meant for widespread commercial use. Basically house music combined the traditional elements of the musical instruments to give it a more humane touch. The house music scene is very popular worldwide even today as many musicians have made huge contributions towards this. Many new generation producers and Djs have emerged in the house music scene and their main purpose is to make House Music popular.
House Music is popular these days and this music can be seen to be catching up in Detroit, New York, Atlanta and some other cities in America where people of racially mixed origin reside. It is not only in USA that the music is catching up but also in several countries worldwide like Germany, Australia, Canada and Scandinavia. Recently the Mayor of Chicago proclaimed that 10th of August to be celebrated as house Unity Day in the city. The craze for House Music is one the rise and this is evident worldwide.
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When it comes to mixing house music it takes some experience of knowing how house music is created. This simply comes with listening to it over and over again. Most house music we listen to uses a 4/4 measure. That means for every measure there are four bars and for every bar there are four beats.
For example most house music starts on the one or the first kick drum sound. From there you would count 1, 2, 3, 4 in sync with the kick drum and then you would repeat the count again starting on 1. You do this one time and you just completed a bar. You do this four times and you just completed a measure. This is a good frame of reference in order to start.
5 quick and easy steps to begin mixing house music
1. Start mixing by using duplicate records. In other words get two of the same songs and try mixing. It is much easier to start with two of the same records rather than two different records. 2. When mixing two different records use the same or close to the same BPMs. 3. Use your favorite songs to mix when starting out. 4. Slow the tempo down if the song is too fast. 5. Mark the record with a piece of tape to indicate the beginning of the beat.
Think of house music as Hiphop music just a little faster. By slowing the house music down with your pitch adjustment on your turntable it will make mixing the music a little easier.
Why?
Because when the music is slower you brain has a chance to process the music easier which allows you to mix songs easier. Your ear will adapt to the slower tempo enabling you to match beats. If you were to try to mix house music for the first time at it is normal speed you could easily get frustrated because things could be going to fast for you.
Matching beats is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome when mixing any genre of music not just house music. A beat is equivalent to one kick of a kick drum. Being able to match beats doesn't start with house music it starts with a simple drum track. Just about any Hip Hop track that is about 90 BPM's with a simple 4 beat pattern will do.
Practice mixing with a pair of the same record trying to match beats. Always try to catch the beat on the "1" or the first drum kick at the beginning of the verse not the intro. On your right hand turntable cue the record at the beginning of the verse starting with the kick drum. You cue the record by placing your finger on the record at the point where you want the beat to come in. On your left hand turntable play the same record from the beginning.
The platter should still be spinning under the record. Why? Because when you release the record you want it to match beats with the song from the other turntable in time. If you press too hard on the record while cueing it, the song will drag and the song will not play in sync. One record will play behind the other and you'll get a weird echo effect or something worse.
When the song from the left hand turntable reaches the beginning of the verse (on the "1" or first kick drum) that is when you release the record from its cue point giving it a slight push so it does not drag. Continue to practice this method with your favorite records and you'll be mixing any type of music you can get your hands on not just house music.
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Disco music gets a bad rap. People decry the genre as a plastic, soulless, producer-driven music fad that deserves scorn for being empty and unfulfilling. Many music fans were happy to see disco die in 1980, but the truth is that disco never passed on. It spawned a new generation of dance music that branched out and evolved into the global phenomenon known as 
Chicago's second surge of 
The kind of music that refers to a style of electronics dance music is known as 
When it comes to mixing