Hi-NRG........................And Then Came House!

[marmite7]

I'm making a HUGE assumption here, but as I fell in love with early Chicago House back in 1985/86, when it was introduced at my local gay club - have you all got favourites from that time?

The first House tune I can clearly remember Simon, the DJ dropping was MKII - Used By DJ. I flattened little old ladies, 8 visiting tourists and 2 puppies in my haste to make it to the DJ booth to find out what the hell that bass-line was coming from.


I spotted the DJ International record label, noted the name and went and ordered it on the Monday.


MK II - Used By DJ, is still my fave Chicago house tune.

I also still love:

Marshall Jefferson - House Music Anthem
Farley Jackmaster Funk - Dub Can't Turn Around
Raze - Break For Love
Mr Fingers - Can You Feel It
Mr Fingers - Washing Machine
Raww - Don't You Try It
Ralphi Rosario - You Used To Hold Me
Black Riot - Warlock
Turntable Orchestra - You're Gonna Miss Me
Denise Motto - IMNXTC
Private Possession - This Time
Adonis - No Way Back
Hercules - 7 Ways To Jack
Fingers Inc - Mysteries Of Love

all mixed in well the hi-nrg still be spun :)

[Eurodancemix]

I'm pretty sure many people will call me a heretic, but we're at definite ends of the spectrum...I absolutely HATE House Music. :o
How it ever became so popular is beyond me! I just couldn't understand...people were railing against the "sameness" of Hi-NRG yet this form of music was truly mind-numbingly repetitious and it was outrageously slow to boot! The Hippo (big gay club) here in Baltimore embraced House like there was no tomorrow. I tried to like it, I truly did, but it all ended up sounding like one l-o-n-g song from 10 PM until 2 AM...same beat, same tempo, same speed, same unintelligible looped filtered vocal sample and the same exact *&#@! bassline. :evil:

I am SO glad those days are over. Euro might have been cheesy beyond belief but at least there was energy there.

OK, I'm off my soapbox now. It's time for my medication anyway...

[marmite7]

Euro - over here they mixed it up with hi-nrg still. (Or they did in my gay club)


A bit of house, a bit of hi-nrg and a bit of altetnative dance. Worked really well.

[Energyguy]

Sorry mate but my view is the same... No interest in HOUSE music at all - Never got into it..Im gonna stick with my HI-NRG roots 8)

[gunbuck]

I like them both as well. I was just listening to Turntable Orchestra's "You're Gonna Miss Me" the other day.

[marmite7]

Way to go Gun :)


Someone who appreciates it too ;)

[monty69]

There were many records that were regarded as house and yet were hugely popular in gay clubs. 'Love Can't Turn Around' being one of the most popular.I for one loved and still do many house tracks as long a sit has a decent vocal and a good melody. House is played now in most gay clubs.

[straight acting]

It kinda stopped me going out, but by then I'd gotten married and a mortgage, so funds were tight anyhow. I never started going out again til the late 90's "Masters at Work" sort of got me interested again. I'd like to hear some of that early house again now and see what I missed and ,if in retrospect I like it. I never really liked Daryl Pandy or Farley Jackmaster funk, was that representative. Loved "Promised land "by Joe Smooth though.

[Energyguy]

It kinda stopped me going out, but by then I'd gotten married and a mortgage, so funds were tight anyhow. I never started going out again til the late 90's "Masters at Work" sort of got me interested again. I'd like to hear some of that early house again now and see what I missed and ,if in retrospect I like it. I never really liked Daryl Pandy or Farley Jackmaster funk, was that representative. Loved "Promised land "by Joe Smooth though.

AAARGGH !! Daryl " bloody" Pandy - god awful - he did a couple of really dreadful tracks with ian Levine - he Just screams and wails and makes funny grunting noises... LOL

[straight acting]

It kinda stopped me going out, but by then I'd gotten married and a mortgage, so funds were tight anyhow. I never started going out again til the late 90's "Masters at Work" sort of got me interested again. I'd like to hear some of that early house again now and see what I missed and ,if in retrospect I like it. I never really liked Daryl Pandy or Farley Jackmaster funk, was that representative. Loved "Promised land "by Joe Smooth though.

AAARGGH !! Daryl " bloody" Pandy - god awful - he did a couple of really dreadful tracks with ian Levine - he Just screams and wails and makes funny grunting noises... LOL

I know, amd Ian was sooooo proud of the tracks he made with him, even worse was the track called " In the house" that Ian actually sang himself, that was a low point!!

[Energyguy]

It kinda stopped me going out, but by then I'd gotten married and a mortgage, so funds were tight anyhow. I never started going out again til the late 90's "Masters at Work" sort of got me interested again. I'd like to hear some of that early house again now and see what I missed and ,if in retrospect I like it. I never really liked Daryl Pandy or Farley Jackmaster funk, was that representative. Loved "Promised land "by Joe Smooth though.

AAARGGH !! Daryl " bloody" Pandy - god awful - he did a couple of really dreadful tracks with ian Levine - he Just screams and wails and makes funny grunting noises... LOL

I know, amd Ian was sooooo proud of the tracks he made with him, even worse was the track called " In the house" that Ian actually sang himself, that was a low point!!

Oh my God !! Don`t recall hearing that... Sounds a NIGHTMARE ! lol

[SandraDee]

I know that alot of that early chicago house stuff was quite different to hi-nrg & the later techno & acid house stuff was a tad, erm, shall we say repetitive, but much of what is referred to as house like 49ers 'Touch me', Inner City 'Pennies From Heaven' & Yazz 'The only Way Is Up' for example is actually not that different to hi-nrg or any other incarnation of gay disco, it was just updated to fit the new digital technology. Really, as an experiment, you could play Gloria Gaynor from '74 (disco) followed by Hazell Dean from '84 (hi-nrg) & then Hysterix from '94 (house) & most non-disco lovers wouldn't spot that these were 3 supposedly different musical forms; to them all 3 tracks would be fabby energetic dance music that was well made & sung by a lovely diva over a 4/4 beat. Disco never died - fact my little cauliflowers.

[Energyguy]

I know that alot of that early chicago house stuff was quite different to hi-nrg & the later techno & acid house stuff was a tad, erm, shall we say repetitive, but much of what is referred to as house like 49ers 'Touch me', Inner City 'Pennies From Heaven' & Yazz 'The only Way Is Up' for example is actually not that different to hi-nrg or any other incarnation of gay disco, it was just updated to fit the new digital technology. Really, as an experiment, you could play Gloria Gaynor from '74 (disco) followed by Hazell Dean from '84 (hi-nrg) & then Hysterix from '94 (house) & most non-disco lovers wouldn't spot that these were 3 supposedly different musical forms; to them all 3 tracks would be fabby energetic dance music that was well made & sung by a lovely diva over a 4/4 beat. Disco never died - fact my little cauliflowers.

DISCO WILL LIVE FOREVER

[Andy Farley]

Loved the house stuff as well!!! People like Funky Dunc at The Powerhouse and Tony de Vit at The Nightingale mixed it in with the Hi-nrg so it didn't get repetitive.

If you don't like house, what would you class Alison Limerick's Where Love Lives? Not that different to any disco classic apart from the production is from the 90s....(awaits backlash!!)

[Energyguy]

Loved the house stuff as well!!! People like Funky Dunc at The Powerhouse and Tony de Vit at The Nightingale mixed it in with the Hi-nrg so it didn't get repetitive.

If you don't like house, what would you class Alison Limerick's Where Love Lives? Not that different to any disco classic apart from the production is from the 90s....(awaits backlash!!)

To be fair.. I have not paid much attention to the house music scene therefore I cannot really criticise it. I am sure there are many great tracks about but at the end of the day I prefer 70s disco and 80s HI-NRG

[SandraDee]

I completely agree with you Andy. 'Where Love Lives' would've been a disco classic had it been recorded 15 years earlier with an analogue production & full orchestra. I can't think of many more pure 'disco' records than Joey Negro's 'Love Fantasy' from '92 or Dayeene's 'Good Thing' from the same year. The early 90s & late 80s threw up alot of great 'disco revival' tracks that were lost under the house/rave publicity that overshadowed everything back then.

[Energyguy]

I completely agree with you Andy. 'Where Love Lives' would've been a disco classic had it been recorded 15 years earlier with an analogue production & full orchestra. I can't think of many more pure 'disco' records than Joey Negro's 'Love Fantasy' from '92 or Dayeene's 'Good Thing' from the same year. The early 90s & late 80s threw up alot of great 'disco revival' tracks that were lost under the house/rave publicity that overshadowed everything back then.

Personally, I thought the early 90s was a dull period for dance - I was not impressed with that "rave" period.

[SandraDee]

Have you heard those 2 tracks I mentioned Neil? They aren't really 'rave' IMO.

[Energyguy]

Have you heard those 2 tracks I mentioned Neil? They aren't really 'rave' IMO.

I have heard those two tracks - I Just mentioned it as you referred to "rave" in your post, dave

[Andy Farley]

Shawn Christopher 'Another Sleepless Night' as well beautiful song in the same league as Alison Limerick :D

[Energyguy]

Shawn Christopher 'Another Sleepless Night' as well beautiful song in the same league as Alison Limerick :D

I remember another good track she did called DON`T LOSE THE MAGIC.. Think it was 1992 ?

[SandraDee]

I think you misunderstood me Neil, I didn't say they were rave, I was just pointing out that the rave publicity in the media overshadowed everything & tarnished it all.

[Andy Farley]

Yea that was cool too, but not as strong as Another Sleepless Night imo.

Another thing to remember is the influence house and rave had on hi-nrg in the 90s, with labels like Klone & Almighty releasing some great tracks, many of them updated disco and nrg tracks.

[SandraDee]

Shawn Christopher's best track IMO was 'Make My Love' from '93.

[Andy Farley]

forgot about that one

still Another Sleepless Night for me though :lol: