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DJ Deep continues our Decade In Review round-up, with his take on 10 years of shifting patterns in house music.
House music has had a rough ride for the majority of the decade. The strain that dominated the previous 10 years – call it US deep house, soulful house, garage, whatever – went into serious decline, a lack of creativity stifling the genre. But in the last years of the decade, a new energy has crept in from house’s closest cousin, techno.
The source is obvious – Berlin. Alongside giving new life to Detroit techno, the scene in the German capital has infused house with new life. DJs like Dixon know how to present the music in all its forms – from sensuous deep and slow house to rawer and harder techno-influenced jams while Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann paint darker shades in the city’s temple of techno.
With house, in a way, going full circle, back to its roots (have you checked how many acid releases are available in stores these days?) the need for an abstract or more raw aesthetic returned. House has ‘proved’ that, as a distinct genre, it stands up on its own, but perhaps by flirting with other genres – jazz, soul, African/world music – it watered down its ability to be seen as a standalone entity.
Cross-pollination with ‘real’ musicians may have resulted in more credibility from outside of the scene, but in the process, house lost a little of its own defining nature – the mystery and magic of tracks like K Alexi’s ‘Essence Of A Dream’; Armando’s raw, uncompromising energy; the emotion of Derrick May; the swing of Kenny Dope, the beauty of Nu Groove…
Next : more thoughts from DJ Deep, plus his top five albums and singles...
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Wow, those would not be my picks. I don't even think of them all as house.
Detroit house shone this last decade, moodymann, theo, omar-s, 3 Chairs, Patrice Scott, Keith Worthy, Delano Smith and so many more
well, if you have time, share your picks jacob! be interested to hear others' views also...
Hi Gregd, no i do not think that vocals are dead. I personally find less interresting songs right now, and more interresting Techno jams, but all this as i'm sure you know already goes by cycles.
gmos, you are right about the House Sound or Deeper House sound of Detroit considerably expanding in the last decade (well Moodymann's productions started before that), but yes labels like Sistrum, FXHE, and of course Sound Signature etc... I think i could have included the Theo Parrish "Sound Sculptures" albums in my top 5 albums, but it's impossible to pick 5 records of any style anyway!!! So i chose the option of opening up a little bit the music perspective by selectin Jaydee's album as well as the Radio Nova boxset.
as someone who plays vocals and i admit its harder to find the good ones,i still think they can really lift a set played at the right time....
All in all this Dilla album is far from being the best thing he did, really far. I wouldn't call it a "classic".
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so what about vocals cyril are they dead as well?