Mare Kreupeling

Need a quick refresher on House music you might already know before diving into this article? Check out this shortlist of House music recommendations from this Monday’s (remastered) article.

Monday's shortlist of House recommendations

When discussing House music, many things may come to mind such as intricate beats and the lively atmosphere of a nightclub. However, as with many music genres, House music is incredibly layered and most interestingly, closely connected to religion. Whilst our exposure to House music continues to grow through pop fusion and it makes his way further into the mainstream, this unexplored connections becomes all the more fascinating. In this article we will be exploring this deeply-rooted link and its origins.

The origins of House

Back in 1980’s Chicago in predominantly black clubs, House music was all the rage. The genre is recognised for its unique utilisation of a 4/4 beat structure with a heavy kick drum and a clap on the two and the four beats, making it stand out from other techno dance music. It is usually repetitive in structure and heavily uses synth production, which provided the genre with a fresh and exciting sound. House music was said to have been populated at The Warehouse, a club on Chicago’s South Side. What started as an innovative new type of dance music made by black and queer DJs quickly became a tool for bonding and communal love for the minorities of Chicago, long before it hit the mainstream.

Religion in House

As the genre became more well known the label house started standing for more than the club origins; more parallels between house music and the black club scene and church started becoming apparent in the community. Many people in the black music scene were religious, but outcast for their sexuality. Through finding one another and bonding over House music, they created their own kind of gospel. Clubgoers started describing it as a vehicle of salvation, bringing together a community who had previously felt lost and lacked the understanding of unity that the music brought them.

“These days, the DJ is our reverend, the records are our psalms.”

Naturally, this realisation created a bigger need for religious themes within House music, creating the sub-genre Gospel House. One of its biggest hits is1985’s ‘Stand On The Word’ by The Joubert Singers became a worldwide sensation and inspired young upcoming House DJs to further develop religious themes in their music, making it a part of the foundation of the genre.

How is it prevalent in music today

House DJs are set on celebrating this religious connection and undertone in their music even now that House genre has officially established itself in the mainstream. Through lyrical influences and the sub-genre of spiritual House, the spirit of religion and the unity it brings to listeners and creators of House music lives on. Even in modern productions such as Beyonce’s ‘Break My Soul’ the message of unity and spiritual strength can be recognised, providing the same community with the support as House music did over forty years ago.

Interested in checking out more classic House music from back in the day? Check out this playlist with classic House and hits that you can still hear in the night clubs today!

For more (remastered) and Tunes with Tempest content, check out these links!