Strand 2 – Sociomusicological Factors in House Music’s Creation

Mel Cheren, owner of the post-disco label West End Records, once described house music as ‘disco on a budget’. Here, Cheren was not making claims about the quality or efficacy of house music’s output, but rather the tools and materials used to generate the music. Drummers were replaced with drum machines, musicians replaced with synthesizers, and vocalists with samplers. The act of this technological disruption is one of the key factors that gave house its unique sound, but also gave young Black Chicagoans access to music making without the need for a full band or substantial financial outlay.

The fact house music came out of Chicago’s Southside neighbourhoods is no accident. The socioeconomic circumstances of many African American families in these traditionally redlined neighbourhoods at this time had an impact on the degree of musical support provided within schools, and placed the burden of musical education on local churches. From here, many of house music’s musicians were trained. As such, we can suggest that much of house music’s musical DNA or musical features are derived in part from the musical language of the Black pentecostal tradition. This is simply one of the sociomusicological explorations that can be made with house music as a starting point.