Pointless you say. Well I have been asking myself what "Chip shop" music was supposed to be, that's bloody pointless. There was a time when near enough every tune that came out attracted another strain of dance music, now after 15 years of following I have narrowed it down to:

Trance - Tiesto
Big Beat - Nearly anything from Skint

All else is sh*te, poptastic sh*te, just take a look at the Ministry albums.

Ru:D:D

Because you need some form of categorisation in order to describe a certain type of music.

Can you imagine if record shops only had the one section? You'd never be able to find anything or discover new artists based on the merits of those in the same genre.

What about going to see someone play?

"Jon Carter? What does he play"

"Dance music but it's er... not the same Dance Music that Judge Jules plays, or the same as Sven Vath..."

You can't categorise by beats either, take a "Breaks" track at ~ 140bpm, you might get something with almost identical sounds but a 4/4 kick. Likewise Garage and Gabba both are 4/4 but the're hardly the same type...

electro rocks! lots of creative 909 drum beats and scratching, vocoder vocals and bizarrely named artists and tracks!

hashim - al naayfish
timezone - wildstyle

best records ever!

Dance music is defined by the beat - period. Perhaps they should categorise it by bpm instead of stupid names. Been into the scene since the early days (87-88) where all types of dance music were played by the DJ's be it US house, Breakbeat, Bealeric, Acid, Electro etc but it was DANCE MUSIC. What I am saying is that you cannot pigeonhole the people who produce music. Take Todd Terry for instance - what music would you say he made??
I have been producing music for over 10 years now, and it is dance music - depends what mood your in, what kind of music you make, I just get fed up of people trying to define genre's when there is no such definition, everyone has their own opinions of what defines a genre - therefore pointless topic!!
If I were to make a 165bpm track, with a chopped breakbeat, trance strings and heavy 303 riff - would I be creating a new genre of music - NO, just creating a dance track. It is either good or bad - there is no genre.

Rant over!!!!

OK heres a Question, and the answer is IMO, but

What was the 1st house track to go to No.1 in the UK charts?

C'mon answers please :D

surely dance should just be catagorised into 2 areas

1. musically and technically good!
eg: Orbital, Leftifield, ettiene deCrecy, daft punk, ronni size, Alex Gopher

2 Tallentless Sh!te
eg: DJ sammy and all the other crap that sounds the same but for some reason people buy it, it's beyond me why they do.

To be fair, I'm pretty picky with dance music as I like to see it created with some musical knowledge and not just a bit of sequencing software and some stock loops, but I was raised on Metallica and we all know that rock is the way forward :)

James

Of course different styles of music require names, it helps you identify quickly between the styles involved instead of explainig to someone that you listen to 120bpm 4/4 electronically produced music!

I do agree with you about pigeon-holing the producers to a certain style/genre of music as your example proves.

I have been somewhat of a genre slut through the years electro/hip-hop/house/hardcore/garage(not that uk rubbish!)/breakbeat and now Nu-Skool.

My record collection looks like a best of 84-2004!!

Ok, ok I agree that there should be broad genres of dance music as there is so much variety around, I was just pointing out that people are trying to explain a genre of music by producer. I agree that certain types of music can be easily classified (eg D&B, breakbeat, garage etc), but what is the point in names like handbag house, hardhouse, trance, floaty trance, hardtrance, goan trance, trancebag - who the fcuk dreams these pointless names up for a start, and then who tries to classify it!!!!

was it steve 'silk' hurley?

jack jack jack jack jack your body, jack your body!


That was a class track that started to define the 'chicago' house sound, oops theres another genre sorry john!!! :D Of course I will bow to your greater knowledge john but dont you think that when a new sound or instrument is used it kinda defines the 'genre' like 808 and 909s on alot of electro and hip hop, 303s on acid, chicago sound added lots of piano, o and any examples of the sort of stuff you do?

cheers

Gary

YES :D

Well I think it was :D

yeah...

Playstation 2 and Music... Responsible for Grimey Garage (dizzee rascal)

Could have done without that one although I suppose it's music, in a loose form!

John, yeah I do agree with your point on the trance thing!!

I've always liked Donna Summer - I Feel Love, I know its labeled as disco but i've always thought that it sounds quite housey!

And as Far as i'm concerned 1987 - MARRS - Pump Up The Volume ;)

GaryK,

Another genre!!! Only joking - think you could be right with Steve Silk Hurley - but there again some people might be classing "White Lines" or "Rappers Delight" as "House" on here!!! There again perhaps it was "The Power" by Snap or "S-express" all depends on peoples definitions of the dance music genres!!

I do agree 100% with you about the sounds defining a genre, especially in the old days (sound like a right old git!!) when it was all new and fresh, but does having some 303 squelches in a track automatically define it as acid? Does a piano breakdown automatically define uplifting US House?? There is so much "cross-genre" music these days where people are trying to find the next "big thing" that the definitions of genres are becoming blurred - all I am saying is that you cannot really pigeonhole the music as correctly these days as it is all down to the individuals viewpoint. One persons trance may be another persons house!!!

I would have thought the UK involvement has been and gone - Goa'n trance is ancient.

Anyone here remember Return to the Source?

Or for the matter Megadog and Herbal Tea Party?

Psy-Trance?? Psychedelic Trance I presume, how can music be psychedlic for fcuks sake!!! Would appreciate if someone could explain the differences between all these different types of trance for me!!

Megadog at the Academy used to be excellent!!

Eat Static
Banco de Gaia
Zion Train
Drum Club

Mushrooms and ectasy on the bus from Didbury

Sets from Carl Cox who never seemed to turn up

Ooh, suits you sir!

Been getting into my psy trance recently too. I've been to two events and loved the psy rooms there.
Hard to explain what its like though, but you do have to dance to it for a fair few hours before you get into it :D
astraboy.

I was watching Pump Up the Volume - a 3 part, 3 hour history of house. It makes interesting viewing.

The Yanks, who started it all, can't understand the British obsession with pigeon-holing everything. To them it's all just *house*.

UB:D

innit! I'm going to Hullabaloo in Canada in july (fingers crossed) and I'm looking forward to a US rave as they still play EVERYTHING from every genre and its all just "Rave" music. It'll be like back in 93 before the music split in the UK.
astraboy.

Wahey, the Americans have got something right after all!!! At least they have become as narrow minded as our musical tastes have become, good music is good music no matter what the genre!!

Yep. And crap is crap. UB:D

I saw Zion Train at Glastonbury one night in a big marque, they were on after Jah Wobble (who was OK). They came on at just the right moment (if you know what I mean ;)) and the place just span out. The whole thing was mindblowing - women taking their tops off and sh*t - everyone lost it at once.:eek: The best live set I ever saw, ever!!

UB:D:D

Well I dont know about you lot but thats cleared that up for me.

My observations

1/ Nobody really knows

2/ Most dont care

3/ There is a lot of snobbery surrounding music, when in fact its just another way for men to turn into anoraks.

Never really got the superstar DJ thing, I can understand it if they create their own stuff like Fatboy Slim or even do a decent remix but some just seem to play records which to me doesnt seem to warrant the attention. I am willing to be put straight on this.

wasn't House originally 140BPM? Then Garage came in at 120?

Oh the days of the pitch control on a 1200 being +/-8 and then wandering all over the place. Did any of you mess about with the breaking mechanism so the platter would spin backwards when you hit start/stop?

Phil

PS - When we were kids the first thing we played was house