For those who have never heard of the term before, when you hear “house music” you would probably not imagine techno beats and loud basses. Well, that is exactly what house music is. Actually, it is much more than that – and I’m about to tell you why. House music is becoming a huge phenomenon all over the world and has especially boomed in the US over the past few years.
House music is a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in the mid-1980s, catering to the African-American, Latino-American and homosexual communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other locations such as New York City, New Jersey, Toronto, Montreal, London, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. It then reached Europe, and since the early to mid-1990s, it has been infused in mainstream pop and dance music worldwide.
There is a huge culture and lifestyle that goes along with this type of music. Instead of the typical concert you would attend to give your ears pleasure, house music, dub step and techno DJ’s all collaborate and put on “festivals.” Imagine Disney World or Alice and Wonderland… with heavy beats in the background. The stages are filled with bright colors and pretty lights that all cooperate with the basses dropped by the DJ’s. To say that house festivals are a “happy” environment would be an understatement. Fans of house music are like no other mainstream music fans. People go to festivals with the desire to share their passion of dance, bliss, partying and having the best time one possibly can. You receive a euphoric feeling when entering these festivals. It truly is a playground for older kids!
Different DJs play different styles during their sets so there is something out there for every techno lover. Trance is more melodic than techno. As cliché as it may sound, you feel as if you are floating on a cloud when listening to trance. You get the chills or an uplifting rush when listening to DJ’s such as Avicii, Kaskade, or DJ Tiesto. On the other hand, if you like more of a heavy bass, then dub step is for you! Steve Aoki, Rusko and Skrillex are some of the best DJ’s that have the dub step sound in their sets.
House music has really blown up on college campuses. Students are even leaving their schools on the weekends to go see DJ’s in nearby cities. The Washington DC area held Day Glow the day before JMU’s homecoming and students still made the trip just in time to be back for the game the next day! Day Glow is the world’s largest paint party! Some other famous festivals that have fans going crazy are Ultra, Electric Daisy, Electric Zoo, Tomorrowland and the newest of the festivals, IDentity.
Ultra Music Festival is in Miami, Florida every March. It is a three-day outdoor festival on the beach – tickets usually sell out within 20 minutes! Electric Daisy Carnivalis an annual electronic dance music festival held in the South West United States on the last weekend of June. The event was held in Southern California from 1997 to 2010 and was moved to Las Vegas in 2011.
The Electric Zoo Festival is an annual electronic music festival held over Labor Day weekend in New York City on Randall’s Island Park. The festival represents all genres of electronic music, bringing top international DJs and live acts from multiple countries along with hometown favorites to four stages. Tomorrowland is one of the many theme lands at the five “Disneyland-style” theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions that depict views of the future.
IDentity Festival is a new festival put on by Skullcandy that started this past summer. In the heartbeat of it all is the Skullcandy Main Stage. This sensory extravaganza features unparalleled production and is headlined by international house hero, Kaskade. An incomparable lineup of the hottest names in electronic music took turns joining Kaskade for the evening including Pretty Lights, Disco Biscuits, Rusko, Avicii, Chuckie, Booka Shade, Pete Tong, Modeselektor, and Jessie and the Toy Boys with special guests.
I had the pleasure of attending ID this summer at Jones Beach on Long Island, New York and it was one of the best days of my life! The energy was absolutely unreal; everyone was jumping, dancing and singing in their colorful and eccentric outfits consisting of tutus, furry boots, LED gloves and other glowing articles of clothing and accessories! If you have the opportunity to go see some of these artists I advise you to give your eyes and ears the treats collegiettesÔ!