Deep House Music

You’re at a rave and waiting for the beat to drop. You can feel the bass pumping through the speakers, not just hear it; you can feel it synchronizing with the rhythm of your heartbeat. The music is so intense it feels tangible, and you can’t help but move with the beat. This is deep house.

What is deep house, though?

Deep house is a subgenre of house music. House music primarily comprises electronic dance music, called EDM. The brainchild of Chicago producers Larry Heard and Marshall Jefferson, deep house is reminiscent of old-school Chicago sound, mixing soul music of the 1980s and jazz-funk with modern garage house and electronic music.

A lot of deep house was inspired by a single song, called ‘Mystery of Love’ by Larry Heard, also known as Mr. Fingers. Deep house had a cult-like following back in the 80s, confined to house parties and raves where people would be riveted by the almost extraterrestrial sound. Now, deep house is far more mainstream, played in clubs and parties worldwide.

Deep house music is different; this otherworldly elegance inspires artists to delve further into the genre, manipulating different sounds to create an intense musical experience. There is a lot of room to experiment in deep house, and artists are constantly challenging the rules of EDM and house music to expand and evolve its sound.

Other significant sounds that have impacted deep house as a genre is ‘Strings of Life’ by Derrick May. He uses slow, jazzy sounds with piano breakdowns, a brilliant composition that many artists still use as inspiration today. Artists also use elements of disco, underground music, and jazz to layer the electronic house sound, adding to the depth of deep house.

Top Deep House artists of the day include Black Coffee, Robin Schulz, Lucas Estrada, Purple Disco Machine, and Nora En Pure.

Deep house uses vocals in its tracks which sets it apart from several other types of house music. The vocals used to produce deep house tracks are smooth, slow, and stylish, with a dissonant melody and chic sound. These vocals, combined with muted bass lines, spacious percussions, and the use of soft-pads to create a synthesized sound, the tracks also combine samples of ambient and gospel music to create a heightened musical experience.

One thing is for sure; not only does deep house gets the party started, but it also keeps it going till the sun comes up.