Arachnophonia: House Music

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog records for the items in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Nikoloz (class of 2026) and features various electronic resources having to do with house music. Thanks, Nikoloz!

House Music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago’s underground club culture during the early to mid-1980s. Pioneered by DJs and producers like Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, and Marshall Jefferson, house evolved from disco by incorporating a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat, typically at 120–130 BPM, and mechanical rhythms created using drum machines like the Roland TR-808 and TR-909. The genre is characterized by deep basslines, synthesizer riffs, and off-beat hi-hats, claps, or snares, often layered with sampled vocals or instrumental loops from disco, soul, or funk. House music gained mainstream popularity by the late 1980s, influencing pop artists like Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Lady Gaga, and producing hits such as “Pump Up the Jam” and “Show Me Love.” Its production relied on affordable electronic equipment, making it accessible to independent creators, and its structure typically features repetitive eight-bar sections, slowly building layers of sound and texture.

House music encompasses a wide range of subgenres, including acid house, defined by the squelchy sounds of the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer. Tracks often include minimal vocals, with repeated phrases or words, and are structured around intros, choruses, and outros, with longer 12-inch mixes for clubs and shorter radio edits. The genre emphasizes the lower-pitched bass register, creating a sparse yet rhythmic texture. House music’s global influence expanded from Chicago to New York, London, and beyond, becoming a staple in both mainstream and underground scenes. Its legacy continues through its impact on dance music, its presence in clubs and on radio, and its role in shaping modern pop and electronic music.

Some of the electronic resources featuring house music that the Music Library has access to include:

Streaming albums (like this one) via Alexander Street

Encyclopedia articles with bibliographies to help you start your research (like this one on house from Grove Music Online)

If you’d like to learn more about House music, the Music Library also boasts a wide variety of books, CDs, and more! You can use OneSearch to locate our holdings.

Digital Resources: All Music Guide

The Music Library has more resources available than physical items. We’re highlighting some of our digital resources, and including information about them as told by our student employees.

Today’s digital resource is:

All Music Guide

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All Music offers biographies and discographies in all genres

Here is what student assistant Danny (class of 2023) had to say about this resource:

“A digital resource that I found very interesting was called “All Music.” This research guide was very helpful, for you can search just about any album, artist, or song and get not only some information about it, but what album it was connected to, reviews, the year that it came out, and reviews about it.

This guide is especially helpful to learn more about artists and the albums they have released. For instance, let’s say you just found out about a new artist. You can look them up on AllMusic and access their discography. (Some even have links that will allow you to hear samples of songs!) You can also see lists of similar albums and songs that you can check out if you want to hear more music that sounds similar to the artist you’ve searched for.

Finally, there is a new release radar, a discover tab, and articles related to current news that can be extremely helpful if you want to keep track of the day-to-day goings-on in the music industry.”

And here is what student assistant Ryan (class of 2022) thought about the AllMusic Guide:

Allmusic.com is an incredibly broad music database that has information on all kinds of music, from B.T.S. to R.E.M. The website features Discover sections that can help you find music based on genre, mood, and even lyrical content.

Ever been curious about the difference between bluegrass and blues? How about progressive metal and post punk? AllMusic has artists and albums divided into the most niche subgenres, so you can find examples of almost anything. The website also offers articles, album reviews, recommendations, and artist interviews. If you’re looking to expand your musical horizons, AllMusic.com is the place to start!”

AllMusic New Releases banner