House

House emerged from the fog of Disco-phobia in the early 1980s. While the mainstream deemed Disco soul-less and out of fashion, Chicago DJs Frankie Knuckles, Jesse Saunders and Ron Hardy pioneered a resurrection of Disco by magnifying the very qualities found most offensive: synthetic textures, inorganic repetitions, and disembodied vocals. Defined by four-on-the-floor beats, rasping hi-hats, artificial hand claps, bass loops and drum rolls, house drew inspiration from jazz, rap, soul, R&B, synth pop, and dub reggae, and has spread globally since its birth. As much as it draws from disparate sources, house has splintered into many different sub-styles, merging with ambient, tribal and other musical movements.