Gimme house music!
February 27, 2017 6:19 PM   Subscribe

Please indundate me with classic, feel-good, hands-in-the-air, early-mid-90s, underground deep house music, with pianos and organs and (optional) gospel hollering and shit! (Newer tunes are fine too, but I'm definitely after the classic sound. And I don't think much of it gets made these days.)

I used to love that stuff, but I've drifted away from it – and I feel like I need that kind of unabashed positivity in my life now more than ever.

Below are examples of the kind of stuff I'm after. (These aren't necessarily the greatest tracks; they're just meant to illustrate the style I'm talking about.) I'm fine with vocals, but I don't like it too poppy. So, like, no Crystal Waters or Black Box or stuff like that, please. I am after those joyful piano chords, soulful organ basslines, and general vibe of love and inclusiveness and celebration.

The Foundation feat. Jay Williams – Rejoice (Uplifting Mix)

Nightcrawlers – Push the Feeling On (The Dub of Doom) (or anything with that chopped-up vocal-dub style)

House of Blue – Soulstice

Soul Solution – Love, Peace & Happiness (Reel Club Mix)

Hardrive – Deep Inside

Peven Everett – Stuck (Phil Asher's Soul Heaven Version)

Total Eclips – Come Together (Kord Mix)

Romanthony – Trust (Kerri Chandler Dub)

Charles Dockins Presents James Howard – We Can Do It (Wake Up) (Original Club Mix)

Basically anything featuring the piano and organ sounds of the Korg M1, which graced many an early-90s house track
posted by escape from the potato planet to Media & Arts (14 answers total) 45 users marked this as a favorite
 
The instruments you're asking about aren't really there, but did you ever listen to Dubtribe Sound System? Very much in the general vibe of love and inclusiveness, from what I remember. Like if hippies were ravers 😄
posted by PaulaSchultz at 7:53 PM on February 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


I feel like this is a job for Lars Behrenroth and his podcast Deeper Shades of House. There is free version and paid version. If you look in the archive, you can find Classic House dj sets.

We're also really really really into Tee Mac right now and you can find everything from him on Spotify and elsewhere.
posted by jbenben at 7:58 PM on February 27, 2017




I'm pretty sure I spent thousands of hours listening to a little-known online radio station called Grooving.me from 2011 to when it shut down in 2015. It dedicated most of its airtime to the music you described. Even though they are no longer online, their Last.fm library is still up. Take a look at their most played tracks and I'm sure you will find hundreds of songs that fit the bill.
posted by Warm Summer Night at 12:20 AM on February 28, 2017 [1 favorite]


I just made a Spotify playlist a couple days ago so I could listen to one of my favorite compilation CDs currently lost in the basement: Best of Diva, Volume 1: Female Vocal House. 16 tracks perfect for cleaning, dancing, and feeling alive on a weekend morning.
posted by redsparkler at 12:41 AM on February 28, 2017


I'm no expert, but these might do it for you:

Felix - Don't You Want Me from 1992.
and
Felix - It Will Make Me Crazy from 1993.

Worth checking out the remixes too.
posted by ZipRibbons at 1:59 AM on February 28, 2017


Great question! I love this kind of music.

Two huge favourites of mine are:

T-Empo - Saturday night, Sunday morning (links to single version but the 12" is just beautiful)

Helicopter - Helicopter me up
posted by prune at 4:40 AM on February 28, 2017


Two from the almighty Nuyorican Soul crew-

I am the Black Gold of the Sun

It's Alright, I Feel It

The first one is slow and thick and golden - like watching the sun rise. The second one takes that honey and boils it up into a dance track bubbling over with joy & praise. Both have lyrics, but I wouldn't call them poppy - more like psychedelic spirituals. Enjoy!
posted by jammy at 6:05 AM on February 28, 2017


I can't do a whole list right now but I'll just leave this here:

Stand on the Word
posted by Shebear at 6:27 AM on February 28, 2017


I know you said less pop , but several of your links remind me deeply of David Morales' Dreamlover club mix for Mariah Carey. Give it a try!
posted by nakedmolerats at 6:49 AM on February 28, 2017


I feel like I've heard a lot of new renditions of this style, but wouldn't know where to start with the new stuff. A few more oldies:

4th Measure Men - Given (MK Dub)

Round One - I'm Your Brother

DJ Duke - Jefferson

Kerri Chandler - Glory to God

Last Session - Sometimes I Feel Like
posted by p3t3 at 7:06 AM on February 28, 2017


Also, a bit harder/faster than 90s NYC house, but capturing a similar uplifting vibe: Detroit minimal techno godfather Rob Hood, together with his daughter under the Floorplan pseudonym have been pumping out some great techno-gospel-disco burners recently:
Floorplan - We Magnify His Name
Floorplan - Tell You No Lie
Floorplan - Never Grow Old
posted by p3t3 at 6:04 PM on February 28, 2017


Hold up, have you not heard of Disclosure? They're a couple of English brothers who grew up listening to a ton of Detroit House and mixed that influence with hometown UK garage to make one of the best dance albums of recent years.

A couple of stand out tracks:

Intro + When a Fire Starts to Burn
Latch – Featuring a pre-Stay With Me Sam Smith (you probably heard this on the radio)
You & Me

Here's a Spotify link.
posted by Spiced Out Calvin Coolidge at 6:06 AM on March 4, 2017




« Older What do you use your convection oven for?   |   Help finding a replacement for very warm cove... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.


Tags

Share