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Home , Disco, Ralphi Rosario, Shep Pettibone, Trax Records, Warehouse (nightclub)

’S REVENGE GOTCHA!: Not sur Has you still your r e know eaderswhat dancing to House that beat! is? ReadMusic

And what is House? House Music is this! the raw, stripped-down sound of music that developed in the underground clubs (where DJs didn't play what on Top 40 radio) in mid-to-late 80's . Now- famous jocks like took the most rhythmic elements of their favorite disco records (the great drum breaks in the middle) and looped them in the studio into full- length songs that were skeletal, yet intense dance tracks. Frankie's club was called the , and soon clubbers began referring to the music they heard there as "House Music" (and the style of dancing as "jack- ing"). Vocals on these tracks were at a min- imum at first, but as the sound devel- oped, a handful of great House anthems rose from the scene to become massive pop hits in the UK and Europe. Songs like "Love Can't Turn Around" by Farley "Jackmaster " presents , "You Used to Hold Me" by Ralphi Rosario featuring Xaviera Gold and "Move Your Body" by had a huge impact on the European scene and culture. Overseas producers whole-heartedly embraced the sound and then sold it back to Americans in polished commercial late-80s/early 90s hits by Black Box ("Everybody Everybody"), Sam- antha Fox ("I Wanna Have Some Fun"), the (""), Stevie V ("Dirty Cash") ("People "). Meanwhile, here in America, the sound remained underground, until House Music's biggest champion, , came along. It was she who, always with an ear to the under- HOUSE SINGER SCREAMIN’ RACHAEL WITH HOUSE RAPPER KOOL ROCK STEADY (cousin of ground clubs, took the sound together ) at The Riviera Club, Chicago 1991. Richard Fairbanks with her producer and brought it to mainstream dancefloors Frankie Knuckles, who, ten years the first House records were pressed Grammy for his House Mix of and Top 40 radio, most memorably after releasing his first House record, and it was the influence of these very Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love.”) The set, with the song, "." Others like became the first producer to receive a records that changed the course of from this " of House," con- ("Pink Cadillac"), Grammy Award for Remixer Of The history, making House tains two mixed CDs, one ("I'm Every Year, in 1997. Over the years, House Music the next big dance sound of the unmixedCD (for DJs), liner notes by Woman"), CeCe Peniston Music's pumping four-on-the-floor 20th century. While Disco died over respected music journalist Brian Chin ("Finally") and Crystal Waters beat has become the dominant sound twenty years ago (due to major labels and lots of great photos of some of ("Gypsy Woman [She's Homeless]") on dancefloors the world over and in turning it into an overblown, oversold the key figures in House Music histo- followed. Europe it remains so, where it is also soulless fad), House Music is still ry, not the least of which are Trax Those who think they don’t know House, not , that continues to going strong. CEO, Larry Sherman and president what House Music is will surely rec- rule the airwaves. In June 2004, Chicago's Trax Records (and artist), the outrageous Screamin' ognize chart topping House Music- Chicago's Trax Records is the godfa- will release Trax Records: The 20th Rachael. A companion set, Trax style dance released by pop ther of all House Music labels. (The Anniversary Collection. It is a three Records: The Next Generation, will stars like ("Together label is based in a huge warehouse CD set mixed by 2003 Remixer of the be released simultaneously, and con- Again"), that is a beehive of label offices, stu- Year Grammy Winner Maurice tains all new material from well ("Dreamlover"), and Everything But dios and home to numerous House Joshua and renowned international known Trax producers as well as The Girl ("Missing"). It was the Music producers.) It was on Trax that DJ Paul Johnson. (Maurice won his newcomers to the scene. ¥ very same House Music pioneer, More on Trax Records at www.penetrationinc.com & www.traxhouse.com.