The essential listens from New York, Chicago and Detroit
With
DJ DeepDJ Deep shares the essential New York, Chicago and Detroit records that shaped house and techno, and why knowing the roots matters.
What's in the course
21 lessons (1h 34m) · 1 free
01. Welcome to the course
1:31
02. Getting inspiration from mentors
Free lesson3:29
03. The essential listens from New York, Chicago and Detroit
You are here6:03
04. Be curious, understand the styles and the machines
5:56
05. Walk your own path, define your own sound
3:26
06. My career & how I found my style
5:59
07. My definition of a DJ
6:03
Lesson transcript
Understanding the Origins of House Music
As I mentioned before, house and techno are intertwined in a 30-year cycle. I clearly remember hearing Debbie Gibson's "One Step Ahead," a Masters at Work remix, for the first time in the very early 90s. They clearly invented a style and a sound that was New York's house music.
Key Influencers of New York House Music
In the same way:
- Kerry Chandler invented New York's house music with his Atmosphere EP
- Totteri contributed through Royal House with "Can You Party?"
A few key artists define and design a certain sound.
The Importance of Understanding the Roots
In my opinion, when talking about New York house, it's essential to dig deep and go to the roots of the music to truly understand what it's all about. The music has been repeated and recreated so many times that:
- It is crucial for anyone genuinely interested in this genre to return to the source.
- Thankfully, there are numerous online tools available to learn and access those tracks.
However, it can sometimes be difficult to navigate through all the reissues and unreleased tracks being released these days. I spend my life buying old records that have bonus versions or unreleased versions, which is a dream for me as I've been collecting this music for 30 years. But for someone discovering the style, it can be a bit confusing to differentiate between the actual original version and a reworked one.
A Comparison of House Genres
It's a little like learning history through someone else's lecture. Thus, I always find it crucial to return to the first original source of the sound, asking:
- What was this sound?
- What was the purpose of this music?
- What was the context surrounding it?
Early Influences in New York House
For New York house, you clearly hear in the early house tracks the fusion of:
- Disco
- Funk
- Soul
This genre has a very distinct groove to it.
On the other hand, Chicago House was different. I remember Lewis giving me a record at Rex Club the first time he came to France. He played at my friend Laurent Garnier's Wake Up Parties at Rex Club. He gave me a record that was my favorite at the time: War Games.
While it may not be the most famous track by Le Louis, flipping the record reveals Seven Days of Peace, which is an incredible alternative to his famous track "French Kiss." Chicago house was perhaps more abstract; you could feel less of the disco influences, although they were still present. It had a more machine-oriented sound, whether it was drum machines or keyboards. This genre represented a more abstract and imaginary world.
The Detroit Influence
A pivotal moment for me was hearing Mr. Fingers with "Can You Feel It," for instance. Then we have Detroit with artists like Derek Mayer and Kyle Craig, as well as Rhythm Is Rhythm.
Unique Flavors of Detroit House
Beyond dance, Detroit's sound had a unique flavor, a different mixture of sounds and styles. You could feel:
- Disco and dance music influences
- European synth elements, including new wave and punk
This fusion of Parliament, Funkadelic, and New Wave was fascinating for us here in Paris.
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
DJ Deep is a French house and techno producer and DJ, and the man behind the Deeply Rooted label (formerly Deeply Rooted House). Across more than 20 years he has been one of dance music's great curators - and that ear for what makes a record really work is exactly what makes him a guide worth learning from.
'I see my job as being a big filter,' he says, rather underplaying the role the Frenchman has had in the development of house music. 'As a vinyl junkie, I am in the record stores chasing jams almost every day. Sharing what I think are the greatest records of the moment or the most timeless personal classics is something that has motivated me throughout the years.'
Cyril Etienne emerged from the Paris scene to make a real impact on the world stage. He started out playing for Laurent Garnier at parties such as Oz and Zoo at club Palace, then became a regular at the Rex Club and established his unique sense of taste with his 'A Deep Groove' shows on pirate station Radio FG and later Radio Nova. He quickly graduated to playing worldwide, always taking with him a sense of history informed by a love of Chicago, New York and Detroit. Blurring the lines between house and techno, he also joins the dots between classic and contemporary cuts with his own sense of storytelling - not only as a DJ and producer, but also a label boss and party curator.
Since 2003 he has headed up his own forward-looking Deeply Rooted label, synonymous with classy, true-to-its-roots house and techno from new and established greats like Kerri Chandler, Ben Klock, Francois X, Ben Sims and Roman Poncet, as well as rising French star and Concrete Paris regular Marina Trench. His own Raw Cuts series bridges the heartfelt emotion of house and the direct impact of techno. Beyond his own label he has released on Rekids, Kaoz Theory and Tresor, and as a remixer has reworked the likes of Carl Craig, St Germain, DJ Honesty, Scan 7, Borderland (Juan Atkins) and Point G, always bringing his uniquely warm atmospheres to whatever he turns out.
He also makes music under various other aliases: Rebeval, with rawer-sounding material on L.I.E.S.; Sergie Rezza, a collaborative project and label of the same name alongside Roman Poncet that explores more experimental, ambient-laced house and techno in both EP and LP format; Fang, for contemporary house; and Adventice, for driving, classically-rooted techno, with outings on Tresor and live shows at the likes of Berlin Atonal.
His more eclectic side comes out in his Open Library radio shows on Worldwide FM - two-hour windows of jazz, soul, dub, funk and ambient that make for very special, immersive soundtracks. Whatever he is playing or producing, DJ Deep always has something worth hearing. In Find Your Own Path in House & Techno, he shares how he selects, arranges and shapes tracks so that, instead of chasing trends, you can build a sound and a taste that are unmistakably your own.
