The place house music got its name

In honor of its 35th anniversary, RA’s Jacob Arnold looks back at the origins and the heyday of the legendary Chicago nightspot.

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I missed Ukkonen’s last two critically acclaimed EPs for Uncharted Audio, but his first full-length immediately stood out as something special. This Finnish producer combines house and techno beats with IDM aesthetics in an unusually sophisticated fashion.

Despite its name, “Three from the 4223” is comprised of two distinct movements. In the first, broken beats and jazzily dancing keys hearken back to Warp Records’ golden age. The second movement has a tech house vibe, contrasting a hard, speedy bassline with slow, gentle chords.

“Haukivesi Spirit” is more of a traditional techno track with fuzzy mid-octave strings climbing over a heavy kick drum. The break, however, is unique. All of the reverberation drops out, leaving a hard, dry groove. Snare hits double up like a DJ working two decks.

Returning to more of a house tempo, “Tellervo” is reverent, luxurious acid. Its structure is beautiful and intricate, making for a riveting nine minutes. “Humans, Knew in the Forest” begins with a complex bed of downtempo beats firing over shifting low notes. A hip-hop snare pattern emerges along with loosely melodic synths. Midway through, a new, uptempo movement fades in. Lush keys twinkle between channels over rich bass. Just as I start to float away on the hypnotic repetition, beats double and the bass takes off in a new direction. This is one gorgeous track.

The album concludes with another two-movement piece. “Seventy Three Days of Radiance” begins with a muted, almost dubby, beat which eventually becomes disjointed under long chords. After a rubbery bass solo, a new kick drum fades in. Descending notes provide a calming effect, reminding me of Blamstrain’s Disfold LP. At the end, all that remains is a single note over the kick.

Whether this is a new producer or just a new guise, this music’s depth suggests a true knowledge of and love for the past two decades of techno.

Now that virtually all music has an electronic component, and a home studio is just a laptop away, it’s easy to forget that electronically generated sound used to be confined to big, expensive laboratories. One such lab was the famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop, founded by Daphne Oram. Oram joined the BBC in 1943. During World War II she labored late into the night, experimenting with tape machines and other equipment. She finally convinced the BBC to open a workshop for background music and sound effects in 1958, only to leave within a year to create her own studio for pursuing a wider range of work.

In the 1960s, Oram invented the Oramics machine, a device which converts drawings on film into sound. Despite her pioneering work, she was relatively unknown when she passed away in 2003. Last year, the Oramics machine went on display at the Science Museum in London. Gradually the hundreds of tapes Oram left behind are being cataloged and transferred at Goldsmiths College.

The pieces in this collection are grouped by theme. The vibrating drones of “Just for You (Excerpt 1)” are followed by an experiment with reverberating vocals on “Eton,” leading to “Savage Noises (Excerpt) (1961),” which combines two similar effects for Jack Clayton’s horror film The Innocents. Soft, delicate bells on “Another Butter” (presumably for a commercial) contrast with the brittle, glassy chimes of “Wool (1967).” “Stroke” and “Shell Flight (Excerpt)” explore big, noisy, abstract sounds.

Interspersed throughout are fascinating audio demonstrations where Oram can be heard explaining each sound. She reveals that “Hydrogen Tones” is based on the Balmer series. On “Anacin Components,” Oram describes evoking a toothache with “number eleven orange” on the Oramics machine lowered to half pitch for a “low, regular throb.” She then combines “number six orange” and “number three green” to suggest snuffling.

“Oxford,” one of only two long recordings here, demonstrates Oram’s range. Electronic tones and reverberating percussive elements meander for a melancholy thirteen minutes. The result feels stunningly contemporary. “Hamlet - Youth Theatre (1963)” explore similarly deep, atmospheric territory. Also interesting is a series of surprisingly traditional Forbidden Planet style effects meant for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Though short, the multi-movement “New Atlantis (1963)” is intricate and beautiful, revealing Oram’s obsession with Francis Bacon’s text (as documented by Dan Wilson in The Wire issue #330). “For Granada (1967)” anticipates Boards of Canada with its lush, wavering analog tones, while “Ursa Major (Sun Mix) (1962)” fittingly calls to mind Sun Ra. The collection ends with a charming test of a new tape recorder.

According to its liner notes, this double CD, “is the result of almost two years spent trawling through the archive….” Unfortunately, due to gaps in documentation, it is more a sampler than a portrait of any given period or process. Many of the pieces here are excerpts, experiments, or “building blocks,” not intended for release or performance. Nevertheless, the collection provides many rewarding, musical moments, not to mention a fascinating window into Oram’s working methods.

Monolake’s last few albums have been cold, digital, and distant. Ghosts continues this trend, striking an uneasy balance between dubstep aesthetics and mannered experimentation. On the title track, spikes of static and a wobbly bassline are soon joined by a whispered Mac voice declaring, “You do not exist.” Steady rim hits are almost comically loud in the mix. There’s no ghost—just the machine.

On “Taku,” artificial dribbles are joined by muted beats and long chords. There are echoes of Demdike Stare here. “Afterglow” lurches forward on an irregular heartbeat. One can’t help but admire the craftsmanship, but where’s the soul?

The appropriately named “Hitting the Surface” is an exercise in superficial clichés. Dry percussion is juxtaposed with reverberating claps. Bath water incongruously ripples under chimes and swift bass. A processed female voice echoes incoherently.

“Discontinuity” is a muffled, joyless affair. “The Existence of Time” resorts to sudden crescendos to grab attention. “Phenomenon” is a more successful effort, with a creepy digital wail over haunted drones and bass drops. If only it didn’t resort to clatters and squeaks. Demdike Stare’s influence is once again evident on “Unstable Matter,” with its artificially “spooky” atmosphere.

The final tracks form a distinct trilogy. “Lilith” is breakbeat and bass heavy. This may be the first Monolake jungle track. “Aligning the Daemon” introduces church organ, providing the album’s only moments of warmth. “Foreign Object” is a tangle of metallic noises and grinding bass.

Monolake’s Robert Henke is often lauded for his live shows. He has already performed some of these pieces in surround sound. Perhaps Henke’s being held back by the constraints of a 2-channel, one-hour format. This release works as a demo of sounds, but as music meant to inspire an emotional response, it is sorely disappointing.

There’s no denying that Italo disco served as a major influence to Chicago producers. In a previous installment, I listed ten tracks that seemed to get a fair amount of club play. The selections below tended to turn up more in radio mixes, such as Farley’s.

Chi Chi Liah: Proud Mary (Bonus Beats)

X-Energy Records, 1983

At its heart, this is a breakdancing track. The vocals kill the A side, but thankfully “Bonus Beats” is a seven minute instrumental full of tasty beats and arpeggios.

[mp3 excerpt]

Fun Fun: Happy Station (Scratch Version)

TELDEC, 1983

The original track was from Italy, but Ben Liebrand’s mix on this German label is the one to get, thanks to an over-abundance of studio effects that border on the surreal. The bonus beats on Fun Fun’s “Color My Love” single are also worth checking out.

[mp3 excerpt]

Jago: I'm Going to Go (Disco Mix)

Full Time Records, 1985

It’s significant that this was one of Frankie Knuckles’ very first remixes, even if the label misspelled his name and club. The fine print states, “Plant Mix by Frankye Knuckles for house Productions at Seagrape Recording Studios in Chicago Illinois.” All of the synthesizer lines here are catchy, big, and inviting.

[mp3 excerpt]

Kasso: Walkman

Delirium Records, 1982

Spelled “Wolkman” on first release, this jazzy number perfectly captures a jaunt through a sunny Mediterranean city. Somehow it manages to be cheery without being cheesy.

[mp3 excerpt]

Plastic Mode: Baja Imperial

Discomagic Records, 1985

This was the strongest track off a solid self-titled album that still sounds fresh. (It was reissued last year on CD by ZYX.) The production is lush, and while the rap is dangerously off rhythm, it works.

[mp3 excerpt]

Koto: Visitors

Memory Records, 1985

At first I thought this was too close to “Japanese War Game,” but if anything it’s a refinement; plus there’s a great melodic break-down two-thirds of the way through leading up to a Vincent Price laugh. What’s not to love?

[mp3 excerpt]

Larabell: I Can't Stop

Many Records, 1985

The structure is pure pop, but Larabell’s vocals are surprisingly well done, and the chorus is addictive.

[mp3 excerpt]

Doctor's Cat: Watch Out

Il Discotto Productions, 1983

This record was so popular in Chicago, it was pressed locally by Danica Records (future home of Frankie Knuckles as The Night Writers). The production sounds decidedly expensive, with a variety of studio vocalists. The chorus borders on high energy. It’s impossible not to dance.

[mp3 excerpt]

Klein & MBO: Dirty Talk

Zanza Records, 1982

One of the earliest records here, with some definite Kraftwerk influences. The beautiful, cold melody truly shines on the instrumental versions.

[mp3 excerpt]

Ris: Love-N-Music

Proto Records, 1983

I’ve listened to many dozens of WBMX mix tapes now, and this is the track that keeps turning up. The vocal version is embarrassingly awkward, but the instrumental mix builds to the most beautiful break. Is that a synthesized tuba? The beats are house through and through.

[mp3 excerpt]

Listening to this album for the first time in several years, I realize it’s much stronger than I remembered. I’ve always been partial to Vainqueur, Substance, and Fluxion, all of which were closer in sound to Basic Channel. Porter Ricks (along with Vladislav Delay) represented Chain Reaction’s challenging outer reaches.

On “Port Gentil,” the sound of lapping waves is a source of tranquility, even as a driving beat and background crackling suggest train cars swiftly moving. By contrast, “Nautical Dub” is a giant stationary machine, with hissing steam and panning clacks over a serpentine bassline. Strange bloops induce a twinge of vertigo. Nothing like them has resurfaced these past sixteen years.

It’s easy to forget (in the age of downloads) that Chain Reaction was a singles-driven label. Five of this album’s eight tracks were released on 12-inch, but “Biokinetics 1” and “Biokinetics 2” remained CD-only. The former is dense, but nowhere near as atmospheric as its brethren. Synthesizers squirm like insects in a hive as three notes repeat a plaintive query. On the latter, heavy bass ripples from the bottom of a dark, empty well.

“Port of Call” reintroduces a hard kick drum. If it weren’t for the thick layer of reverberating noise and a metallic waterfall of squelches, this could be straight-forward minimal techno. “Port of Nuba” and “Nautical Nuba” predict Thomas Brinkmann’s custom turntable staggering of Concept 1 beats.

The album ends with “Nautical Zone,” a masterful expansion of “Port Gentil.” Symphonic echoes suggest Wolfgang Voigt’s Gas project (already underway with the Profan single Modern.) Again, wheels on a track are evoked by what may be heavily processed snares. Warm chords ascend welcomingly.

Porter Ricks was Thomas Köner, whose background was sound engineering for film, and Andy Mellwig, a member of Pete Kember’s Experimental Audio Research. When Biokinetics was first released, Köner already had four ambient albums under his belt (three of which were reissued by Type in 2010). Mellwig was part of Basic Channel’s Dubplates & Mastering family, having collaborated with Monolake’s Gerhard Behles on Async Sense.

Based on their other work, I surmise that Köner contributed a much-needed element of musicality to the duo’s experiments. There’s a sense of wonder here that is missing from Porter Rick’s two subsequent albums. In 1996, Basic Channel and Chain Reaction were still at techno’s forefront, establishing a range of possibilities. In a sense, the genre is still catching up.

I don’t know much about Helium Robots (other than the name Ewan Wilmott), but I like what I hear on his latest EP. “Crepitation” is dry but not cold, with a soothing series of roving chords. It progresses somewhat predictably, driven by nice mid-octave bass, until the half-way mark, when the beat filters down to a metronome tap and metallic, vibrating keys break into a jazzy solo.

“Jarza” itself is almost Italo in flavor, with an old-school synth line over muffled beats. The bass is doubled up with a lower layer. Once again, a live keyboard line elevates the composition from track to song.

Jarza [mp3 excerpt]

I’ll admit, I was drawn to this EP for its inclusion of two Theo Parrish “translations.” Neither is especially true to the original, but they are both mesmerizing in Parrish’s usual style. In the first version, a simple beat rattles along while NES-fidelity synth parts trade off. The bass is pounding yet indistinct. The second version seems to have clearer bassline and kick drum. Percussion pans back and forth while a reedy synth bumps around like an old “Snake” videogame. As uncomplicated as it is, when it ends it leaves a void.

Theo Parrish Translation 2 [mp3 excerpt]

Steven Tang’s latest single reminds me of the good old days of melodic Detroit techno. On the original mix, looped vocals burble while slow strings glide. This piece would not have sounded out of place on an old Rhythim Is Rhythim EP. The “Reprise” version removes both beats and vocals, but adds a classic, spacey synthline.

Mmmmmusic [mp3 excerpt]

The B-side, “Distance,” uses similarly sweet analogue sounds, though the treble line strikes me as overly simple. I keep waiting for a new synth-line or a touch of improvisation to tie in the low strings.

Rounding out the EP is “Chicago Skyway’s Pay Toll Mix” of “Mmmmmusic.” Sean Hernandez drapes a veil over the vocal loop, then pounds out an old-school Chicago-style house beat. I almost expect Robert Owens to break into song. The lo-fi drum break two-thirds of the way through is my favorite part.

Mmmmmusic (Chicago Skyway's Pay Toll Mix) [mp3 excerpt]

This is only Tang’s fourth Obsolete Music Technology EP in five years, but you can’t fault the man for his strict quality control. At least I know each dispatch is equally essential.

“People have recently started to exclaim, ‘IDM is back!’” observes Record Label Records. I tend to agree. After a several-year dry spell, indie rockers and dubsteppers are finding inspiration in mid- to late-nineties electronic music, from the tape distortion of Boards of Canada to the cold glitches of Mille Plateaux. For me, it’s a welcome phenomenon.

Video artist Dunkley’s first album is among the strongest of the current crop. The title track, “Corpus Clock,” is a conglomeration of clicks and bounces. Despite the lack of a traditional melody, I find the sounds warm and comforting.

“Everywhere Ghost” introduces a steady kick drum, then builds exhilaratingly to melodic bells. On “West Woods,” a woman’s voice echoes while electronic birds chirp and balls skitter. Near the end, it veers uncomfortably close to spa music. “Rollerblading” begins as a raw chip-tune before building to a glitchy cacophony.

Voices loop and overlap on “Shutters,” like a crowded coffee shop burst into fragments. On “Weatherhead,” world music is disassembled, strobing over chunky percussion. “Blue Grotto” is a nice, chill closer, though I could do without the clichéd children’s voices and water splashes.

Corpus Clock is an impressive debut, chock full of atmospheric textures. I realize this is a frequent complaint of mine, but I just wish some of the tracks were longer. Especially in this age of digital downloads and cheap hard drives, there’s no reason not to let these intricate environments expand.

House/Techno Albums

1. Virgo Four: Resurrection (Rush Hour)
2. Hieroglyphic Being: The Urantia Project (Further Records)
3. Moritz von Oswald Trio: Horizontal Structures (Honest Jon’s Records)
4. Kuba Sojka: Mysterious Intrigue (Mathematics Recordings)
5. Yard: Celestial Acid (Further Records)
6. Hieroglyphic Being: Primitif Nous Sommes (Music from Mathematics)
7. Hieroglyphic Being: Cosmo Rhythmatic (Music from Mathematics)
8. Vagon Brei: Destiny (Further Records)
9. Hieroglyphic Being: A Memoir of Life in the Lust (Music from Mathematics)
10. John Heckle: The Second Son (Mathematics Recordings)
11. Tevo Howard: Pandora’s Box (Hour House Is Your Rush Records)
12. Andy Vaz: Straight Vacationing (Yore)
13. Overcast Sound: Beneath the Grain (Entropy Records)
14. Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit: Secret Rhythms 4 (Nonplace)
15. Hieroglyphic Being: Strange Strings (Music from Mathematics)
16. Jeff Mills: The Power (Axis)
17. Andy Stott: Passed Me By (Modern Love)
18. Rick Wilhite: Analog Aquarium (Still Music)
19. Jeff Mills: 2087 (Axis)
20. Steffi: Yours & Mine (Ostgut Tonträger)

IDM Albums

1. Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica (Mexican Summer, Software Records)
2. NHKyx: yx aka 1ch aka Solo (Skam)
3. Cayos: Shell Beach (Schematic)
4. Phoenecia: Demissions (Schematic, Detroit Underground)
5. Dalglish: Benacah Drann Deachd (Highpoint Lowlife, Record Label Records)

EPs

1. Omar S presents Colonel Abrams: “Who Wrote The Rules of Love” (FXHE)
2. Simoncino: Beat the Street EP (Mathematics Recordings)
3. Floating Points: Shadows (Eglo Records)
4. Pittsburgh Track Authority: Archipelago (Further Records)
5. Takeshi Kouzuki: The House of the Rising Sun EP (Mathematics Recordings)
6. San Laurentino: Traces EP (Mathematics Recordings)
7. Omar-S: HSG (High School Graffiti) (Scion Audio/Visual)
8. Area: Youth (Kimochi)
9. Juju & Jordash: Unleash the Golem Part 1 (Golf Channel Recordings)
10. Aster: Tormenta Del Desierto EP (Mathematics Recordings)

Compilations

1. Physic or Surgery (Highpoint Lowlife)
2. Gene Hunt Presents Chicago Dance Tracks (Rush Hour Recordings)
3. From the Vaults: The Definitive Sounds of Prescription Records Vol. 1 (Prescription)
4. Fac. Dance (Strut)
5. Elektro Diskow (Mixmag)