Tune of the Week: Acid House

Acid House can be seen as a turning point in terms of accessibilty to the means of electronic music production. When electronic music started it was created on machines that would take up whole rooms. These devices would generally only be owned by huge organizations such as universities. In 1982 the Roland corporation came up with a series of small instruments designed to provide accompaniment for musicians. The TR-606 and TB-303 were created to help fill one’s sound with a virtual rhythm section- the 606 for drums and the 303 for basslines. The sounds were a bit too electronic for most tastes and by the mid 80s these devices were regularly found second hand at much more affordable prices. Chicago became a hotbed of this electronically reclaimed sound. The Warehouse club was in full bloom and artists such as Phuture were looking to add fuel to the nightclub fire with original productions. The minimal beats created with these cast aside pieces of technology went on inspire fledgling electronic musicians the world over for decades. The first notable place to catch the acid burn was the UK. The late 80s saw night clubs full of drug addled attendees gleefully boogeying to psychedelic electronics in cities such as London and Manchester. This island-wide scene helped give birth to the massively influential rave movement, which would reverberate throughout the entire world the following decade.

Ecstacy Club were a duo from Birmingham, UK that produced only two singles in the late 80s. This club classic typifies the UK acid sound. Compared to its Chicago counterparts, it features more sounds and variations, as well as a more psychedelic feel. The Pope John Paul II sample at the beginning is a bit unnerving to say the least! The way the lead melody seems to duck behind the kick drum also leads to an offkilter atmosphere to the proceedings. It’s definitely hard for me not to imagine the smell of fog machine juice when hearing this one again. Turn off the lights and turn on your mind!