Deep House

Deep House Music Characteristics:
There are a few things that characterize deep house. It has a tempo that is slow and there is simpler drum machine sounds. It does not have the strong bass sound and there is a greater use of filter effects and reverb. There are usually very audible jazz influences to be heard. The hi hats are also not as pronounced while there are sustained chords.

First Appearance of Deep House:
Larry Heard was the first musician who was conferred with the honor of playing deep house. The press labeled this music deep house when it referred to him in the eighties and the name has stuck since then. His group, Fingers Inc was known for its Chicago house music. He had long instrumental passages and soulful vocals in his songs. Some of his best known numbers in this genre include Mystery of Love, Can You Feel It?. Washing Machine and Bring Down the Walls.

Today’s Deep House Music:
In certain circles, Chicago deep house is still very popular – however, it no longer is being played in clubs exclusively. The people that grew up being labeled as househeads are now getting older and the generation that is behind them weren’t necessarily raised up listening to this type of music, so generally they don’t have the exact same connection to it. However, with the amount of native Chicagoans that are living elsewhere, Deep House as a term is more widely known now than it was before. With different clubs popping up within cities that didn’t have them before, along with the various theme nights of Old School in most places, the deep house music genre is enjoying a renaissance.

The name Chicago Deep House is given to a house music subgenre that was coined in mid to late eighties. Whereas the house music genre in a general sense is used to refer to a unique style of music that was created in the eighties in Chicago by the likes of Chip E, Marshall Jefferson and Lil Louis. One thing is for certain, this music genre has all of its roots placed within the disco scene of the latter part of the seventies.