Will House Music Survive?
In fact it’s doing really well. It’s alive and kicking
Will House Music Survive?
You have probably heard the question posted by this blog post’s title many times before. In fact, you’ve probably heard this question precisely at the time when you tell people that you like house music. What they were really saying to you when they asked this question is that house music is, for all intents and purposes, dead. Some would even say it to your face. Some would insinuate it and some would imply it. Whatever the case may be, they’re saying that house music is dead. I understand that. I get that. I’m not trying to run away from the topic.
As awesome as house music is, for some reason, too many people think that it’s dead. What if I told you that it’s basically still alive? In fact, it’s doing really well. It’s alive and kicking, not because it’s front and center, not because it’s top-build or reveals itself as the undiluted or pure authentic house music. No.
If that’s the kind of definition you’re looking for, house music is as dead as a doornail. It has been relegated to the dustbin of musical history. It has died, buried, and people have moved on with the rest of their lives. However, if you’re looking at house music as an internal core engine or some sort of prime mover of musical expression in the current electronic dance base, it hasn’t died. In fact, it’s going stronger, bigger, and it has gone global.
I guess part of the reason why there’s a lot of confusion regarding the exact state of health of this musical genre really goes down to labeling. If you’re looking for musical acts or DJs that flat-out say that they play only house music, you would probably be able to count the number of DJs by the fingers of your hands, but if you are looking for DJs that incorporate the core components of house music, and more importantly, exhibit the historical attitude associated with house music, almost all DJs would qualify.
This is what makes the whole idea of house music dying or surviving such a tricky question to navigate. On one hand, in terms of formal self-identification, there are very few takers. However, when you’re looking at the internalization of everything and anything related to house music, it’s basically all over the place.
It really boils down to labeling because if you paid attention to the actual musical compositional elements and structure of house music, there’s a lot to see. In fact, you can see it everywhere. You can’t escape it, but if you were looking for music that is specifically labeled and marketed as house music, there are few and far between. I hope you can see how this works. So, will house music survive? The answer is yes and no. It’s probably not the kind of answer you’re looking for, but it’s also the truth.