By Sadie York
House music consists of repetitive beats and tempos, creating an electronic dance tune. House club culture began to popularize during the 80s and 90s, and continued into the early 2000s. It was designed to get people dancing—and it did. Originating from warehouses in Chicago, artists composed house music from aspects of soul, funk, and disco. Once incorporated into mainstream music by artists such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Kylie Minogue, house began to change the industry on a global scale.
What makes house music so special? Why is it so receptive? Well, it can all be explained with science. Naturally, the rhythmic beats of house subconsciously incline our bodies to move to the pace of the song. When listening to music, the brain activates three lobes (frontal, parental, and temporal) which provokes an emotional response depending on the type of music. Often, cheerful songs will trigger a dopamine rush in the brain, melancholy music would have the opposite effect. Due to the various synths, basses, and repetitions, house music can spark various human reactions for different occasions. It can be listened to for focused work such as studying, energizing activities like dance, or act as a simple ambient tune to relax to.
House music consists of many different genres, with one of the most popular being electro. Following the release of the 2023 film Saltburn, the song “Perfect (Exceeder)” began to blow up on social media platforms such as TikTok, fueling the new waves of house listeners. Through the media, house has the ability to slowly reascend into the music community, and onto the dance floor.