Microhouse

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This article is about music. For the human dwelling-structure, see List of house types.
Microhouse
Stylistic origins: Minimal Techno, House, Electronic art music, Glitch, Minimalism, IDM
Cultural origins: late 1990s, Europe, particularly Germany
Typical instruments: Synthesizer, Keyboard, Drum machine, Sequencer, Sampler, Music software, Hand-cutting and scratching of electronic devices
Mainstream popularity: Low to Medium
Subgenres
Ketamine house, Micropop, Ambient microhouse, Microtrance, Click-hop
Regional scenes
Germany, Barcelona, Montreal, Ibiza (DC10)
Other topics
Notable artists and DJs - Raves - Nightclubs

Microhouse or Minimal house, sometimes just minimal, is a subgenre of house and glitch music.

Contents

[edit] History

Microhouse has its roots in the minimal techno, glitch (both developed in the early 90's), and house (developed in the mid-80's) genres of music. Its first echoes appeared in the glitch album by German experimental artist Oval, in 1993.

Like most of the audible sub terrain of the electronic music genre, Microhouse's borders span multiple categories, blurring the lines between rudimentary techno and some of the newer, thinned out, "click and pop" garage house that seemed to spill out of the abandoned, left over sub genres such as Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass (or "Bleep"), glitch and minimal techno. To be more precise, the crisp yet watered down sounds of Microhouse deliver all the groovy sounds of backroom House Music while carrying a notable frequency that can only be truly explained by an understanding of the driving, repetitive nature of techno. In the early years of the new millennium mainstream techno exploded into multiple categories. Most notable were two genres, the distinct but short-lived electroclash sound governed by pioneers like Felix Da Housecat and Miss Kitten, and the throbbing tech house that growled it's way onto every dance floor worldwide.

When considering the distinct and eclectic properties of these two powerhouse sound scapes, it goes without question that the only official, audible avenue left to populate at the time was a simple combination of the two. Modern Microhouse grants the listener a similar version of the elementary eight-bit techno sound of the 80's heard in electroclash, upgraded to a hard-click, edgy sound refined for the modern techno audiophile. Simultaneously, Microhouse turns its head away from the full-on, room filling sounds of tech house, while maintaining a groovy progression that can only be associated with traditional House Music. Modern, mainstream renditions of this popular sub genre are illustrated with successful tracks like "Don't Hide It", © 2003 by Alexkid and Clicks & Cuts by Mille Plateaux.

Microhouse's first real appearance entirely separate from glitch, the first track that could inarguably be called microhouse, was in 1999, in the form of Isolee's glitchy club anthem Beau Mot Plage. However, it did not come to life as a full genre until 2000-2001, when it was greatly urged along by record labels like Kompakt, Perlon, Spectral Sound, Fabric, Telegraph and Force Inc.

The term microhouse is usually credited to music journalist Philip Sherburne, writing for the magazine Wire in 2001.

[edit] Musicology

Microhouse strips house music down to a more minimal and sparse aesthetic, in the same vein as tech house. However, unlike tech-house, which evolved from hard techno and house, creating a very loud, rave-oriented sound, microhouse slowly developed out of the minimal techno, and glitch genres (and arguably tech-house itself), producing a more complex and detailed (though sparse) aesthetic. Microhouse can be thought of as a bridge between the minimal techno, glitch, and tech-house genres - its click-and-cut aesthetic can be smoothly DJ-mixed with minimal techno (as is commonly done by Richie Hawtin), while the more-dance-oriented sound, coming from its house and dub influences give it a greater accessibility to house DJs (for example, many records even reach the club chart, and are played by a great number of house DJs).

Virtually all microhouse employs a 4/4 time signature. However, the percussion used in microhouse is unlike that of any other dance genre, except for glitch, minimal techno, and IDM, replacing the typical house kick drums and hi-hats (which infect virtually all styles of electronic dance) with clicks, microscopic thuds, and small bits of noise. Microhouse artists often experiment with different forms of sampling to achieve this effect.

Sampling is integral to microhouse, as it is not a synthesizer based genre: extremely short ('micro') samples of the human voice, musical instruments, everyday noises and computer created wave patterns are instead arranged to form complex melodies (an effect well-demonstrated by Akufen's Deck the House). Vocals in microhouse are often very simplistic, nonsensical, and monotone in nature, although some artists, such as Matthew Herbert, Luomo, and Justus Kohncke, have been releasing microhouse songs with full vocal layers.

Microhouse is somewhat obscure when compared to other genres of house and techno, but several cities including Cologne, Paris, Montreal, the Bay Area, Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago and Portland, Oregon have budding scenes, and with the minimal techno boom of the mid-00s, is now gaining great popularity in German, Canadian, italian and Spanish clubs (especially in the form of its derivatives Ketamine house and micropop, as well as in electro-house tracks encorporating the style). On top of this, several tracks have become major club hits over the years, and a few others have even gained European radioplay.

[edit] Notable Microhouse Records

1999

The very first microhouse record to reach the club charts. Isolee's 1999 album, Rest, containing the hit, was arguably the first microhouse full-length.
An early record by an artist who would later become one of the microhouse genre's (very small number of) superstar DJs.

2000

  • Bushes by Markus Nikolai
Another charting microhouse record, this time bridging the gap between microhouse and traditional house.
One of the Kompakt label's first forays into microhouse, which they would later bring (in a form) to European pop radio, and turn into one of Europe's major club genres.
  • Lemon by Dettinger
One of the first microhouse records to be made by a minimal techno artist.
The first microhouse album to introduce elements of pop music to the genre, which eventually gave birth to a popular subgenre of microhouse, known as micropop.

2001

  • So Weit Wie Noch Nie by Juurgen Paape
The first microhouse track to gain (European) radioplay.
One of Kompakt's largest and most played microhouse records.
With this record, Farben crafted a more rubbery, liquid sound, a bizarre contrast to most of microhouse's (up to that point) precision.

2002

Another microhouse club anthem, notable through its extreme use of radio sampling. This was the precursor to Akufen's critically-acclaimed album "My Way", throughout which over 2000 different radio samples are used.
One of the most critically-acclaimed microhouse albums ever released. With this record, Farben continued the sound developed with his groundbreaking record "The Videoage."
  • Easy Woman (Robag Wruhme mix) by Metaboman
While not groundbreaking, this is considered by many to be one of the strongest "ambient microhouse" tracks ever created.
This track brought microhouse to the "indie rock" community, as the vocals were provided by Death Cab for Cutie's singer, Ben Gibbard. The style quickly becomes an underground favorite, and albums begin getting reviews in indie rock magazines and websites, such as Pitchfork, Stylus, and PopMatters. Also considered by many to be the absolute masterpiece of micropop.
Microhouse's most famous and arguably strongest DJ mix album.

2003

Again, while not groundbreaking, this club charting track is considered by many to be the ultimate perfection of club microhouse, and is quite notable regardless.
  • The Present Lover by Luomo
Luomo creates the first entirely "micropop" styled microhouse album. Every track is vocal, and many even feature verses and choruses.
With this record, the rave genre's aesthetic was applied to microhouse for the first time.

2004

With this album, Ricardo Villalobos generated a completely new subgenre of microhouse, now known as ketamine house, or ketaminimal, which has become a driving force in the "minimal" community.

2005

The first ketamine house dominated mix compilation to gain wide release.
  • Leuchtturm (Wighnomy's polarzipper mix) by Triola
One of ketamine house's first club hits.
Ricardo Villalobos furthers his (now much copied) "ketamine house" aesthetic.
The first ketamine house track to reach the club charts.
A more trance music influenced sound is introduced to microhouse.
The first microhouse record to sample a minimalist composer. While not incredibly groundbreaking, this is a beautifully circular innovation, as the stylistic roots (if traced far enough back) of microhouse are found in the orchestral form of minimalism. (The track samples Philip Glass's opera Einstein on the Beach, and his soundtrack to Koyaanisqatsi)

[edit] Notable artists

[edit] External links

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