House

House on vinyl: Chicago, French touch and the 12-inch

In short: House is club music with a steady beat that grew out of disco in Chicago in the mid-eighties. The 12-inch single is its natural format – made for DJs. The Vinyl Room currently has 284 house records, mostly 12-inch singles.

What is house?

House takes its name from the Chicago club the Warehouse, where DJ Frankie Knuckles mixed disco, soul and electronics. Producers such as Larry Heard and Marshall Jefferson recorded their own tracks with drum machines. In 1988 acid house swept England, and at the end of the nineties Daft Punk, Modjo and Etienne de Crécy from France scored worldwide hits as the “French touch”. Soon pop stars such as Madonna and the Pet Shop Boys had house remixes made of their singles.

What to look for

House records often come out only as 12-inches and in small runs; promo and white-label pressings are collector’s items of their own. Catalogue number, label and runout matrix together tell you whether you have a first pressing.

From our stock

First pressings

Still sealed

New in

→ Electronic on vinyl · Depeche Mode · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained · Plattenparty on YouTube

FAQ

Where does the name house come from? From the Chicago club the Warehouse, where DJ Frankie Knuckles played in the eighties.

What is French touch? French house at the end of the nineties, with Daft Punk, Modjo and Etienne de Crécy.

Why does house mostly come out on 12-inch? Because DJs play the big records with longer mixes and more bass in the clubs.