The Vault
Welcome to The Vault, a dusty archive of seminal tracks from the early years of house music. This collection of articles is about the important foundational tracks that influenced the development of house music.
Every Track Is A Piece Of History
Take a journey through the crates of history. These early tracks are the blueprints of today's dance music. They are the tracks that sparked a global revolution. From the first drum machine beats to the anthems that topped the charts, these are the records that changed the course of dance music
Step Back Into The Underground
Listen to the tracks and hear the stories behind them. Follow the links to find out how they shifted the landscape of electronic music, and why they mattered.
Black Riot - A Day In The Life
This was a stand out track when it came out. The sampling virtuosity inspired the rave sound years later. Read about the production genius of Todd Terry's work: A Day In The Life by Black Riot.
Listen to the breakthrough in house sampling...Blancmange - Blind Vision (Instrumental/Dub Version)
This funky groove is hiding on the B side of the 12" version of Blancmange's chart hit Blind Vision.
Listen to this funky synth track...Boytronic - You
This proto-trance euro disco was released in 1983, a year before the first house record, and it was perfect for Ron Hardy's fast paced euphoric energy.
Listen to this proto-trance euro disco...Brookly Express - Sixty Nine
This 1981 disco track sounds just like house. It uses the organ loop from Spank by Jimmy "Bo" Horne to make a new track.
Listen to this pioneering loop flip track...B.W.H. - Stop
This Italo track from 1983 has a heroic and unusual emotional range. It was a staple of house culture in the early years.
Listen to this heroic Italo disco track...Chaka Khan - Clouds
Clouds was a massive proto-house anthem from Chaka Khan.
Listen to this proto-house anthem from 1980...Charlie - Spacer Woman
This Italo disco from 1983 has extremely house like drums and highly futuristic synths.
Listen to this classic Italo future disco...Copycats - Getting Excited
This could be the best proto-house record that never got into the culture. It has been championed as a proto-house track by later DJs like 2manydjs.
Listen to this late blooming classic...CTI - Dancing Ghosts
This is an early 303 track that was played by Ron Hardy at the Music Box
Listen to this proto ambient acid...Dharma - Plastic Doll
Plastic Doll is an Italo disco track that was released in 1982. It was stocked at Importes, Etc. which was the place to buy Italo disco in Chicago, and it was in rotation by Chicago DJs.
Listen to this Italo disco classic...Dinosaur L - Go Bang
This great post-disco classic was part of early house culture, and it has some notable proto-house elements.
Listen to this ground breaking post disco track...Doctor's Cat - Feel The Drive
This is an Italo Disco track from 1983 with house-like drums and Miami-like synth.
Listen to this proto-house Italo disco...Fast Eddie - Acid Thunder
Fast Eddie released this as a breakthrough track at the peak of the acid house era. It combines an acid bassline with Larry Heard style deepness, and distinctive 808 percussion. This is one of the definitive acid house records.
Listen to the acid house classic...Gino Soccio - Dancer
Dancer is a Warehouse track. It could even be called a foundational Warehouse track from early Warehouse culture.
Listen to this classic disco Warehouse energy...Hamilton Bohannon - Let's Start The Dance
Bohannon was disco royalty by the time this track was released. It was an immediate anthem in Chicago.
Listen to this elite disco track...Jago - I'm Going To Go
A very familiar sounding Italo Disco track that arrived in 1983. This track was a big influence on a famous house track.
Listen to this influential Italo disco...Johnny Harris - Odyssey Part 2
Odyssey Part 2 was a favourite at David Mancuso's "The Loft", and it also crossed over to Chicago at The Warehouse. It's a space disco epic that originated as a Buck Roger's soundtrack.
Listen to this space disco jam...Jungle Brothers - I'll House You
I'll House You was one of the first house-rap crossover records. Richie Rich already had a breakthrough hit with Salsa House, and Richie Rich's mix of I'll House You brought a new sound to house music. This is really a remix of Can You Party by Royal House, but it sounded bigger, badder and better.
Listen to this breakthrough track...Kano - It's A War
It's A War is an Italo disco track from 1980 that became an anthem for Ron Hardy.
Listen to this Italo Music Box anthem...Kasso - Walkman
This is a classic Italo disco track from 1982. It has a funkier sound than most Italo, and combines influences from Philly, Post Disco and Italo disco.
Listen to this classic Italo disco funk...Kat Mandu - The Break
The Break is a proto-house track from 1979, that shows how ahead of its time the Canadian disco scene was.
Listen to this proto-house disco track...Kebekelektrik - War Dance
This Canadian disco from 1978 was a favourite of Ron Hardy who made it a Music Box staple in a much later era.
Listen to this Ron Hardy favourite...Klein & M.B.O. - M.B.O. Theme
It sounds like 1986, but it arrived in 1983. The M.B.O. Theme is one of the biggest Italo disco influences on early house music production. This 1983 Italo disco track created a template for Chicago house basslines.
Discover the Italo disco classic that was a template for "jacking" basslines...Lectric Workers - Robot Is Systematic
This Italo disco track was a staple for WBMX and Ron Hardy in the early days of house music culture.
Listen to this fast Italo peak time track...Los Angeles T.F. - Magical Body
This is a cult-classic Italo disco track from 1983 that was played heavily by big name Chicago DJs like Ron Hardy and the Hot Mix 5.
Listen to this cult-classic Italo disco...Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa
Soul Makossa was a centrepiece of 1970s clubbing. It spread from The Loft across the USA.
Listen to this 1970s club anthem from 1972...Martin Circus - Disco Circus
Disco Circus influenced early house producers and was a big part of early house culture in the 1970s.
Listen to this fundamental house culture track...Mr Flagio - Take A Chance
Take A Chance is considered by many to be the best Italo disco ever made.
Listen to this peak Italo disco track...My Mine - Hypnotic Tango
Hypnotic Tango is one of the defining records of the Italo Disco era. It was played by all the big name DJs in the Chicago house culture era.
Listen to this Italo floor filler...Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots
Forget Me Nots is a catch hit that a lot of people really like, but it has a secret weapon, the bassline.
Listen to this post disco anthem...Pink Project - Amama
Amama was released in 1982 by Italo Disco royalty. It was perfect for the Chicago teen scene and WBMX.
Listen to this classy Italo disco...Salsoul Orchestra - Salsoul Hustle
This track is an early Salsoul track that featured in the early days of The Warehouse.
Listen to this staple of the early Warehouse...Skatt Bros – Walk The Night
This disco rock track is a foundation of Chicago house music culture. It was hammered by Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy in their DJ sets.
Listen to this early Chicago staple...Stopp - I'm Hungry
This Italo disco was released in 1983, and is one of the origins of the jacking sound.
Listen to this jacking Italo disco...T-Connection - At Midnight
"At Midnight" was an important record for The Warehouse and early house culture generally. It sounds like New York cool, but it's a Bahamas/Miami connection. The lengthy percussion workout was highly prized by DJs in the 1970s.
Listen to this percussive Latin disco gem...The Flirts - Passion
This Hi-NRG classic from 1982 was massive on the Chicago teen scene of the early 1980s.
Listen to this Hi-NRG classic...The Immortals - Warlord Part II
Warlord Part II is the B Side of The Ultimate Warlord by The Immortals. It's one of the heaviest beats in disco, and was a favourite of Ron Hardy.
Listen to this heavy disco beat from 1979...Top Secret - Dancing Into Midnight
This Canadian disco anthem sounds like Space Disco, and hit Europe just before the Italo wave.
Listen to this Canadian anthem from 1979...Torch Song - Prepare To Energize
This cosmic disco anthem is William Orbit's first release (with the band Torch Song). It sounds like he had just stepped out of a time machine from the future in order to make it.
Listen to this cosmic disco anthem...Visual - The Music Got Me
This garage track was a big influence on the house scene in the early 1980s.
Listen to this proto-house anthem...Yazoo - Situation
Francois K's dub mix of Situation is an electro-disco floorfiller.
Listen to Yazoo's club anthem from 1982...