Acid House Music Guide: 4 Characteristics of Acid House

Acid house is a style of electronic music that originated in Chicago in the mid-to-late 1980s. The style spread and continued to develop in the cities of London, Manchester, Ibiza, and New York City, where it remains popular in rave culture. Like many forms of electronic music, acid house has strong ties to club culture and club drugs—particularly MDMA, or ecstasy. During the late 1980s, acid house music proliferated in the UK club scene and marked an era that some music historians refer to as the Second Summer of Love.

A few key elements define the acid house music style.

1. 1. Steady, propulsive beats: Acid house is known for its 4/4 time and four-on-the-floor kick drum pulse. Electronic drum machines generate these beats, while off-beat hand claps give the music a funky edge.
2. 2. Dance tempos: Nearly all acid house tracks fall between 120 and 130 beats per minute, which makes them easy to dance to.
3. 3. The Roland TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer: Acid house is directly associated with a specific piece of equipment—the Roland TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer. A Roland factory in Japan made a limited number of these machines between 1981 and 1984, but computer software can now emulate these sounds.
4. 4. Strong ties to other dance music genres: The acid house scene blends seamlessly with other electronic music genres including big beat, Detroit techno, deep house, breakbeat hardcore, and psychedelic trance.

A few songs paint a clear picture of the acid house sound.

1. 1. "Acid Tracks" by Phuture: The music group Phuture pioneered the acid house sound with their 1987 song, "Acid Tracks.” Chicago DJ Ron Hardy debuted the song informally on live playlists until it got a formal release on vinyl via Larry Sherman's seminal Chicago label, Trax Records. This song introduced acid house to Chicago and later the world.
2. 2. "I've Lost Control" by Sleezy D and Marshall Jefferson: While "Acid Tracks" was circulating as a tape, "I've Lost Control" had already been issued on vinyl, making it potentially the first formally published song in the acid house style. The track was produced by Adonis, who also had a hit with "Lack of Love" by Charles B.
3. 3. "Box Energy" by DJ Pierre: This 1988 track combines the essential Roland TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer with the Roland TS-808 drum machine—another classic tool of electronic music.
4. 4. "Flow Coma" by 808 State: This UK house track is named for the TS-808 drum machine. Group leader Gerald Simpson would record hits like "Voodoo Ray" under the moniker A Guy Called Gerald, but on this 1988 track, he helped provide a British response to Chicago acid house songs. It became a mainstay at Shoom, DJ Danny Rampling’s popular London dance party, and The Haçienda, a club in Manchester where ravers would congregate.
5. 5. "I Need a Friend" by Farley Jackmaster Funk: Farley Jackmaster Funk was known for creating many of the synth-pop hits and deep house records heard on dancefloors in the 1980s. On his 1988 album, No Vocals Necessary, he flashed his acid house bona fides.

Acid house is known for its minimalist textures, so musicians need only a few pieces of equipment to generate its sound.

1. 1. Roland TB-303 Bass Line: Acid house is a subgenre of house music that is associated with one very specific piece of equipment: the Roland TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer. Designed to mimic the sound of an electric bass guitar—but with a clipped sound that acid house fans call a “squelch”—it produces the fundamental sonics of acid house music. The TB-303 is long out of production and vintage models command exorbitant sums when they go up for sale, but software programs can replicate its sound.
2. 2. Roland TS-808 drum machine: The Roland TS-808 was the drum machine of choice for 1980s electronic music artists, and it later caught on with famous hip-hop artists—Kanye West even named his record 808s and Heartbreak after the machine. Like the TB-303, this drum machine is out of production and very expensive to acquire, but digital software can replicate its iconic sounds.
3. 3. Keyboard synthesizer: A trusty keyboard synthesizer can help musicians craft the minimalist melodies of acid house music. Classic 1980s synths include the Yamaha DX7 and the Roland Jupiter-8. Today’s synths and software libraries can replicate their sounds.
4. 4. Digital audio workstation: A digital audio workstation (DAW) is the sequencing software that contemporary musicians use to sequence and record all genres of music from techno to rock to classical. Many DAWs come with a large library of electronic sounds, which can make them one-stop shopping for producers seeking to replicate the acid house sounds of the Roland 303 and 808.

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