I went to Spain to study abroad for an entire school year, that's what happened. In my young, angsty fervor to absorb as much Spanish culture as possible (which meant avoiding all things American), I widened my horizons. It was in Spain where I started my transformation, where I went from listening to whatever the radio belched at me to an audiophile & decent DJ. But what actually happened?
Did I go to some awesome eighteen-hour rave in the arid outskirts of Madrid? No. Did I find the unifying powers of house music while on ecstasy in the back of a sketchy Barcelona club? I'm sure half of my classmates did. Did I lose all my socio-aesthetic inhibitions while dancing knee-deep off the coast of Ibiza? Pending.
It was MTV. MTV España was what started it all. I watched MTV while in Spain, using it's quirky electronic music videos as a compass to Spanish and European hipness. Accepting MTV España meant rejecting USA's (read: culture) MTV, so I was all for it.
And so, plopped in front of my host family's television when no one else was watching (i.e. after the La Liga match), I slowly became infected with the house virus.
The Songs.
10. Benny Benassi - Satisfaction
You have to start somewhere. This was a starting point for alot of young Stateside househeads. Although today I pretend to stay clear from loud, commercial stuff like this, I still listen to 'Illusion,' 'Every Single Day,' and 'Rocket in the Sky' every once in a while- good music is good music.
9-7. Mylo - In My Arms/Daft Punk - Technologic/Armand Van Helden - My My My
In house music videos, the 3 main approaches that the directors take are:
- A short story with an 'intriguing' twist that you'll only pick up on if you're paying attention so that the song isn't important in case it sucks (In My Arms).
- Wierd, pointless crap that's supposed to make hip people feel all warm and 'postmodern' inside (Technologic).
- Completely OD-ing on sex (My My My).
6. Alter Ego - Rocker
What happens when you combine all three?
5. Erasure - Don't Say You Love Me
The first time I saw it was with the volume almost mute, so you could understand how I thought it sucked. The video resembles a slow-motion Lego Star Wars video game, except uglier. When I heard it again though, that blasted chorus got me. I still don't like the song too much, and it isn't actually dance music, either. All it proved to me was that I was getting into electronicky stuff.
4. Mylo - Drop the Pressure
Honestly, honestly, honestly, this song hit me from nowhere. Somehow the bass line would end up on repeat in my head, and I spent a long time wondering what the song was. It was similar to one of those songs- the ones you hear on the radio growing up and you always completely ignored, but now you just disintegrate with excitement when you find out their names because they give you your nostalgia fix. Take that concept to the 5th power and you have the story of the hipster.
3. Reflekt ft. Delline Bass - Need to Feel Loved
I recall the very first time I saw this video. What really got me hooked was the clever combination of 1) the long, tear jerking strings at the chorus, and 2) the stunning Ibiza backdrop with the existential 'fast-forward' style cinematography. Yes, I get emotional if the song is right. Take those two elements out, though, and it's just another sappy Balearic song.
2. Eric Prydz - Call on Me
Finally, my generation of American high school and college kids had a song so high-powered, so corny, that dancing to it was the only way to show how ridiculously 'gay' this 'techno song' was. The last time this happened was during the Jock Jams phase. And alas, they weren't able to stop themselves before it was too late- they liked it, though secretly. The people mocked the song, and Eric went to the bank. I was in Spain at the time, and I was pleasantly surprised that people were listening to it when I returned.
1. Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence (Mike Shinoda Re-interpretation)
Liking Depeche Mode was most instrumental in my path to house-headedness, seeing as 2/3rds of all electronic dance music DJs grew up listening to them, and the remainder end up remixing them. It was weird- I downloaded more Depeche Mode songs, waiting to hate them, but it didn't quite happen. To date, Depeche Mode is my biggest guilty pleasure. How could I still claim my masculinity after liking David Gahan's deep, nasal, vocals & outrageously corny lyrics?
So ends my list. Of course, there were definitely other songs and other 'streams of influence,' but these videos were the launchpad. Maybe I have sparked your interest. Still curious? Start here.
