Introduction to Tech House Suggestions?
Here’s the deal, I’m getting a little sick of the usual music that I listen to and spin (fairly mainstream Electro House etc.) and I’m wanting to explore the world of Deep House and Tech House etc. I’ve been listening to some mixes like the one linked and I’m really enjoying a lot of it. Can someone recommend me a good starting point for this sort of music, i.e. some artists and/or compilation CD’s etc.
this is more towards the funky side so check out labels like om records and 20/20 vision as they tend to run the spectrum of house, usually with an emphasis on funky and tech sounds. inland knights is a good duo, but they have a ton of releases so you probably won’t like them all. some of shur-i-kan’s stuff goes this route as well. i have a bunch more since i’m really into sounds like this but i can’t remember off the top of my head, i would have to look at my library.
really, just go on beatport and start digging until you find a song you really like then go deeper into the artist and label and even the beatbot recommendations which can be hit or miss.
You should deff check out one of my favorite DJ/Producers: Victor Calderone.
I wouldn’t consider what he was spinning tech house at all
Digging this mix. I spin a lot of stuff labeled “tech house,” and this seems to be one of a few different styles in that label. I tend to refer the subgenre in my ID3 comments as “miami / ibiza” though it’s hugely stereotyping based on my one experience going to WMC, but yeah it’s usually in the tech house section at Beatport. But it’s soulful, groovy, with very unassuming use of divas/vocals, with pretty predictable builds and drops, and not overly techy… You’ll actually find a lot of this kind of stuff just by typing miami or ibiza on your favorite music site and browsing compilations. (Emusic is great for this since compilations are nearly all 6 bucks, even if they contain 25 bangers). Listen before you buy though because some of those Ibiza and WMC compilations really lean towards the pop anthemy stuff. (There are also a number of compilations that you;ll find just searching for “Tech House” - some of them are not bad, and it’s a good way to start building a list of artists whose music you want to check out further).
Look for beatport charts as well as tracks by D. Ramirez, Delicious, Funkagenda, Wattie Green (in fact anything on Coyote Cuts label), Ida Engberg, Kaiserdisco and anyone else you discover on compilations.
I have a compilation called Tech House Groover that is pretty consistently good. A bit more chillout-y is Unlimited Concept Vol. 17 (I haven’t listened to the first 16, heh) – great collection of smooth techie grooves.
I really am bad at genres though to be honest; I have a lot of stuff labeled “minimal” that is close to a lot of the stuff I like that is tech house. I also have a lot of stuff labeled “tribal” that is very similar to a lot of the stuff labeled “tech.” I realize genre titles are notoriously imprecise but I’m not even sure I can articulate what “tech house” even means, heh.
This. The “tech house” genre is so varied today, no one even knows anymore. Which ever sounds good to you and goes together in a mix is all that matters really. Oh, and getting those people moving!
I’ve always considered tech house to be anything that’s a bridge between techno & house.
Pleasurekraft is what first got me into more tech house type stuff (though some of it isn’t typical tech house)
https://soundcloud.com/pleasurekraft/pleasurekraft-october-ultra
someone posted a jay lumen video the other day- this is pretty awesome:
on BeatPort I like these labels:
ON TRAXSOURCE I like these:
http://www.traxsource.com/Mjuzieek_Digital
http://www.traxsource.com/Ritmikal_Records
http://www.traxsource.com/Gruuv
Good luck diggin’
wow. what happened to Victor’s super gay tribal circuit sound ???
your right.
He should listen to SSradioUK
This just confuses me more, heh. I mean, of the artists I know, I can tell you which are house and which are techno based on who they are, what label they’re on, where their scene is, etc. But I can be much less precise just based on the sound of the music. Maybe I’d say “techno” is less tied to 4-on-the-floor, and tends to be darker and moodier, with a wider tempo variance, but there are a lot of “techno” songs that are 4-on-the-floor, 128BPM, and there are a lot of “house” songs that are dark and rolling and may diverge tempo- and rhythm-wise. Wikipedia and similar sources are not much help here.
The lines between certain harder tech house and some techno can be confusing and a lot could go either way. For stuff that is borderline- tech house is usually bouncier with more emphasis on the snares/claps on the 2 and 4 where it won’t be as prominent in the mix and as much focus on a lot of techno. Tech house also sounds more “open” and the mix has more room to breathe if that makes any sense. It’s pretty subjective really but I’m sure someone else could describe it better.
As someone who is “so old” that he was around before “tech house” was a genre, I consider anything that I can play that bridges the gap between house (some human element, be it vocals, conga’s, real bass lines, etc.) and techno (all electronic, sampled, loop based, etc.). I’m not one to buy into too many sub-genre’s and will almost always re-classify my tunes as either house, techno or breaks with some sort of adjective, ie funky, moody, dark… So tech house, for me, is anything that can be a cross-over track between techno & house.
i didn’t add links in my previous posts but i have some time now so check these out. they are a bit more funky like the mix the op posted..although i’m listening back and comparing to the op’s post and these are probably too deep, but maybe someone will enjoy the deep tech funk vibes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4sh-7WGAFU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4sh-7WGAFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zorhicY438c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zorhicY438c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-DM_VG2vgg&feature=bf_next&list=UUdYXe2qaDrSVq4wgwC-gNmQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-DM_VG2vgg&feature=bf_next&list=UUdYXe2qaDrSVq4wgwC-gNmQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKkgOfapIs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKkgOfapIs
edit: moving record labels’ youtube page to bottom since they probably would get lost between the vids.
you can check out the 2020vision youtube playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/user/2020recordings
also freerange records: http://www.youtube.com/user/freerangeuk?feature=watch
This is pretty much my definition exactly. If it’s 4 on the floor but not clearly in the house or techno camp, I am calling it tech-house. To the OP’s question, although not exactly like the video that you linked, Maceo Plex and/or &Me are in my opinion really talented, but more in the “house” realm than tech-house - although I cross over and back all the time. Maya Jane Coles is much more in the deep house, but is great also. Digweed is spinning a lot of tech-house/techno cross over stuff - if you like his style I would just check out his weekly show; he posts a track list and most of it’s available for sale by the time he plays it, but sometimes you have to wait a bit for a track to be released.
Stay High Baby is probably my favorite track from MP:
I could go on and on here - sorry.
Threads like this where everyone waxes about the blurred lines between genres they’re knowledgeable about are the best. I love you guys. 
i caught that jay lumen video too and have to say that i really like his set. i’m in love with stuff that has a darker tech sound with organic percussion elements in it. it makes me miss my tribal house days long ago, so i’m glad there’s sounds like this i’m discovering again.
Dirty bird records thats all you need to know.
Why don’t you just buy songs you like…
Who cares what genre tag Beaport gives it (or whoever)
