The Merits of House Music

This is what Abercrombie & Fitch
sounds like.

You're walking down the street, passing your local Abercrombie & Fitch, and, as the door swings open to let out a young, privileged white girl, your hear sound. Lots of sound. In fact, from your distance of about two meters, the music is positively loud, which means it's got to be completely bumpin' inside.

It sounds kind of familiar, but you can't quite put your finger. You've heard it before, or something similar, no doubt--every song with the same copy and paste four-on-the-floor drum beat, cheesy, occasionally auto-tuned vocals, and predictable beat drops. Ah yes, House music. 

Among most of the people I associate with, House music gets a real bad rap. Most find it repetitive and boring. Until recently, I was of this view. I have, however, now been enlightened.

I listened a little more closely. If so many people like this music--and it is quite popular in Europe, and some cities in America--there must be something appealing about it. I give, for your examination, Daft Punk.

While it may be somewhat repetitive, it nails the most important aspects of music. Tension. Tone. Release. Variation. 

And this is what Daft Punk sounds like.

The composition is commendable for its formal merits--that is to say, its organization, the way it is laid out, create an interesting and consistently entertaining framework. The music builds, reaches a high point, and then collapses. The drums and repetitive bass line are withheld at first, and later, to create moments of pause. The texture of the music collapses after some verses, making the music seem to shrink, and giving it room to grow.

Plus, the way it sounds--the noise coming out of the speakers--is good. The tones, the timbres of the elements, complement each other. There is a soft part and a harder element, a boom and a chuck. The overall effect is pleasing.

And so, really, my point is that music doesn't have to be complex. And I mean that in the extreme. It doesn't need to be complex rhythmically or harmonically. All it has to do is do something--go somewhere, hang out for a little bit, leave--and do it with style. When music takes you on a journey and does it with a sound that is pleasurable, it has accomplished its goal.