Universal pop

This article was written by Michael Proctor for the website IDMW. As part of our monthly updates we hope to add further articles from Mr Procter for our Tribute site, giving us a new twist and a breath of fresh air for our day to day grinds..

House Calls: UNIVERSAL POP…
Posted on Monday, May 03 @ 00:00:00 CEST by michael procter

I was reading a reply to a forum last week concerning an editorial that I had written. The posting stated that they hadn't read the whole article but that house music wasn't the most popular music around the world because of the sales of house music not being in the same category as other genres of music. Well, if that's the case, we need to just pick up our turntables, mixing boards and microphones and go hide our heads in the sand…

    The politics of music may determine that sales is the overall meter of popularity, but I would like to use the measure of music played and enjoyed around the world to point out the fact that house music leads by more then a nose…
    At any time on any given night, you can go to a dance club around the world and see the dancefloor filled to capacity with people dancing and enjoying the mixes and new releases and classics of house songs that have never been played on a radio station or charted on major charts or monitored through the system of sales that determines for the politicians the popularity of music. All over Europe, Asia and America house music can be heard on television commercials, movies, pouring out of stores as we shop. Playing in homes, in meat markets, head shops, walkmans, mp3 players, schools , beauty salons, grocery stores. Music that is underground as most labels would have it be. But yet is still popular.
    When I first started performing in europe, I went to Switzerland. I had been looking for a record an old LP from the Temptations. I'd look everywhere for this album. Then one day, I was at a friends appartment and low and behold I heard a song from the album playing on his system. I ran to the music room and what did i find but a copy of this album I had been looking for for years. My friend by the way was a very big house DJ and his love was house, but that love was derived from old school R&B & disco. He had cases and cases of old school R&B records and jazz. And disco and rap. I just mention that to say that the popularity of music is not determined by the sales of records because we would probably not rate in that category, because most house music is still sold by 12" records and not CD's, but by the millions of people that listen to and enjoy, and dance to our music around the world.
   One of the biggest congregational gatherings of DJ's and artists in the world - the Winter Music Conference - was started to celebrate what ? House music ! It is still the core of the gathering today. Conferences all around the world are the creation of business associated with house music. Internet has as many sites dedicated to house music as any other genre of music if not mor… Even the major producers of hip hop and R&B are house heads and produce house music (but they won't use there real names lololol)
    So I just say that if you think that your girlfriend or wife or boyfriend or husband is not the most beautiful or handsome on the planet because someone else doesn't think so, then you need to reevaluate your own mentality. Or maybe you're in the wrong genre.
    We are and I repeat the most popular genre of music around the world. We have the most creative producers and writers and artists because we have to always create new to compete with each other (lol). Our music spans garage house to jazz house to hip hop house to gospel house to techno house to trance house to hardhouse to ....shall I go on. We are the pop music of the world. And I don't give a shit what the sales charts have to say !

In the beginning, there was jack, and jack had a groove. And from this groove came the groove of all grooves.And while one day viciously throwing down on his box, jack boldy declared, "let there be house !" And house music was born. "I am, you see, I am The creator, and this is my house ! And, in my house there is only house music. But, I am not so selfish because once you enter my house it then becomes our house and our house music!"

And, you see, no one man owns house because house music is a universal language, spoken and understood by all. You see, house is a feeling that no one can understand really unless you're deep into the vibe of house. House is an uncontrollable desire to jack your body. And, as I told you before, this is our house and our house music. And in every house, you understand, there is a keeper. And, in this house, the keeper is jack. Now some of you who might wonder, "who is jack, and what is it that jack does ?" Jack is the one who gives you the power to jack your body ! Jack is the one who gives you the power to do the snake. Jack is the one who gives you the key to the wiggly worm. Jack is the one who learns you how to walk your body. Jack is the one that can bring nations and nations of all jackers together under one house. You may be Black, you may be White; you may be Jew or Gentile. It don't make a difference in our house. And this is fresh !!
Stand up !!
~ Michael Procter