Learning the Lingo

For the youthfully challenged, a guide to some of the music that has crept into existence in the last decade:

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* HIP-HOP: Incorporates an entire attitude of street music, dress, speech and dance, but to many, it’s just another term for word rap . Examples: “What Can I Do” by Ice Cube or “Flava In Ya Ear” by Craig Mack.

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* OLD SCHOOL: Classic hip-hop and funk hits from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Examples: “Top Billin’ ” by Audio Two or “More Bounce” by Zapp.

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* DANCE: Remember disco? Take the same beat and add ‘90s-style instruments. An umbrella term for the many layers of house and techno.

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* HOUSE: Between 118 and 124 beats per minute. Emphasizes the bass drum, which hits on the one and three counts of a song. An open hi-hat sometimes replaces the usual snare drum on the two and four counts. Examples: “Good Life” by Inner City or “Deep Inside” by Louie Vega.

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* PROGRESSIVE HOUSE: Anything breaking away from the normal context of how a song is written. Apply this to the house definition, and you have different variations of progressive house such as tribal house (heavy use of Afro/Latin percussion instruments) or deep house (intense, trance-like sounds). Examples: “The Crystal Method” by Cardinal or “Dream of the Black Dahlia” by Mikael Johnston.

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* TECHNO: A more aggressive, mechanical-sounding house. The English call it “hard house.” The beat hovers in the range of 180 per minute, riddled with noisy, industrial sounds. Examples: “Rave the Rhythm” by Channel X or “Liberty Freedom” by Atomizer.