[Column] What is deep house? ─ Exploring the depth of the sound that blends the temperature of soul and jazz into house

Column en 80s 90s Acid Jazz Deep House

22 Aug 2025

[Column] What is deep house? ─ Exploring the depth of the sound that blends the temperature of soul and jazz into house

First of all, what is deep house?

Text: mmr｜Theme: Deep House, a genre that continues to quietly evolve while incorporating history and context.

Deep house is a strain of house that sprouted in the Chicago-New Jersey area in the late 1980s. Characterized by soul/jazz harmonies, smooth bass, and a restrained groove, it is a type of dance music that is ““deep, long, and warms the body’’ rather than a rush peak. BPM is generally 118–124 (slow to medium speed), 7th/9th chords, electric piano (Rhodes), organ (Korg M1 series), and laid-back vocals are symbolic. It has a “night temperature” that is valid for both the floor and listening.

Background and development of birth

1985–90: Early Early (Chicago/NJ)

Larry Heard (Mr. Fingers) presents the prototype with “Can You Feel It” and “Mystery of Love.” Following the flow of Frankie Knuckles and Marshall Jefferson, a fusion of Jersey Garage’s sweet soul feel (Blaze and Kerri Chandler).

1990s: Deepening and diversification

Chicago”s Ron Trent & Chez Damier (Prescription), New York”s Masters At Work (MAW), and Detroit’s Moodymann expand on the “black” texture. The number of bases will increase in the UK and Germany, creating a bridge between deep and tech.

2000s: Listening orientation and sophistication

Naked Music, Jimpster (Freerange) and more will take you to the lounge-soulful sophistication. In Germany, Henrik Schwarz, Âme, and Dixon (Innervisions) are popular for their minimalist to modern architectural aesthetics.

2010s and beyond: bifurcation and globalization

Anjunadeep and All Day I Dream turned to melodic/organic music. In South Africa, Black Coffee brings Afro-Deep to world-class standards. With the DIY wave, lo-fi houses are also on the rise.

Musical features

Harmony: Major 7th/9th, suspension chord, lots of tension. Even in a minor key, there is a nuance of “sadness≠tragic”.

Beat: The kick has a round and deep aftertaste. The hi-hat is a shuffle to a light swing. 909/707/727 and 808 textures are standard.

Bass: Mainly undulating long notes with carefully controlled subbands.

Keyboard/Texture: Rhodes/M1 organ/soft strings, space type (delay/reverb) is long but not dense.

Vocal: Speaking low to mid range, gospel to soul lineage. Make use of “pause” by using the necessary and sufficient number of words.

Must-listen artists/labels

Original source: Larry Heard (Mr. Fingers)/Kerri Chandler/Blaze

Core: Ron Trent & Chez Damier (Prescription) / Moodymann (KDJ) / MAW (including Nuyorican Soul)

2000s Sophistication: Jimpster (Freerange) / Miguel Migs & Blue Six (Naked Music)

Modern ~ Melodic: Âme/Dixon (Innervisions)/Maya Jane Coles

Afro Deep: Black Coffee/Culoe De Song/Da Capo

Japanese (deep house feel): Soichi Terada/Susumu Yokota (Far East Recording)/around Mule Musiq

Major labels: Prescription, KDJ, Strictly Rhythm, Nu Groove, Guidance, Freerange, Delusions of Grandeur, Innervisions, Mule Musiq, Anjunadeep, All Day I Dream

“First 3 pieces”

Mr. Fingers – Amnesia
Ron Trent – Altered States
Kerri Chandler – Atmosphere

Subgenres and peripheral lineages

Chicago Deep: Heavy kick + soul reverb. Example: Mr. Fingers, Ron Trent.

Jersey/garage type: Piano/organ and gospel-like vocals. Example: Kerri Chandler, Blaze.

Detroit Deep: Lo-fi texture with a jazz-soul feel. Example: Moodymann, Theo Parrish (on the border).

Deep Tech: Tight low end and minimal repetition. Example: Smallville/Underground Quality.

Melodic/Organic: Wide pads and scenic chords, live instruments and natural sounds. Example: Anjunadeep, All Day I Dream.

Afro Deep: Polyrhythm, call and response, and high-temperature percussion.

Lo-fi House: Warm saturation, 90s sample feel.

What “good deep house DJs” do

Gradually layer EQ and faders on long mixes (16-32 bars or more).
Matching key (tonality) and tesserae (timbre): Avoid destroying the atmosphere by selecting songs in adjacent keys/closely related tones.
Dynamic waves: “Raise the heat a little bit and bring it back quickly” for 30-45 minutes.
BPM setting that is not too fast: Create a “stride length” at 118–121, then move to 122–124 in the second half.

Production Tips

Code: “Soft margin” with maj7, min9, sus2/4, 6th. Even just the two notes of root + 9th are “deep”.

Tone selection: Rhodes, M1 Organ, Juno pad, analog sub. The hi-hat is slightly open and thin.

Groove: “Breathe” with a light swing (+5 to +15%) and minute changes in velocity.

Low Pass/Side Chain: Adds “invisible oscillation” to keep it in ear contact while making it dance.

Sampling: Loop a short jazz/soul phrase and let it melt into the space with a long decay.

Mix: Kick 40–60Hz is modest, 80–120Hz creates body rumble. Vocals should not output too much 2–5kHz.

Scene and Culture

Location: Strong in small boxes/subfloors/after hours.

Listening context: Late night drive, work/study BGM, cocktail time.

Aesthetics: ““Emotional over functionality’’. More shadow than sparkle.

Playlist template (flow example)

Warm-up: Blaze style organ groove

Early peak: Ron Trent/Chez Damier’s driving force

Plateau: Refinement of Jimpster ~ Freerange

Color change: Henrik Schwarz’s live feel

Late: Maintain the temperature with Black Coffee’s Afro Deep, and cool down with the lingering sound of Larry Heard at the end.

Tips for collecting and searching records

Keywords: “Deep” “Atmospheric” “Dub” “Garage” “Jersey” “Prescription”

Choose by era: Early 90s = rough and warm, 00s = sophisticated, 10s and later = wide sound image.

Label buy: Prescription/KDJ/Freerange/Innervisions/Mule Musiq/Anjunadeep.

Must listen to the B-side: Deep tracks tend to be hidden in the B-side dub.

Quick discography (10 introductory songs)

・Mr. Fingers – “Can You Feel It”

・Larry Heard Presents Mr. White – “The Sun Can”t Compare”

・Kerri Chandler – “Atmosphere”

・Ron Trent – ”Altered States”

・Chez Damier – “I Never Knew Love”

・Moodymann – “Shades of Jae”

・Masters At Work – “To Be In Love (MAW Dub)”

・Jimpster – “Dangly Panther”

・Âme – “Rej”

・Black Coffee – “Turn Me On (feat. Bucie)”

Music that can be enjoyed over time, not in a moment

Deep house is music that can be enjoyed over time. Rather than a single, conspicuous hit, there is a ““comfortable continuation’’ that keeps the floor and listeners in sync with each other. If you understand everything from historical origins to current sub-styles, and the secrets of production and DJing, you will be able to greatly deepen your selection and appreciation.