My Secret Love

My first introduction to house music was probably Crystal Waters' Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless). There was something about the way she used her voice as an instrument to accompany the throbbing synthesizers that turned me on.

See, I came up in the beginning of the "They Don't Dance No Mo" era. Right when gangsta rap and grunge music made being sullen popular. Though I survived MC Hammer, which evolved into the party rap of P.Diddy's day, it was never really cool to dance like a fool to any music.

But then I went to college, and I saw people house.

I met people from Chicago who could find every misstep inside of a beat and make a movement to it. I saw the people from Detroit, who had line dances to the most pulsating beats. And I heard remixes to my favorite songs that were made alive by faster beats and stronger music. The people I met in college were dancing their asses of and not caring about the posturing and posing that was popular in hip hop music.

House music was always a set inside of a good deejay's reportoire. But being from Ohio, I have never been to a full out house-party, where all night long the deejay is looking for sweat beads across all the dancers' brows.

And I want that. And it's not like Columbus doesn't have house deejays. But I've been to those places, like Bento GoGos. And the people kinda freak me out. Being a house music lover means giving up a certain kind of control. It's about not caring what other people think, and concetrating more on your body and your movement.

See, I am the one with the problem. I can't allow myself to get into the groove! Now via the Internet, I have become very much interested in several soulful house acts, like Little Louie Vega, DJ Speek Greene, Osunlade, Siji, Aloe Blacc and hosue version of songs I already like by Jill Scott, Usher and Beyonce.

Then there are those "dirty house" songs that keep me motivated during a workout. Ass N Titties, There Some Hoes In This House...and a couple others that I'm not quite sure of the names.

House music, my love for you now lurks in the shadows of my music collection. Hopefully, as I learn more about house, and learn more about me, I can become one of those cool kids, unafraid to house anywhere they are.