Acid House
House · 1986 · 118 to 130 BPM · also known as Acid
In 1985, Phuture repurposed the Roland TB-303, a commercially unloved bass machine, and discovered that its squelching filter was an instrument in its own right. That acid squelch became a voice: hypnotic, liquid, faintly unsettling. Chicago invented it, and England turned it into the banner of the Second Summer of Love in 1988, with the smiley face as its flag. Few machines have defined a genre as completely as the 303 defined acid house.
21 reference tracks
- Chip E: Time To Jack (1986)
- Sleezy D: I've Lost Control (1986)
- Adonis: We're Rocking Down The House (Instrumental) (1986)
- Adonis: No Way Back (1986)
- Phuture: Acid Tracks (1987)
- Fast Eddie: Acid Thunder (1988)
- Bam Bam: Where's Your Child (1988)
- A Guy Called Gerald: Voodoo Ray (1988)
- Humanoid: Stakker Humanoid (1988)
- Lil Louis: French Kiss (1989)
- 808 State: Pacific State (1989)
- Paranoid London: Eating Glue (2019)
- Charli XCX: Club Classics / B2b (2024)
- Space Dimension Controller: Final Quest (2024)
- Madonna: I Feel So Free (2026)
- Ezequiel Arias: Psychodelia (2026)
- 808 State: Pacific 202
- 808 State: Cobra Bora
- 808 State: San Francisco
- S'Express: Superfly Guy
- 808 State: Magical Dream
At a glance
- Tempo: 118 to 130 BPM
- First appeared: around 1986
- Machines: Roland TB-303, Roland TR-808, Roland TR-909
- The sound: Filtre résonant poussé à la main
- Labels: Trax Records, Westside Records, D.J. International Records, Balkan Vinyl, I Love Acid, Acid Test
- Key artists: Phuture, DJ Pierre, Armando, Adonis, Hardfloor, A Guy Called Gerald
Producing Acid House
Work between 118 and 128 BPM, a touch slower than the acid techno that follows it. The 303 sets its own feel, playing sixteenths with an internal swing and sliding notes into a glissando, so keep the drum machine dead straight and let the acid line be the only thing that wavers. Early records lean on the 808: long open decay kick, dry snare on two and four, accented closed hats, syncopated cowbell and claves. The bass is the whole track: a 16 step line, one or two notes, hand placed accents and slides, fundamental repeated, an octave jump, a slide down a semitone. Automate cutoff and resonance live over dozens of bars, opening suddenly on accents. Keep everything else minimal: a second, higher 303 answering the first, and a short delay on the line.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Acid House?
In 1985, Phuture repurposed the Roland TB-303, a commercially unloved bass machine, and discovered that its squelching filter was an instrument in its own right. That acid squelch became a voice: hypnotic, liquid, faintly unsettling. Chicago invented it, and England turned it into the banner of…
What tempo is Acid House played at?
Between 118 and 130 BPM.
Who are the key Acid House artists?
Phuture, DJ Pierre, Armando, Adonis, Hardfloor, A Guy Called Gerald.
