Abstract :
– Green house music is more about feelings than classification actually.
The other day I was interviewed by David Snape and among his questions he asked me what the genre of music I do – Green house music – exactly is as he never heard of that particular genre.
Green house is a subgenre of house music I decided to define myself, to describe my own musical production. As nowadays’s music scene asks for genuine artists, I had to find really who I am, in order to produce music that focuses on what reflects the most my inner myself.
So I had to search for who I really am before. And my involvement in other forms of art – photography actually – got me the answer. After being nicknamed “Mr Green” for my green dominant pictures of leaves and other lush vegetal elements, I guess I found who I am : definitely a daydreamer looking for lush green warm environments. Thus my music had to reflect this.
Own cycas palm tree shot… guess why my fellow photographers call me “Mr Green !”
Therefore, green house is green house because it is, unlike other house music styles, not inspired by urban environments, but rather by my favorite environment, that’s dominated by the green colors : green lush (rain) forests in hot climates (or in summer for more temperate climates), with lotsa leaves and lianas everywhere. A sunshine is not required (altough it’s welcome), but some tropical heat definitely is.
OK, so what comes in mind when you think about that environment ? Beaches. OK beaches are yellow through dark brown. Nothing green here. The sea… yep, this one is blue altough in some tropical paradises it can turn turquoise and even… green (see the andaman sea for example).
But that environment wouldn’t be what it is without it’s lush vegetation which is definitely… green !
Layers of leaves in a tropical green house… again, a great example of why I’m called “Mr Green” in the photography world
So Green house is some house music inspired by the tropical nature. Yep, this could be a basic definition. But Green house is more than that. Green house is not only a style inspired by that lush nature, but also by the feelings it provides me : delight and bliss.
So we’re getting closer. Green house is the music about the delight and bliss the lush tropical nature provides me.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the tropics or even if you visited a tropical greenhouse (another reason to call that style that way 😉 ), but when you’re there, the intense heat and moisture rather invites you to indulge yourself than to get excited. That’s why deep house is, unlike other house music styles like big room, not based on excitment and power, it’s rather a laidback style, that can be used both for dancing but also as background music.
While green house features a steady rhythm, this aspect is definitely not the one on which Green house music focuses the most on. Melody and atmosphere are equally, if not more important in that style, which also makes it very different from other styles of dance music.
Any idea why I’m nicknamed “Mr Green” ? 😉
On the map of the music world, I guess Green house must be somewhere between ambient / new age (for it’s lush pads, its serene atmosphere and its spiritual involvement), deep house (well for… it’s deep house aspect), pop (for it’s melodic aspect) and trance music (for what it is too). So take those different styles, mix them, shake them, add a little bit of myself, and probably you’ll land with some green house music.
Lyrically, green house music is often very minimal. If not completely instrumental, its “lyrics” are mostly made of oh oh, mm, oye alike onomatopoeias or small slogan alike sentances. The reason behind this is simple to understand : Humanity has so little known times of bliss and delight that it doesn’t yet have the right words to express those feelings. Maybe in such cases the music itself just says everything.
Tracks by other artists that could definitely have been described as green house music are pieces like Ferry Corsten’s A day without rain, 16 bit Lolitas‘s Premium emo or Croquet club‘s Only you can tell. The 1st one is trance music, the two later ones are deep house, but all are green house to my ears 🙂
Ferry Crosten’s A day without rain.
If there’s a place in the world that could define Green house more than another, I guess it must be tropical north Queensland, Australia. OK, I know, that’s just on the other side of the world for me, but maybe that’s also why it defines my music so well : isn’t the other side of the world what every daydreamer wishes ?
The daintree rainforest in Tropical North Queensland, Australia, or atleast the vision I have of it embodies probably the best the ideal of green house. It’s green, it’s lush, it invites to indulgement, and it’s both calm and so full of life.
The daintree rainforest in Tropical North Queensland, Australia.
Some rhythm, some melody, electronic instruments with a few wooden percussion, passion for nature, daydreaming, feelings of bliss and delight… all this defines green house music.
As you can see, it’s far from a scientific definition, and thus its boundaries may be blurry and definitely designed to remain as such.
Green house music is more about feelings than classification actually. That’s why it’s so difficult to define… but so easy to recognize.
But probably the best way to discover green house music is to listen to some, and to feel its heart and soul…
Note : All pictures, except those in the videos and one of my artworks are taken from my green photography series that gave me the “mr green” nickname in the photography world.
solstizemusic68 