Phuture is an American

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

group from Chicago, founded in 1985 by Earl "Spanky" Smith Jr., Nathaniel Pierre Jones aka DJ Pierre, and Herbert "Herb J" Jackson. The group is famous for inventing and defining the sound of

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

, a subgenre of

, with their 1987 release " Acid Tracks".

History and background

Phuture's seminal "Acid Tracks" is considered to be the first acid house record and credited for inventing and defining the genre. The 12-minute instrumental composition was released on Trax Records in 1987. Originally, it was recorded to tape and played by DJ

Ron Hardy Ron Hardy (May 8, 1958 – March 2, 1992) was an American, Chicago, Illinois-based DJ and record producer of early house music. He is well known for playing records at the Muzic Box, a Chicago house music club. Decades after his death, he is re ...

at the Chicago nightclub Music Box, supposedly already in 1985.Review by Alain_Patrick
on Discogs
Interview with DJ Pierre
in Fader Magazine, August 04, 2014. Its characteristic "acid" sound was derived from utilizing the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer in a very particular way, using tone sequences modulated in real-time to produce a certain resonant and squelchy sound which is since then associated with the genre. The track also utilized

Roland TR-707 The Roland TR-707 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine released by the Roland Corporation in 1985. Features The TR-707 has fifteen digitally sampled sounds. The instrument is capable of 10-voice polyphony. The alternate bass drum, snare, and hi- ...

and Roland TR-727 drum machines. After "Acid Tracks", Phuture released a number of acid house and Chicago house tracks now considered classics of the genre, usually as 12-inch vinyl maxi singles. Their sound is gloomy and monotonous in nature; many tracks are very long, at times passing the 10-minute mark. The sparse lyrics occasionally reference drug use, such as the lyrics of "Your Only Friend" (1987), which describe cocaine addiction, or a simple chant, such as on "Spirit" (1994). The group has recorded under several pseudonyms, generally using the substitution of ph or pf for f, as, for example, in Phortune or Pfortune.

Members

Current membersSource
Discogs discography and biography
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* Lothario "Rio" Lee * Nathaniel Pierre Jones aka DJ Pierre (1985–1990; 2013–present) * Fernando "Fher" Rivera aka Lessnoise

Former members

* Herb J (Herbert Jackson) (1985–1988) * Jay Juniel (1990) * Phill Little (1990) *

Roy Davis Jr. Roy Davis Jr. is an American electronic musician from Chicago, Illinois, specialising in house music. Biography Davis was born in California and grew up in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and became interested in house music at an early age by ...

(1990–1997) * DJ Skull (Ron Maney) (1996–1997) * Earl Smith Jr. aka Spanky, DJ Spank Spank, or DeeJay Phuture (1985–2016)

Discography

Singles and maxi-singles

* " Acid Tracks" (1987) * "The Creator" (1988) * "We are Phuture" (1988) * "Do You Wanna Get Funky" (1989) * "Rise from Your Grave" (1992) * "Inside Out" (1993) * "Mental Breakdown" (1994) * "Spirit" (1994) * "Acid Trax / String Free" (Phuture/Phortune) (1994) * "Times Fade" (Phuture, the Next Generation) (1996) * "Jack 2 Jack" (Robert Owens/Phuture) (1998) * "Washing Machine / Got The Bug" (Mr. Fingers/Phuture) (2002)

Remixes

* Roy Davis Jr.: ''Heart Attack (Phuture’s Mix)'' (1994)

References

External links

Complete discography
at Discogs
Acid Tracks review at Head Heritage
{{Authority control Acid house groups House musicians American house musicians American house music groups Electronic music groups from Illinois