Precursors to house: 1970s to early 1980s

Fully electronic music tracks predated house. Early American Sci- fi films and the BBC Soundtrack to popular television series, Doctor Who helped to stimulate the development of space rock bands of the 1970's such as Gong and Hawkwind, which had "spatial" and "floating" background sounds, mantra loops, electronic sequences, and futuristic effects, all over rock music song structures.

The late 1970s saw disco utilize the (by then) somewhat developed electronic sound and a limited genre emerged, appealing mainly to gay and black audiences. In 1977, disco music crossed over into the mainstream American culture, following the popularity of hit film Saturday Night Fever and its accompanying soundtrack. As disco clubs filled there was a move to larger venues. The Paradise Garage club opened in New York in 1978, featuring DJ Larry Levan, and Studio 54, another New York disco club, was popular. The clubs played Diana Ross, Chic, Gloria Gaynor, Kool & the Gang, Donna Summer, and Larry Levan's own hit, “I Got My Mind Made Up.” The disco boom was short-lived.

There was a backlash from Middle America, epitomised in Chicago radio DJ Steve Dahl's "Disco Demolition Night" in 1979. Disco returned to the smaller clubs and warehouses in Chicago. During the Seventies there was a battle of the DJ's Opening in 1977, the Warehouse on Jefferson street in Chicago, was a key venue in the development of house music. The main DJ was Frankie Knuckles.

At the other end of house was Ron Hardy, his sound was a more raw driving DJ sound as opposed to Frankie's smooth melodious Disco sound. Many of the club staples were a combination of New Wave and the old disco tunes but the limited number of records meant that the DJ had to be a creative force, introducing more deck work to revitalize old tunes. The new mixing skills also had local airplay with the Hot Mix 5 at WBMX.