The World of House

Written by Katelyn Lenz

Music revolves around everything. Listening to music sets a tone, whether it be something to cry to or background noise for studying, it is everywhere. As different generations come and go, so does the genre.

Gen X had rock-and-roll, millennials had pop and alternative and now Gen Z has house music.

Walking into a club, you're immediately hit with adrenaline and the sound of house music, sometimes referred to as EDM. This genre is typically played for celebration purposes because the beats are played at a high level. The higher level of beats, the greater the serotonin levels, which is why the music you choose to listen to affects moods.

What is House Music ?

However, having the right ear is a crucial step to hear anything that can inspire a new creation for music. “It is almost as simple as hearing a cool song and thinking other people would like it too, so I start playing it in my sets and putting it into a remix.” Sebring also mentions keeping an eye out for popular culture to see what other DJs, such as David Guetta or Martin Garrix, are currently playing during their live sets.

When performing a live set, typically Sebring aims to play a short segment from each song. “I usually never play any song for over a minute, unless there is a super singable section, because you never want the energy of the crowd to go too low.”

Audio Engineering versus DJing

Within the EDM genre, there is a difference between audio sound engineering and DJing. When creating beats and remixes, that is more on the DJ side of house music whereas anything to do with music production, which can include developing music and refining soundtracks, is on the audio engineer side.

“If you look at rap or soul/R&B, they have tempos between 60 and 75 beats. If you take a look at house music, the beats are at a tempo of 120 to 130 beats.”

Sebring is a part of Sigma Phi Epsilon at Penn State University, which is where he learned how to DJ and the work that goes into being an audio engineer. The genre was introduced to him in high school by his older brother, but he started creating his own remixes in college.

According to Sebring, “When the economy in the U.S. goes down, house music becomes super popular. It goes back around 100 years now where different genres get faster, their BPM rates will go up. After the Great Depression, we got jazz music which is 120 to 130 BPM. After the oil crisis in the 1970s, we got songs like Whitney Houston’s 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody,' which has 120 BPM. Come back to today, house music is popular because the economy is doing so badly.”

Creating the Perfect Remix

If you think back to the time when you had “the talk,” you likely can’t pinpoint the specific moment. The moment when everything was explained to you and you were officially a “big kid.” The truth is, when it comes to talking about the birds and the bees, the entertainment industry has filled that role for parents.

The New Sex Ed

Parents are shaped to believe that they have all the power when it comes to the dynamic between a parent and a child. In some sense, that is true. But there are so many things, like rampant oversexualization, that seep into everyday aspects of life — especially through media consumption.

The entertainment industry creates an opportunity for adolescents to explore the idea of sex in a very open, unlimited way. There are things to learn, but there is also overexposure, or unregulated exposure, that becomes dangerous when it comes to sex.

With this familiarity concerning technology and its use at such young ages, it makes you consider all the avenues of sexualized content available for adolescents, or younger. This access makes the ages of the audience exposed a real concern. It also questions the functionality of parental controls, and how much power the media holds.

When it comes down to the real thing, this exposure can become dangerous — learning about a version of sex presented and valued by the media can perpetuate overconfidence and lead to situations where there is a lack of knowledge or uncomfortability.

Sexualized Media Regulations

The origins of explicit content date far back, and their restrictions were set by Hays Code in 1934, limiting and overseeing sexual portrayals on screen. That is, until the MPAA film rating system replaced Hays Code. We know this today as movies rated PG, R and X: guidelines for viewer capacity and the type of content contained within a piece of media.

concern for developing generations and a call to action for parents to play their part and step in to be their child’s primary exposure and confidant. This can change the way this content is consumed and the extent to which media fills in that parental role.

For these entertainment outlets, these portrayals can definitely be a marketing tactic. Dajches states, “If sexualized content increases views and ratings, which then increases revenue, it follows as to why media producers continue to create such content.”

The Sexualization of Media and Impact on Developing Generations

Dajches says, “Adolescents look to media models for sexual information, especially when they have little to no firsthand experience. I think that the increasing prevalence of sexualized content in the entertainment industry is likely closing the gap … decreasing the need for adolescents to ask their parents about sex, but I also think the lack of standardized sex education in the U.S. is a factor to consider.” The entertainment industry isn’t the sole culprit.

“In particular, teenagers are developmentally more interested to learn about sexual information compared to other age demographics,” discusses Dajches. This then creates “associations [which] are not always negative or linear, and it doesn’t need to be a direct effect — the outcome changes depending on the specific type of sexual or romantic media one consumes, as well as other individual differences.”

So now, this whole idea of sexualized media and the role it plays becomes this interwoven web between intent, exposure and education — whether it be school or at home. This impacts how media is consumed and handled in future, and where the power really lies.

However, postdoctoral scholar at Penn State, Leah Dajches, notes that “regulation only applies to broadcast airwaves (e.g. basic cable TV, public radio) and does not impact cable television or satellite radio. Because of this, premium cable networks like HBO or HBO Max can air highly sexualized content without fear of rejection.” This becomes a major