In a recent study conducted by The Institute for the Preservation of Integrity in Sound and Science (iPISS) researchers have concluded that nearly every self-proclaimed fan of Deep House cannot identify Deep House tunes or artists.
The 2014 study, which took place at various events around the world such as Glastonbury, EDC Las Vegas, and at clubs such as Amnesia, Fabric, and Exchange LA, was led by Dr. Bene Placito, a former Professor of Musicology at UCLA.
We caught up with Placito to learn more about iPISS and what prompted the research study. “I was just looking for a way to get into these parties for free so we figured we would ask everyone who proclaims they love deep house who their favorite deep house artist was. You know, for science,” Placito states. “When we started interviewing fans, it became painfully evident how uneducated the general deep house fan was. We had to share our findings with the world.”
Over 20,000 fans were interviewed by Placito and his team over the course of the 6 month study. The crew traveled from city to city with handheld cameras, tablets, and an insatiable desire to discover why deep house has become so popular and why this new found popularity hasn’t been reflected in music and ticket sales.
In an interview with “High Beamz” a topless raver whose alias clearly refers to her obviously augmented assets, we caught a glimpse into the mind of a new deep house fan.
“Like Oh, Em, Gee,” she gushed, “I absolutely love deep house! It’s like, you know, a good change from all the dubsteps and trap that’s been going on.”
“Who’s your favorite deep house artist?” Placito asks with his eyes caught in her high beams.
Her eyes light up as if this is the first time someone valued her opinion. “It’s hard for me to choose really. I kinda like them all. But if I had to choose, I’d have to go with Kaskade.”
Placito follows up, “How did you get into deep house?”
“Well it was weird, ya know? I was like, at a festi and Skrillex was playing. Maybe the pills were bad or something but me and my friends just weren’t feeling it. We went to check out some of the other stages and there was this sound that I couldn’t get away from! I knew that since it wasn’t EDM and it wasn’t dubstep or trap, it had to be deep house!”
“That’s great! Who was playing?” Placito asks.
“I think his name was Andy C? I think he’s new,” she concludes.
The most common answers were Above and Beyond and Kaskade with actual deep house Producers like Mark Farina and MK narrowly making the top 10. The study also shows a direct correlation between proclaiming a love of deep house and third degree gurns. Complete results are below.
