History
Fidget house is an early electro house genre that started in the late 90s but, within a decade, had evolved into complextro.
Influences
Fidget house incorporates the synth stabs of rave, the clipped vocals from house and the glitched-out beats found in some UK garage tracks. The genre was also influenced more generally by the drive of Chicago house, the high tech elements of Detroit techno, and the overall synth-heavy aesthetic of electro house.
Sound
Fidget house is defined by its glitchy samples, pitch bending synths and dubstep wobble, and quick cuts over a 4/4 beat. The arrangement in many fidget house songs is noticeably simple in order to highlight the synth-rhythm relationship.
Mr Oizo – “Flat Beat”
Paris, 1999
“Flat Beat” by Mr Oizo was one of the first hits that would later be known as fidget house.
Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction”
Italy, 2002
Benny Benassi’s track “Satisfaction” brought fidget house to the mainstream with its buzzsaw synth, deep bass drum, and speech-to-text robot voice.
Fedde Le Grand – “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit”
Netherlands, 2006
“Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” by Fedde Le Grand made it to #1 on the UK Singles Top 40 chart.
Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite” (Crookers Remix)
Milan, 2008
With a cutting buzzsaw synth drop, Crookers’ “Day ‘N’ Night” remix became a fidget house cult classic.
Huoratron – “$$ Troopers”
Helsinki, 2008
Huoratron pushes the limits of fidget house with a song that almost seems purposefully irritating. Obnoxious noise and high-pitched atonal synths, while undeniably groovy, make it hard to listen to “$$ Troopers” and think at the same time.
Hervé – “Together”
London, 2010
Herve’s “Together” features a ton of distortion, vocal-driven drops, stabbing synths, and a piano riff that combine to make this a classic fidget house track.
