Bloghouse

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Bloghouse (also known as bloghaus) is a loosely defined scene and microgenre of house and electronic dance music that rose to prominence during the early 2000s. Initially emerging on the Internet, similarly to other early blog-related music scenes such as blog rock and blog rap, bloghouse was characterized by its fusion of electroclash, house music, nu rave, electro house, electro dance, electro hop, nu-disco, French touch, new wave, [1] and indie rock aesthetics. The scene originally emerged from the early online musical blogosphere, with music being distributed through MP3 blogs, like The Hype Machine and Hipster Runoff, as well as early social media platforms such as Myspace.

Contents

The bloghouse era went on to become an influence on the hyperpop [2] [3] movement, as well as an inspiration for the "indie sleaze" aesthetic, which was coined in 2021, to refer to the fashion and visual style of bloghouse-related artists alongside various other 2000s alternative music scenes. [4] Notable acts include Justice, Crystal Castles, Uffie, Mstrkrft, Simian Mobile Disco, and Boys Noize.

Etymology

The term "bloghouse" was coined by Carles, the anonymous writer behind the music and culture blog, Hipster Runoff. He used the term in a post titled "WTF is Blog House?", published on July 10, 2008, to describe several prominent electronica-related acts that emerged in the early 2000s. [5] In the article Carles, listed several artists as part of the bloghouse umbrella, including prominent acts like Justice and Crystal Castles, alongside artists that would later be more closely associated with the blog rock movement, such as Black Kids. Artists like Interpol from New York's post-punk revival scene were also mentioned. Over time, the sound of bloghouse became more narrowly defined, describing a proliferation of electronic music artists that were associated with the early online musical blogosphere. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Characteristics

During the bloghouse era, artists gained popularity primarily through the early stages of online music discussion on MP3 blogs and websites like Hype Machine, Music for Robots and Blogspot. [9] [10] [11] In 2021, author Lina Abascal defined the bloghouse era as being [12] :

[...] simultaneously a party scene, a fashion trend and an all-encompassing lifestyle centered on a "very certain kind of dance music," per Abascal. Lasting from roughly 2006 to 2011, there isn’t a particular sound or sonic signature unique to the genre since you could, technically, classify different bloghouse songs and artists as everything from French touch to nü rave to electroclash.

Bloghouse was defined not by sound but by distribution. Rather than relying on traditional labels, tracks were shared by independent music bloggers, frequently using platforms like Blogspot paired with file-hosting services like MediaFire or zShare. [13] Listeners now learned about new artists through blogs before encountering them in clubs or at shows. Promoters booked acts based on online attention. [13] Chromeo’s Dave 1 stated: "It was Billboard versus Hype Machine: the mainstream press covered them, the blogs covered us". [13] [14]

History

2000s: Origins

An artist's depiction of the interconnections between blogs and blog authors in the "blogosphere" in 2007 Blogosphere map.jpg
An artist's depiction of the interconnections between blogs and blog authors in the "blogosphere" in 2007

During the early to mid‑2000s, the widespread adoption of home computers and dial-up internet contributed to a new form of musical distribution, music blogs. By 2003, nearly 60% of Americans had internet access, compared to just 40% in 2000. [13] Bloggers began to post daily streams of new tracks on sites like Hype Machine. [13]

In 2004, photographer Mark Hunter launched a party blog known as "Polaroid Scene", which posted photos of late-night parties, It girls such as Cory Kennedy. The site allowed anyone on the internet to have access to the emerging hipster subculture. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] Hunter later changed the name of his website to "thecobrasnake.com" after receiving a cease and desist letter from Polaroid. [20] The website was later retroactively described as "Instagram before Instagram". [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

Revival

During the late 2010s to early 2020s, the bloghouse era became an influence on hyperpop artists such as SOPHIE [26] [27] and Charli XCX, [28] [2] alongside artists associated with the emerging indie sleaze revival, such as the Hellp, [29] Snow Strippers [29] and the Dare. [30] [31] [32] [33] Dua Lipa's 2019 track "Don't Start Now" has been described as "bloghouse-esque", [34] while artist Grace Ives was labelled a "bloghouse revivalist". [35]

Additionally, the bloghouse era has been recognized as an influence on the 2020s underground rap scene, with Pitchfork describing rapper Fakemink's 2025 single "Easter Pink" as "Bloghouse meets cloud rap". [36] While bloghouse has been described as a precursor to online distribution-based music scenes like "SoundCloud rap". [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Writers, Staff (2023-07-13). "The Ultimate Bloghouse Playlist To Welcome Its Renaissance". scenestr.com.au. Archived from the original on 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
  2. 1 2 "The Return of Electroclash". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on 2025-08-27. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  3. ↑ Melodrama, Delusional (2021-04-15). "So What Is Hyperpop Anyway?". WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio. Archived from the original on 2025-06-15. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  4. ↑ Tenreyro, Tatiana (2022-10-13). "Welcome to the Year of Indie Sleaze". SPIN. Archived from the original on 2025-08-26. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  5. 1 2 "WTF is Blog House?". www.hipsterrunoff.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  6. ↑ "What Is Bloghouse? - PAPER Magazine". www.papermag.com. Archived from the original on 2025-08-12. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  7. ↑ "Yes, 2022 is already the worst. So let's revisit the '00s DIY club scene known as 'bloghouse'". Los Angeles Times. 2022-01-06. Archived from the original on 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  8. ↑ Merchant, Brian (2015-01-30). "The Last Relevant Blogger". VICE. Archived from the original on 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  9. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Larry (2015-12-08). "Are We Ready For A Bloghouse Revival?". VICE. Archived from the original on 2025-08-14. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  10. ↑ Abascal, Lina. "How Bloghouse's Sweaty, Neon Reign United the Internet". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028. Archived from the original on 2025-08-13. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  11. ↑ "Six of the best neon-splattered bloghouse bangers". The Face. 2021-12-03. Archived from the original on 2025-07-19. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  12. ↑ Abascal, Lina (2021). Never Be Alone Again: How Bloghouse United the Internet and the Dancefloor. Two Palms Publishing. ISBN   978-0-578-98300-4.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bain, Katie (2021-12-03). "How Did Bloghouse Happen? A New Book Tracks The Genre's Rise Off the Internet & Onto Sweaty Dancefloors". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2025-08-31. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  14. ↑ "Bloghouse Icon Uffie Is Back Again, and She's Right on Time - PAPER Magazine". www.papermag.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-13. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  15. ↑ George, Cassidy (June 2, 2022). "Revisiting Indie Sleaze, as It Happened". Vogue. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  16. ↑ "To See and Be Scene". Los Angeles Times. October 25, 2005. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Cobra Snake is young, making money and still using coupons". Los Angeles Times. September 3, 2009. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  18. ↑ "The Cobrasnake Looks Back on a Decade of Shooting Hipster Parties". Vice. December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  19. ↑ "The Cobrasnake's Mark Hunter on indie sleaze and his new photobook". The Face. 2022-05-17. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  20. ↑ "Mark Hunter (AKA "The Cobrasnake") Revisits His Early Aughts Heyday". W Magazine. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Wild party photos of peak 00s alt-culture, captured by the Cobrasnake". Archived from the original on 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  22. ↑ "A Love Letter to... Blog House". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on 2025-08-02. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  23. ↑ "A-Trak Made Another Bloghouse Mix Full of Early-2000s Electro Bangers". VICE. 2016-05-10. Archived from the original on 2025-02-16. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  24. ↑ "Bloghouse Pioneers Unpack 15 Years of Music Industry Upheaval". Bloomberg.com. 2023-06-15. Archived from the original on 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  25. ↑ James, Robin (2024-01-16). "The problem with "The Strokes changed everything" narrative about aughts indie". Archived from the original on 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  26. ↑ "Song For Your Weekend — Bipp by Sophie". KCRW. 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  27. ↑ "A History of Bloghouse in Ten Tracks · Feature ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 2025-08-31. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  28. ↑ Snapes, Laura (2024-06-06). "Charli XCX: Brat review – insecurity-obliterating anthems by pop's most human superstar". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  29. 1 2 Dazed (2023-02-20). "5 artists defining New York's indie sleaze revival". Dazed. Archived from the original on 2025-08-06. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  30. ↑ NME (2023-05-15). "Dimes Square: meet the new artists reinvigorating NYC's music scene". NME. Archived from the original on 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  31. ↑ Volpe, Peter (2024-12-26). "Opinion: Bloghouse Is Back? Why Electro House Is Set For a Continued Revival In 2025". EDM Maniac. Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  32. ↑ "Hang on a minute, are we headed into a bloghouse-era electroclash revival?". triple j. 2023-06-13. Archived from the original on 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  33. ↑ Cills, Hazel (2023-08-04). "Le Tigre's feminist rage has always been fun". NPR. Archived from the original on 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  34. ↑ Strauss, Matthew. "Dua Lipa: "Don't Start Now"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  35. ↑ D'Souza, Shaad (2022-11-15). "'I was high for five years': bloghouse revivalist Grace Ives on separating partying from pop". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  36. ↑ Green, Walden. "fakemink: "Easter Pink"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
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