While house had taken over the UK and Europe, the US scene had remained modest, with only a few clubs in Chicago, Detroit, New York City, and Newark. The words “garage house” and “garage music” were established in the early-to-mid 1980s in New York and Newark for a deeper, more soulful, R&B-derived subgenre of house that originated in the Paradise Garage nightclub in New York City and Club Zanzibar in Newark, New Jersey. Garage house is thought to predate the formation of Chicago house since it is closer to disco than other dance forms.

The Loft in New York was one of the first venues in the city where underground dance gained traction. The Loft parties, organized by David Mancuso, were not your typical club night. Attendance is by invitation only, as opposed to traditional nightclubs or discotheques. Mancuso abandoned the widely accepted and expected practice of beatmatching in the late 1970s, preferring to play songs in their entirety on his renowned audiophile-quality sound system, which was considered the best in New York and among the best in the world during the venue’s heyday. Mancuso insisted that the music be soulful, rhythmic, and convey words of hope, redemption, or pride.