Throughline - Throughline Dances

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

Stuck in traffic? Glued to your desk chair? Folding yet another pile of your kids’ laundry? We GOT you!! Take a break, turn up the volume, and shake it out with this special episode of Throughline, a tribute to dance music, all songs composed by our very own Ramtin Arablouei.To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Support for NPR and the following message come from the Kreske Foundation with Pathbreakers, a podcast about transforming communities through innovation, from revolutionizing higher education to supporting artists who are driving change. Pathbreakers is available on podcast platforms. Hey, everyone, it's Ramtin here. So other than being a host and producer on ThruLine, I'm also a musician who writes all the music for this show. And over the years, I've written a bunch of music in different genres, but the music that's close to my heart is electronic dance music. That includes everything from techno, house, drum and bass, trance, so on. A few years ago, through line producer, Christina Kim and I made this episode about the history of house music in Chicago and how it influenced the entire genre

of EDM. In the process of making that episode, I wrote a bunch of music that didn't make it in. So I went back, I listened to it, and I decided, whoa, there's a lot of great music here that no one has heard that I could put together in a mix that we could all dance to. Because honestly, we need it. It's kind of a stressful time. So throw on your headphones or however you listen and use this music to squeeze a little bit more fun out of your day. This is through line dances. There's still an inherent joy to going somewhere where the only thing people care about is the DJ How does house music make me feel

an experience to forget about your problems? House music makes me feel you for it. Empower, amazing, love. Stuff, twirl, move around. Moving, like, energized. I like that it allows you to just ride the wave and go along with it. Joyful. You get lost in the music, and it just makes you feel at one with everyone and yourself.

It's church. Yes. We worship on the dance floor. We worship on the dance floor. We worship on the dance one. I'm going to be able to be. Thank you. I'm going to be able to be.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, and so much. Oh, hey. Thank you. We're going to be able to be. You know, So, you know, I'm going to be able to be, and so much, and then, you know, and then, and then, and then, and so, and then, and so, and then. I'm going to be able to be. And so much.

And so. And so. And I'm going to and then I'm going to and then it. And so

I'm going on. And then I'm going to be. And so I'm on.

Mind. the gap. To all this crazy music, experience of dancing, dancing, wow, a lie is a play as a play. These parties are These parties are said to be linked with drug-taking or They're in breach of local authority licensing regulations, and besides, they keep the home counties awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night, awake at night. There's nothing against meetings that are legal and young people having fun, but this is an illegal meeting.

It's against, it's a threat to public health, public order, and a real nuisance to people who have lived around it. And that has never, ever happen again. I'm going to be able to be. So, I'm going to be able to be. It was the American import, music which started the craze, linked with the so-called designer drug, ecstasy, it became known as Acid House. The trend is said to be probably the most distinctive development in popular youth culture since punk rock in the 1970s and just as controversial. Thank you.

We're going to be able to be. Thank you. We're going to be able to be. So, you know, I'm going to be able to be. Okay, let's take a little break, get some water, wipe the sweat off your forehead, and when we come back, more through-line dances. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe.

When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com. T's and C's apply. You're listening to Thuline from NPR. I'm Ramtin Arablui. Right now, I'm actually playing DJ. You're going to listen now to the second half of Thuline dances with music from me. So we started playing the songs on cassette at the party.

And people kept dancing just like there was in the other. like a regular record. Hey, wait a minute, hold on. We can make these records. And we came up with a bunch of songs. We had, you know, gathered a little drum machine, and we said, let's go make some music. I want to be the guy who throws a party. That way for sure I get into you. Thank you.

We're going to be able to be. We were open for six, seven, eight, nine, and some days, maybe midnight following night, because they were marathon parties. I guess if you had to describe it, you could say, it was akin to gospel dance music. Break. He was in a car driving on the south. He was in a car driving on the south side of Chicago. saw a sign in some club that said, we play House Moose, and he asked what is that? And they said, the stuff that you play as a warehouse, hence House News. It was all about the music. It was all about the DJs, and it was all about getting a

and you know jacking jacking is a type of dance jacking is a type of dance so tell me what is jacking we had to jack our bodies um jacking was this motion you bend your knees and you pump your hips and basically you're just like doing this pumping running like frantic frenetic movement just to the beat of the music to the rhythm like hard hard like just It's like a train choo-choo, like the wheels are turning. Constant music is music that feels your soul. It's a lifeline. It's a feel-good music.

That's the only way I can keep saying and describe it. Oh! You walked up a long landing of stairs, and there was a little window. And then you walked toward the back of that room, and there was a long stairway downstairs to the dance floor. We're going to be able to be. I'm going to be able to be. All of the things that separated has kind of fade away underneath the boom, boom, boom, boom. I'm going to be able to be.

House is about love, it's about love, it's about community, and it's an inspirational type of music. We all accept each other and we all love each other. I'm going to be able to be. Thank you. I'm going to be able to be. You know, I'm going to be able to be able to be. I mean, you know, and then you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry. Thank you. I don't know. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Hi!

Bye! We're going to be able to be. I'm going to be able to be. We have reached the end of through line dances. We have reached the end of through line dances. Thanks for sticking around and dancing with us. I'm Ramtin Arablui. You're listening to ThruLine from NPR.

And as always, leave us a review on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you hear your podcast. It does a lot to spread the word. Thanks for listening and dancing. You know, I'm going to Thank you.