The Weeknd's House of Balloons turns 10 years old today

[The Artisan]

tl;dr at the bottom

House of Balloons is the first official musical project and debut mixtape of R&B superstar The Weeknd. It was released originally back in 2011 for free. At the time, The Weeknd was still very enigmatic but eventually his music caught the attention of Drake's manager Oliver El-Khatib. The former then featured his music on his own blog. Abel was even featured on his sophomore album, Take Care on the track, "Crew Love." Apparently the relationship went so far as Abel claiming that half of what was originally supposed to be on this mixtape ended up on Drake's album (which is something that Drake disputes).

One year after House of Balloons' release, Republic Records remastered the mixtape along with his later two mixtapes, Thursday and Echos of Silence, bundled together and rereleased as Trilogy with a bonus track for each of the mixtapes. Until now, Trilogy has been the only official available and public versions to listen to House of Balloons or any of the other mixtapes. However, for its 10 year release anniversary (today), The Weeknd released the original incarnation of the mixtape on Spotify, and all of the other mainstream musical platforms. Before this, the original versions of the songs were only available in the most direct way on YouTube where he uploaded each song himself 10 years ago.



Trilogy's version of HoB didn't just entail remastering each song. There were also samples in certain tracks that were removed, but the original versions still keep the samples in tact. For example, track 2 "What You Need" samples "Rock the Boat" by Aaliyah and track track 7 "Coming Down" samples dialogue from a scene in an episode from Fate/stay night.

Wicked Games and Coming Down are my two favorite songs. I swear when I heard Wicked Games and was really feeling it, I didn't just hear his voice, I heard his soul. A couple of fun facts:

• Notice I said House of Balloons is his first "official" musical project. Before House of Balloons, there was another mixtape Abel made known as The Noise.
• House of Balloons is a real place. I've been there. Abel himself revealed that it is located on 65 Spencer Ave in Parkdake, Toronto. The house was featured in the music video for King of the Fall, and a promotional video for the merchandising deal he made with Puma.
• The bonus track for House of Balloons in the remastered version is Twenty Eight. According to Genius, the title of this song refers to the fact that twenty eight grams equate to an ounce and the fact that it is the twenty eights official song that Abel ever recorded.

tl;dr

It has been 10 years since The Weeknd released his first ever musical project House of Balloons. In 2012 the mixtape was remastered and packaged with Thursday and Echos of Silence (his second and third mixtapes respectively) as Trilogy, but to celebrate its 10 year anniversary, House of Balloons has been released on all mainstream musical platforms in its original unmastered incarnation.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

I love Weeknd Era

 

[YaBish]

That's awesome! Would love a vinyl re-release too, since it's pretty rare IIRC

 

[Surakian]

A masterpiece mixtape. This was what started me on loving Abel's music all those years ago.

 

[wunsubdee]

My favorite mixtape out of the three.
Especially glad the Aaliyah sample is back.

 

[Soma]

It's crazy how influential this mixtape ended up being. It blew my mind back in 2011 and is still just as strong today.

 

[jon bones]

my teeth grind just reading that title

 

[Keywork]

I remember being on the other site when the mixtape originally blew up. Checked it out for myself and The Weeknd has been one of my favorite artists of the past decade since then. Brings back a lot of memories of the days I was going out 3-4 days in a row on weekends during the first half of the 2010s. His music was definitely a part of my personal soundtrack then. I appreciated that he threw in a bit of "House of Balloons" into his Half-Time show at the Superb Owl.

 

[Fevaweva]

I was right in the maelstrom of The Weeknd hype. It was a fun time trying to work out who or what The Weeknd was.

 

[Skatterd]

Bring the 707 out

 

[Deleted member 6173]

I've been there. Abel himself revealed that it is located on 65 Spencer Ave in Parkdake, Toronto.

Click to shrink...

Used to live in that building from '93-'97.

 

[toastyToast]

I heard this at the time except I ended up with a screwed version of the album. I was thinking, "This shit is tough! Dudes voice is deep af" My face when I heard the tracks at the regular speed for the first time 😂

Seriously though, the screwed version of the album if it's still out there is hard as boulders.

 

[krazen]

Probably as big an impact as the grunge era, but will never get the credit. It's not hard to notice a shift from well curated upbeat dance tracks that was popular in r&b and wider music at the time (think Usher), along with similarly cheery themes ("Drinking in the club! Hop in car to go to next club") to the one two three punch of Weeknd/Future's post Ciara heel turn, and "soundcloud rap".

R&B was always experimental in sounds and themes, hell it probably was the most experimental American genre going well into the 80's. But it felt like hip-hop stole the torch as the trendsetter. What Weeknd did going into the 2010's wasn't exactly super new; throw in a heavy dose of atmosphere, screwed/leaned up hip-hop production, and self loathing drug talk. But it was such a change to the 'Party in the USA' bullshit that popular music was pushing out even though the Great Recession, it felt brand new.

It brought balance to the force, lol. Because while we all fondly remember those party nights when we are getting fucked up with friends meeting people, there were also those nights when you had no business being out and you knew you were trying to forget 'them' by getting fucked up and were being a pretty miserable person in the club. The asshole stealing drinks at the bar, stiffing you on drugs (or worse), rudely hitting on your friends..House of Balloons was a reminder that for all the glamorizing that nightlife gets there is a terribly shitty element to it also (as any DJ, Bartender, Bouncer, or promoter, etc can attest).

It sucks how music in general just went this opposite way and kind of stayed there for that decade; slower BPM trap drums, everyone thematically is depressed, etc. To the point newer Weeknd with his heavy synthed up disco sounds like kids bop in comparison even tho he's basically singing the same shit. But man, what a terribly underrated album even though Weeknd is a full fledged pop star...things changed in ways we are still dealing with as far as mainstream music is concerned.

 

[RoninRay]

Good shit

 

[lazerface]

Absolute classic record, I miss this era Weeknd

 

[Noctis]

Drug, alcohol, pill poppin OG weekend.. *sips a drink

mixtape is a classic

 

[msdstc]

I'm getting so old. Feels like just yesterday.

 

[HiLife]

Top tier mixtape.

Datpiff version > the re release on streaming platforms.

 

[Nexus2049]

I remember when these dropped on YouTube. Time fucking flies. Glad he made it big.

 

[Deleted member 4518]

It's unreal it's been 10 years — when I first heard this EP I was amazed, been a fan ever since. So happy to see Abel find all the success he rightfully deserves. Made TO proud.

 

[DOT_mjo]

absolute classic.

 

[Ninja Kn1ght]

That's awesome! Would love a vinyl re-release too, since it's pretty rare IIRC

Click to shrink...

Good news! This version of House of Balloons with the original samples is dropping on his site with a limited 1,000 copy run at 3PM EST. The regular version has been popping up a bit lately, too.

 

[gdt]

This album just completely blew me away. I became a Weeknd fanatic at the time. Was talking him up to everyone.

"Watch this guy, he's gonna blow the fuck up"

What an album. Changed the world.

 

[XMonkey]

Oh the original versions? That's awesome, definitely prefer those over what the remastered ones were. I had no idea how much he'd blow up when I first heard his mixtape stuff on Hypem, but I knew I liked it.

 

[Deleted member 5853]

The special capsule collection for the anniversary is now up on the Weeknd's store.

DANIEL ARSHAM X THE WEEKND HOUSE OF BALLOONS ANNIVERSARY 2LP VINYL

THIS ITEM IS ON PRE-ORDER. THE FIRST 1000 UNITS PURCHASED WILL SHIP IN SEPTEMBER 2021 WITH ALL UNITS PURCHASED AFTERWARDS EXPECTED TO SHIP IN MARCH 2022. DESIGNED BY DANIEL ARSHAM. “HOUSE OF BALLOONS” IS THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM THE WEEKND. THE PROJECT WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON MARCH 21ST 2011 TO...

shop.theweeknd.com

HOUSE OF BALLOONS 10TH ANNIVERSARY 2LP VINYL

THIS ITEM IS ON PRE-ORDER AND WILL SHIP IN MARCH 2022. “HOUSE OF BALLOONS” IS THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM THE WEEKND. THE PROJECT WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON MARCH 21ST 2011 TO HUGE FANFARE LEADING TO THREE MULTI PLATINUM SINGLES, ‘THE MORNING,’ ‘WICKED GAMES,’ AND ‘TWENTY EIGHT.’ LIMITED TO 4 PER...

shop.theweeknd.com

 

[Lulu]

still his best, though to be fair its fucking incredible

 

[Brinbe]

hob is an incredible record. holds up perfectly. as far as i know, that house is still there.

really miss that toronto quite a lot. might only be 11 years ago, but it's a different place now.

also

loft music>>>>

 

[The Artisan]

That's awesome! Would love a vinyl re-release too, since it's pretty rare IIRC

Click to shrink...

go to his website

Used to live in that building from '93-'97.

Click to shrink...

I remember you saying that in another thread :)

Probably as big an impact as the grunge era, but will never get the credit. It's not hard to notice a shift from well curated upbeat dance tracks that was popular in r&b and wider music at the time (think Usher), along with similarly cheery themes ("Drinking in the club! Hop in car to go to next club") to the one two three punch of Weeknd/Future's post Ciara heel turn, and "soundcloud rap".

R&B was always experimental in sounds and themes, hell it probably was the most experimental American genre going well into the 80's. But it felt like hip-hop stole the torch as the trendsetter. What Weeknd did going into the 2010's wasn't exactly super new; throw in a heavy dose of atmosphere, screwed/leaned up hip-hop production, and self loathing drug talk. But it was such a change to the 'Party in the USA' bullshit that popular music was pushing out even though the Great Recession, it felt brand new.

It brought balance to the force, lol. Because while we all fondly remember those party nights when we are getting fucked up with friends meeting people, there were also those nights when you had no business being out and you knew you were trying to forget 'them' by getting fucked up and were being a pretty miserable person in the club. The asshole stealing drinks at the bar, stiffing you on drugs (or worse), rudely hitting on your friends..House of Balloons was a reminder that for all the glamorizing that nightlife gets there is a terribly shitty element to it also (as any DJ, Bartender, Bouncer, or promoter, etc can attest).

It sucks how music in general just went this opposite way and kind of stayed there for that decade; slower BPM trap drums, everyone thematically is depressed, etc. To the point newer Weeknd with his heavy synthed up disco sounds like kids bop in comparison even tho he's basically singing the same shit. But man, what a terribly underrated album even though Weeknd is a full fledged pop star...things changed in ways we are still dealing with as far as mainstream music is concerned.

Click to shrink...

I don't know a whole lot of artists that have the same sound as him from the Trilogy era, but I think it has been pretty influential. Plus the remasters went 2x platinum. But I think you are spot on in your description of House of Balloons. As hedonistic as its sound is, I also think his intention was to show how destructive that lifestyle can be resulting in depression.

Top tier mixtape.

Datpiff version > the re release on streaming platforms.

Click to shrink...

Huh, I have the datpiff versions of the mixtapes but isn't this the rerelease the exact same thing?

The special capsule collection for the anniversary is now up on the Weeknd's store.

DANIEL ARSHAM X THE WEEKND HOUSE OF BALLOONS ANNIVERSARY 2LP VINYL

THIS ITEM IS ON PRE-ORDER. THE FIRST 1000 UNITS PURCHASED WILL SHIP IN SEPTEMBER 2021 WITH ALL UNITS PURCHASED AFTERWARDS EXPECTED TO SHIP IN MARCH 2022. DESIGNED BY DANIEL ARSHAM. “HOUSE OF BALLOONS” IS THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM THE WEEKND. THE PROJECT WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON MARCH 21ST 2011 TO...

shop.theweeknd.com

HOUSE OF BALLOONS 10TH ANNIVERSARY 2LP VINYL

THIS ITEM IS ON PRE-ORDER AND WILL SHIP IN MARCH 2022. “HOUSE OF BALLOONS” IS THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM THE WEEKND. THE PROJECT WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON MARCH 21ST 2011 TO HUGE FANFARE LEADING TO THREE MULTI PLATINUM SINGLES, ‘THE MORNING,’ ‘WICKED GAMES,’ AND ‘TWENTY EIGHT.’ LIMITED TO 4 PER...

shop.theweeknd.com

Click to shrink...

I ordered two pieces of clothing and was telling myself I don't need the vinyl since I don't have a record player and might never, but I caved and ordered the Daniel Harsham version

 

[HiLife]

go to his website

I remember you saying that in another thread :)

I don't know a whole lot of artists that have the same sound as him from the Trilogy era, but I think it has been pretty influential. Plus the remasters went 2x platinum. But I think you are spot on in your description of House of Balloons. As hedonistic as its sound is, I also think his intention was to show how destructive that lifestyle can be resulting in depression.

Huh, I have the datpiff versions of the mixtapes but isn't this the rerelease the exact same thing?

I ordered two pieces of clothing and was telling myself I don't need the vinyl since I don't have a record player and might never, but I caved and ordered the Daniel Harsham version

Click to shrink...

I was referring to the updated version he did a few years ago, not this specific one. The one that came with the entire Trilogy remastered. Sounded a little too...clean compared to the datpiff quality.

 

[The Artisan]

I was referring to the updated version he did a few years ago, not this specific one. The one that came with the entire Trilogy remastered. Sounded a little too...clean compared to the datpiff quality.

Click to shrink...

I agree. I like the vintage sounds that the original mixtapes have. And now that HoB is on Spotify I might never play the first 9 track of Trilogy ever again. lol

 

[Nightwing123]

Nice will listen to it again because of this thread.

 

[Stencil]

Daniel Arsham did the reissue artwork:

I remember being in the car w Lizzo back when she lived in MPLS and showing her the song The Morning and she was like "WHO IS THIS."

Great album.

 

[The Artisan]

Daniel Arsham did the reissue artwork:

I remember being in the car w Lizzo back when she lived in MPLS and showing her the song The Morning and she was like "WHO IS THIS."

Great album.

Click to shrink...

hard to say no that design. sorta combines the feelings of nostalgia and contemporary status