Subgenres
House Music Subgenres
Deep, tech, acid, Afro and more: pick your lane, then press play.
House music split into lanes almost as soon as it was born. Each guide explains how the sound works, the artists to know and the records to start with.
Deep House
Jazz chords, soul and space. The emotional side of house, born in Chicago in the mid-1980s.
Tech House
House groove, techno’s tools. Rubbery bass, tight percussion, and today’s biggest festival stages.
Acid House
The squelch of a Roland TB-303, pushed until it screams. Chicago 1987, Britain 1988, and still the rawest sound in house.
Afro House
Rolling percussion and deep, hypnotic chords, from South Africa to the world’s biggest clubs.
Chicago House
Where it started. Drum machines, disco loops and the Warehouse, the Music Box, Trax and DJ International.
Soulful House
Big vocals, gospel chords and live musicians. House music with its heart on the outside.
Progressive House
Long builds, melodic layers and journeys over hours, from early-’90s Britain to today’s melodic house.
UK House
From 1988’s acid raves to UK garage to today’s charts. Britain took house music and made it its own.