house music
Club floor genre
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from Chicago clubs in the early 1980s, characterized by repetitive four-on-the-floor beats, synthesized basslines, and often soulful vocals.
The name comes from the Warehouse, a Chicago nightclub where the style developed.
House spawned numerous subgenres—deep house, acid house, progressive house—and remains foundational to club culture worldwide.
Kick on every downbeat
- kick drumFoot-operated percussion instrument
- hi-hatPedal-controlled cymbal pair
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
tempo · syncopation · clap · snare · percussion · swing · loop · pattern
Surface for rhythmic movement
- nightclubEvening entertainment venue
- venuePlace of occurrence
- DJ boothMixing equipment enclosure
- sound systemAudio playback equipment
subwoofer · strobe · laser · fog machine · crowd · vibe · resident · promoter
Major Illinois metropolis
- DetroitMichigan automotive hub
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- raveEnthusiastic praise or nightlong dance
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
Electronic sound-generating instrument
- drum machineElectronic percussion simulator
- sequencerOrders signals chronologically
- samplerSelection for trying
- AbletonMusic production software
DAW · mixing · filter · compressor · reverb · keyboard · automation · waveform
Record-playing devices
- mixerCombines ingredients or people
- decksShip platforms or cards
- vinylSynthetic resin plastic
- crossfaderAudio blending slider
beatmatching · cueing · blending · Pioneer · headphones · set · playlist · transition
four-on-the-floor
Kick on every downbeat
- kick drumFoot-operated percussion instrument
- hi-hatPedal-controlled cymbal pair
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
groove · tempo · syncopation · clap · snare · percussion · swing · loop · pattern · breakdown
dancefloor
Surface for rhythmic movement
sound system · subwoofer · strobe · laser · fog machine · crowd · vibe · resident · promoter · door
Chicago
Major Illinois metropolis
- DetroitMichigan automotive hub
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- raveEnthusiastic praise or nightlong dance
scene · flyer · crate digging · disco · soulful · garage · tribal
synthesizer
Electronic sound-generating instrument
- drum machineElectronic percussion simulator
- sequencerOrders signals chronologically
- samplerSelection for trying
Ableton · DAW · mixing · filter · compressor · reverb · keyboard · automation · waveform · modulation
turntables
Record-playing devices
crossfader · beatmatching · cueing · blending · Pioneer · headphones · set · playlist · transition · drop
dancing
Rhythmic bodily motion
- groovingDancing enjoyably to music
- two-stepFast paired ballroom dance
- shufflingRandomizing order of items
voguing · jacking · freestyle · body roll · stepping · bounce · sway · release · energy · sweat
- American musicjazz, blues, rock, country, hip hop
- instrumentalsguitar solo, guitar solos, drum solo, piano solos, drum solos
- club musictechno, EDM, club mix, club banger, dance track
- music genresblues, pop, jazz, rock, classical
- British MusicThe Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd
- Chicagothe Loop, Chicago, Chicago River, Lake Michigan, Wrigley Field
house musicambient music
Tonal, moodscape-focused genre
downtempo · chillout · trip-hop · lo-fi · sleep music
house musicnoise music
Cacophony as composition
musique concrète · glitch · sound art · field recordings · ambient
house musica cappella
Singing without instruments
bluegrass · traditional folk · Gregorian chant · string quartet · barbershop quartet
house, music, housing, houses, lighthouse, warehouse, greenhouse, housekeeper, farmhouse