House, Techno & Trance
A kick on every beat: house, techno and trance, the backbone of the club.
House is warm, deep house slower and deeper, French house glitters with disco samples; techno is cold, trance euphoric and psytrance more hypnotic. The difference is mostly tempo and timbre. Tech house combines house swing with techno toughness; melodic techno adds minor-key melodies and vast pads; hard techno goes faster and more distorted.
What they share
- The kick lands steadily on every beat
- Layers change in 8- or 16-bar blocks
- Build-ups and drops create the peaks
How to choose
- A warm, soulful floorHouse
- Cold, repetitive, undergroundTechno
- Euphoric, long builds, big melodiesTrancePsytrance
- Late-night warm bassDeep House
- Disco samples and filtersFrench House / Nu-Disco
- The rolling bass groove heard in most clubsTech House
- Big-stage techno with an emotional arcMelodic Techno
- Faster, harder, more distorted ravesHard Techno
Starter prompt
Four-on-the-floor dance track, 128 BPM, punchy kick on every beat, offbeat open hi-hats, rolling bassline, long build-up into a euphoric synth drop, club energyA general starting point for this family; swap in a specific style’s keywords for sharper results.
Side by side
| Style | Era | BPM | Mood | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House | 1980s | 115–130 | Groove & energyWarm & intimateBright & sweet | Party & dance floor · Night drives & city walks |
| Deep House | Mid-1980s–present | 118–125 | Groove & energyCity nightWarm & intimate | Party & dance floor · Night drives & city walks |
| Tech House | Mid-to-late 1990s onward | 124–128 | Groove & energyHype & thrillCity night | Party & dance floor · Workout & sports |
| French House / Nu-Disco | Mid-1990s–present | 115–126 | Groove & energyBright & sweetNostalgic | Party & dance floor · Night drives & city walks |
| Techno | 1980s | 120–145 | Groove & energyFuturistic & techDark & heavyHype & thrill | Party & dance floor · Sci-fi & cyberpunk |
| Melodic Techno | Late 2000s onward | 120–128 | Epic & vastFuturistic & techMelancholy & lonelyCity night | Sci-fi & cyberpunk · Night drives & city walks |
| Hard Techno | 1990s; 2020s revival | 140–160 | Dark & heavyHype & thrillTense & suspenseRebellious & bold | Battle & action · Workout & sports |
| Trance | Early 1990s | 125–145 | Groove & energyEpic & vastDreamy & floatingHype & thrill | Party & dance floor · Night drives & city walks |
| Psytrance | 1990s–present | 138–148 | Mystic & ritualGroove & energyDreamy & floating | Party & dance floor · Fantasy adventure |
All styles
- House
A steady four-on-the-floor keeps different people in the same room.
- Deep House
Slower, warmer and deeper than house: thick bass, jazzy chords and half-heard vocals, a late-night rooftop dance floor.
- Tech House
House swing with techno's tough kicks and bass: one of the most-played sounds in clubs today.
- French House / Nu-Disco
Disco samples, filter sweeps and robotic vocals: the French turned the '70s dance floor into glittering house.
TechnoMachine loops can hold soul, community and another kind of tomorrow.
Melodic TechnoTechno's steady groove with minor-key melodies and vast synth pads: emotional arcs you can hear on the dance floor.
Hard TechnoFaster, harder, more distorted techno: the defining sound of the 2020s youth rave revival.
TranceBuilds emotion through repetition and finds transcendence in unfolding melody.
PsytranceRolling sixteenth basslines and psychedelic effects, dancing in the forest till sunrise.