# Tech house

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Subgenre of house music

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Tech house Stylistic origins House techno minimal techno deep house Cultural origins Post-1986, UK and United States (mainly Detroit, Chicago and Ibiza, Spain) Subgenres Desert house[1][2] Deep tech[3] Fusion genres Gqom tech hardcore techno electro house trance Other topics Microhouse

**Tech house** is a [house music](/source/House_music) subgenre that prominently incorporates stylistic features from [techno](/source/Techno_music). The term *tech house* developed as a shorthand [record store](/source/Record_store) name for a category of [electronic dance music](/source/Electronic_dance_music) that combined [musical aspects](/source/Musical_aspect) of techno, such as "rugged [basslines](/source/Bassline)" and "steely [beats](/source/Beat_(music))", with the [harmonies](/source/Harmony) and [grooves](/source/Groove_(music)) of [progressive house](/source/Progressive_house).[4][5] Tech house originally featured the clean and minimal [production style](/source/Musical_production) associated with techno from [Detroit](/source/Detroit_techno) and the UK.[5]

In the mid to late 1990s, a tech house scene developed in England around club nights such as The Drop run by the former [Shamen](/source/The_Shamen) rapper [Mr C](/source/Mr_C) (Richard West) & Paul "Rip" Stone (co-founder with West of Plink Plonk),[6] Heart & Soul and Wiggle run by [Terry Francis](/source/Terry_Francis) and [Nathan Coles](/source/Nathan_Coles).[4] Other DJs and artists associated with the sound at that time included [Charles Webster](/source/Charles_Webster_(musician)), Pure Science, [Omid 16B](/source/Omid_16B), [Bushwacka!](/source/Bushwacka!), Cuartero, [Dave Angel](/source/Dave_Angel), [Herbert](/source/Matthew_Herbert), Terry Lee Brown Jr., Funk D'Void, Ian O'Brien, [Derrick Carter](/source/Derrick_Carter) and [Stacey Pullen](/source/Stacey_Pullen).[4][5] By the late 1990s, London nightclub [The End](/source/The_End_(club)), owned by Mr C and Layo Paskin, was considered the home of tech house in the UK.[4] On the other side of the [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean), one of the earliest innovators in the genre was Lucas Rodenbush, (E.B.E), who was releasing records on the [West Coast of the United States](/source/West_Coast_of_the_United_States) from 1995 onwards.

## Characteristics

As a mixing style, tech-house often brings together deep or minimal techno music, the soulful and jazzy end of house, some minimal and very often some dub elements. There is some overlap with progressive house, which too can contain deep, soulful, dub and techno elements; this is especially true since the turn of the millennium, as progressive-house mixes have themselves often become deeper and sometimes more minimal. However, the typical progressive-house mix has more energy than tech-house, which tends to have a more "laid-back" feel. Tech house fans tend to appreciate subtlety, as well as the "middle ground" that adds a "splash of color to steel techno beats" and eschews the "banging" of house music for intricate rhythms.

### Musical structure

As a musical (as opposed to a mixing) style, tech-house uses the same basic structure as house. However, elements of the house 'sound' such as realistic jazz sounds (in [deep house](/source/Deep_house)) and booming [kick drums](/source/Kick_drum) are replaced with elements from [techno](/source/Techno_music) such as shorter, deeper, darker and often distorted kicks, smaller, quicker [hi-hats](/source/Hi-hat_(instrument)), noisier [snares](/source/Snare_drum) and more synthetic or [acid](/source/Acid_house) sounding [synth](/source/Synth) melodies from the [TB-303](/source/TB-303), including raw electronic noises from distorted [sawtooth](/source/Sawtooth_wave) and [square wave](/source/Square_wave_(waveform)) oscillators.

Some producers also add soulful vocals and elements (David Chambers), and equally as much raw electronic sounds in their music. However, a rich techno-like kick and bassline seems to be a consistency amongst tech house music.

## History

Since the early 2000s, tech house has spread in Europe. Although it has long remained in the shadow of techno music (propelled by artists such as Adam Beyer or Richie Hawtin in northern Europe such as Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden), tech house has a huge success in Spain. Indeed, thanks to the expansion of new DJs such as Marc Maya, Oscar Aguilera or Raul Mezcolanza (all resident DJs of a box in Barcelona: the ROW14), tech house can compete with other styles of electro festivals like the Monegros Desert Festival or the Awakenings Festival. However, the highlight of tech house is also due to the promotion of this style of music by other DJs such as [Carl Cox](/source/Carl_Cox) or [Joris Voorn](/source/Joris_Voorn).

### Modern resurgence

Tech house has become a highly popular form of dance music. As of September 2018, the [Beatport](/source/Beatport) top 100[7] is filled with tracks by artists like [Green Velvet](/source/Green_Velvet), [Hot Since 82](/source/Hot_Since_82), [Fisher](/source/Fisher_(musician)), Solardo, MDNTMVMT,[8] [Bedouin](/source/Bedouin_(DJ)), [Patrick Topping](/source/Patrick_Topping), and [Jamie Jones](/source/Jamie_Jones_(DJ)), all of whom incorporate elements of tech house into their work. This resurgence in tech house can be ascribed to the recent surge in popularity of analog synth sounds, as well as the popularization of tech house artists in the [United States](/source/United_States), through labels like [Dirtybird](/source/Dirtybird_Records) and the booking of multiple tech house DJs at festivals like [Coachella](/source/Coachella_Valley_Music_and_Arts_Festival) and CRSSD.

[Fisher](/source/Fisher_(musician))'s 2018 track '[Losing It](/source/Losing_It_(song))' is considered one of the first tech house tracks to break into mainstream popularity, as well as being credited as a major milestone in establishing the tech house sound within the realm of electronic dance music.[9] In subsequent years, other tech house artists were able to achieve similar or even greater mainstream success, including Acraze with his 2021 track '[Do It To It](/source/Do_It_To_It#Acraze_featuring_Cherish_version)', or Meduza with their 2019 tracks 'Piece Of Your Heart' & 'Lose Control'.

## See also

- [Styles of house music](/source/Styles_of_house_music)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-deshou_1-0)** Lee, Johnny. ["Bedouin are the bridge between deep tech and desert house"](https://mixmag.net/feature/bedouin-are-the-bridge-between-deep-tech-and-desert-house). *Mixmag*. Retrieved 2 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-viceplaya_2-0)** Garber, David (30 August 2016). ["Music Wasn't Meant to Be Part of Burning Man—So What's This Genre Called Playa Tech?"](https://www.vice.com/en/article/burning-man-playa-tech-robot-heat-lee-burridge-sunrise-feature/). *Vice*. Retrieved 2 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-thegdeep_3-0)** Morris, Dominic (30 December 2014). ["How deep tech became clubbing's biggest success story"](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/dec/30/how-deep-tech-became-clubbings-biggest-success-story). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 2 January 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Spin_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Spin_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Spin_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Spin_4-3) Aaron, Charles (2000), "Whose House? Tech-house and the quest for dance music's post-rave soul, *[Spin](/source/Spin_(magazine)),* October 2000.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bogdanov_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bogdanov_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Bogdanov_5-2) Bogdanov, Vladimir (2001), *All Music Guide to Electronica: The Definitive Guide to Electronic Music,* Backbeat Books, UK; 4th Revised edition, (page xiv).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Plink Plonk](https://www.discogs.com/label/1558-Plink-Plonk) profile on [Discogs](/source/Discogs)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Beatport Top 100 Songs & DJ Tracks"](https://www.beatport.com/top-100). *www.beatport.com*. Retrieved 2018-09-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["MDNTMVMT's 'Nothing Compares to the Music': A Dancefloor Journey"](https://electronica.org.uk/blog/mdntmvmts-nothing-compares-to-the-music-a-dancefloor-journey/). *www.electronica.org.uk/blog/mdntmvmts-nothing-compares-to-the-music-a-dancefloor-journey/*. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-31.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["How Fisher's 'Losing It' Became One of the Biggest Dance Hits of the Decade"](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/fisher-losing-biggest-dance-hits-of-the-decade-8546793/). *www.billboard.com*. Retrieved 2024-03-04.

v t e Minimal music Drone Gqom Glitch Lowercase Microhouse Minimal techno Tech house

v t e House music Subgenres Specific Acid house Ambient house Bass house Bassline Ballroom Deep house Disco house Diva house Hardbag Electro house Big room house Complextro Fidget house Funky house Future house Garage house Ghetto house Ghettotech Juke house Hip house Jazz house Melodic house Microhouse Organic house Outsider house Lo-fi house Progressive house Slap house Soulful house Tech house Tribal house Tropical house UK hard house Hard NRG Pumping house Hardbass Scouse house Regional Afro house Amapiano Balearic beat Baltimore club Brazilian bass Changa tuki Chicago hard house Chicago house Dutch house Eurohouse French house Gqom Italo house Jersey club Kwaito Latin house Melbourne bounce New beat New Jersey sound Related topics Genres Big beat Chill-out Disco Dream trance Electropop Dance-pop Electro swing Eurodance Footwork Jungle terror Hard dance Madchester (Baggy) Moombahton Moombahcore Moombahsoul Nu-disco Nu jazz Techno Witch house Dance moves Electro dance Footwork Jacking Other DJ Nightclub Rave

v t e Techno Subgenres Acid techno Ambient techno Birmingham sound Bleep techno Detroit techno Dub techno Hardtechno Free tekno Industrial techno Minimal techno Schaffel Tech house Tech trance Toytown techno Related Ghettotech Hard trance Hardcore Bouncy techno Gabber IDM Microhouse Nortec Power noise Techstep Tecno brega

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