Tech House vs House
By Alan More
Tech house is a subgenre of house that blends techno's sound with house's structure.[1] House is the wider style: a four-on-the-floor dance music created in Chicago in the early 1980s, at a typical 115 to 130 BPM.[2][3]
| Tech House | House | |
|---|---|---|
| Origins | Emerged in the UK and US after 1986, mainly around Detroit, Chicago and Ibiza; a mid to late 1990s English club scene grew around it.[4] | Created in Chicago, Illinois, in the early 1980s.[2] |
| Sound | Takes rugged basslines and steely beats from techno, with clean, minimal production.[5] | Drums are almost always provided by an electronic drum machine, often a Roland TR-808, TR-909 or TR-707.[6] |
| Kick | Shorter, deeper and often distorted kicks; the kick is the loudest element.[7] | A repetitive four-on-the-floor beat, with the bass drum on every beat.[8] |
| Tempo | Typically 125 to 128 BPM, with 126 the most common value.[9] | A typical tempo of 115 to 130 BPM.[3] |
Sources
- [1] Wikipedia: Tech house (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [2] Wikipedia: House music (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [3] Wikipedia: House music (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [4] Wikipedia: Tech house (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [5] Wikipedia: Tech house (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [6] Wikipedia: House music (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [7] The Producer School: Tech House vs Deep House vs Minimal (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [8] Wikipedia: House music (accessed 2026-10-09)
- [9] The Producer School: Tech House vs Deep House vs Minimal (accessed 2026-10-09)
Frequently asked questions
Is tech house a type of house music?
Yes. Wikipedia lists tech house among the subgenres of house. It keeps house's basic structure and four-on-the-floor pulse but swaps house's jazzy sounds and booming kicks for techno elements.
What is the main difference between tech house and house?
Texture and drive. Tech house borrows techno's rugged basslines, steely beats and shorter, deeper kicks, and its hi-hats are smaller and quicker. Other house styles, such as deep house, lean on lush chords and warmer rhythms instead.
Is tech house faster than house?
Tech house sits inside house's range rather than above it. Tech house typically runs at 125 to 128 BPM, while house as a whole typically runs at 115 to 130 BPM, so the two mix without a tempo change.
How can you tell tech house from other house by ear?
Listen to the groove. The Producer School describes tech house as constant 16th-note movement, with closed hats on every 16th, rolling 16th-note basslines and chopped vocal phrases used as rhythmic hooks, where deep house uses softer kicks, closed hats on the 8ths and fuller vocal performances.