Five styles made for dancing, in the order they grew from one another: funk's groove, disco's four-on-the-floor, Chicago house, Detroit techno, and the breakbeats of drum and bass.
| Style | Where and when | Tempo | Core instruments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funk | African-American communities, US, mid-1960s | Often slower than other popular music | Electric bass, drums, electric guitar, keyboards, horns |
| Disco | Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York, late 1960s to early 1970s | Not stated in our sources; a steady four-on-the-floor | Bass, drums, strings, horns, electric piano, rhythm guitar, later synths |
| House | Chicago, early 1980s | Typically 115–130 BPM | Drum machines (TR-808, TR-909, TR-707), synths, samples |
| Techno | Detroit, mid-1980s; Frankfurt | 120–150 BPM | Drum machines, sequencers, synthesizers, DAWs |
| Drum and bass | United Kingdom, early 1990s | Typically 165–185 BPM; 170–180 since about 1996 | Sampled breakbeats, sub-bass, samplers, synthesizers |
Funk
Funk came out of African-American communities in the mid-1960s. It plays down melody and chord changes in favour of a strong rhythmic groove from the electric bass and drums, often at slower tempos than other pop of the time. James Brown built its signature: a heavy accent on the first beat of the bar, "the One", with swung sixteenth notes and syncopation in every part.
Defining records. James Brown's "Cold Sweat" (1967), "Mother Popcorn" (1969) and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" (1970); the Meters' "Cissy Strut"; Parliament's "Chocolate City" (1975) and Funkadelic's "One Nation Under a Groove" (1978).
Production notes. The slower tempo is what made room for sixteen possible note placements in a bar. The bass often plays the hook. Guitarists play percussively, the "chank" or "chicken scratch": strings pressed lightly, then released just enough for a muted scratch. Drum fills are few, so the groove stays "in the pocket".
Disco
Disco emerged from American urban nightlife in the late 1960s, in Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York, growing out of Philadelphia soul and funk. Its sound is the four-on-the-floor beat, syncopated bass lines, strings, brass, electric piano, synthesizers and rhythm guitar.
Defining records. Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" (1975) and "I Feel Love" (1977), produced by Giorgio Moroder, one of the first disco tracks to use a synthesizer, a Moog, on the beat. The film "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) carried disco into the mainstream.
Production notes. A bass drum on every beat, a quaver or semiquaver hi-hat with an open hat hissing on the off-beat, and a heavy syncopated bass line, often in broken octaves. Vocals soar and are usually drenched in reverb, often doubled by horns, over a pad of electric piano and "chicken-scratch" guitar.
House
House was created in Chicago in the early 1980s by DJs and producers from the city's queer Black underground scene. It is a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat at a typical 115 to 130 BPM.
Defining records. Jesse Saunders' "On and On" (1984), co-written by Vince Lawrence, is sometimes called the first house record. Farley "Jackmaster" Funk's "Jack'n the House" (1985), Steve "Silk" Hurley's "Jack Your Body" (1986), Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body (The House Music Anthem)" (1986), and Mr. Fingers' "Mystery of Love" (1985) and "Can You Feel It?" (1986).
Production notes. Kick on beats one to four, snare or clap on two and four, off-beat hi-hats. The drums almost always come from a drum machine, often a Roland TR-808, TR-909 or TR-707; congas and bongos add an African feel. Acid house is defined by the squelch of the Roland TB-303. Producers use sampled instruments rather than session players, and the layers stay sparse.
Techno
Techno is electronic music made for a continuous DJ set, at 120 to 150 BPM, in common time with a repetitive beat. It began in Detroit in the mid-1980s, with Frankfurt an early second home, and its producers drew on Kraftwerk and the European synthesizer tradition.
Defining records. Cybotron's "Cosmic Cars" (1982), "Clear" (1983) and "Techno City" (1984). Model 500's "No UFO's" (1985), the first release on Juan Atkins' label Metroplex, is generally taken as the first techno record. Derrick May's "Strings of Life" and "Nude Photo" (1987) took techno to Europe; Underground Resistance's "Nation 2 Nation" (1991) showed its jazz side.
Production notes. Rhythm comes first, and sound synthesis shapes distinctive timbres. Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 from the 1980s are prized, and their software emulations are popular.
Drum and bass
Drum and bass emerged in the UK in the early 1990s: fast breakbeats, typically 165 to 185 BPM, with heavy bass and sub-bass, samples and synthesizers. Its roots run through jungle back to Jamaican dub and reggae.
Defining records. Lennie De Ice's "We Are I.E." (1991) is often cited as a precursor. Roni Size & Reprazent's "New Forms" (1997) won the Mercury Prize; 4hero's "Two Pages" (1998) was nominated; Pendulum's "Hold Your Colour" (2005) is the best-selling drum and bass album.
Production notes. The Amen break from the Winstons' "Amen Brother" is the most used break in the style; the Apache, Funky Drummer and Think breaks follow, and producers switch between two breaks bar by bar. The tempo rose from about 130 BPM in 1990–91 to 155–165 by 1993 and has mostly sat at 170–180 since about 1996. The bass is a deep sub you feel as much as hear; Kevin Saunderson's "Reese" bass line is one of its most copied sounds. Early pioneers worked on Akai samplers and Atari ST sequencers.
Sources
Every date, name, tempo and origin on this page comes from these pages, read on 2026-10-24.