Dance music genres explained

By Chris Pollitt · Updated 8 November 2026

Club listings throw a lot of genre names around. If you’re not sure what the difference is between techno and tech house, or trance and hard house, this is a quick guide to the main styles you’ll see on UK line-ups. BPM means beats per minute, which is roughly how fast the music feels.

House

Started in Chicago in the 1980s. A steady four-to-the-floor kick drum, usually around 120 to 128 BPM, with soulful vocals, piano or disco samples. It covers a lot of ground, from deep house, which is warm and laid back, to tech house, which is stripped down and groovy, and big vocal house. If you’re new to clubbing, it’s an easy place to start.

Techno

Came out of Detroit in the 1980s, around the same time as house. Darker, more repetitive and more machine-like, typically 125 to 140 BPM, with harder modern styles going faster. Fewer vocals and more focus on rhythm and sound. Techno nights tend to go on late and are often in warehouses and basements.

Trance

Big in the UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with clubs like Gatecrasher and Godskitchen. Around 135 to 140 BPM, with long build-ups, huge breakdowns and euphoric melodies. Uplifting trance is all hands in the air. Psytrance is faster and more hypnotic.

Drum & bass

A British sound that grew out of jungle in the early 1990s. Fast breakbeats around 170 to 175 BPM with heavy basslines. Styles range from liquid, which is smooth and melodic, to neurofunk, which is dark and technical, and jump up, which is bouncy and loud. D&B nights are some of the busiest in the UK.

UK garage

Took off in London in the late 1990s. Skippy, swung beats around 130 to 135 BPM, with R&B-style vocals and MCs. 2-step is the classic sound. Garage nights still pull big crowds, and it influenced grime, dubstep and bassline.

Hard house

A UK sound from the mid 1990s, around 145 to 150 BPM, with pounding kicks, offbeat basslines and big stabs. Linked with nights like Tidy and Sundissential. Loud, fast and full of energy.

Hardcore and happy hardcore

Grew from the UK rave scene of the early 1990s. Very fast, often 160 to 180 BPM, with piano riffs, pitched-up vocals and big kicks. Happy hardcore is the uplifting, melodic side. Still has a loyal crowd at events across the UK.

Bassline and donk

Bassline came out of Sheffield and the North in the early 2000s. Around 135 to 140 BPM, with wobbling basslines and garage-style vocals. Donk is a bouncy offshoot from the North West, built around a distinctive “donk” sound on the offbeat.

Dubstep

Started in South London in the early 2000s. Around 140 BPM but with a half-time feel, so it sounds slower. Heavy sub-bass and space in the mix. Later styles got louder and more aggressive.

Where to start

The best way to find what you like is to listen. Have a look at new music from DJs playing the UK, browse DJ profiles, or pick a genre on the events page and go and hear it loud.