ELECTRONIC STYLE

House drum patterns.

A four-on-the-floor kick, offbeat open hats and claps on two and four, built on Roland drum machines in 1980s Chicago.

75 grooves
1978–2021
5 landmarks

The House timeline

20 of 20 grooves

1978
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)Open You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) in a new tab
Sylvester
Root: synth-laced disco over a steady four-on-the-floor kick; the club pulse that Chicago house later stripped to machines
1982
Don't Make Me Wait Open Don't Make Me Wait in a new tab
NYC Peech Boys
Larry Levan's Paradise Garage production: sparse, dubbed-out rhythm and gospel piano; a root of garage house
1984
Landmark
On and On Open On and On in a new tab
Jesse Saunders
Bare TR-808 track recorded in 1983; frequently cited as the first house record released on vinyl
1985
Time to Jack Open Time to Jack in a new tab
Chip E.
Raw drum-machine jack track from the Jack Trax EP; Chip E. says it was the first record to use 'jack' for dancing
1986
Landmark
Move Your Body Open Move Your Body in a new tab
Marshall Jefferson
Driving Chicago drum track under the first prominent house piano; its groove and chords were imitated for decades
1986
Jack Your Body Open Jack Your Body in a new tab
Steve "Silk" Hurley
Bare, stuttering drum-machine jack with a chopped bassline; topped the UK chart for two weeks in January 1987
1986
Landmark
Can You Feel It Open Can You Feel It in a new tab
Mr. Fingers
Larry Heard's unhurried drum-machine groove under lush chords; one of the first deep house records
1987
Landmark
Acid Tracks Open Acid Tracks in a new tab
Phuture
Squelching TB-303 line over a long, hypnotic drum-machine loop; the record that defined acid house
1987
Your Love Open Your Love in a new tab
Frankie Knuckles
Knuckles' Trax version of Jamie Principle's song: arpeggio and bass over steady machine drums; a Warehouse-era anthem
1988
Can You Party Open Can You Party in a new tab
Royal House
Todd Terry's sample-chopped drums blending disco, Chicago house and hip-hop; a UK hit in the 1988 acid house summer
1989
French Kiss Open French Kiss in a new tab
Lil Louis
Single-note groove that slows to a full stop and speeds back up; a house hit built on a drastic tempo change
1991
The Ha Dance Open The Ha Dance in a new tab
Masters at Work
Beat built around a sampled 'ha' stab; it became the rhythm of ballroom and vogue dancing
1992
Percolator Open Percolator in a new tab
Cajmere
Minimal percussion-and-bassline tool on Cajual; a bare, bouncing Chicago groove still used as a DJ tool
1995
Da Funk Open Da Funk in a new tab
Daft Punk
Distorted, compressed drum-machine shuffle under a squelching lead; a 1990s house classic that broke Daft Punk
1998
Landmark
Music Sounds Better with You Open Music Sounds Better with You in a new tab
Stardust
TR-909 beat under a filtered Chaka Khan guitar loop; the filter-house blueprint of the French touch era
2001
La La Land Open La La Land in a new tab
Green Velvet
Stark, driving tech house drum programming under a deadpan vocal; Green Velvet's Relief Records club anthem
2013
Feelin Open Feelin in a new tab
DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, Taso
Footwork near 160 BPM: skipping, syncopated kicks under chopped vocals; opens Double Cup, ghetto house's fast descendant
2013
When a Fire Starts to Burn Open When a Fire Starts to Burn in a new tab
Disclosure
Clap-heavy UK house groove under a looped sermon sample; part of Disclosure's 2010s house revival
2018
Losing It Open Losing It in a new tab
Fisher
Rolling tech house kick and percussion with a long build; topped the US Dance Club Songs chart
2021
Marea (We've Lost Dancing)Open Marea (We've Lost Dancing) in a new tab
Fred again.. & The Blessed Madonna
Straight four-on-the-floor kick under chopped vocals; a lockdown-era house hit and Fred again..'s crossover

Press play to loop each record's busiest two bars straight from its video.

Quick answers

What do House drums sound like?

Four on the floor, claps on two and four, hats off the beat.

Which genre family is House in?

On BeatTab House sits in the Electronic family, next to Electronic, UK garage and Dubstep.

Which records shaped House drums?

The timeline on this page runs from You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester (1978) to Marea (We've Lost Dancing) by Fred again.. & The Blessed Madonna (2021), 20 records in all.