From the moment of its inception in the 80s of the last century to this day, house remains the main and most enduring pillar of dance music. Over the years, a whole bunch of branches and subgenres have formed in it, and sometimes it is difficult for novice listeners to understand the features and differences of each of them.

In this article I will try to explain as clearly as possible the distinctive features of the most popular styles of house music and, of course, I will support all this with relevant examples.

The main distinguishing feature of classical house is the "straight kick", that is, a consistently repeated drum part and not very fast tempo (120-130 BPM). Voice samples and claps are also used abundantly.

Lighter and more atmospheric offshoot. The tracks often use elements of ambient and jazz music, as well as a variety of melodic instruments.

A genre at the junction of techno and house. It is characterized by a less pronounced and muffled "kick" and a minimal set of drums, the rhythm component of which is the main emphasis in the track.

A relatively new subgenre that only emerged in the middle of the last decade. Distinctive features: more aggressive sound and more emphasis on bass elements.

The main feature of progressive house is already embedded in the very name of the genre. This is the use of progression, pumping and constant development of the rhythm of the track.

A genre close to progressive house, which is distinguished by a sharper sound and a clear "kick". It is characterized by the use of high-pitched synthesizers and a pronounced bass component.

Also a fairly new offshoot of house music that emerged in 2013. DJ and producer Tchami is considered to be the creator of the genre, but Oliver Heldens brought him the greatest popularity. By its nature, a future house is a symbiosis of deep house and garage. The reference samples often contain a muffled melody with a metallic elastic sound and frequency-modulated bass.