Tech House Essentials

Tech house has existed in some form since the late ’90s, when artists such as London’s Mr. C and Terry Francis and Detroit’s Stacey Pullen began combining techno’s steely synths and programming with house’s drum grooves. But today’s style of tech house—generally more mechanical and percussive—really took shape in the 2000s. There’s, of course, no simple formula, and it’s always evolving: House producers like Chicago’s Green Velvet and New York’s Dennis Ferrer keep their basslines low-slung and groovy, and add only a touch of icy synthesizer precision. LA’s Claude VonStroke, San Francisco’s Justin Martin, and Düsseldorf’s Loco Dice bring a sense of house’s swing and warmth into their productions. And England’s Chris Lake, a torchbearer of modern tech house, incorporates ’90s-style pianos and vocals and progressive house’s dramatic builds to his propulsive tracks.