What it sounds like
Tech house is the most-played sound in clubs from 2015 onward — the genre that splits the difference between deep house’s swing and techno’s relentless precision. It crystallized in late-90s UK (Eddie Richards, Mr. C) and went global in the 2010s with Solardo, Fisher, Patrick Topping, Camelphat, and FISHER’s Losing It — the track that broke tech house onto pop radio in 2018.
A bar in and you’ve got it: a chunky 4-on-the-floor at 124–128 BPM, a bouncy offbeat bass that’s the actual hook, and a chopped vocal sample that loops every 1 or 2 bars. The chord pad is minimal — often a single sustained m7 in the background. The genre is built for mid-set DJ flexibility: every track is mixable into every other track because the structure is so consistent.
The chord moves
Tech house has almost no chord movement — usually a single m7 chord vamping, with occasional 1-bar shifts to the v or iv for variation. The harmony is structural support, not the song. The vocal chop and the bassline carry the melodic interest.
--chord minor7 --voicing closed --pattern pulse and don’t overthink it. The genre rewards restraint.
The groove
4-on-the-floor at 124–128 BPM with a slight swing on 16ths. The kick is chunky — punchy transient + warm sub. Open hat on offbeats with a tight close (no long tail). Closed hat on 16ths in the background. Clap on 2 and 4 with snappy short reverb.
The bass is the song. It’s a bouncy mid-bass on offbeats — eighth notes “and-2-and-3-and-4” — sometimes pitched up an octave for the second half of the bar. Sidechained hard to the kick so it breathes. Listen to Losing It — the entire track is one bassline pattern.
The sounds
- Bass: Sylenth-style mid-bass, filter set to mid-range, slight resonance. Mono. Sidechained.
- Vocal chop: 1-2 bar phrase from soul/disco/spoken word. Pitched and looped. Sometimes filtered.
- Chord stab: Rhodes-style m7 stab on offbeats, low in the mix.
- Drums: 909 kick + clap + open hat + ride bell + tambourine. Tightly mixed, dry.
- Risers/FX: 16-bar white noise rises into every drop. Low passes for breakdowns.
Production tells
Want it modern? Cleaner mix, more space, sidechain that breathes (not crushes). 2024 tech house is less layered than 2017 — fewer drum elements, more headroom.
Want it 2017-Solardo-vintage? More percussion layers, more vocal repetition, more sidechain pump. Wider stereo on the vocal chop. Master loud at -8 LUFS for club punch.
Am7 → Em7 → Am7 → Dm7
Click to hear it.
Listen to
Three records that show the style at full strength. Read them as listening pointers, not templates to copy.
On The Corner
Solardo
listen ↗
Losing It
Fisher
listen ↗
Eastern Promises
Hot Since 82
listen ↗
Six recipes
Six ways to cook Tech house.
One starter recipe, three variations that each take the style in a different direction, one sectioned recipe, and one curated Live handoff recipe. Each one cooks from a Markdown recipe — edit it before the MIDI lands in your DAW.
Starter
Tight Stab Club Pocket
Closed minor stabs, tight offbeat bass, shuffled house drums, and sparse call-response hits for a clean tech-house first cook.
Study: Green Velvet, “La La Land” (2001). Study the stripped hook economy and club pressure, not the vocal hook or exact riff.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/tech_house/tech_house_tight_stab_club_pocket.mdVariation
Filtered Chop Response
A clipped-chord response recipe where sidechain gaps, low bass support, and tiny lead hits leave room for filter automation.
Study: Hot Since 82, “Buggin'” (2012). Study the rolling restraint and filtered pressure, not the vocal or riff identity.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/tech_house/tech_house_filtered_chop_response.mdVariation
Minimal Loop Pressure
A reduced tech-house sketch with push-pull chord timing, pedal low end, and very small motif answers for darker rooms.
Study: Claude VonStroke, “Who's Afraid of Detroit?” (2006). Use the reference for tension, empty space, and low-slung attitude, not for riff copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/tech_house/tech_house_minimal_loop_pressure.mdVariation
Shuffle Bass Answer
A bass-forward tech-house lane with clipped stabs, a one-bar low-end answer, and percussion motion doing the lift.
Study: Patrick Topping, “Forget” (2014). Use the reference for bass placement and restrained repetition, not for vocal or hook copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/tech_house/tech_house_shuffle_bass_answer.mdSectioned
Night Shift Section Sketch
A full-song tech-house sketch with drums-first sections, late stab reveals, bass mutes, and section MIDI files for DAW import.
Study: Eats Everything, “Entrance Song” (2011). Study the section energy and loop discipline, not the vocal or hook material.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/tech_house/tech_house_night_shift_section_sketch.mdLive handoff
Live Club Session
Tech-house sound cards, section MIDI files, and sample-search prompts for percussion, vocal-color hits, drum loops, and texture.
Study: Dennis Cruz, “El Sueño” (2016). Use the reference for polished club balance and groove discipline, not vocal hooks, phrases, or signature riffs.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/tech_house/tech_house_bridge_ready_club_session.mdOpen in Live or Download uses the local bridge on this Mac. Download MIDI works in any DAW.
Ready when you are
Cook a Tech house pack.
Drop this in your terminal and you'll have a Standard MIDI pack in a folder, ready to drag into Live. Edit anything, swap any sound, throw out what doesn't work.
python jamburgr.py --key "A minor" --style tech_house --progression i,v,i,iv --pattern pulse --output-mode pack --out ./jams/tech-house