⏱ 2 min read
Marimba, steel drums, permanent holiday energy. Kygo built a streaming empire. Engineered for passive consumption.

What Tropical House sounds like

Relaxed house at a lazy tempo: marimba, steel drums, pan flute and plucked melodies over a soft kick. Vocals are sweet and pop shaped. The drop is a flute line, not a bass hit. On a floor it reads as sunshine: people sway, sing along and hold drinks up instead of jumping, and the set never feels rushed.

What you would see

Beach clubs, pool parties and summer festival afternoons, sunglasses and floral shirts, and phone screens full of SoundCloud and YouTube uploads with sunset thumbnails.

Where and when

Tropical House took shape around 2013 in Norway and Australia. Tracks usually run at 100 to 115 BPM. You will also see it called Trop house.

Family tree

It grew out of Deep House, Balearic Beat and Dancehall.

Artists to start with

Kygo, Thomas Jack and Sam Feldt.

One track to hear

Kygo feat. Conrad Sewell, Firestone (2014). It is an official upload, and you can play it on this genre’s card in the Dance Music Timeline.

Where it stands in 2026

Absorbed into pop.

Want to hear how it connects to its neighbours? Plan a mix from here with Tempo Bridge, or see where it sits among 127 genres on the timeline.

From the booth

Tropical house is relaxed house at a lazy tempo, 100 to 115 BPM. Marimba, steel drums, pan flute and plucked melodies float over a soft kick, with sweet pop vocals. It grew from Deep House, Balearic Beat and Dancehall.

The drop is a flute line, not a bass hit, and on a floor it reads as sunshine. I save it for pool parties, day sessions and early evening sets that should never feel rushed. Notice the plucked melodies and relaxed tempo. If this style is new to you, tropical house sits comfortably next to Balearic records, and together they make a warm, easygoing opening hour.

Sources

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Matthew Clement plays house and disco in Seoul under the name Clement, and has been behind the decks here for more than two decades. By day he teaches business and marketing communication at a university...