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The Dance Music Encyclopedia

Fifty years of dance music you can hear, play and compare, from disco in 1970s New York to the rooms in Seoul tonight. Every genre has a track to hear and every fact has a source.

Popular: Deep House Detroit Techno Disco UK Garage Amapiano
Start here

The tools people open first.

Play the machines, press play on fifty years of genres, find a festival, plan a mix or settle an argument. Most of them give you a link to send a friend.

Most used
Hear themThe MachinesPlay the 808, 303 and 909, then send your loop.Play the machines
Start at the startDance Music TimelineEvery genre in order, each with a track to hear.Open the timeline
Where to goThe Festival AtlasFestivals in Korea and abroad, with next dates.Find a festival
Plan a mixTempo BridgeGet from one genre to another, BPM by BPM.Build a bridge
Settle itGenre Face-OffsTwo genres side by side, with a blind ear test.Pick a face-off
Settle it

Two genres, side by side.

The arguments people actually search for. Each face-off puts both on the same BPM scale, plays an official track from each and ends with a blind ear test.

HardstyleVSHard TechnoUK GarageVSHouseHouseVSTechnoDrum and BassVSDubstepDiscoVSFunkAmapianoVSAfrobeatsAmapianoVSAfro HouseTranceVSProgressive HouseTechnoVSTech HouseDeep HouseVSTech HouseTechnoVSTranceHouseVSTranceJungleVSDrum and Bass

All the face-offs

Look it up

Every genre, with a track to hear.

Every genre here comes with its tempo, where it started, the artists and labels that carried it, and one official track. Search at the top of the page, or open the full list.

The Genre IndexGrouped by family, with search.The Dance Music TreeHow the genres grew out of each other.BPM ExplorerHow fast each genre runs.The GlossaryDJ and club words, from acid to white label.Genre GenealogyRoots, offshoots and sources.The Genre EncyclopediaEvery entry in one searchable list.
All the genres, A to Z

Each one opens its own page.

Seoul

Going out in Seoul.

The practical side of a night out in Seoul: which district fits, what you’ll hear at the door and how to get home.

Seoul Nightlife GuideWhich district fits your night.Getting Home PlannerLast trains and night buses by district.Seoul Nightlife GlossaryThe Korean you’ll hear on a night out.The Seoul Nightlife ReportWhat hundreds of Seoul clubbers told us.
Dig deeper

Years, records and money.

For when you want the long version.

Year in DanceThe records and rooms of any year since 1987.Moments That Changed ItDated and sourced, including Korea.Dance Music TrendsSounds as they peaked, faded or came back.Chart HitsWhen dance records crossed over.How We Found New MusicFrom MTV to TikTok.Machines and TechnologyStories behind the gear.Dance Music by the NumbersWhat the industry earns.The Press RoomBooks, films and magazines worth your time.The Data HubEvery data set behind these pages.
QuizzesRather find out about yourself?

Twelve sound types, then the three genres that fit you. Or find out what kind of clubber or DJ you are.

Find your sound
BookingsKnow what you want to hear?

Club nights, weddings and company events in Seoul. Tell me the crowd and I’ll find the DJ who fits.

Book a DJ

Quick answers

What's the difference between house and techno?

House grew out of Chicago in the early 1980s, built on disco: warm, soulful, often with vocals, usually around 120 to 126 BPM. Techno came out of Detroit a few years later: more mechanical, more hypnotic and usually a little faster. The Genre Face-Offs page puts them side by side with a blind ear test.

How many genres of dance music are there?

It depends where you draw the lines, which is half the fun. The Genre Index lists every genre The DJ Diaries covers, each with its tempo, where it started and a track to hear, and the Dance Music Tree shows how they're related.

Which drum machines made dance music?

Three Roland boxes did more than any others: the TR-808 for bass and hip-hop, the TB-303 for acid house, and the TR-909 for house and techno drums. The Machines page lets you hear each one and play a step sequencer.

How do I plan a mix between two genres?

Match the tempo first, then the energy. The Tempo Bridge maps a route from one genre to another, BPM by BPM, and the BPM Explorer shows how fast each genre usually runs.