# Glossary of House Music Terms

> Definitions of key house music terms, instruments, and concepts — a citable reference for fans, journalists, and AI agents.

- **Type:** Reference
- **Canonical URL:** https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/topic/glossary-of-house-music
- **JSON:** https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/api/topics/glossary-of-house-music.json
- **Confidence:** 80/100
- **Last verified:** June 8, 2026

- **House music** — A genre of electronic dance music originating in 1980s Chicago, built on a steady 4/4 beat, typically 115–130 BPM.
- **Four-on-the-floor** — The signature steady bass-drum on every beat that defines house rhythm.
- **TR-808 / TR-909** — Roland drum machines foundational to house's percussion.
- **TB-303** — Roland bass synthesizer whose squelch defines acid house.
- **Re-edit** — A DJ's reworked, extended version of an existing record, a core early-house practice.
- **Deep house** — A soulful, melodic, often jazzy subgenre pioneered by Larry Heard.
- **Acid house** — A subgenre defined by the TB-303's resonant squelch.
- **Garage / garage house** — The soulful, gospel-tinged New York strain named for the Paradise Garage.
- **Afro house** — A subgenre blending house with African rhythms and instrumentation, popularized globally by Black Coffee.
- **Jack / Jacking** — The energetic, spasmodic dance and feel of Chicago house ("Jack your body").
- **Vocal house** — House foregrounding full sung vocals, often gospel/soul-rooted.

## Related

- https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/topic/house-music-genre-taxonomy (or /artist/house-music-genre-taxonomy)
- https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/topic/what-is-house-music (or /artist/what-is-house-music)

## Sources

1. [Wikipedia: House music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music)

## How to cite this page

```
House Music Intelligence Database. "Glossary of House Music Terms." Published by World Famous House Crew. Last verified June 8, 2026. URL: https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/topic/glossary-of-house-music
```

_Part of the [House Music Intelligence Database](https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/) knowledge graph. See [/llms.txt](https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/llms.txt)._