Dark house is the name used by some people to describe certain progressive house records that are characterised by deep penetrating lowtempo beats (~130 BPM) and the use of words and sounds that create a foreboding atmosphere.

Dark-house is usually tribal but minimalistic. It often features echoed trance-like claps (as opposed to progressive house snare drums), and low pitched, driving basslines. The mood is almost always melancholic and somewhat dreamy. At more intense levels, dark house may contain screeching, moaning, or electronic pulses to emulate sounds found in horror movies. Where Detroit techno features raw basses usually looped between four beats, dark house usually has intricate basslines with a possible pitch change looped over eight or more beats.