Deep house

[5] Deep house is known for tempos typically from 110 to 125 bpm,[1][6][7] muted basslines, spacious use of percussion elements (typically using a Roland TR-909 drum machine),[8] soft keyboard sounds (pads), use of advanced chord structures, ambient mixes, and soulful vocals.

(1986);[9] the latter had a similar impact on deep house to that of Derrick May's "Strings of Life" (1987) on Detroit techno.

Author Richie Unterberger has stated that Heard's deep house sound moved house music away from its posthuman tendencies back towards the lush, soulful sound of early disco music (particularly that of old Philadelphia International and Salsoul records).

[8] DJ Ron Trent stated that the term was initially used to describe the DJ work of Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, who departed from a strictly electronic house sound to incorporate eclectic elements like disco, jazz, and underground music.

Examples of deep house albums from artists known from other genres include The Martyr Mantras (1990) and Modernism: A New Decade (1989) from The Style Council.