House music has always embraced soulful elements alongside its funk-driven rhythms. Piano in house music goes back to the genre’s early days in Chicago. The Windy City dance-music luminary Marshall Jefferson used piano riffs that were at the core of his productions. His iconic 1986 staple “Move Your Body” featured a piano chord that has become synonymous with the genre, as the song’s chorus boasts: “Gotta have house music all night long.” That sound was propelled by the rave and club scene across the pond in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, with records like “Big Fun,” from Detroit’s Inner City becoming an anthem on the UK scene. England’s Bizarre Inc. scored their own UK chart-topper in 1991 with “Playing with Knives,” a piano-driven heater that has been solidified as a landmark dance track, sparking euphoria on dance floors across the globe.
As dance music continued to expand, progressive house and trance became dominant in the late ‘90s. By the 2010s, piano house was enjoying a renaissance, with purveyors such as Duke Dumont, MK and Gorgon City incorporating the now-classic elements into their tracks. By 2014, piano-based smashes like Dumont’s “I Got U” and Route 94’s “My Love” were topping the dance charts once again, with the consistent presence of piano grooves appearing in tracks from headlining DJ/producers ranging from Diplo to Tchami.
As dance culture continues to transcend generations, piano house remains a dominant force. LP Giobbi, who has been called the “queen of piano house,” continues her prolific output, dropping soulful, piano-based gems like “Until There’s Nothing Left” with Alabama Shakes. Meanwhile, the England-based Australian house music DJ Sonny Fodera has been on a tear with tracks like “Somedays,” in collaboration with Jazzy&D.O.D. From Mall Grab and Boston Bun to Jayda G and Fred again.., we’ve put together an essential collection of modern piano house floor-fillers for your body-rocking enjoyment.
LISTEN TO 'PIANO HOUSE' ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
Sonny Fodera - Somedays
He’s cut five albums, but his latest single (featuring the Irish singer sometimes called Jazzy Yaz) is next-level
Calvin Harris - Free (with Ellie Goulding)
These two go back to 2013 together, when they released “I Need Your Love”
LP Giobbi - Until There's Nothing Left (4am Edit)
Heavy reworking of Brittany Howard’s “Don’t Wanna Fight,” with her former band
Boston Bun - Don't Break My Heart (Piano Mix)
Nope, this DJ is not from Boston – he calls Paris home
LF SYSTEM - Lift You Up
New this year from the soul-sampling Scottish duo of Conor Larkman and Sean Finnigan
Dom Dolla - Saving Up
2023 banger from the acclaimed Aussie house producer
BLONDEL - Forest
French artist whose 2023 debut album, ‘Midnight in Paris,’ reached back to disco
LEFTWING : KODY - Set Me Free (feat. JAY MONDI)
Follow-up to the UK duo’s 2023 hit “Bring the Heat”
Jamie xx & Honey Dijon- Baddy On The Floor
For this new house rocker, Jamie went straight to the source, enlisting the Chicago native Honey Dijon
Jayda G - Feeling Alive
Her Grammy nod a couple years back led to remix work with Dua Lipa
Mall Grab - Drift
Fast-rising DJ-producer from Australia, now based in London
Shadow Child - Rising High (Extended Mix)
Though he’s had a long affiliation with the Toolroom label, this is the DJ’s first single for them
James Hype - Feel My Needs (Extended Mix)
Cult classic from 2018 gets a new spin from the in-demand producer
Boston Bun - NEVER CHANGE // LET IT GO
“A glimpse of what is coming next,” the DJ promised when he dropped this early this year
Noizu & Secondcity - More Love
LA producer who debuted on the 2017 Skrillex/Chris Lake-curated ‘HOWSLA’
Fred again.. - Delilah (pull me out of this)
Some of you may have heard the story about how Fred turned Delilah’s “song about loneliness into a rave monster”
Sia & Kylie Minogue - Dance Alone (Kito Remix)
Remix of the second single from Sia’s 10th studio album, featuring the OG Kylie
Don Diablo - Still Cutting Shapes
2023 cut from the Dutch artist who promises he’ll take you to the future
Echoes - Love Of My Life (Tommy Mc Edit)
Uplifting banger from the production duo of DJ Dougal and Ollie Jacobs
KOPPY Music - Atlantis (Robin Schulz Presents KOPPY)
This 2023 track introduced the DJ’s cartoon cat alter-ego
CHANEY - Strong
“It felt like a melting pot of all my sounds,” the UK producer has explained about this one
TSHA - Sweet Devotion (Edit) [feat. Caroline Byrne]
The London-based DJ’s recent follow-up to “Somebody,” her striking collab with Ellie Goulding and Gregory Porter
Hayden James - All In
Brand new from the veteran Australian producer
Fred again.. & Joy Anonymous - peace u need
Melancholy new collab from the superstar producer and the artist named for an imaginary support group for joy seekers
Julien Jabre - HOME (Club Paradise Mix)
New mix from the high concept of 88., the LA-based producer
MK – Take My Chance
The Detroit producer Marc Kinchen capped a big 2023 with this euphoric single
LISTEN TO 'PIANO HOUSE' ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
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