Big room house (also called festival progressive or big room EDM) is a subgenre of electro house characterized by minimalistic drops, massive kick drums, and simple melodies designed for festival mainstages. Artists like Hardwell, Martin Garrix, DVBBS, and W&W dominated the genre’s 2013-2016 peak.
Festival Anthem Formula
Big room house tracks followed a formula: melodic buildup → dramatic pause → bass-heavy drop with minimal elements. The genre prioritized crowd impact over musical complexity, creating massive “hands up” moments at festivals like Tomorrowland, Ultra, and EDC. Tracks rarely exceeded 4 minutes.
Commercial Peak
Martin Garrix’s “Animals” (2013), DVBBS & Borgeous’ “Tsunami” (2013), and Hardwell’s “Spaceman” (2012) defined big room’s sound. DJ Mag Top 100 DJs were dominated by big room producers in the mid-2010s. The genre became synonymous with EDM’s commercial peak.
Decline & Backlash
By 2016, big room house faced criticism for formulaic production and over-saturation. The genre’s simplicity led to “cookie-cutter” accusations. Many big room DJs shifted to bass house, future house, or melodic techno. The genre largely faded as trends moved toward deeper, more complex sounds.
Sources:
- DJ Mag Top 100: https://djmag.com/top100djs
- Big room history: https://www.youredm.com/