Four-on-the-floor

Four-on-the-floor is a rhythm pattern in which the bass drum marks all four quarter-note beats of each measure in common time.

Common time: A meter with four quarter-note beats per measure, commonly written as 4/4. Its four-beat measure supplies the pattern’s basic grid.
Drum set: A collection of drums and cymbals arranged for performance by one musician. The pattern emerged as a way to distribute a dance pulse across a kit.
Techno: An electronic dance-music genre that emerged in Detroit in the 1980s. Techno commonly uses a relentless four-on-the-floor kick as its rhythmic foundation.
Breakbeat: A rhythm built from syncopated or irregular drum patterns, often sampled from funk and soul recordings. Breakbeats replace the pattern’s unbroken kick pulse with more varied accents.
Kick drum: A large bass drum played with a foot-operated pedal in a drum kit. It marks every quarter-note beat in the defining pattern.
Disco: A dance-music genre that developed in the 1970s, marked by steady beats and orchestral textures. Disco made the continuous four-beat kick a defining dance-floor sound.
Trance music: An electronic dance-music genre characterized by repeated phrases, sustained textures, and gradual builds. Its long builds often sustain the pattern to keep dancers oriented.
Two-step garage: A British electronic dance style whose shuffling rhythms often omit kicks on some main beats. Its gaps in the kick pattern contrast with four consecutive quarter-note kicks.
Backbeat: An accent on the second and fourth beats of a four-beat measure. A snare backbeat commonly contrasts with the kick’s even four-beat pulse.
Murray the K: An American radio DJ and concert promoter known for promoting rock and roll in the 1950s and 1960s. His name is sometimes associated with early uses of the phrase, though the pattern predates it.

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