In electronic dance music (EDM) the term progressive is often used to denote a novel stylistic development within a specific genre of dance music. According to the DJ and producer Carl Craig, the term “progressive” was used in Detroit in the early 80s in reference to Italo Disco. The music was dubbed “progressive” because it drew upon the influence of Giorgio Moroder’s Eurodisco rather than the Disco inspired by the symphonic sound of Philadelphia soul. In Detroit, prior to the emergence of Techno, music by European artists such as Alexander Robotnik, Klein and MBO, and Capricorn helped to fill the vacancy that arose after disco’s mainstream demise. Both Italo disco and Eurodisco sounded more electronic than their precursor and they helped provide a missing link between disco and the New wave and Synthpop sound of the early 1980s. By the late 1980s, UK music journalist Simon Reynolds had introduced the term “progressive dance” to describe album oriented acts such as 808 State, The Orb, Bomb the Bass, and The Shamen. By the early 1990s “progressive” referred to a strain of British house music that was emerging out of the UK rave scene. Between 1990 to 1992, Progressive referred to the short-form buzz word for Progressive House. According to an article that appeared in Mixmag in 1992, the roots of what was at that time called “progressive” could be traced back to the early 90s rave and club scene in England and Europe. A combination of US House, UK House, Italian House, European Techno, and Trance largely influenced one another during this era.The term was used mainly as a marketing label to differentiate new rave House from traditional American House.[10] The buzz word emerged out of the rave scene around 1990 to 1992, describing a new sound of House that broke away from its American roots. The label Progressive House was often used interchangeably with Trance in the early years.

Source: Wikipedia.com