Hard trance
Encyclopedia
Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music
that originated in Western Europe (Belgium
, Germany
, and Netherlands
) in the mid-1990s as the breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influenced by UK hard house, happy hardcore and jungle/drum & bass. The popularity of hard trance peaked during the late 90s, and has since then faded in scope of newer forms of trance.
Hard trance is often characterized by strong, hard (or even downpitch) kicks, fully resonant basses and an increased amount of reverberation applied to the main beat. Melody varies from 130 to 150 in tempo, and can feature plain instrumental sound in early compositions, with the latter ones tending to implement side-chaining techniques of progressive on digital synthesizers.
industrial style of techno. When the hardcore breakbeat production community split into its separate sub-genres, hard trance began to develop within the breakbeat hardcore
production community. Hard Trance
went on to become one of the dominant and most successful electronic music styles throughout the 1990s in mainland Europe and around the world. The British electronic music scene split off into other styles such as jungle/drum and bass happy hardcore
house
techno
and progressive house.
Remaining popular around 1993–2002 in mainland Europe, hard trance was associated with mega-raves of many thousands of ravers. Many series of compilation CDs, coming initially from the originators of the sound and the clubs that promoted it. It ultimately went overground and reached commercial status becoming known commercially as "maximaal".
Throughout the 1990s the popularity of the sound caused a flurry of popular and financially successful tracks to be licensed by major record labels, the sound eventually becoming aggressively marketed through commercial compilations on TV, radio and across the different forms of media.
Hard Trance
saw the similar pattern of success that also occurred to other underground electronic musical styles that became commercially successful throughout the 1990s.
The sound becomes formulaic as popular elements of previous successful tracks, become overused and a standard musical template forms.
The user-base and production community tire of the new generic overground sound and it becomes tainted by success. This causes a creative movement away from the style, which now appeals to a wider music buying customer base bringing profitability, however the sound suffers as it becomes generic and derivative and a caricature of its former creative self.
The production community and the original fanbase move onto more creative and less clichéd electronic music styles, sales drop, causing the major labels to drop the artists and sub labels and the music moves back into the underground.
The sound may continue with a smaller community of customers bringing fewer profits but music once again creating for non commercial reasons, the music either continues to develop or the style disappears often to be rediscovered and recreated with in a hybrid or updated style later by a future electronic music community.
UK
The Hard Trance
sound came to the UK via the gay underground Techno community in clubs such as Heaven, Trade, Melt and FF and Fist or through clubs such as The Omen in Morley and Club UK in London. It never reached the same commercial heights or as on the continental mainland due to British music scene already being widely diversified into styles such as jungle/drum & bass, happy hardcore
, house
and progressive house and other styles such as ambient electronica and Intelligent Dance Music.
sound, the successor of gabber
, which was popular in the Netherlands. Jumpstyle
used the same sounds as the Hard Trance
sound with faster beat patterns but slightly slower than gabber
, this developed directly into Hardstyle
toward the end of the 1990s, which along with hard techno
hard house came to dominate the harder spectrum of electronic music
.
house
hard trance House Music
Breakbeat Hardcore
Nu Beat acid house
hardbag
and euro
many sounds and influences from each style can be heard across the others. Hard trance elements can be heard in hardstyle
, hard house progressive trance hard techno breakbeat hardcore
acid trance
goa trance
and trance
. Its influence can also be found in the UK style of hardtechno defined by the free party community in London during the 1990s, hard acid trance and techno.
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
that originated in Western Europe (Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) in the mid-1990s as the breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influenced by UK hard house, happy hardcore and jungle/drum & bass. The popularity of hard trance peaked during the late 90s, and has since then faded in scope of newer forms of trance.
Hard trance is often characterized by strong, hard (or even downpitch) kicks, fully resonant basses and an increased amount of reverberation applied to the main beat. Melody varies from 130 to 150 in tempo, and can feature plain instrumental sound in early compositions, with the latter ones tending to implement side-chaining techniques of progressive on digital synthesizers.
History
The Hard Trance sound developed out of the hardcore breakbeat era which itself developed from Belgian New beatNew Beat
New Beat is a term that was used in the 1980s to refer to two different genres of electronic dance music. It also refers to an underground 1980s Belgian music style.- Terminology :...
industrial style of techno. When the hardcore breakbeat production community split into its separate sub-genres, hard trance began to develop within the breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore is a derivative of the acid house and techno, of the late 1980s and early 1990s, that combines four-to-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats, and is associated with the UK rave scene.-The rave scene:...
production community. Hard Trance
Hard trance
Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music that originated in Western Europe in the mid-1990s as the breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influenced by UK hard house, happy hardcore and jungle/drum & bass...
went on to become one of the dominant and most successful electronic music styles throughout the 1990s in mainland Europe and around the world. The British electronic music scene split off into other styles such as jungle/drum and bass happy hardcore
Happy hardcore
Happy hardcore, also known as happycore, is a genre of music typified by a very fast tempo , often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore techno, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in...
house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and progressive house.
Popularity, commercialisation and commercial downfall
EuropeRemaining popular around 1993–2002 in mainland Europe, hard trance was associated with mega-raves of many thousands of ravers. Many series of compilation CDs, coming initially from the originators of the sound and the clubs that promoted it. It ultimately went overground and reached commercial status becoming known commercially as "maximaal".
Throughout the 1990s the popularity of the sound caused a flurry of popular and financially successful tracks to be licensed by major record labels, the sound eventually becoming aggressively marketed through commercial compilations on TV, radio and across the different forms of media.
Hard Trance
Hard trance
Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music that originated in Western Europe in the mid-1990s as the breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influenced by UK hard house, happy hardcore and jungle/drum & bass...
saw the similar pattern of success that also occurred to other underground electronic musical styles that became commercially successful throughout the 1990s.
The sound becomes formulaic as popular elements of previous successful tracks, become overused and a standard musical template forms.
The user-base and production community tire of the new generic overground sound and it becomes tainted by success. This causes a creative movement away from the style, which now appeals to a wider music buying customer base bringing profitability, however the sound suffers as it becomes generic and derivative and a caricature of its former creative self.
The production community and the original fanbase move onto more creative and less clichéd electronic music styles, sales drop, causing the major labels to drop the artists and sub labels and the music moves back into the underground.
The sound may continue with a smaller community of customers bringing fewer profits but music once again creating for non commercial reasons, the music either continues to develop or the style disappears often to be rediscovered and recreated with in a hybrid or updated style later by a future electronic music community.
UK
The Hard Trance
Hard trance
Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music that originated in Western Europe in the mid-1990s as the breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influenced by UK hard house, happy hardcore and jungle/drum & bass...
sound came to the UK via the gay underground Techno community in clubs such as Heaven, Trade, Melt and FF and Fist or through clubs such as The Omen in Morley and Club UK in London. It never reached the same commercial heights or as on the continental mainland due to British music scene already being widely diversified into styles such as jungle/drum & bass, happy hardcore
Happy hardcore
Happy hardcore, also known as happycore, is a genre of music typified by a very fast tempo , often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore techno, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in...
, house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
and progressive house and other styles such as ambient electronica and Intelligent Dance Music.
Europe
Alongside the birth of Hard Trance, the same producers and record labels were already producing and developing the JumpstyleJumpstyle
Jumpstyle is a rave dance and electronic music genre mainly practiced in Europe, specifically Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, northern France, and a few parts in the United States, specifically Indiana. The dance is also called Jumpen...
sound, the successor of gabber
Gabber
Gabber , is a style of electronic music and a subgenre of hardcore techno. "Gabber" is a slang word of Yiddish origin that means "mate", "buddy" or "friend"....
, which was popular in the Netherlands. Jumpstyle
Jumpstyle
Jumpstyle is a rave dance and electronic music genre mainly practiced in Europe, specifically Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, northern France, and a few parts in the United States, specifically Indiana. The dance is also called Jumpen...
used the same sounds as the Hard Trance
Hard trance
Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music that originated in Western Europe in the mid-1990s as the breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influenced by UK hard house, happy hardcore and jungle/drum & bass...
sound with faster beat patterns but slightly slower than gabber
Gabber
Gabber , is a style of electronic music and a subgenre of hardcore techno. "Gabber" is a slang word of Yiddish origin that means "mate", "buddy" or "friend"....
, this developed directly into Hardstyle
Hardstyle
Hardstyle is an electronic dance genre mixing influences from hardtechno, hard house, hard trance, hardcore and rave music. It is between 148 and 157 bpm in speed and is written in 4/4 time....
toward the end of the 1990s, which along with hard techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
hard house came to dominate the harder spectrum of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
.
UK
The sound influenced and led to the development and of Hard House, prior to this style of techno, the UK clubs where Hard House developed were typically already playing a mixture of harder techno styles; hard techno technoTechno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
hard trance House Music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
Breakbeat Hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore is a derivative of the acid house and techno, of the late 1980s and early 1990s, that combines four-to-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats, and is associated with the UK rave scene.-The rave scene:...
Nu Beat acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
hardbag
Hardbag
Hardbag was a genre of electronic dance music popular in the mid 1990s. Having evolved out of the handbag house scene in 1993-1994, the genre enjoyed massive, albeit brief, popularity, with several hardbag releases achieving positions in the upper echelons of the UK chart...
and euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
many sounds and influences from each style can be heard across the others. Hard trance elements can be heard in hardstyle
Hardstyle
Hardstyle is an electronic dance genre mixing influences from hardtechno, hard house, hard trance, hardcore and rave music. It is between 148 and 157 bpm in speed and is written in 4/4 time....
, hard house progressive trance hard techno breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore is a derivative of the acid house and techno, of the late 1980s and early 1990s, that combines four-to-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats, and is associated with the UK rave scene.-The rave scene:...
acid trance
Acid trance
Acid trance is a style of trance music that emerged in the late '80s early '90s focusing on utilising the acid sound. The trademark sound of "acid" is produced with a Roland TB-303 by playing a sequenced melody while altering the instrument's filter cutoff frequency, resonance, envelope modulation,...
goa trance
Goa trance
Goa trance is a form of electronic music that originated during the late 1980s in Goa, India.-History:The music has its roots in the popularity of Goa in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a hippie capital, and although musical developments were incorporating elements of industrial music and EBM...
and trance
Trance
Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
. Its influence can also be found in the UK style of hardtechno defined by the free party community in London during the 1990s, hard acid trance and techno.
Hard trance's role in electronic music history
Hard Trance was a phenomena throughout the 1990s on mainland Europe and around the world and has influenced the development of many later styles of music. It therefore plays an important role in the history of Electronic Music.Artists
- ScooterScooter (band)Scooter are a German hard dance band founded in Hamburg, who have sold over 25 million records and earned over 80 gold and platinum awards. Scooter are considered the most successful single-record German act with 23 top ten hits. The band is currently composed of members H.P. Baxxter, Rick J....
- Alex KiddAlex Kiddis a video game character whose popularity peaked during the late 1980s and who was the protagonist of both a series of video games released by Sega and their fictional universe, as well as in numerous spin-off merchandise such as novelizations and comics...
- AlphazoneAlphazoneAlphazone is a German hard trance group, comprising Alex Zwarg and Arne Reichelt. The group was formed in 1995. In 1996 they released their first single - "Overload"...
- Lee WallsLee WallsRaymond Lee Walls, Jr. , is a former professional baseball player who played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1953-1964. Walls would play for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also played one season in Japan in 1965 for the...
- Berserk
- Brent SadowickBrent SadowickBrent Sadowick is a popular Canadian trance/hard trance DJ. Characterized by his striking and Unorthodox Performance style behind and in front of the turntables.-Style:...
- GuyverGuyveris a manga series written by Yoshiki Takaya. The Guyver itself is a symbiotic techno-organic device that enhances the capabilities of its host....
- Cosmic GateCosmic GateCosmic Gate is a German trance duo made up of Claus Terhoeven and Stefan Bossems . Both from Krefeld in Germany. On October 28, 2009, DJ Magazine announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, with Ultra Records artist Cosmic Gate placed #19, 43 spots above the group's ranking the year...
- Costa PantazisCosta PantazisCosta Pantazis , is a Greek Cypriot producer based in London, UK. He also produces under several different aliases.-External links:* Discography at Discogs....
- Cause & Effect
- DJ DeanDJ DeanDJ Dean is a German Euro-Trance/Hard Trance DJ, producer, and current, longtime resident DJ of the Tunnel dance club in Hamburg, Germany...
- Scot Project
- DuMondeDuMondeDuMonde was a German trance duo, consisting of Jürgen Mutschall and Dominik De Leon .-Singles:*"Tomorrow" - UK #60 *"Fly To The Sky" with Anastasia*"See The Light" *"Just Feel Free"...
- GuffyGuffyGuffy broke into the DJ scene in late 2003 when he appeared on the cover of clubbing magazine Mixmag with former BBC Radio 1 DJ's Fergie and Eddie Halliwell...
- Steve HillSteve HillSteve Hill is an American Christian clergyman and evangelist. He is best known as the evangelist who preached in what became known as the Brownsville Revival...
- Lisa LashesLisa LashesLisa Lashes , is a British electronic dance music DJ and music producer best known for her career as a leading female dj, mixing numerous Euphoria albums, her popular Lashed dance music events and being the first and only female to be considered among the top ten DJs in the world by DJ MagazineShe...
- Nostrum
- TechnikalTechnikal- Biography :Technikal was born in Carshalton, UK. Now firmly established as one of the most respected and biggest selling artists in the world of Hard Dance/Trance, producing acclaimed Hardcore tracks alongside Hard Dance, as well as producing Electro and Psychedelic trance-tinged...
- Yoji BiomehanikaYoji BiomehanikaYoji, often styled as YOJI according to official publications, is a Japanese trance/hard trance DJ...
- Steve HillSteve HillSteve Hill is an American Christian clergyman and evangelist. He is best known as the evangelist who preached in what became known as the Brownsville Revival...
Links
- Hardtrance on Reddit
- Danish Hard Trance Community
- Bonzai RecordsBonzai RecordsBonzai Records is a Belgium-based record label specializing in techno, rave, trance, hard trance music.It was formed by DJ Fly, Yves Deruyter and Franky Jones in the back of record-shop The Blitz in Belgium in 1992 as a sublabel to Lightning Records, which went bankrupt in March of 2003 and was...