Hardstyle
Encyclopedia
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.
Hardstyle typically consists of a deep, hard-sounding kick, intense faded or reversed basslines accompanying the beat, a synth playing a melody, and detuned and distorted sounds. It bears some similarities to hard trance
. Many hardcore artists produce hardstyle tracks as well, and many newer Hardstyle tracks are written in tuplet
.
, gabber
, oldschool hardcore
, acid house
and Hard House
. The Hardstyle scene began in the Netherlands
when artists like Dana, Pavo, Darkraver, Luna and The Prophet
, who produced hardcore, started experimenting while playing their hardcore records. The first hardstyle events, like Qlubtempo, took place at the turn of the 20th Century. In the next couple of years, Hardstyle gained a lot of popularity in Italy
, Germany
, Australia
and the United Kingdom
as well.
The first few years of Hardstyle were characterized by a tempo of around 140 BPM, a compressed kick drum sound, a short vocal sample, a screech and the use of a "reverse bass", which can be heard on the offbeat after each kick. Around 2004-05 the genre became more melodic and uplifting, somewhat faster (usually 150 BPM), and distorted, sharp kick drum sounds were added. Many producers started to pitch-shift a distorted kick drum to create a melodic bassline that usually plays in pitch with a supersaw or an thinner Electro House synth melody. The melody often is in tuplet
form, which gives the genre a pulsating rhythm, whereas older hardstyle as well as other genres such as Jumpstyle
have more basic melodic structures to them. Thus, nowadays many people refer to the older style as Early Hardstyle.
Since around 2008, more terms to identify developements of hardstyle were introduced. Rawstyle is a type of hardstyle that takes impetus from Dutch hardcore resulting in darker melodies and deeper-sounding kick drums with more distortion. Even more recently, the term Dubstyle
was introduced. Dubstyle is a fusion of elements of Hardstyle with a Dubstep
rhythm, usually a 2-step
or a breakbeat
rhythm. Because of the non-straightened beat in dubstyle, the bass is often more dragged out and/or it doesn't follow a strict offbeat pattern that regular hardstyle incorporates, which in turn results in Dubstyle basslines bearing similarities to dubstep basslines.
.
Shuffling is believed to have had originated in Melbourne
, Australia; as it is commonly known as the "Melbourne Shuffle
", having now caught on in a localized manner around the world.
It has now become popular throughout Indonesia, Europe and in the United Kingdom and other countries where shuffling is now an urban subculture.
In the Dutch hardstyle scene the most popular dance there, seems to be various forms of Jumpstyle. Other traditions of hardstyle are the jowza dance, which is based on jumping through a hoop based on various types of music.
D-Block & S-te-Fan
Deepack
Showtek
The Prophet (musician)
DJ Zany
Wildstylez
Technoboy
Zatox Blutonium Boy
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
genre mixing influences from hardtechno
Hardtechno
Hardtechno refers to a style of Techno, which evolved after 2000 from Schranz and Hardcore Techno.While the first harder Techno productions appeared around 1991 on labels such as PCP and Industrial Strength, these were referred to as Hardcore Techno...
, hard house, 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...
, hardcore and rave music. It is between 148 and 157 bpm in speed and is written in 4/4 time.
Hardstyle typically consists of a deep, hard-sounding kick, intense faded or reversed basslines accompanying the beat, a synth playing a melody, and detuned and distorted sounds. It bears some similarities to 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...
. Many hardcore artists produce hardstyle tracks as well, and many newer Hardstyle tracks are written in tuplet
Tuplet
In music a tuplet is "any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from that usually permitted by the...
.
History
Hardstyle takes impetus from hard tranceHard 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...
, 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"....
, oldschool 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 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...
and Hard House
UK Hard house
UK Hard House or simply Hard House is a style of Hard Dance music that emerged in the 1990s.-Sound:Proper hard house is typified by a set formula of up-tempo house music compressed kick drums, signature style off-beat basslines and the use of 'hoover' type sounds...
. The Hardstyle scene began in the 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...
when artists like Dana, Pavo, Darkraver, Luna and The Prophet
The Prophet (musician)
Dov J. Elkabas alias DJ The Prophet is a Dutch DJ/producer and one of the Dutch leading gabber and hardstyle DJs. The Prophet is also the owner of the largest hardstyle record labels, Scantraxx.-Biography:...
, who produced hardcore, started experimenting while playing their hardcore records. The first hardstyle events, like Qlubtempo, took place at the turn of the 20th Century. In the next couple of years, Hardstyle gained a lot of popularity in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as well.
The first few years of Hardstyle were characterized by a tempo of around 140 BPM, a compressed kick drum sound, a short vocal sample, a screech and the use of a "reverse bass", which can be heard on the offbeat after each kick. Around 2004-05 the genre became more melodic and uplifting, somewhat faster (usually 150 BPM), and distorted, sharp kick drum sounds were added. Many producers started to pitch-shift a distorted kick drum to create a melodic bassline that usually plays in pitch with a supersaw or an thinner Electro House synth melody. The melody often is in tuplet
Tuplet
In music a tuplet is "any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from that usually permitted by the...
form, which gives the genre a pulsating rhythm, whereas older hardstyle as well as other genres such as 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...
have more basic melodic structures to them. Thus, nowadays many people refer to the older style as Early Hardstyle.
Since around 2008, more terms to identify developements of hardstyle were introduced. Rawstyle is a type of hardstyle that takes impetus from Dutch hardcore resulting in darker melodies and deeper-sounding kick drums with more distortion. Even more recently, the term Dubstyle
Dubstyle
Dubstyle is a genre of electronic dance music, based on the fusion of hardstyle and dubstep. It was introduced to audiences by artists Headhunterz and Brennan Heart in March 2010, with the track "The MF Point of Perfection" on the album Studio Sessions, which followed a formulaic dubstep bassline,...
was introduced. Dubstyle is a fusion of elements of Hardstyle with a Dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
rhythm, usually a 2-step
2-step garage
2-step garage, or simply 2-step, is a typically English style of modern electronic dance music, and a relatively popular subgenre of UK garage.A transcription of this article is available as a PDF file.-Characteristics:...
or a breakbeat
Breakbeat
In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...
rhythm. Because of the non-straightened beat in dubstyle, the bass is often more dragged out and/or it doesn't follow a strict offbeat pattern that regular hardstyle incorporates, which in turn results in Dubstyle basslines bearing similarities to dubstep basslines.
Dance
There are several notable dances performed to hardstyle. The most popular dance performed to it is shufflingMelbourne Shuffle
The Melbourne Shuffle is a rave and club dance that originated in the late 1980s in the underground rave music scene in Melbourne, Australia. The basic movements in the dance are a fast heel-and-toe action with a style suitable for various types of electronic music. Some variants incorporate arm...
.
Shuffling is believed to have had originated in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia; as it is commonly known as the "Melbourne Shuffle
Melbourne Shuffle
The Melbourne Shuffle is a rave and club dance that originated in the late 1980s in the underground rave music scene in Melbourne, Australia. The basic movements in the dance are a fast heel-and-toe action with a style suitable for various types of electronic music. Some variants incorporate arm...
", having now caught on in a localized manner around the world.
It has now become popular throughout Indonesia, Europe and in the United Kingdom and other countries where shuffling is now an urban subculture.
In the Dutch hardstyle scene the most popular dance there, seems to be various forms of Jumpstyle. Other traditions of hardstyle are the jowza dance, which is based on jumping through a hoop based on various types of music.
Notable related events
- QlimaxQlimaxQlimax is an annual event held by the Dutch entertainment enterprise, Q-Dance. It is considered one of the leading hardstyle events on the calendar and a major attraction of Q-Dance and contains some of the most sophisticated production and setup for any event....
- Defqon 1
- Black
Notable artists
HeadhunterzHeadhunterz
Headhunterz, formerly known as Nasty D-Tuners, is a Dutch DJ/producer team, consisting of Willem Rebergen and formerly Bobby van Putten. Their own label Scantraxx Reloaded, started in 2006 is a sublabel of Scantraxx....
D-Block & S-te-Fan
D-Block & S-te-Fan
D-Block & S-te-Fan are two hardstyle artists from The Netherlands. They started co-producing in 2004. Bakker grew up with his father producing electronic music, which allowed him to learn musical skills very early in his childhood...
Deepack
Deepack
Deepack is a hardstyle act from the Netherlands. The two met in high school in the 1990s, and started producing together directly after they graduated. In 2001, they teamed up with Dutch Hardcore legend Charly Lownoise. Their first releases were on the record label of Dutch party planning...
Showtek
Showtek
Showtek are a Dutch hardstyle act, consisting of two brothers, Sjoerd and Wouter Janssen , who started producing Techno in 2001. They changed to hardstyle in 2003, and released their first album, Today Is Tomorrow, under their self founded label Dutch Master Works in 2007...
The Prophet (musician)
The Prophet (musician)
Dov J. Elkabas alias DJ The Prophet is a Dutch DJ/producer and one of the Dutch leading gabber and hardstyle DJs. The Prophet is also the owner of the largest hardstyle record labels, Scantraxx.-Biography:...
DJ Zany
DJ Zany
DJ Zany is a disc jockey and former member of Shadowlands Terrorists, now specialising in hardstyle. He is currently the owner of Fusion Records.- Biography :...
Wildstylez
Wildstylez
Joram Metekohy is a Dutch Hardstyle DJ and record producer. He has had notable collaborations with artists Headhunterz, Noisecontrollers, and D-Block & S-te-Fan. He began with his first solo release "Life'z A Bitch / Missin" on Scantraxx Reloaded, the label of DJ Headhunterz...
Technoboy
Technoboy
Cristiano Giusberti known by his primary stage name Technoboy is an Italian Hardstyle-DJ and Producer from Bologna.Technoboy is a DJ and Producer, who started out by playing vinyls in 1992...
Zatox Blutonium Boy
Blutonium Boy
Blutonium Boy is a producer, DJ and business man from Germany. He started playing as a DJ in 1988. Adamiak released "Dreams In My Fantasy" in Germany as DJ Session One. This track was promoted and distributed by East West - Warner with a video on VIVA TV and radio air play...