Darkcore (also referred to as darkside hardcore) is a

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

of electronic dance music, considered to be a subgenre of

breakbeat hardcore Breakbeat hardcore (also referred to as hardcore rave or oldskool hardcore) is a music genre of the very early 1990s that spawned from the UK rave scene. It combines four-on-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats usually sampled from hip hop. In ...

, which came out from the UK

rave scene A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

of the early 1990s; this genre in particular emerged from late 1992. It is recognised as being one of the direct precursors of the music genre now known as

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

Origins

By late 1992,

was beginning to fragment, and darkcore was one of the subgenres to emerge, in contrast with

4-beat Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a subgenre of hardcore dance music or "hard dance". It emerged both from the UK breakbeat hardcore rave scene, and Belgian, German and Dutch hardcore techno scenes in the early 1990s. H ...

. Darkcore is often characterised by dark-themed samples such as

horror movie Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

elements, cries for help, sinister sounding stabs and

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

notes, along with syncopated

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and UK ...

s in addition to 4-to-the-floor beats and low frequency basslines. It also saw the introduction of effects such as

pitch shift Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval ( transposition) are called pitch shifters. Pitch and ti ...

ing and

time stretching Time stretching may refer to: * Audio time stretching and pitch scaling, in audio * Time stretching, in video * Time dilation, in physics (relativity theory) * Time stretch analog-to-digital converter The time-stretch analog-to-digital converter (T ...

to create mood.

Notable releases

Notable releases include

Top Buzz Top Buzz are a British breakbeat hardcore and jungle DJ/ MC duo. History Top Buzz were originally formed in 1988 by MC Patrick Jarrett ("Mad P"), DJ Mikee B and DJ Jason Kaye. All originate from areas in north London, Tottenham and Enfield re ...

's "Living in the Darkness" (Basement, 1993),

DJ Hype Kevin Ford (born 1968), better known as DJ Hype, is a British jungle and drum and bass producer and DJ. Biography Hype first became involved in music as a teenager in 1982, assisting PJ and Smiley with their sound system Heatwave in East Lo ...

's "Shot in the Dark" (

Suburban Base Suburban Base Records is a British breakbeat hardcore, rave and jungle/drum and bass record label. It is based in Romford, Havering, England. It was established by Danny Donnelly and operated in the UK from 1990 to 1997 and in the United States ...

, 1993),

Origin Unknown Origin Unknown were an English electronic music duo comprising Andy C and Ant Miles. Producing drum and bass music, they are best known for their 1993 song " Valley of the Shadows", originally released as the B-side of "The Touch", before its ...

's "

Valley of the Shadows "Valley of the Shadows" is a song by English drum and bass duo Origin Unknown. Considered to be a highly influential jungle track, it was originally released as the B-side of "The Touch" before its re-release as a standalone single in 1996, both ...

" (

RAM Records RAM Records is an independent record label established in 1992 by Andy C with the help of his friend Ant Miles. It specialises in drum and bass. The label and business is run by Andy C and business partner Scott Bourne (Red One). Ram Records ...

, 1993),

Ed Rush Ed Rush is the stage name used by the drum and bass producer and DJ, Ben Settle (born 1973). Rush has been releasing records since 1992 and primarily with his musical partner Optical (Matt Quinn), since 1997. Along with Optical he is also the co ...

's "Bloodclot Artattack" (No U Turn, 1993), Rufige Cru's "Terminator" (

Reinforced Records Reinforced Records is a British breakbeat hardcore, jungle, and drum and bass record label, first founded in 1989 by 4hero and based in Dollis Hill, London. Reinforced is one of the groundbreaking record labels of the genre.Reynolds, S. (1998) ...

, 1992),

Doc Scott Scott McIlroy (born 1971, Coventry, England), better known as Doc Scott or Nasty Habits, is a British drum and bass DJ and producer. Biography He originally started to DJ at clubs and raves such as Amnesia House and The Eclipse in 1989/1990, ...

's "Here Comes the Drumz" (Reinforced Records, 1992),

4hero 4hero are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. While the band is often cited as ''4 Hero'' or ''4-Hero'', the name is stylised as ''4hero'' on their albums and ...

's "Journey from the Light" (Reinforced Records, 1993), and

Omni Trio Robert "Rob" Haigh, also known as Omni Trio, is a British electronic, ambient and experimental musician. Career Early work (1979–1991) At school, Haigh was in a band called Labyrinth playing original material that was influenced by David B ...

's "Feel Good" (

Moving Shadow Moving Shadow is an English breakbeat hardcore Breakbeat hardcore (also referred to as hardcore rave or oldskool hardcore) is a music genre of the very early 1990s that spawned from the UK rave scene. It combines four-on-the-floor rhythms ...

, 1993).

Origins

Notable releases

See also

References

Further reading