Digital hardcore is a fusion genre that combines

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

with electronic dance music genres such as

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 ...

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

, and

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 ...

while also drawing on heavy metal and noise music. It typically features fast tempos and aggressive sound samples. The style was pioneered by

Alec Empire Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat *Alec Acton (1938� ...

of the German band Atari Teenage Riot during the early 1990s, and often has

sociological Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

far-left Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...

lyrical themes.

Characteristics

Digital hardcore music is typically fast and abrasive, combining the speed, heaviness and

attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

, and

riot grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultur ...

with

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

such as

hardcore techno Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno or hardcore house) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos and a distorte ...

gabber Gabber (; ) is a style of electronic dance music and a subgenre of hardcore techno, as well as the surrounding subculture. The music is more commonly referred to as Hardcore, which is characterised by fast beats, distorted & heavier kickdrums, ...

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

glitch A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...

, and

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...

. Some bands, like Atari Teenage Riot, incorporate elements of hip-hop music, such as

freestyle rap Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...

. According to Jeff Terich of ''Treble Media'', digital hardcore is "on the verge of reaching speeds incompatible with popular music, as if the rapid acceleration of BPMs would render the idea of rhythm irrelevant or, at the very least, unpredictable. Maybe this is music for dancing; definitely this is music for screaming and breaking things." The

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

(either real or sampled and usually heavily distorted) is used alongside samplers,

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 ...

s and drum machines. While the use of electronic instruments is a defining feature of the genre,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

s, and

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...

s are optional. Vocals are more often shouted than sung by more than one member of the group. Typically, the lyrics are highly politicized and espouse

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

ideals. Some practitioners have been influenced by

anarcho-punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcor ...

History

1990s

The music was first defined by the band Atari Teenage Riot, who formed in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany in 1992. The band's frontman,

, coined the term "digital hardcore," setting up the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Digital Hardcore Recordings Digital Hardcore Recordings (DHR) is a record label set up in 1994 by Alec Empire, Joel Amaretto and Pete Lawton. Most of the music is recorded in Berlin, though the label is based in London where the records are mastered and manufactured. The ...

in 1994.Interview with J. Amaretto of DHR, WAX Magazine, issue 5, 1995. Included in liner notes of ''Digital Hardcore Recordings, Harder Than the Rest!!!'' compilation CD. German bands with a similar style began signing to the label and its underground popularity grew, with small digital hardcore festivals being held in several German cities. By the mid-1990s, a number of new record labels specializing in the genre were formed around the world. These included Gangster Toons Industries (Paris), Praxis (London), Cross Fade Enter Tainment (Hamburg), Drop Bass Network (U.S.), and

Bloody Fist Nasenbluten were an Australian electronic music group, formed in Newcastle, NSW, Newcastle in 1992. The group was made up of Aaron Lubinski, David Melo, and Mark Newlands, and released six studio albums before disbanding in 2001. They have been ...

(Australia).

also had some kinship with the Frankfurt labels

Mille Plateaux ''A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia'' (french: link=no, Mille plateaux) is a 1980 book by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the French psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. It is the second and final volume of their collaborativ ...

and Riot Beats. Alec Empire's work subsequently set the template for

breakcore Breakcore is a style and microgenre of electronic dance music that emerged from jungle, hardcore, and drum and bass in the mid-to-late 1990s. It is characterized by very complex and intricate breakbeats and a wide palette of sampling sou ...

.Matt Earp, "Breakcore: Live Fast", XLR8R, July 20, 2006. Access date: August 8, 2008. Other prominent digital hardcore musicians of this period include Christoph de Babalon,

Cobra Killer The Cobra Killer duo of Gina V. D'Orio and Annika Trost began as part of Alec Empire's Digital hardcore movement. Both were part of other bands signed to Empire's Digital Hardcore Recordings label—D'Orio was in EC8OR, and Trost was in Shizuo. ...

, Sonic Subjunkies, EC8OR,

Hanin Elias Hanin Elias (born 31 May 1972) is a Syrian German industrial/techno artist. She was a member of Atari Teenage Riot and is now a solo artist. After Atari Teenage Riot's non-definitive break in 2000, and the subsequent death of Carl Crack f ...

Lolita Storm Lolita Storm was a digital hardcore band from the UK consisting of Nhung Napalm, Romy Bonilla Medina, Jimmy Too-Bad, and Spex. Its main characteristics are chanted punk lyrics about sex, celebrity hatred, drugs, and feminism. All are present ...

Nic Endo Nic Endo (born January 7, 1976) is a Japanese-German- American noise musician who plays with the German digital hardcore group Atari Teenage Riot. The daughter of a Japanese mother and a German father, Endo was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, US ...

The Panacea Mathis Mootz is a prolific German electronic musician and DJ. Mootz is best known as The Panacea (until 2005, simply as Panacea), his drum and bass stage name and main musical project, and as m2 (pronounced "Squaremeter"), his dark ambient s ...

, and

The Mad Capsule Markets The Mad Capsule Markets (originally known as The Mad Capsule Market's and Berrie) were a Japanese band that formed in 1985 and were active until 2006. The band became known for their experimental style, which melded various kinds of electronic m ...

2000s

In Alec Empire's words, "Digital Hardcore went from a local, Berlin based scene to an international underground movement."The definitive Alec Empire Interview 26/02/02
The soundtrack to the film ''

Threat A threat is a communication of intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. Intimidation is a tactic used between conflicting parties to make the other timid or psychologically insecure for coercion or control. The act of intimidation for co ...

'' included contributions from digital hardcore musicians, along with

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

bands.

James Plotkin James Plotkin is an American guitarist and producer known for his role in bands such as Khanate (band), Khanate and OLD (band), OLD but with an extensive catalogue outside these bands. He has played guitar for Phantomsmasher and Scorn (band), Sco ...

Dave Witte Dave Witte (born August 11, 1971) is an American drummer. He is known for his work in numerous extreme metal or hardcore punk bands including Municipal Waste, Melt-Banana, Discordance Axis, Black Army Jacket, Birds of Prey, Burnt by the Sun, a ...

and Speedranch's project

Phantomsmasher Phantomsmasher is an experimental grindcore/electronic band led by musician James Plotkin, previously known as Atomsmasher. The band signed to Ipecac Recordings in 2002, and is reportedly currently working on a third album. Members *James Plotk ...

combined digital hardcore with grindcore. Notable 21st century digital hardcore groups include

Left Spine Down Left Spine Down (LSD) is a Canadian band based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that plays what they call "cyberpunk": a mixture of electronica, metal, punk, and drum & bass. History The group formed in Vancouver in 2001 with Matt Girvan, Frank ...

Motormark Motormark were a Scottish electronic punk band formed in 2001. In early 2007 Motormark split up and members Jane and Marko founded a new band with two new members called FANGS. The band consisted of Jane Fisher (stage name Jane Motoro) and Ma ...

Death Spells Death Spells was an American digital hardcore band formed in 2012. The group was composed of My Chemical Romance rhythm guitarist Frank Iero and keyboardist James Dewees (also of The Get Up Kids and Reggie and the Full Effect), who were both me ...

The Shizit The Shizit was a digital hardcore act from Seattle, Washington, United States, USA, initially formed by J.P. Anderson and Brian Shrader in early 1999. The music was an intense mix of Gabber music, gabber, breakbeat, drum and bass, hardcore techno, ...

Rabbit Junk Rabbit Junk is an American industrial metal band made up of former the Shizit frontman JP Anderson and his wife Jennifer "Sum Grrl" Bernert. The band formed in Seattle in 2004 and are currently active in southern California.Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas ''( sic)'' (フィアー·アンド·ロージング·イン·ラスベガス) is a Japanese electronicore band from Kobe that was formed in summer 2008. The band currently consists of vocalist So, keyboardist Mi ...

2010s–2020s

Digital hardcore saw less prominence in the 2010s. However, its international influence can be seen in the prominence of

electronicore Electronicore (also known as synthcore or trancecore) is a fusion genre of metalcore with elements of various electronic music genres, often including trance, electronica, and dubstep. Reception Sumerian Records noted in the late 2000s that ...

, a similar musical genre fusing hardcore punk and metalcore with electronica. The German band

We Butter the Bread with Butter We Butter the Bread with Butter (also known as WBTBWB) is a German deathcore band noted for their heavy use of electronic music characteristics. The group was founded in 2007 by guitarist Marcel Neumann and vocalist Tobias Schultka, was signed to ...

has seen commercial success employing this fusion. The term "digital hardcore" has largely fallen out of use, given its association with politically charged lyrics, which are not a characteristic of newer electronicore artists.

References

Bibliography

* Reynolds, Simon (1999). ''Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture''. Routledge. * Taylor, Steve (2006). ''The A to X of Alternative Music''. Continuum International Publishing Group. {{rock 20th-century music genres 21st-century music genres Hardcore punk genres Hardcore music genres

Characteristics

History

1990s

2000s

2010s–2020s

See also

References

Bibliography