Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a

subgenre 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 being, category of literature, ...

hardcore dance music 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 ...

or "

hard dance 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 ...

". It emerged both from the UK

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 ...

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 mu ...

, and Belgian, German and Dutch

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 ...

scenes in the early 1990s.

History

Origins

The

rave 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 ...

scene was beginning to fragment by late 1992 into a number of subsequent breakbeat-based genres:

darkcore Darkcore (also referred to as darkside hardcore) is a genre of electronic dance music, considered to be a subgenre of breakbeat hardcore, which came out from the UK rave scene of the early 1990s; this genre in particular emerged from late 1992 ...

(tracks embracing dark-themed samples and stabs),

hardcore jungle Jungle is a music genre, genre of dance music that developed out of the UK rave scene and sound system (Jamaican), sound system culture in the 1990s. Emerging from breakbeat hardcore, the style is characterised by rapid breakbeats, heavily syncopa ...

(

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

basslines and influences became prominent), and 4-beat also known as ''happy hardcore'' where piano rolls and uplifting vocals were still central to the sound. DJs such as

Slipmatt Matthew Nelson (born 22 April 1967 in Loughton, Essex, England), better known as DJ Slipmatt, is a British electronic music producer and DJ. He was one half of breakbeat hardcore group SL2, who had a 1992 UK hit with " On a Ragga Tip". Biogra ...

, DJ Sy, DJ Seduction,

Wishdokta Grant Nelson (born April 1971 in London), also known as Wishdokta, Bump & Flex and N'n'G, is an English DJ, remixer and record producer. In the 1990s, inspired by producers such as Masters at Work, MK and Eddie Perez, he played an important ...

DJ Dougal Paul Arnold Clarke (born 1975 in Northampton), and better known as DJ Dougal, is a British UK hardcore and happy hardcore artist and DJ. He first became involved with the dance music scene at the age of 15, while setting up sound systems for so ...

, and DJ Vibes continued to play and put out music of this nature throughout 1993/4 – notably Slipmatt through the ''SMD'' releases, Wishdokta as ''Naughty Naughty'', and Seduction on the ''Impact'' label. In mainland Europe,

new beat New beat is a Belgian electronic dance music genre that fuses elements of new wave, hi-NRG,Simon Reynolds: ''Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture.'' Routledge 1999, , p. 124. EBM and hip hop (e.g. scratching).Timo ...

and

from Belgium had spread into Germany and the Netherlands, artists such as

Paul Elstak Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

Marc Trauner Marc Trauner (born April 7, 1969) better known by his numerous aliases including Marc Acardipane, Mescalinum United, The Mover, Pilldriver, Marshall Masters and Resident E, is a DJ and producer based in Frankfurt, Germany. History Trauner w ...

Praga Khan Maurice Joseph François Engelen (born 7 January 1959), known by his stage name Praga Khan, is a Belgian electronic musician. Khan is considered one of the leading pioneers of the new beat/acid house/techno electronic dance music scene that origi ...

Human Resource Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include m ...

, and

Frank De Wulf Frank De Wulf (born 1968) is a Belgian DJ, musician and record label owner. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Belgian new beat and techno scene. Life and career Frank De Wulf was born in 1968 as the youngest of three sons.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 mu ...

1990s growth

Happy hardcore as it had become known was starting to gain popularity alongside

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 ''jaṅ ...

during 1994 and 1995, often being hosted at major raves such as Dreamscape and Helter Skelter, and other events held at the

Sanctuary Music Arena The Sanctuary Music Arena was a 22,000 sq ft, 3,500 capacity music venue in Denbigh North, Milton Keynes in the UK, and most well known for its connection to the rave scene. Origins Originally intended for industrial use, the unit was built sp ...

. Parties hosting this music on the south coast of England included Fusion (Portsmouth), Adrenalin (Southampton), and Tazzmania (Hastings). A huge part of the spread of both jungle and hardcore in these early days was the creation and sale of cassette tape compilation packs by the rave promoters. These would often contain hours of music recorded live at the rave events and would be sold across the country from independent record shops and via mail order, with the music then finding its way into the car stereo's of the ravers and the Walkman's of their younger siblings in the school yards. In

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the

pirate radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...

station Dream FM would become the primary champion of the genre, and later Eruption FM. The sound was also changing, tracks increasingly losing their breakbeats towards a stomping distorted 909 4/4

kick drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

pattern, with more original vocal leads and stab patterns. DJs and producers that began to come through included

Hixxy Hixxy, or DJ Hixxy, (born Ian Hicks) is a British disc jockey and electronic music producer known for his innovative work in the UK Happy hardcore scene, co-founding the Raver Baby record label, and the Bonkers compilation album series. Career ...

Breeze Breeze often refers to: * A gentle to moderate wind * Sea breeze, an onshore afternoon wind, caused by warm air rising over the land in sunny weather Breeze or The Breeze may also refer to: * Breeze block a concrete masonry unit made from recovere ...

, Force & Styles,

DJ Sharkey DJ Sharkey (born Jonathan Kneath on 25 July 1974 in Plymouth, England) is a British record producer, disc jockey and rapper. As of September 2011 he is semi-retired from music production and performance. Sharkey has performed in the United King ...

, and DJ DNA, and tracks that started to define the genre included '' Heart of Gold, Pretty Green Eyes, Cloudy Daze, Sunshine after the Rain,'' ''Above the Clouds, Discoland, Love of my Life, Techno Wonderland, and Hardcore Fever''. Throughout the mid-late 1990s, the compilation series '' Bonkers'' would be commercially popular and showcase the latest hardcore music. As a side note; Bonkers only really came into being due to the record label React showing interest in Toy Town, and Hixxy and Sharkey blagging a compilation album deal instead.

2000s

In the UK, the scene received its own special on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

called ''

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

Is Not Enough'' (named after a track by CLSM) in 2004. The scene continued to expand, with compilations such as ''

Clubland X-Treme Hardcore ''Clubland X-Treme Hardcore'' are a series of compilation albums from Clubland released by Universal Music TV, AATW. Series overview Clubland X-Treme * Disc 1 # Scooter – Weekend 4:49 # Drunkenmunky – E 2:39 # Porn Kings vs. Flip & Fi ...

'', and an ever youthful audience. In 2009, DJ Kutski hosted a show featuring hard dance and hardcore on Radio 1. After a brief decline after 2009, including the closure of labels, DJs such as Kevin Energy and Sharkey announcing their retirements, the rise of digital labels has helped to both re-energise both classic releases as well as new and upcoming artists including Fracus & Darwin. Elsewhere at this time, this particular sound had found a new worldwide audience in places such as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Happy hardcore compilations

* '' Bonkers'' * ''

Dancemania Speed ''Dancemania Speed'' is a sub-series of Toshiba EMI's ''Dancemania'' compilation series. This series features faster, further remixed versions of recordings from previously released ''Dancemania'' albums or faster remixed covers of various famous ...

'' * '' Happy 2b Hardcore'' * ''

'' * ''Hardcore Til I Die'' * ''Ultimate Hard NRG & Hardcore'' * ''

Hardcore Euphoria ''Euphoria'' is a series of dance music compilations that debuted on the Telstar Records label in early 1999. During the first year, ''Euphoria'' focused primarily on trance music until mid-2000 when ''Euphoria'' released the first Chill-out mus ...

'' * ''True Hardcore''

References

Bibliography

External links

United States of Hardcore - UK based hardcore music website

HappyHardcore.com - Hardcore music website and radio

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100613163937/http://www.bdwrekordings.com/articles/hardcore-dance-music.html "Hardcore Dance Music – What Is Hardcore Dance Music?" – BDWRekordings.com
The world's #1 clubbing community site, voted "Best Website" at the 2008 Hardcore Heaven Awards
{{Hardcore techno Hardcore music genres * British styles of music Dutch styles of music