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

subgenre Genre () is any style or form 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 ...

hardcore dance music Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos (160 to 200 BPM or more) and a distorted sawtooth ...

or "

hard dance Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos (160 to 200 BPM or more) and a distorted sawtooth ...

". It emerged both from the UK

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

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 ...

, and Belgian, German and Dutch

hardcore techno Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos (160 to 200 BPM or more) and a distorted sawtooth ...

scenes in the early 1990s. What makes happy hardcore stand apart from

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

is that happy hardcore tends to have breakbeats running alongside the 4/4 kick drum.

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 music genre, music subgenre of breakbeat hardcore in the UK rave scene, that emerged from late 1992. It is recognised as being one of the direct precursors of the genre now known as drum and ...

(tracks embracing dark-themed samples and stabs),

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

(

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

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". Biogr ...

, DJ Sy, DJ Seduction, Wishdokta,

DJ Dougal Paul Arnold Clarke (born 14th April 1975), professionally known as DJ Dougal, is a British UK happy hardcore producer and DJ. Career Clarke 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 1993/94 – notably Slipmatt through the SMD releases, ''Wishdokta'' as 'Naughty Naughty', and ''Seduction'' on the Impact label.

1990s growth

The sound of happy hardcore changed in the 1990s, with 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 usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The hea ...

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

Hixxy Hixxy, or DJ Hixxy, (real name Ian Hicks, born 1975) 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 albu ...

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: Places * Breeze Center, a shopping center in Songshan ...

, Force & Styles,

DJ Sharkey DJ Sharkey (born Jonathan Kneath on 25 July 1974) 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 Kingdom, the United State ...

, and DJ DNA, and tracks that started to define the genre included " Heart of Gold", "

Pretty Green Eyes "Pretty Green Eyes" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. An album mix appeared on their debut album, '' All Over the UK'' (1996), and the song was released as a 12-inch single in 1997. The song achieved ...

", "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 Bonkers may refer to: Television * ''Bonkers'' (American TV series), a 1993–1994 animated series * ''Bonkers'' (British TV series), 2007 comedy * '' Bonkers!'', a 1979 British TV show * "Bonkers" (''The Price Is Right''), a game segment ...

'' would be commercially popular and showcase the latest happy hardcore music. Bonkers only really came into being due to the record label

React REACT or React may refer to: Computing * React (software), a JavaScript library for building user interfaces from Facebook Inc (now Meta Platforms) ** React Native, a mobile application framework created by Facebook Inc (now Meta Platforms) * React ...

showing interest in ''

Toy Town "Toy Town" is a happy hardcore track by British duo Hixxy and Sharkey. Released in 1995, the single was a hit in the UK clubbing scene, peaked at number 24 in the UK dance singles chart, and had a pivotal impact in the UK rave music scene w ...

'', and Hixxy and Sharkey convincing the label to do 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 Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

called ''

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

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'' is a series of compilation albums from Clubland, released by Universal Music TV and AATW, that was initiated by DJ producers Hixxy and Styles. The series has been credited as a turning point in the popularity of ...

'', and an evermore youthful audience. In 2009, DJ Kutski hosted a show featuring hard dance and hardcore on Radio 1.

Happy hardcore compilations

Notable happy hardcore compilation albums include: * ''

'' * ''

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

'' * '' Happy 2b Hardcore'' * '' Hardcore Euphoria'' * ''Hardcore Heaven''

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
{{Breakbeat Hardcore music genres * British styles of music Dutch styles of music