Hard Dance
An umbrella name for fast, hard club styles such as hard house, hard trance and hardstyle.
History
Hard dance is an umbrella name for several fast, hard styles of electronic dance music s1. The name covers hard house, hard trance and hardstyle s1. These styles have fast tempos and hard kick drums, but they are usually less harsh than hardcore s1. Writers and shops use the name to group the music together s1s2. The sound grew from club scenes in Britain and the Netherlands in the late 1990s s2. Hard house came from London clubs such as Trade s3. Hard trance came from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands s1. Hardstyle came from the Netherlands in about 2000 s2. Big events such as Qlubtempo and Defqon.1 helped hardstyle grow s2. Hard dance also covers some Eurodance and regional styles such as makina s1. It sometimes crosses over with hardcore styles such as frenchcore and UK hardcore s1. The name is mainly used by shops, labels and fans, not by one single scene s1. Big festivals in the Netherlands and Britain still play the music s2.
Sound
- Fast tempos
- Hard, punchy kick drums
- Offbeat bass lines
- Big melodic leads
- A less harsh sound than hardcore
Key figures
- Tony De Vit — British DJ and a founder of hard house
- The Prophet — Dutch producer important in early hardstyle
- Headhunterz — Dutch producer who brought hardstyle to a wider audience
- Dana — Dutch DJ and producer in the early hardstyle scene
Labels
- Tidy Trax — London , 1995
- Bonzai Records — Antwerp , 1992
- Scantraxx — Beek en Donk , 2002
- Q-Dance — Amsterdam , 1998
Defining tracks
Connections
Came from: Hard House , Hard Trance , Hardstyle , Hardcore Techno
Sources
- Hardcore (electronic dance music genre) — Wikipedia
- The hitchhiker's guide to Hard Dance Music — Firebird Magazine
- UK hard house — Wikipedia