Hardstyle
Dutch mid-tempo hard dance with a distorted kick, reverse bass and big melodies.
History
Hardstyle is an electronic dance style that began in the late 1990s in the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy s1. It mixes hard trance, hardcore and techno s1s2. Early hardstyle was usually about 140 beats per minute, while modern hardstyle is closer to 150 s1. Its main feature is a hard, overdriven kick drum with an offbeat bass called a reverse bass s1. Producers can make the bassline with the kick itself by tuning and distorting it s1. The first hardstyle event, Qlubtempo, was held in Zaandam in 2000 s3. The company Q-Dance trademarked the name Hardstyle in 2002 s3. The first Defqon.1 festival followed in 2003 s3. Early producers and acts included The Prophet, Dana and later Headhunterz s2s3. In the 2010s hardstyle reached large festival stages and influenced big room house s1. The style later split into euphoric hardstyle and rawstyle s3. Hardstyle festivals such as Defqon.1 became very large in the 2010s s1.
Sound
- A distorted, pitched kick drum
- An offbeat 'reverse bass'
- Big supersaw melodies
- Tempos around 150 beats per minute
- Long breakdowns before a drop
Key figures
- The Prophet — Dutch producer often called a godfather of hardstyle
- Headhunterz — Producer who made hardstyle known to a wider audience
- Dana — Dutch DJ and producer in the early scene
- Showtek — Dutch hardstyle act behind several anthems
Labels
- Scantraxx — Beek en Donk , 2002
- Fusion Records — Amsterdam , 2001
- Q-Dance — Amsterdam , 1998
- Dirty Workz — Belgium , 2007
Defining tracks
Connections
Came from: Hard Trance , Gabber , Hard House
Led to: Euphoric Hardstyle , Hard Dance , Hardbass , Jumpstyle , Rawstyle
Sources
- Hardstyle — Wikipedia
- Exploring Hardstyle: A Cornerstone of Dutch Dance Culture — Splice
- The hitchhiker's guide to Hard Dance Music — Firebird Magazine