Uptempo Hardcore
Very fast Dutch hardcore with hard, distorted kicks, popular at festivals from the 2010s.
History
Uptempo hardcore is a very fast form of hardcore techno from the Netherlands s1. In the middle of the 2010s, listeners moved from mainstream hardcore to faster styles such as frenchcore, uptempo and terrorcore s1. Tempos rose from about 160 to 180 beats per minute to over 200 s1. This created a demand for louder and more energetic music s1. The style uses heavily distorted, hard kicks and rough, simple sound design s2. It borrows from gabber, terrorcore, speedcore and hardstyle s2. There is little harmony and the focus is on impact and speed s2. Producers such as Deadly Guns, D-Fence and N-Vitral became well known s3. Large Dutch hardcore festivals gave the style a big audience s1. Uptempo is usually about 185 to 220 beats per minute s2. It is now one of the main sounds of the Dutch hardcore scene s3. Many uptempo tracks are made for the closing hours of large festivals s2.
Sound
- Tempos around 200 beats per minute
- Extremely distorted kick drums
- Screaming leads and shouted samples
- Simpler than mainstream hardcore
- A focus on raw energy
Key figures
- D-Fence — Dutch uptempo producer and DJ
- Deadly Guns — Dutch uptempo producer
- N-Vitral — Dutch hardcore producer with an industrial sound
- Dr. Peacock — Producer who helped the faster styles grow
Labels
- The Third Movement — Amsterdam , 1998
- Neophyte Records — Rotterdam , 1998
- Masters of Hardcore — Rotterdam , 1996
Defining tracks
Connections
Came from: Mainstream Hardcore , Hardcore Techno
Sources
- Hardcore (electronic dance music genre) — Wikipedia
- Uptempo Hardcore — Melodigging
- Hardcore vs Uptempo: The Tempo and Intensity Split, Explained — HARD CULTR (2026)