Hardcore Techno
Hardcore · 1990 · 160 to 190 BPM · also known as Hardcore, Rave Hardcore Continental
Hardcore techno formed between 1990 and 1992 across Frankfurt, New York and Rotterdam, as techno pushed its kick drum into distortion and its tempo past 150 beats per minute. We Have Arrived by Mescalinum United is the founding blast, championed by Marc Acardipane on one side of the Atlantic and Lenny Dee on the other. In the Netherlands, hardcore grew into an entire culture, with gabber as its dominant dialect.
6 reference tracks
- Mescalinum United: We Have Arrived (1990)
- T99: Anasthasia (1991)
- Human Resource: Dominator (1991)
- Marc Acardipane: We Have Arrived (1991)
- Marc Acardipane: Stereo Murder (1993)
- Angerfist: Diabolic Dice (2023)
At a glance
- Tempo: 160 to 190 BPM
- First appeared: around 1990
- Machines: Roland Alpha Juno, Roland Juno-106, Akai S1000
- The sound: Kick 909 distordu et resamplé, Roland Alpha Juno (hoover), Samplers Akai, Distorsion en série
- Labels: Rotterdam Records, Industrial Strength Records, PRSPCT Recordings, Heresy, PCP, Mokum
- Key artists: Marc Acardipane, Lenny Dee, Paul Elstak (débuts), The Horrorist (frange)
Producing Hardcore Techno
Early hardcore techno sits at 150 to 170 BPM, faster than the Frankfurt and New York techno it grew from, still readable as techno, the kick a rhythm rather than a continuous vibration. There is no swing and no humanization, the brutality coming from the kick: layer a 909 sample and push it through repeated stages of light distortion, bouncing and distorting again for a chain-reaction crunch. Snare doubles a clap on two and four, closed hats sit in eighths, and a sixteenth-note snare roll closes out every eight-bar block. There is often no separate bass, the distorted kick's decay functioning as the note, and when a bass appears it is a short stab, a Juno or Operator saw at 300Hz. The signature sound is the hoover, three detuned saws through a chorus with a pitch glide rising twelve semitones.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Hardcore Techno?
Hardcore techno formed between 1990 and 1992 across Frankfurt, New York and Rotterdam, as techno pushed its kick drum into distortion and its tempo past 150 beats per minute. We Have Arrived by Mescalinum United is the founding blast, championed by Marc Acardipane on one side of the Atlantic and…
What tempo is Hardcore Techno played at?
Between 160 and 190 BPM.
Who are the key Hardcore Techno artists?
Marc Acardipane, Lenny Dee, Paul Elstak (débuts), The Horrorist (frange).
In the same family
- Gabber
- Terrorcore
- Speedcore
- Nu Style Gabber
- Uptempo Hardcore
- Doomcore
- Frenchcore
- Dubstyle
- Happy Hardcore
- Bouncy Techno
- UK Hardcore
- Raggacore
Listen to Hardcore Techno in the atlas · Cette page en français
