Terrorcore
Hardcore · 1994 · 190 to 220 BPM · also known as Terror, Terror Hardcore
Terrorcore is the hardest wing of 1990s hardcore, faster and darker than gabber, built on horror movie samples and New York nihilism at labels like Industrial Strength, with an equally extreme Dutch scene on the other side. It sits in a zone of deliberate radicalism between gabber and speedcore, where the kick stops functioning as rhythm and becomes a continuous, openly claimed assault.
12 reference tracks
- Delta 9: Real Hardcore (1994)
- DJ Skinhead: Extreme Terror (1995)
- Nasenbluten: Intellectual Killer (1995)
- Disciples of Annihilation: New York City Speedcore (1996)
- Delta 9: Deep 13 (1996)
- Disciples Of Annihilation: NYC Speedcore (1996)
- Noisekick & Paranoizer: Terrordrang (2020)
- Low Entropy: Des Trafiquants De Drogues (Extended Mix)
- Low Entropy: Between Good And Evil
- Low Entropy: Psychotic Break
- Lil Texas: Texcore Terror
- DJ Skinhead: Extreme Terror III
At a glance
- Tempo: 190 to 220 BPM
- First appeared: around 1994
- Machines: Roland Alpha Juno, Roland TR-909, Trackers (Amiga), Steinberg Cubase
- The sound: Kicks distordus au-delà de 200 BPM, Samples d'horreur, Distorsion totale, Hoover accéléré
- Labels: Industrial Strength Records, Fifth Era, Bloody Fist, Speedcore Worldwide Audio Netlabel
- Key artists: DJ Skinhead, Delta 9, Disciples of Annihilation, Temper Tantrum
Producing Terrorcore
Terrorcore starts where gabber leaves off, running 190 to 250 BPM, often 200 to 220; at these speeds a beat lasts under 300 milliseconds so the kick never finishes before the next. The kick is the gabber kick with its decay cut shorter and its distortion pushed further until each hit is almost white noise, the snare often swapped for a second, higher pitched kick, with rolls stretching into fast thirty-second notes. The kick's tail is too short to carry a bass note, so terrorcore substitutes distorted noise, a low sawtooth drone, or a second, slower kick with a long decay acting as a bourdon. Horror movie samples, screams, laughter, killer dialogue pitched down and distorted, sit alongside a faster hoover, resonant saw pads and industrial noise, degraded to eight bit to match the era's trackers.
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 Terrorcore?
Terrorcore is the hardest wing of 1990s hardcore, faster and darker than gabber, built on horror movie samples and New York nihilism at labels like Industrial Strength, with an equally extreme Dutch scene on the other side. It sits in a zone of deliberate radicalism between gabber and speedcore,…
What tempo is Terrorcore played at?
Between 190 and 220 BPM.
Who are the key Terrorcore artists?
DJ Skinhead, Delta 9, Disciples of Annihilation, Temper Tantrum.
