Happy Hardcore Music Guide: 4 Notable Happy Hardcore Artists

Happy hardcore is a fast-paced type of hard dance music that is also known in the rave scene as happycore and UK hardcore. Ravers seek out happy hardcore for its relentless energy and bouncy melodies, which help distinguish it from breakbeat hardcore and related forms of electronic music.

Key touchstones of the happy hardcore movement include the Bonkers compilation series, and influential DJs like Hixxy, Slipmatt, Gammer, and DJ Seduction. They exemplify the rapid-fire tempos and upbeat melodic content that distinguishes happy hardcore from other types of rave music like hardstyle, dubstep, Dutch gabber, and oldschool (also known as old skool).

Happy hardcore emerged in the early 1990s when DJs known for related rave genres like breakbeat hardcore and new beat began experimenting with faster tempos and upbeat vocals. These DJs—including Slipmatt, DJ Vibes, DJ Dougal, Scott Brown, and DJ Seduction—also dabbled in other offshoot genres like jungle and bouncy techno. These related genres often appeared on the same playlists and record labels.

Happy hardcore grew in the 1990s thanks to the London pirate radio station Dream FM and the Bonkers compilations, which highlighted trending DJs in the UK rave scene. Newer DJs like DJ Sharkey and Hixxy adopted the happy hardcore aesthetic by speeding up their tempos and incorporating upbeat samples and synth riffs. By the turn of the twenty-first century, happy hardcore began to cede ground to similar EDM genres like techno, electro, and dubstep. The style has enjoyed a resurgence in the 2020s thanks to DJs like London's Spinee, who weaves happy hardcore with styles like breakcore and trance.

Happy hardcore music stands out among related genres for a few key characteristics.

1. 1. Fast tempos: Happy hardcore BPMs are as fast as any in the world of mainstream rave music. Most tracks range between 160 and 200 BPM.
2. 2. Drum-based sound: The Roland TR-909 drum machine often serves as the driving force behind happy hardcore tracks. Its distinctive kick drum pulse provides the bedrock of the genre's bouncy, upbeat sound.
3. 3. Uplifting samples, riffs, and vocal melodies: Happy hardcore DJs use upbeat synth riffs, samples, and vocal melodies to project positive energy in their tracks.

Four key DJs embody the happy hardcore sound.

1. 1. DJ Slipmatt: As much as anything, Slipmatt's SMD collection of tracks (which stood for Slip Matt's Dubs) established the sound of happy hardcore. The DJ, born Matthew Nelson, sought to intentionally counter the darker sounds coming from mainstream hardcore, and he did this by speeding up tempos and layering on samples that were overtly positive.
2. 2. DJ Dougal: London's DJ Dougal broke out within the happy hardcore scene when he DJ'ed the 1993 New Year's Eve rave at famed nightclub Dreamscape. He built on the propulsive kick drums that Slipmatt had brought to the hardcore genre.
3. 3. Scott Brown: Scott Brown is a Scottish DJ celebrated for fusing happy hardcore with gabba and bouncy techno.
4. 4. Fracus & Darwin: Although this electronic music duo is better known for drum and bass productions (which are comparatively dark), they have also dabbled in happy hardcore, which has helped revive the genre within the rave community.

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