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RomanticKnight
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Italy
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Joined: Jul, 2008
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 Posted - 2008/07/19 : 11:35:35
I would like to read some opinions about this question : Does the term " Happy Hardcore " refer only to old school " Happy Hardcore " or it can also be used for Uk Hardcore and FreeForm?
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silver
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Japan
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Posted - 2008/07/19 : 11:56:11
Depends on the country you're in or who you're talking to.
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Craigavon raver
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Ireland
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Posted - 2008/07/19 : 12:45:25
well i would class happy hardcore the style of rave from 1995-2000,when the english djs started 2 take the ducth and scottish influence and put in the heavy kick drums(instead of breakbeats and slower kick drums)and faster piano e.t.c,but u also had gabber and freeform came about in late 1997,but u can clearly identify them from being different 2 happy hardcore,and by the way happy hardcore the best it rules 1995-2000,never 2 be forgotten
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kathryn
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Posted - 2008/07/19 : 17:56:23
Freeform Hardcore (also known as Trancecore in its formative years, although this term can also refer to darker Gabber/Trance hybrids) is a form of Hard Dance introduced in 1999 that is an offshoot of a subgenre Happy Hardcore. The name "Freeform" was given by DJ Sharkey of the Nu Energy Collective, who along with several other DJs, most notably Kevin Energy, forged the new genre. The sound is quite experimental and has plenty of freedom in structure as you see in other 'free' musical genres such as freeform jazz, broken beat or wonky techno.
The first official freeform track was Ultraworld 5 By DJ Eclipse, which featured on the second installment of the widely popular Bonkers compilation series. Freeform began as a closely related offshoot of Happy Hardcore, borrowing much of its structure and sound. A satisfactory, if somewhat inaccurate, way of describing this early Freeform is as fast tempo Happy Hardcore with added elements of early Trance music. Given the nature of the genre, it was not long before it developed into its own highly unique and distinct musical style with a strong following. The DJs that produced Freeform continued to experiment, forever searching for that new sound, and a myriad of differing sounds and almost sub-genres of Freeform itself began to develop. Currently it is split into three primary streams, UK Freeform, NuNRG and FiNRG (or Finnish Freeform).
UK Freeform, having evolved directly from Hardcore, still relates closely to it and quite often is more melodic. Lyrics are more common place in UK Freeform, but are certainly far less pervasive than they are in Happy Hardcore. Earlier UK Freeform, particularly, was devoid of lyrics, especially those produced by DJs such as Kevin Energy and K-Complex, who had come to produce Freeform from Hard Trance and Hard House backgrounds, rather than Hardcore. Recently, however, UK Freeform has seen a resurgance in vocalists, with Sharkey teaming up with Suzi Ankhah to produce songs such as Dual Illumination, and Arkitech with his vocalist Amy who appears in many songs. The preferred vocals, to date, have been more akin to traditional Trance anthems, but very recent Freeform featured on the sixteenth release in the Bonkers series and the third release in the Hardcore Heaven series have featured vocalists employing Happy Hardcore style lyrics, even by such producers as Kevin Energy. This newer, cheesier, bouncier style of UK Freeform is being spearheaded by two labels primarily; Future Dance and Thin 'N' Crispy. The former is the brainchild of DJs Ethos and Stormtrooper, the latter DJ Robbie Long, who also plays heavily with Stormtrooper. This style of Freeform is rather popular amongst Hardcore producers, and quite often a few scattered songs will appear on otherwise Hardcore compilations. Even well renowned Hardcore producer Scott Brown has dabbled with this style.
FiNRG is much more closely related to Hard NRG and Psychedelic Trance. It developed later than UK Freeform, its formation officially marked in 2002 with the collaboration of DJs Karri K, Nemes and Carbon Based, previously experimenting with various styles of electronic music. Later they were joined by Alek Száhala and DJ RX in 2003, who added their own flavour to the style. FiNRG is typically broader in scope than UK Freeform, from dark and evil, to psychedelic and energised, to uplifting anthems akin to up tempo Hard Trance. There are a great deal of similarities between UK Freeform and FiNRG, as one would expect since the former is where the Finnish DJs drew their inspiration. Many of the synths employed by UK and Finnish producers alike are similar, if not identical, but it is the way in which they are utilised which really draws the lines of distinction between the two styles. While UK Freeform producers typically use Acidic and Psychedelic synths to highlight and enchance frantic, hard driving sections of songs, Finnish producers are more inclined to base the entirety of the song on them, and to focus instead on the complexity and depth of the music. That being said, both of the two styles are, virtually, open in style, as the name Freeform suggests, and there are countless exceptions.
NuNRG is the most recent style that is slowly emerging. As with all things Freeform, it is an highly amorphous style and somewhat difficult to define. This is particularly so because of all the Freeform styles it is the most experimental and almost entirely without boundaries. It is both a combination of UK Freeform and FiNRG, as well as employing a wide variety of musical tidbits from a plethora of genres, including, but not restricted to, Hardcore, Hard Trance, Acid Trance, Psy Trance, Hard House, Hard NRG, Drum 'n' Bass and Breakbeat. Headline Freeform DJs from both countries, including Sharkey, K-Complex, Kevin Energy, Alek Szahala, Carbon Based, RX and many more have been producing songs in this style, but the pioneers of the style are A.M.S, CLSM, with his self titled record label, Asa & S1 and DJ Impact. Anything from upbeat, Happy Hardcore style tracks, to melodic Hard Trance style anthems, to dark, dirty, acidic songs, and even to A.M.S and CLSM's unique down tempo, chill out style are possible.
A relatively new electronic music style, Freeform is emerging as a popular genre in the UK, Scandinavia and Australia. In North-America, some producers of Happy Hardcore are now creating music in the Freeform style, usually distributed on the internet, due to the diminishing popularity of Happy Hardcore, and relative rarity of venues, raves and Electronic Music events that offer live Happy Hardcore performances. It is even now becoming common place for Happy Hardcore producers to make forays into the Freeform side of Hardcore, even amongst some of the biggest names, such as Gammer, Scott Brown, DJ Weaver, Trixxy, DJ Brisk and many more. It seems as though the Hardcore sound is leaning toward Freeform, with the trend of diminishing interest in Happy Hardcore continuing, even those producers which have not yet produced anything that is entirely classifiable as Freeform are beginning to employ sounds and styles reminiscent of the more experimental genre, including slightly acidic and psychedelic synths.
HOPE THIS HELPS
Wikipedia
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Edited by - kathryn on 2008/07/19 17:57:14 |
Smoogie
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United Kingdom
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 Posted - 2008/07/19 : 19:31:27
This is what I have known... Happy Hardcore's origin's lie within the early '90s rave scene which itself broke off the late '90s Acid House as rave music became faster. Original rave music was a mixture of House style pianos, female vocals & darker underground Techno styles. Breakbeat came around 1989 & led the UK's rave music towards a new direction that comprised of minimal & dark breakbeat style tracks like Lenny D Ice- We are IE & Top Buzz living in darkness & then there was the more Bouncier 'hands in air' feel good style tracks like Awesome 3- Don't Go & Let me be your fantasy by Baby D.
Some wanted to keep the scene underground so focused of the darker style breakbeats which was also known as Jungle or Drum & Bass (it is said the 'Jungle Style' came from a club called Jungle that played this type of Hardcore, not because the beats sounded like being ain a Jungle that I had always thought like other people had lol)
Other artists wanted to keep the music more fun sounding & made really cheesy tracks which was known as Happy Hardcore! Some say 1993 was the start of Happy Hardcore which was at the time mostly breakbeats, pianos & speed up vocals accustomed with 'fairground' style effects! Other people say it could have even been around 1992 the Happy style was born (or even before?) even if the term Happy Hardcore wasn't used very much before 1993! Others say Happy Hardcore was only really born in 1995 when it threw out breakbeats & toke on the Scottish & Dutch trend of harder kicks & turned to full on vocals & became even faster!
1994 is said to be the split off year when Jungle/Drum & Bass split off from the 'mainstream' with it's own network of DJs, producers, labels, events, clubs & radio stations. Other artists where keeping with the more fun styles which was mostly known as Happy Hardcore! Earlier artists like Slipmatt, Luna C, Vibes & Wishdokta, Billy 'Daniel' Bunter & Seduction where amongst many artists who kept the Happy sound going with labels like Kniteforce (started in 1993) & Sy & Unknown's Quosh (started in 1994) being amongst the first 'Happy Hardcore' labels.
DJ Hype's 'Ganga Records' (started 1994) was full on Jungle although most Happy labels where very much breakbeat & some Happy tracks were very Jungle sounding only with the added pianos or vocals making them a bit more cheesy! (DJ Forxe & The Evolution's High on life could be one such track from around 1994) Jungle started to pick up on Ragga style lyrics (another trend from the early '90s I belive) & ended up leading to it's own styles.
Hardcore Techno I belive started in the United States around 1989 by artists like Lenny Dee who made 'Techno' more rave friendly & this style very quikley was picked up in Europe, not just the UK (which added the breabeat which I think was also the case in the USA in the early '90s) but countries like Germnay, The Netherlands, Italy & Belgium to name a few. It is always said the the Gabber style came out of Hardcore Techno in Rotterdam in 1992 but others say that it started in Germany as early as 1989 with the so called first Gabber track- We have arrived by Mescalinum United being relised in 1990 (although produced in 1989 it is said)
Rotterdam toke to this harder style & made it bcome faster starting Rotterdam Records as two fingers to Amsterdam which originly looked down at the hard style! Scotland had their own style which was originly differnt to Enland's & breakbeat was much less popular & although there where breakbeat artists, the where ignored which (acording to wikipedia) created a devided between the English & Scottish rave scenes! Scotland's style was in some ways similar to Gabber with hard kicks but was more lighter & bouncier, this style was what was known as Bouncy Techno! It is said that Bouncy Techno started in 1992 although it was only 1993 that it really toke on with tracks suc as Technophobia by Bass Reaction (original relesed on Shoop!) & Hardcore Disco by Bass X! In 1994 Scott Brown started Evolution Records to help put this style out!
The Netherlands & Germany where making the music much harder & faster by 1994 buy a more commercial sound was also coming out! Scooter started as a 'Happy Hardcore' group in 1994 but Scotland's The Rythemic State said that Scooter copied their style! Dutch arists such as Charlie Lownoise & Mental Theo also made a more commercial sound with tracks like 'Wonderful days' being an early vocal track! It was in 1994 that Dutch artists started to play Scottish style Bouncy Techno (I know Paul Elstak loved Bass Reaction's Technophobia) and stis style was also being produced & played out in The Netherlands with labels like Dwaf & their sub label, Babyboom! (whichr regarded itself as 'The Funcore label')
Im not sure who the first English artist was who picked up the Scottish & Dutch trend but I know was early as 1994 Sy & Unknown had a some Scottish infulences: Move your Body & The Baddest tune! (I have only heard the Move your body remix though so im not exactly sure what the originaly sounds like but I know that The Baddest tune has harder kicks) This was a typical trend for alot of Sy & Unknown's tracks around 1995 although there tracks was also very breakbeat, just with harder kicks aswell! Vibes & Wishdokta who although where very well known for their breakbeat stuff also started turning to hard kicks around 1995.
To cut it short, 1995 is what I regard to as the formation of Happy Hardcore as we know today with tracks like Hixxy & Sharkey's 'Toytown' & Dougal & Eruption's Party Time taken on the hard kicks & making it sound even more cheesey (but don't forget, Eruption was Scottish artist but im not sure if he ever released Scottish style Bouncy Techno although some of his track where similar in some ways, this had become the norm for alot of English tracks by 1996)
Even though Happy Hardcore itself was very much around even before 1993, the period '93-95 was an evolution period where it toke shape & after 1995 it evolved even further! By 1996 the bridge between English & Scottish Hardcore had formed & even Scottish Bouncy Techno went on until the late '90s it is said to have died out in May 1997!  (for some very strange reason which I have never understood)
Happy Gabber came around 1995 when Happy Hardcore very much toke in the The Natherlands but in some ways, a slightly more commercial scale (even Rotterdam Records had commercial Happy Hardcore like Paul Elstak's Love you more, Rainbow in the Sky & Promised Land to name a few) It was not unusual for many Ducth artists to realise Hardcore versions of the commercial Happy tracks though which were alot harder than in Englnad & more Gabber like (hard & distored kicks) but kept the happy edge which was what was 'Happy gabber between 1995-1997! Some artists made Happy Gabber only while others shunned it! There has been very little Happy Gabber since 1998 as lables started to close down. Pengo was a very well known lebel for it's commercial Happy Hardcore & the 'Hardcre Remixes' that went in 1997 & babyboom followed in 1998, the end of Funcore as well! 
The rave scene died out around 1999/2000 as styles like House & Trance toke over clubs but Hardcore was still made! Freeform came around 1999 which was before that known as 'Trancecore' which although became a very popular style after 1997, it was as far back as 1995 that Trancecore type tracks where made, even Scottish groups like Q-tex had some Trancecore sounding tracks in the mid 90s! Gabber also toke to the Trancecore sound around 1997 & after 1998 the 'Nu Style' Gabber was formed, moving away from the more fun happier sounding Gabber!
The style we get now can still be called Happy Hardcore as it indeed still has vocals & uplifting infulences but is very Trance based & not too unlike commercial Dance & even Scouse House (but without the 'Donk') It is too watrted down these days & lacks the hard kicks & breaks of the '90s era! Usualy when I say Happy Hardcore I mean anything from 1993 until 1999 which was cheesy & either breakbeat (93-95) or kickdrum lead (95-99) One day there might be a revival of the 90s sound!
Anyway my mix is delayed, only a bit though so it should be up by Monday & this time there will be two mixes! 
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RomanticKnight
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Italy
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Posted - 2008/07/20 : 14:23:13
HM... so the "modern" Happy Hardcore has to be called Freeform...
but.. what's the difference between Uk Hardcore and freeform?
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kathryn
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Posted - 2008/07/20 : 14:57:31
quote:
Originally posted by RomanticKnight:
HM... so the "modern" Happy Hardcore has to be called Freeform...
but.. what's the difference between Uk Hardcore and freeform?
Re Read the post[;p]
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djepi
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United Kingdom
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Posted - 2008/07/20 : 14:59:08
Happy Hardcore... for me its when hardcore split:
Drum and Bass/Jungle (less ravey and less uplifting elements, more darker - pure breakbeats).
Happy Hardcore (slight low bass drum underneath, even more uplifting and euporic than rave mostly breakbeats... then later more bass drum less breakbeats)
You can't call UK Hardcore or Freeform 'Happy Hardcore' - same family, different beast.
I can't stand the term 'UK Hardcore' tho...
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Edited by - djepi on 2008/07/20 15:00:41 |
RomanticKnight
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Italy
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Posted - 2008/07/20 : 15:00:11
Ops... i'm making confusion...
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ferocious
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United Kingdom
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Posted - 2008/07/20 : 15:26:49
As Silver says it depends where you are in the world, what year and other things. I'd say most guys in the UK would take Craigavon Raver's view as being accepted from here.
And I think Smoogie covers it fairly well if you want history. Most of this was from very old magazines like M8, Clubscene, Eternity and the Energy Flash book if you can get your hands on them.
Yes Smoogie, there was a division between north and south UK (click) during the peak rave years. Still is I guess with some in Scotland favouring Hardstyle over today's UK Hadcore for instance. Head over to the Rezerection forum and you can read such stuff... probably interest you anyhow if you haven't been eg: calling UK Hardcore as Essex pop dance.
Just need to compare the flyers where it would be English DJs and no imports like Grooverider, DJ SS, DJ Hype who would be the main event of a southern rave; whereas it would Scottish and imports like Ultra-Sonic, Lenny Dee, Human Resource (click), Bass X on the northern ones. It was more a band scene north performing at raves.
Some say "UK Hardcore" is named as such due to the joining of the once separate and rivalling English breakbeat (Slipmatt) vs. Scottish bouncy (Scott Brown) hardcore styles that happened, making one UK style. Some say it was just a new marketing term. I don't think you'll hear happy hardcore mentioned on the UK TV adverts of today for instance. So from that point of view the new UK audience don't know what happy hardcore is and see it as something from the past.
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Edited by - ferocious on 2008/07/20 15:30:43 |
Vitalism
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Canada
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Posted - 2008/07/20 : 16:41:45
who can be bothered to read those essay long quotes.
"does happy hardcore include dark breakbeat breakbeat norwegian freeform?"
i think that UK hardcore is the non-gay name of happy hardcore. both titles are synonymous. if i met someone on the street and they asked me what i listened to, i'd tell them UK hardcore instead of Happy HC.
i personally consider anything with a faster beat to be happy hardcore, although i don't know where i draw the line. i think freeform and all that falls under that unbrella too.
being anymore specific than that, and you have either thought about it too much of you just have too much time on your hands.
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RomanticKnight
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Italy
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Posted - 2008/07/20 : 18:50:27
HM... almost clear... in Italy Happy Hardcore is not so famous, we prefer gabber for hardcore so there aren't many discussions about Happy Hardcore... Thanks for all those tips... In Italy i'll call all those genres Happy Hardcore... in other countries... i'll see xD
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95_was_the_time
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United Kingdom
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Posted - 2008/07/21 : 02:34:58
uk hardcore is such a stupid name, if you think about it... happyhardcore is UK too
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Fluffbomb
Senior Member
United Kingdom
257 posts
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Posted - 2008/07/21 : 12:35:15
Although I use it I've always hated the term Happy Hardcore as it sounds so gay. I can understand why United Dance tried to call it 4 Beat instead.
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JamieLeeds
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Posted - 2008/07/21 : 13:24:17
quote:
Originally posted by 95_was_the_time:
uk hardcore is such a stupid name, if you think about it... happyhardcore is UK too
are you a simpleton? or just a complete moron?
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kathryn
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United Kingdom
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Posted - 2008/07/21 : 16:16:53
quote:
Originally posted by JamieLeeds:
quote:
Originally posted by 95_was_the_time:
uk hardcore is such a stupid name, if you think about it... happyhardcore is UK too
are you a simpleton? or just a complete moron?
He is both
Who let him out of hiding?
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