Hard house

Hard house is a subgenre of house music, which emerged in the mid-1990s, simultaneously in the United States and the United Kingdom, characterized by a hard and fast pace compared to house. It has a punchy kick drum and riff sequences with simple sounds, with a minimalist and repetitive development.

In its beginnings it could be understood as a substyle of house that was especially hard and minimalist, although its evolution made it gradually incorporate elements of other styles.

Features

Like most styles of electronic music, its basic structure is an introduction, a pause, and a climax or peak in which most of the previously staged sequences are mixed. It has a speed between 140 and 165 BPM approximately; it does not usually carry melodies but a set of repetitive sounds; and in the event that it takes them, they are usually simple and repetitive. Rhythmic rises are also important, as in Trance or Acid. Although his evolution made him incorporate elements closer to Trance or Techno music in the English school and Hardcore music in the American school.

Origins

Towards the mid-90s, a type of House music with a rhythm that was a little harder and faster than normal began to be produced, mainly in the city of Chicago. These songs had influences from Ghetto House and artists like DJ Funk, DJ Hyperactive or DJ Deeon. It was normal to find a high sexual content in his lyrics and he also incorporated Latino and rap music elements. Soon after this style was called Hard House or US Hard House, outside the US.

Mythical DJs from the Chicago house scene embraced this new style and made it popular, artists like Bad Boy Bill or Bobby D were a strong influence for people who would start just then with hard house for flag. People like DJ Trajic, Mike Flores, DJ Venom or Kevin Halstead and Alex Peace (Dance Works) were some of the first stars of the hard house movement, around 1996.

Among many record companies, one stands out above all: Underground Construction, better known as UC, led by Dj Attack. He was in charge of releasing hundreds of productions from many producers eager to continue expanding the Hard House sound, first following in the wake of Chicago's Ghetto House and little by little integrating new trends such as those that came from L.A., making it a more distinctive style. hard. The influence of this label was such that in many places the genre was called "Underground".

Evolution

Hard House quickly expanded into one of the centers of House music in the USA, Los Angeles; where it was very well received, especially among the Latino public. It is from 1997 when a large number of labels began to be created to release a multitude of themes, of what would soon be called LA Hard House for being a tougher version of the Hard House that came from Chicago and would soon also influence to the sound there, separating it from the original concept. Tracks with a really hard and powerful rhythm, with a long and open bass drum, accompanied by acid, shrill sounds, and very explicit lyrics. Some of the labels that brought about the change were Greedy Records or Groove Nation with artists such as Dj Work!, Michael Trance, AM/FM Alexander or the well-known Mark V & Poogie Bear. In Chicago they were adapting these trends from labels like Jasper Stone Trax or the named UC, editing songs by Los Angeles producers or giving outlets to new artists like Angel Alanis, Dj Bam Bam or Dj Rip.

It is from 1998 when Hard House explodes and begins to spread to Europe, dragged in part by the Hardcore Newstyle and Jumper fashion headed by people like Da Tekno Warriors or Dj Isaac. In countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, US Hard House is beginning to be heard, especially the harder songs. With these influences and following the escalation of hardness, in L.A. A series of producers emerged who opted for even wilder sounds, songs with more power and distortion in the bass drums, with more aggressive sounds in the central stripes and higher speeds. It's time for new labels like Abstract Music or Waxworks Records, and producers like George Centeno, Nemesis, Darren R or Raoul Zerna, people who took the concept of Hard House to the extreme, taking many influences from Hardcore and the most brutish Acid. They were years of great diffusion, a large number of compilations were published and songs were licensed on international labels; coexisting the usual record companies with the new ones.

Soon as the years go by, venues begin to close nationwide: People do not accept the change, and what used to be massive parties, become small gatherings of the few people who still trust Hard genres.

Rise and Fall

We could say that the heyday of American Hard House came in 1998 thanks to the Masía nightclub (in fact there are sessions that confirm it), and in turn it lasted a very short time with a large number of producers and labels releasing songs that collapsed the market. After a short heyday comes a resounding decline; and it is almost immediately, from 2002, when the style loses strength... it seems that it falls into monotony when it comes to making songs, many producers switch to House or Techno, they stop throwing parties, many labels they close...

Another important label in these years is CHR, a Spanish label led by the Bassdrum Project. Producer who loves American Hard House, who welcomed the sounds that came from the US and gave them a new look, creating his own style, mistakenly called Newstyle in Spain. Apart from his songs, he edited several references from some survivors of the American scene such as Dj Tronic, Dj Intense or Poogie Bear.

Dozens of producers and deejays capable of tackling the challenge of bringing the style back to life appear these years, but they soon find themselves with a closed market, and many of them not only do not charge for their productions, but are even deceived financially by people in the sector who want to keep their name alive, they get to pay plate and distribution expenses for songs that are produced for third-party deejays without the ability to edit their records (they only put their name on the cover, without having knowledge about production)., who see a way out of the crisis by deceiving. The true artists, not only lose money but also lose the illusion.

It is at this point where the magic disappears, and the business of dreams becomes reality: The decline and end of the scene as such, which is transformed into small minority trends with almost no support. Parties without an audience, the disappearance of vinyl and the general interest of the true promises of the scene, who change their style, or simply leave the music totally disappointed.

You can currently hear this music being mixed live every Friday from 5pm PST on www.worldwidehardhousejunkies.com

In the UK

Origins

British Hard House was born in the mid-90s, influenced by Scottish Happy Hardcore, Trance and Garage typical of the London scene. It has a very marked rhythm with a very characteristic bass drum counter, clearly influenced by the Happy Hardcore sound. One of the pioneering producers of this sound is Paul Janes, who under countless aliases influenced many subsequent producers.

Evolution

From 1999, the sound of the UK Hard House became more commercial, emphasizing the contra, adding elements of Trance, some songs include vocals and giving it a generally more cheerful sound. Partly influenced by the success of the Dutch group Klubbheads. It is then when this sound travels to countries like Holland, Belgium, Australia or Spain. Some great exponents of this stage are Lisa Lashes, Tony de Vit or Rachel Auburn. The quintessential label is Tidy Trax.

Against this commerciality, some producers emerged who began to incorporate darker and sinister sounds, giving rise to a sound called Nu-NRG, Hard NRG or NRG, strongly influenced by trance and acid techno. It is a minority style, spread mainly in England and Australia, its main representatives are Ingo Star, Sandra Collins, Alex K, Andy Farley, JK, Dynamic Intervetion, Bexta, etc.

In Europe

Starting in 1998, the US Hard House spread to Europe, mainly the Netherlands and Belgium. Productions by people like Poogie Bear incorporated very well into indigenous styles, and even came to have a lot of influence on later productions by people like Da Tekno Warriors, a group formed by Paul Elstak (DJ Paul) and Jeroen Streunding (Neophyte), two of the most important producers of the Dutch Gabber.

In Belgium there was an autochthonous sound with many similarities to the US Hard House, heir to the style marked by the mythical Bonzai label, specifically the Hardcore songs of the Bonzai Jumps sub-label. The style was called Jumper, referring to the label by which it was influenced. They are songs with a short and dry punch, and are usually accompanied by stripes and simple but effective melodies. Its main exponents are Da Boy Tommy, Da Rick, Dj Glenn, DHT, Dj Gert, etc.

The French version of the Jumper sound, more influenced by Techno, also welcomed some minimalist themes from the Chicago sound. Having an impact on the birth of the French Tekstyle and later on movements such as Jumpstyle and Hardstyle.

In the case of the U.K. Hard House, it was from 97 when it spread mainly to Holland and Germany. In Holland its main exponents were the Klubbheads, who developed their own style with a very characteristic bass and rise, which came to be called Dutch hard house or hard house a la klubbheads. In Germany bands like D.O.N.S. and Bad Habbit Boys, who were not directly linked to hard house, but did produce some tracks. Before this, around 95 and 96, people like Mr. Jack (Junior Jack), from Belgium and The Kgb's from Italy, also made songs that could be classified as hard house, the latter greatly influenced Mauro Picotto and at the birth of hardstyle, also influenced Central European hard house.

Around 1999-2000 in Germany, bands like Warp Brothers, Aquagen, Voodoo & Serano, who created another style of hard house closer to hardtrance, with very intense kicks and long rises, similar to hardstyle, but not as hard; acid sounds known as "303" (Roland TB 303).

You could say it's a mix between hard trance, nu-nrg, hard techno and acid techno; in fact the Warp Brothers and Voodoo & Serano used samplers of acid classics on the tracks Phat Bass (New Order "Confussion" Pump Panel remix), We Will Survive and Blood is Pumpin by Voodoo & Serano (Josh Wink "Higher State of Consciousness"); the Scottish group Public Domain also jumped on the bandwagon and produced the song Operation Blade, based on the same theme as the Phat Bass.

In Spain

Also in Spain there were some important names around the mid-90s that hinted at a certain hard house influence, people like Jordi Robles or Dimas Carbajo. The first producing Mákina under different aliases such as K-psula, his songs had slower speeds than usual and with influences from German and English Hard House. The second was behind projects like King of House or Zentral, where a strong house, tribal and Latin influence is appreciated but with somewhat hard and accelerated rhythms, also anticipating techno-progressive. This character was also one of the pioneers of Spanish trance and progressive. But it was much later when hard house began to hit hard.

As we have previously commented, between 1999 and 2002 the U.S. Hard House exerted a strong influence on the toughest venues on the Spanish scene, especially throughout the Spanish Levant, venues such as Central Rock, Mansion, Skandalo, Masia, Pirámide, Pont Aeri or Coliseum, were strongly influenced by the sound U.S. Hardhouse. This caused national productions to come out trying to emulate these themes, which in the end led to the creation of a new style: the Newstyle. A genre that was born from these U.S Hard House sounds at the hands of people like the Bassdrum Project, Rave Fighters, Javi Boss, Dj Juanma, David Max, Dj Batiste, Brainblaster or Da Nu Style, who were spearheads of this new sound. Some important labels were CHR, Gabbers at Work or Central Rock Records.

There was also a strong punch from the U.K. sound. Hard House, especially in some rooms in the south of the Valencian Community. Over time this music became more popular and spread to other parts of the Iberian Peninsula such as the Community of Madrid, the Basque Country and even the south of France, leading to other styles, such as bumping or poky.

Major Record Labels

U.S.A.

Underground Construction, Abstract Music, Greedy Records, Groove Nation Records, Waxworks Records, Jasper StoneTrax, Pyramid Music.

Europe

Rotterdam Tekno (Holland), Babyboom Records (Holland), Jumper Records (Belgium), C.H.R. (Spain), Gabbers at work (Spain), Central Rock Records (Spain).