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| Digital hardcore | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1990s, Germany |
| Derivative forms | |
| Regional scenes | |
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Digital hardcore is a fusion genre that combineshardcore punk withelectronic dance music genres such asbreakbeat,techno, anddrum and bass while also drawing onheavy metal,industrial andnoise music.[1][2] It typically features fast tempos and aggressivesound samples.[2] The style was pioneered byAlec Empire of the German bandAtari Teenage Riot during the early 1990s, and often hassociological orleftist lyrical themes.[2]
Digital hardcore music is typically fast and abrasive, combining the speed, heaviness andattitude ofhardcore punk,thrash metal, andriot grrrl[2][3] withelectronic music such ashardcore techno,[2]gabber,[2]jungle,[2]drum and bass,glitch, andindustrial rock.[2] Some bands, likeAtari Teenage Riot, incorporate elements ofhip-hop music, such asfreestyle rap.
According to Jeff Terich ofTreble Media, digital hardcore is "on the verge of reaching speeds incompatible with popular music, as if the rapid acceleration of BPMs would render the idea of rhythm irrelevant or, at the very least, unpredictable. Maybe this is music for dancing; definitely this is music for screaming and breaking things."[4]
Theelectric guitar (either real or sampled and usually heavilydistorted) is used alongsidesamplers,synthesizers anddrum machines. While the use of electronic instruments is a defining feature of the genre,bass guitars,electric guitars, anddrum kits are optional. Vocals are more often shouted than sung by more than one member of the group. Typically, the lyrics are highly politicized and espouseleft-wing oranarchist ideals.[2] Some practitioners have been influenced byanarcho-punk.[4]
The music was first defined by the bandAtari Teenage Riot, who formed inBerlin, Germany in 1992.[2] The band's frontman,Alec Empire, coined the term "digital hardcore," setting up theindependent record labelDigital Hardcore Recordings in 1994.[2][5] German bands with a similar style began signing to the label and its underground popularity grew, with small digital hardcore festivals being held in several German cities.[2] By the mid-1990s, a number of new record labels specializing in the genre were formed around the world. These included Gangster Toons Industries (Paris), Praxis (London), Cross Fade Enter Tainment (Hamburg), Drop Bass Network (U.S.), andBloody Fist (Australia).[2]Digital Hardcore Recordings also had some kinship with the Frankfurt labelsMille Plateaux and Riot Beats.[2] Alec Empire's work subsequently set the template forbreakcore.[6][7]
In Alec Empire's words, "Digital Hardcore went from a local, Berlin based scene to an international underground movement."[8] The soundtrack to the filmThreat included contributions from digital hardcore musicians, along withmetalcore bands.[9]James Plotkin,Dave Witte andSpeedranch's projectPhantomsmasher combined digital hardcore withgrindcore. Notable 21st century digital hardcore groups includeLeft Spine Down,Motormark,Death Spells,The Shizit,Rabbit Junk, andFear, and Loathing in Las Vegas. Additionally,Nine Inch Nails' 2007 studio albumYear Zero has been considered as a digital hardcore album as well.
Digital hardcore saw less prominence in the 2010s. However, its international influence can be seen in the prominence ofelectronicore, a similar musical genre fusing hardcore punk and metalcore with electronica. The German bandWe Butter the Bread with Butter has seen commercial success employing this fusion.[10] The term "digital hardcore" has largely fallen out of use, given its association with politically charged lyrics, which are not a characteristic of newer electronicore artists.[citation needed]
One notable digital hardcore band to come out of the 2010s wasMachine Girl, especially with their 2017 album"...Because I'm Young Arrogant and Hate Everything You Stand For", which combined their earlier modernbreakcore style with more extreme hardcore punk vocals.
Coming into the 2020s, digital hardcore has seen a rise with new releases and artists, such asLustSickPuppy. Notable mainstream success within the digital hardcore genre has been seen with the British bandWARGASM, whose debut EP,Explicit: The Mixxxtape, was released on 9 September 2022; the full-length albumVenom was released a year later to critical success.
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