Although having some similarities, happy hardcore differs fromgabber in that happy hardcore tends to havebreakbeats running alongside the 4/4 kick drum.[1]
Thebreakbeat hardcorerave scene was beginning to fragment by late 1992 into a number of subsequent breakbeat-based genres:darkcore (tracks embracing dark-themed samples and stabs),hardcore jungle (reggae basslines and influences became prominent), and 4-beat also known as "happy hardcore" where piano rolls and uplifting vocals were still central to the sound.[2] DJs such asSlipmatt, DJ Sy[3], DJ Seduction[4], Clarkee[5],Wishdokta,DJ Dougal, DJ Vibes[6], andBilly Daniel Bunter continued to play and put out music of this nature throughout 1994 – notably Slipmatt's 'SMD' releases, Wishdokta recording as the 'Naughty Naughty' pseudonym, and Seduction on his Impact Records label, as well as the labels Hectic, Homegrown,Kniteforce, and Just Another Label.[7][8]Dreamscape,Helter Skelter, and Fusion[9] were among the raves where the music was played.
The sound of happy hardcore changed in the 1990s, with tracks increasingly losing their breakbeats towards a stomping distorted 9094/4kick drum pattern, with more original vocal leads and stab patterns. DJs and producers that began to come through includedHixxy,Breeze, Force &Styles,DJ Sharkey,[10] DJ DNA,[11] and Kevin Energy[12] and tracks that started to define the genre included "Heart of Gold", "Pretty Green Eyes", "Cloudy Daze", "Sunshine After the Rain", "Above the Clouds", "Six Days", "Love of My Life", "Perfect Dreams", and "Field of Dreams".[13][14][15] In London, the sound was championed by thepirate radio stationDream FM, as well as later supported byEruption FM. Throughout the mid-late 1990s, the compilation seriesBonkers would be commercially popular and showcase the latest happy hardcore music. Bonkers only really came into being due to the record labelReact showing interest inToy Town, and Hixxy and Sharkey convincing the label to do a compilation album deal instead.[16]
In the UK, the scene received its own special onBBC Radio 1 calledJohn Peel Is Not Enough (named after atrack by CLSM) in 2004 paying homage to the lateJohn Peel.[17] The scene continued to expand, with compilations such asClubland X-Treme Hardcore, and an evermore youthful audience.[18] In 2009,DJ Kutski hosted a show featuring hard dance and hardcore on Radio 1.[19]
^Reynolds 2013, p. 263, "The difference between happy hardcore and happy gabba is slight: basically, the English tracks have sped-up breakbeats running alongside the stomping four-to-the-floor kick-drum, and at 170 b.p.m., they're slightly slower than happy gabba.".
^Reynolds 2013, p. 266, "Back in 1993, when hardcore plunged into the 'darkside', a breakaway faction of DJ-producers like Seduction, Vibes and Slipmatt continued to make celebratory, upful tunes based around hectic breakbeats. By the end of 1994, happy hardcore had coalesced into a scene that operated in parallel with its estranged cousin, jungle.".
