GENRE GUIDE
HARDSTYLE.
Hardstyle builds tension between a heavy kick and a melody that opens up the space. From reverse bass to euphoric and raw: the sound has more layers than just hard.
IMAGE CREDIT: AI-generated editorial illustration by SJELF.
EXPLAINED BRIEFLY
What is hardstyle?
Hardstyle is electronic dance music with a solid four-on-the-floor beat, distinctly processed kicks and often big synthesizer melodies. The style developed around the turn of the century from the hard trance, hard house and other hard club music scene.
Listening start: Project One — The Album. View the listening selection →
First, the beat disappears. A melody gets all the space, the audience waits, and then the kick falls back into place. Hardstyle uses that moment as an instrument. The power lies in the impact, but also in everything that precedes it.
WHAT IS HARDSTYLE?
Hardstyle is electronic dance music with a solid four-on-the-floor beat, distinctly processed kicks and often big synthesizer melodies. The style developed around the turn of the century from the hard trance, hard house and other hard club music scene. The Netherlands became an important center, alongside contributions from among others Italy and Germany.
A lot of classic hardstyle revolves around 150 beats per minute. That number is a guideline, not an admission requirement. Some early tracks are slower, later productions can be faster. The sound and the build-up tell you more than the counter.
WHERE THE SOUND TOOK SHAPE
Early hardstyle often has a driving, relatively bare build-up. The tension lies in repetition, a sharp synth figure and the movement between kick and bass. Labels and events helped make that sound recognizable as its own scene. Scantraxx, founded in 2002, is one of the labels that played a role in that.
Over the course of the noughties, longer melodic lines and a changing kick sound got more and more space. The kick could not only indicate the rhythm, but with its decaying tail also become part of the harmony. Because of this, power and melody started working together in a different way.
Project One, the collaboration of Headhunterz and Wildstylez, released an album in 2008 that perfectly demonstrates this melodic approach. It is a useful benchmark, although no single album tells the full history of the style.
“The silence before the kick belongs to the music.”
WHAT MAKES THE KICK DIFFERENT?
A hardstyle kick is usually more than a short drum sound. You hear an attack and then a processed, sometimes clearly tuned sound. Distortion makes extra overtones audible. Because of this, the kick can sound low, sharp and almost melodic at the same time.
With reverse bass, you hear a sucking bass movement between the beats. That gives the beat a rolling character. A kick with a long, tuned tail works differently: the low sound can move along with the chords. Both approaches appear in history and in mixed forms.
On small phone speakers, part of that low range is lost. Therefore, listen with a good pair of headphones at a pleasant volume. Pay attention to the difference between the first tick and what sounds after. You will then discover why fans can have such pronounced preferences for certain kicks.
EUPHORIC OR RAW?
Euphoric hardstyle generally emphasizes pronounced melodies, harmonic build-up and an emotional release. The break makes room for tension; the climax gives the melody back together with the kick. Vocals or a recognizable motif can make that moment even stronger.
Raw hardstyle usually emphasizes more raw sound processing, a threatening atmosphere and unexpected kick patterns. Yet, raw can be very melodic. Conversely, an euphoric track can contain particularly hard kicks. They are directions within a moving scene, not two separate worlds.
Therefore, listen to the function of a passage. Does the melody carry you along above all, or does a changing rhythm pattern draw your attention? A track can give multiple answers over a few minutes. Albums by Phuture Noize also show that melodic tension and raw textures can coexist well.
HARDSTYLE OR HARDCORE?
Hardcore is an older and broader family of hard electronic dance music. In much hardcore the tempo is higher and the relationship between rhythm, distortion and melody is different. Hardstyle often builds explicitly towards a melodic climax, but hardcore can also be melodic.
A fixed BPM limit therefore does not provide a reliable distinction. There are fast hardstyle tracks and relatively slow hardcore tracks. It is better to compare a few representative records and listen to the groove and kick build-up. Gabber belongs to the hardcore history and is not another name for all hardstyle.
Hard trance is also a related style. There, the trance-like movement of basslines and synthesizers often remains more pronounced. Early hardstyle makes it particularly audible how those worlds were connected to each other.
WHY LISTEN TO AN ALBUM?
Hardstyle lives strongly through tracks and dj-sets. An album can additionally show how a producer creates variety: an intro, a different atmosphere, a calmer passage or a collaboration. It does not have to be the same peak for an hour.
Pay attention to designations such as edit, extended mix and continuous mix on different releases. A short edit can center the most famous part, while a longer version has more build-up and mixing room for djs. That explains why a track in a set can feel different than the version you look up later.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HARDSTYLE
What is hardstyle?
Hardstyle is electronic dance music with a hard, distorted kick, melodic hooks and a high energy level. The style grew out of Dutch harddance scenes around the turn of the century.
Where does hardstyle come from?
Hardstyle originated in the Netherlands from the cross-pollination of hard trance, techno and hardcore. Festivals, labels and Dutch djs played a major role in the international spread.
What does hardstyle sound like?
The characteristic kick often changes pitch and forms rhythm and bassline at the same time. Above that lie synth melodies, breaks and vocals that work towards a big climax.
What is the difference between hardstyle and hardcore?
Hardstyle generally has a slower tempo and more emphasis on melodic build-up. Hardcore is usually faster and more direct, with a more aggressive kick and less room for long breaks.
Which artists do you start with?
Headhunterz, Showtek and Brennan Heart are useful starting points for different phases of hardstyle. Then compare older records with later euphoric and rawstyle productions.
THE FACTS
European hard club music
Reverse bass, breaks and synth melodies
Euphoric, raw and much overlap
ESSENTIAL ALBUMS
A listening route through Hardstyle, with different perspectives. The years refer to the original releases.
- 01Showtek — Today Is Tomorrow2007
- 02Project One — The Album2008
- 03Brennan Heart — Musical Impressions2009
- 04D-Block & S-te-Fan — Music Made Addictz2009
- 05Noisecontrollers — All Around2014
- 06Phuture Noize — Black Mirror Society2018
WHERE TO START
Start with The Album by Project One and follow how the melody is built up to the climax. Then compare the rhythmic approach on Today Is Tomorrow. This way you hear that the drive does not exclusively come from the melody.
All Around gives room to different atmospheres within the sound of Noisecontrollers. Then put on Black Mirror Society and pay attention to the relationship between tension and release. This selection is a listening route through multiple periods, not a ranking and not a complete collection of subgenres.
Listen further? Also discover our guides about trance, hardcore, gabber.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
- Hardstyle Mag — development of hardstyle
- Scantraxx — Project One
- Scantraxx — label history
- Apple Music — All Around
- Q-dance — Black Mirror Society
- Hardstyle.com — Musical Impressions
FEEL THE BUILD.
Hardstyle becomes more interesting once you also listen to the waiting. The melody, the interruption and the return of the kick give each other meaning. That is where the difference between hard sound and a track that takes you along begins.
