What Is Happy Hardcore? <------BACK

Good question. To be honest I don't think there is a clear definition. Happy Hardcore means different things to different people. For example, DJ Dougal can be quoted for saying that Happy Hardcore is "anything that makes you smile". However, I don't think that this is always the case. Not all Happy Hardcore is actually happy - some of it is quite depressing, and some of it doesn't encourage any emotion.

Since dance music is constantly evolving, Happy Hardcore has undergone many changes since the old days.

I think it would be a good idea to describe what Happy Hardcore sounds like AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

Nowadays Happy Hardcore seems to be splitting up into two main styles - one being sticking with the hard kick drum giving it a "bouncy" sound, and the other using a softer beat and bringing back the breakbeats which seemed to have been phased out in the last two years. Personally I think that the style which has brought back the breakbeats sounds too artificial, as if its trying too much to sound like Drum 'n' Bass.

Both of these styles still contain the same usual elements found in traditional British Happy Hardcore. These elements are speed: 165bpm-180bpm, uplifting vocals, piano breakdowns/riffs and stab patterns.

It is very difficult to describe what Happy Hardcore sounds like to someone who has never heard it before. If you don't know what it sounds like but would like to, why not check out some of the tunes on this website?