HardCore

UK Hardcore is a broad term to describe the evolved United Kingdom rave hardcore lineage 4/4-kick drum fuelled sound, which emerged there around the start of the 21st century. Encompassing numerous styles and influences, UK Hardcore has a fresh, modern edge to it, often using the latest synthesizers and equipment. Be it a vocal track or an instrumental this current style is a difficult sound to categorise as each of the key DJs and record labels have developed their own sound and approach to this genre.

The United Kingdom based rave hardcore scene of the 1990s encompassed several native based styles through the years, specifically bouncy techno and happy hardcore being the dominant styles north and south respectivly in the country for much of this period. Through a combination of factors, happy hardcore had taken a new musical direction towards the latter 1990s and became the sole remaining style. It now had little musical resemblance to its origins, with limited creativity and depth, generally becoming more vocal based and at times being cover versions of popular songs.

This sound attracted a much younger audience in the UK, outside of the rave scene. This music also left many ravers disillusioned and the vast majority left the scene, with producers and promoters soon following in their footsteps. Happy hardcore had now became much mocked and the general UK rave scene was at its end. Elsewhere at this time, this particular sound had found a new worldwide young audience in places such as Australia, Canada, Japan and United States.

A few remaining producers looked to regenerate the United Kingdom based rave hardcore music scene towards the end of the 20th century, taking influence from many different styles whilst trying to leave the late 1990s happy hardcore image behind. UK Hardcore is the result and has seen new producers enter the scene. This current sound similarly has also found followers from all corners of the globe. It currently however has no where near the popularity in the United Kingdom as was once found in the early to mid 1990s.


Artists

Dougal 
Gammer 
Hixxy 
Scott Brown 
Styles & Breeze 
Stu Allan 
Sy 
Triple J 
V.A.G.A.B.O.N.D. 
Vibes 
Unknown 
Joey Riot 
Breeze 
Brisk 
Kevin Energy 


Labels

Blatant Beats 
Essential Platinum 2002 
Evolution Plus 
Nukleuz 
Quosh 
Raver Baby 
Resist 
Slammin Vinyl 


Rave

A rave party, more often called a rave, is an all-night dance event where DJs and other performers play electronic dance music and rave music. The slang expression rave was originally used by people of Caribbean descent in London during the 1960s to describe a party. In the late 1980s, the term began to be used to describe the subculture that grew out of the acid house movement that began in Chicago and New York and flourished in the United Kingdom club scene.

The availability of drugs—particularly ecstasy—has caused raves to be targeted and criticized by law enforcement officials and parents' groups.


Rave Culture

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The upsurge in popularity of rave culture in the United States at a certain period in time often lends it characteristics common to a 'movement' or Subculture. Although raves have existed in the United States as long as in any other country, the sudden explosion of mainstream popularity in the late nineties led to more common approaches to defining rave culture as a youth movement, in a way that would not have been possible in the UK or Europe due to a greater diversity amongst participants, countries and musical styles. Accordingly, many of the descriptions listed below are only appropriate to groups within the USA, and may even constitute generalisations within the US itself.

Although not universally agreed upon by those in the rave movement, some of the central tenets of the culture are said to be:
Openness: not to judge, condemn, or label other people's style of clothes, hair, makeup, costume, sexual orientation, musical preference, race, age, gender, class or income. 
Acceptance: not to try to convince anyone of the rightness or wrongness associated with most human activities. 
Positivity: to subscribe to the notion that if something makes someone happy without hurting someone else, then that something is okay. Accordingly, fights or scuffles at a rave are rare, and the atmosphere itself is welcoming and loving. 


Although not a constant among all ravers, one philosophical tenet of rave culture is expressed through the acronym "PLUR", for Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. This terminology is found particularly irritating by a large number of clubgoers, many of whom have hope it will fade away and be replaced by better marketing terminology for positive thinking. As of yet no new terminology has emerged.

Ravers have been compared to both the hippies of the 1960s and the new wavers of the 1980s, due to their interest in non-violence and music.

Technology is, by definition, central to electronic music, and technological innovation has influenced rave subculture in many ways. For example, since loud music made it difficult to converse at raves, virtual communities are extremely important in rave subculture. Also, access to various affordable computer technologies empowered amateurs to compose or manipulate electronic music.

At rave parties, dance tricks of all kinds are very popular. However, these tricks are not always entirely safe and can sometimes lead to damages, so they are not always tolerated by the organizers of the rave. The rules for what kind of tricks are allowed differ from party to party.

In contrast to many other 'Youth Cultures', older people are often active members of the scene and are well represented at events.


Types of Ravers

The following are loosely defined terms generated by the rave community. They are generalized, and are not conclusive, complete, or necessarily current.

Old School Raver - refers to someone who has been a raver for some time, whereas a baby raver or a newbie refers to someone who is new to raving or at their first rave. Hardcore ravers are sometimes called pure ravers or true ravers or partykids. Something can be rave or have raveness. 
Jaded Raver - one who has been in the rave scene for a long time or someone who is growing tired of 'the scene' and raving. The newness of the experience has long ago worn off and they have noticed the seamier side. They may be annoyed at what the raving experience has become, or they may be lackadaisical about certain aspects of raving that they once held a fondness for. Quite often a jaded raver will not appreciate the influx of new ravers into the scene, because the new ravers are viewed as contributing to the scene's decay. 
Club Kid - tends to dress in bright colors and flashy, sometimes gaudy clothes, including leather and fur. They might also favor fluorescent plastic bead necklaces and candy bracelets. Many club kids also wear children's’ backpacks. 
Candy Raver / Candykid - often wears brightly colored and child-like fashions such as day-glo wide leg pants, black light reactive or glow-in-the-dark bracelets/necklaces and t-shirts featuring cartoon characters. They wear homemade bracelets and necklaces made of plastic, glass, or felt beads or candy. Candy ravers or candykids are often found exchanging or giving out small gifts. These small gifts will usually be hugs, toys, glowsticks, CDs, necklaces, bracelets, and/or candy. 
Junglist refers to a sub-culture of the rave scene defined by drum and bass (DnB) and jungle music. Some Junglists detest mainstream rave music and prefer darker and deeper vibes. Many junglists differentiate themselves from 'ravers' owing to the heavy connotations of the word. This may manifest itself in a number of ways, from styles of dress to comportment. 


Glowsticking Ravers

Some ravers participate in a light-oriented dance called glowsticking, and a similar dance called glowstringing, or poi. These dances, however, are independent of the raving community, and often the stereotyped association may be resented. Glow sticks in the dark stimulate the pupils, and it is claimed that they relieve the effects of Ecstasy. Therefore at some rave places they are presented as "safety materials." In some cases, the sale of glow sticks during rave parties has been presented as evidence of illegal drug use. Glow sticks have been considered drug paraphernalia because they are used in giving someone on Ecstasy a "light show." The recipient of the light show sits or stands facing the show giver who moves the glow sticks away and towards the face of the recipient in various stylized movements. This lightshow is sometimes accompanied by a massage and/or by blowing mentholated vapours into the nose, mouth, and eyes of the recipient. This is intended to increase the effects of Ecstasy.

Regardless, glowsticks can be used at raves for interesting dance effects, because most raves (except some open air raves e.g. technoparades) are held in dark or nearly dark rooms. Because rave parties are popular with people who wish to show off their dancing, glowsticks can be an ancillary material for creative freestyle dance.


Drug Use At Raves

In the U.S. the subculture has been branded by the mainstream media and law enforcement agencies as a purely drug-centric culture similar to the hippies of the 1960s. As a result, ravers have been effectively run out of business in many areas (Media Awareness Project). Although they continue in major coastal cities like New York and LA, and notably the Winter Music Conference in Florida, most other areas have been relegated to word-of-mouth-only underground parties and nightclub events. In some parts of Europe, raves are common and mainstream, although they are now more often known as "festivals," highlighting multiple acts over a whole day period, and often including non-dance music acts.
                                                                                                                            
Groups that have addressed drug use at raves include the Electronic Music Defence and Education Fund (EMDEF) and DanceSafe, which advocate harm reduction approaches. Paradoxically, drug safety literature (such as those distributed by DanceSafe) are used as evidence of condoned drug use (EMDEF press release). Other groups, such as Drug Free America Foundation, Inc., characterize raves as being rife with gang activity, rape, robbery, and drug-related deaths.

In 2005, Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, advocated drug testing on highways as a countermeasure against drug use at raves.

source:www.happyhardcore.com