21.HARD
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Safe to say not a single human being on this planet knows all the techno subgenres that are out there, nor can one surely without a doubt describe to you how different subgenres sound. The thing is, we have different perceptions in our heads about terms, names…
Take, for example, "dark techno". If you search in Google for "dark techno definition", you will hardly get a straight answer or a lot of similar ones, which you could take as a basis.
Tell me a fourth example. Come on, I know you got it. ✍
↯ Dark techno is more a 2015 thing, let's focus our discussion on more recent trends. ⭍
HARD TECHNO ⚝ ⛔
The first problem with this "subgenre" (why quotation marks, we will get to it 😜) is the same as with every other. Ravers have their different views and understanding of this whole direction. Sooo, it seems that, as of today, different features of electronic music in general are mixed up. Combined, we have a hard techno edition - new generation. How I understand it, hard in this case, refers to a harder kick. Tracks are made and played at BPMs from around 150 and leading up to numbers like 180, to Gabber, Hardcore, Hardstyle and who knows. As DJs like to throw tracks from these other listed styles in their sets. Trance sound can also be heard.
WHY "subgenre" in quotation marks?
Techno, to me, feels like it is forgotten. What I noticed though, is that a lot of “underground” techno artists are now labelled as hard techno.
I had the opportunity to listen to the class, professionalism and quality techno from Mr. Dave the Drummer himself! I have been following his work for quite a while and, normally, I consider him a techno artist. 🤔😦🙄
All in all, hard techno is just this generation's new word for original techno.
Which is total bullshit if you ask me - techno is strong for itself, it doesn’t need “hard”.
Although I am not that old myself and I am not close to somebody's 20/30 years of experience on the scene, after almost seven years of my (techno) music journey, I can now say when I first started to engage myself on the scene, the term hard techno had a completely different sound.
what we then considered hard techno
(I'm pretty sure that most of us still think about this sound when we discuss hard techno.)
To us, techno and hard techno both existed as two different sounds - related but different.
My theory of why the noun "hard" is now added to original techno.
Before the big shut down of nightlife, easier tempo ruled the underground scene. The majority enjoyed in tech house sounds, others played techno between 135 -140 BPMs. Like everything, this slower trend after many years was coming to its natural end. Only this time, trend shifting happened, what it seemed like over a night. However, this night lasted two full years. Two years - that's a lot. A person gets used to new ways of life, adapts to them and actually forgets the old habits. You couldn't even go out like you normally used to, but at the same time, trend shifting couldn't process at normal natural speed. The outcome is the way, how our, not-so, underground scene lives and operates- now.
So, the new kids didn't have a chance to get to know the rave nightlife properly, on the spot. The way you🫵 and I discovered that special feeling of connection and belonging - at our first rave. Because we all know; you can hear about it from your mates, you can see flyers somewhere on the streets, somebody can play you a track or two, but the real deal, the one when you connect yourself with techno actually, is at the party. So I think to myself, their first introduction to this kind of music and sound must be on YouTube or something. Not to mention, the first few layers of “techno content” that will be popping up are overly advertised mainstream sets. But also the style that ruled the last decade - the slower one.
✄ perfect timing for disaster ♲
At the same time, new young adults are craving hangouts, fun, partying and all that that comes with it. They are crazy frustrated because the government took all that away and the worst thing is nobody knows how long this situation will last. It's all connected - cravings for the harder, rougher sound come from inner frustration, anger. It's not just the younger generation that is taking this hard, the whole situation, the events across the world are leaving their mark on every one of us.
Faster, original sound coming to the surface to fulfill the people's needs. With the lack of knowledge and a need to separate the post-corona music scene from the pre-corona music scene, we have now got 90s techno sound rebranded.
"Hard" is present because of a natural human need to be stronger, better, harder than the ones before us.
Harsh recommends [Amazon] earplug