Hard Dance

Hard dance is an umbrella term for the harder end of electronic dance music, covering hardstyle, hard trance, UK hardcore, happy hardcore and related styles that developed from hard house and hardcore techno in the 1990s. Its records share fast tempos, typically 140–160 BPM, heavily distorted or pitched kick drums, and euphoric synth riffs engineered for large raves and festival main stages. Where mainstream EDM softened its edges for radio, hard dance retained an underground infrastructure of specialist labels, dedicated events and strong regional scenes in the Netherlands, Britain, Germany and Australia.