According to Jeff Terich of Treble Media, digital hardcore is "on the verge of reaching speeds incompatible with popular music, as if the rapid acceleration of BPMs would render the idea of rhythm irrelevant or, at the very least, unpredictable. Maybe this is music for dancing; definitely this is music for screaming and breaking things."[4]
The music was first defined by the band Atari Teenage Riot, who formed in Berlin, Germany in 1992.[2] The band's frontman, Alec Empire, coined the term "digital hardcore," setting up the independent record labelDigital Hardcore Recordings in 1994.[2][5] German bands with a similar style began signing to the label and its underground popularity grew, with small digital hardcore festivals being held in several German cities.[2] By the mid-1990s, a number of new record labels specializing in the genre were formed around the world. These included Gangster Toons Industries (Paris), Praxis (London), Cross Fade Enter Tainment (Hamburg), Drop Bass Network (U.S.), and Bloody Fist (Australia).[2]Digital Hardcore Recordings also had some kinship with the Frankfurt labels Mille Plateaux and Riot Beats.[2] Alec Empire's work subsequently set the template for breakcore.[6][7]
Digital hardcore saw less prominence in the 2010s. However, its international influence can be seen in the prominence of electronicore, a similar musical genre fusing hardcore punk and metalcore with electronica. The German band We Butter the Bread with Butter has seen commercial success employing this fusion.[10] The term "digital hardcore" has largely fallen out of use, given its association with politically charged lyrics, which are not a characteristic of newer electronicore artists.[citation needed]
Coming into the 2020s, digital hardcore has seen a rise with new releases and artists, such as LustSickPuppy, death insurance and VoidDweller. Notable mainstream success within the digital hardcore genre has been seen with the British band WARGASM, whose debut EP, Explicit: The Mixxxtape, was released on 9 September 2022.
^ abcdefghijklmnInterview with J. Amaretto of DHR, WAX Magazine, issue 5, 1995. Included in liner notes of Digital Hardcore Recordings, Harder Than the Rest!!! compilation CD.
^"I was totally into the riot grrrl music, I see it as a very important form of expression. I learned a lot from that, way more maybe than from 'male' punk rock." The Punk Years, "Typical Girls" [1] Access date: August 20, 2008.
^Alvin Chan, Music OMH, March 2008. [2]Archived 2008-10-02 at the Wayback Machine Access date: August 6, 2008.
^Matt Earp, "Breakcore: Live Fast", XLR8R, July 20, 2006. "Breakcore: Live Fast | XLR8R". Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-08-09. Access date: August 8, 2008.