hardstyle, hardcore, rawstyle & hard techno: Frequently Asked Questions
onistyle covers the hardstyle, hardcore, rawstyle and hard techno scene in Japan. This page answers the most common "what is...?" questions about these genres. For the latest, see Events and Feed.
What is hardstyle?
hardstyle is a dance-music genre that originated in the Netherlands and Belgium. It's defined by a distorted "reverse bass" kick drum, giving it a heavy, driving sound. In Japan, it's the standard term used by Japanese Wikipedia, iFLYER and club.eventsearch.jp, the country's main music media and event-listing sites, not a niche import. DefDistortion, based in Yokohama and running since 2014, is Japan's longest-running recurring hardstyle party.
What is hardcore?
On its own, the word "hardcore" is easily confused with hardcore punk, combat sports, or adult content, so the music scene almost always pairs it with a qualifier, as in "hardcore techno," to make clear which "hardcore" is meant. hardcore is a genre defined by a fast tempo, typically 150 to 200+ BPM, and a distorted "gabber kick" drum sound. Japan also has its own related lineage, jcore, which grew out of the doujin (fan-made) music scene. jcore developed from an earlier term, nerdcore, coined in the 1990s, and has its own history tied to Japanese game music and doujin culture.
What's the difference between hardstyle, hard techno and gabber?
hardstyle, hard techno and gabber are closely related but distinct genres, each built differently. hardstyle is melodic, built around a signature "reverse bass kick." hard techno is faster, with a minimal, driving sound, and it's the genre with the strongest domestic event-search interest right now, across cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. gabber originated in the Netherlands and is the fastest and most distorted of the three, closely related to genres like happy hardcore and speedcore. onistyle's own event coverage is centered on hardstyle, hardcore, rawstyle and hard techno. gabber is covered here for definitional context, but isn't currently part of our event listings.