What is a hard bass? The youth underground movement has existed for more than fifteen years, but so far nothing is known to the general public about it. This is a controversial subculture with many of its own branches and subgenres. It is based on the genre of electronic music, which is a protest against the “sugary” and “pop”, according to the Harbassers, the sound of the bulk of DJs.
The movement is closely intertwined with other youth subcultures of football fans, ravers, hardcore players, stretchers and many others.
The origin of the genre
By the end of the nineties, youth music is undergoing significant changes. The emergence of new technologies has led to the availability of synthesizers and DJ remotes to a wide segment of the population. Rock and heavy metal are gradually fading into the background. Electronic music is gaining widespread development and popularity: it sounds on music channels, plays on the radio, and is listened to by young people on cassettes. In 1997, in Europe, a new genre of scouse gained popularity, the main distinguishing feature of which is the presence in the composition of the so-called bamboo bass.
Electronic music with rhythmic sound quickly captured the hearts of young people in the post-Soviet space. The first raves begin to take place in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities. This is a many-hour disco with the presence of several thousand people. Raves were carried out on the outskirts, in undeveloped storage facilities, hangars and so on. What is hard bass, then no one knew, so the dances were performed by DJs Roentgen, Hard Likertz, Just Motion and others. It was then that the DJ "High Per" presented his first composition in the style of hard bass.
Special sound
Unlike many popular at the beginning of the two thousandth youth musical genres and cultures, hard bass did not come from the West, but originated in Russia. When in St. Petersburg they were dancing to the full with uncompromising basses, in Europe almost no one knew what hard bass was.
The musical style is based on a quick direct beat - a barrel. Synthesized inserts are usually only a small part of the composition. One hundred and fifty beats per minute is the average pace of the genre. Another distinctive feature of the pumping house is the presence of frequent vocal inserts, often with the use of autotune.
Culture of protest
The crisis of the nineties led to changes in the cultural values of youth. Electronic raves gradually turned from a regular disco into a whole movement. Culture has become inextricably linked with drugs and casual sexual relations, which was the main leitmotif of music. The first hard bass songs had the same semantic direction.
However, they were rarely put on raves because of excessively fast and hard, almost untreated sound.
One, one, one - it's a hard bass!
The genre gained real popularity thanks to the creative association "Hardbass Dance School". It consisted of four DJs from Moscow and St. Petersburg. They loved electronic music, but did not share the views of the bulk of the ravers. In their songs, the guys ridicule the image of gopnik addicts who filled the dance floors of the country and promote a healthy lifestyle. Their unique style appealed to many listeners. Simple music has many vocal inserts without autotune, which are quickly remembered by the audience. Thanks to the composition "Hard Bass - Everyone in Adidas Sports" they learned and spoke about the genre.
Gradually, the movement grew into a separate youth subculture with its unwritten rules and laws. An integral element has become special movements that are performed under electronic compositions. They began to perform fast and aggressive dances not only at raves, but also in open areas during the day.
The participants in the subculture are characterized by a special style of clothing: sportswear of the well-known brands "Nike" and "Adidas". Also, many harbassers sharply negatively oppose drugs, are supporters of a healthy lifestyle. The broad masses learned what hard bass is after the release of the Russian film "Okolofutbola", where one of the compositions of the "Hardbass Dance School" sounds. This gave an impetus to a new development of culture and music, increased its popularity among football fans.