“Hardcore” was the first rave subgenre. An investigation of early-’90s rave culture would reveal its participants’ insistence on using the word “hardcore” to describe themselves and their music.

They are currently one of the most in-demand techno duos in the world, after playing a set at the Coachella festival in 2024 ...

Why does it seem like dance music has got so hard and fast recently? Isaac Muk investigates, exploring the impact of a new generation of "play harder" clubbers and artists, social media and economic ...

One of the world’s leading techno promoters, Verknipt, hosted what may be the “biggest hard techno event ever” this weekend. On Saturday (July 20) the Verknipt ArenA party welcomed over 40,000 techno ...

Rialto, California, sometime in the early '90s: Steve Vasquez’s sister, Jen, was at her wit’s end. Her brother had barricaded himself once more in his bedroom. The only evidence of life therein were ...

Techno and Europe. Name a more iconic duo. Despite the genre originating from the USA, techno has found a new home, with countless festivals in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Croatia. Across ...

This piece is part of our archival features series, originally published 2021. We're revisiting it as part of our website relaunch because its themes remain as relevant and engaging as ever.

Hardcore was the first rave subgenre. An investigation of early ’90s rave culture would reveal its participants’ insistence on using the word “hardcore” to describe themselves and their music.