Darkcore or darkside is a music subgenre of jungle (not be confused with the more recent developments of hardcore) that became popular in the United Kingdom. It is recognized as being one of the direct precursors of the genre now known as drum and bass. Popular from late 1992 and through 1993, Darkcore was a counter movement to happy hardcore, which also evolved from breakbeat hardcore.
Darkcore is characterized by aggressive, often syncopated breakbeats; low frequency bass lines; and a strong 4-to-the-floor beat, owing to the subgenre's hardcore origins. Tracks are generally between 150 and 167 BPM, with 160 BPM being especially common. Many tracks feature dark-themed samples such as choirs, synthesizer notes, horror movie theme music, or cries for help.
As the style evolved, the use of horror elements was dropped as producers relied more on simple effects such as reverb, delay, pitch shifting and time stretching to create a chaotic and sinister mood. The use of time-stretching features on many tracks and gives a scratchy, metallic quality to some samples, particularly breakbeats.
Hardcore, formerly called hardcore techno, is a subgenre of electronic dance music that originated in the Netherlands from the emergent raves in the 1990s. Its subgenres are usually distinct from other electronic dance music genres by faster tempos (160 to 200 BPM or more), the intensity of the kicks and the synthesized bass (in some subgenres), the rhythm and the atmosphere of the themes (sometimes violent), the usage of saturation and experimentation close to that of industrial dance music.
To understand the emergence of hardcore one has to go back to the 1970s, to find signs of hard electronic dance music within industrial music. Groups such as Throbbing Gristle, Coil, Cabaret Voltaire, SPK, Foetus and Einstürzende Neubauten produced music using a wide range of electronic instruments. The message diffused by industrial was then very provocative. Some of the musical sounds and experimentation of industrial have directly influenced hardcore since the beginning of the movement.
Come here baby, I got a needle for your eye
I got a mountain of money and drugs for you to try
I know I'm a fuck up and at least twice your age
Do some of this, I'll manipulate you for days
I can't fuck but I need some company
You're in love as long as these drugs are free
(???) you need more drugs
And I'll keep you all high
You tell me you love me
But I know it's not true
Drug whore baby
And I know what you like to do
(???)
I need a drug whore to get me horny
(???)
My drug whore 'til my money's gone
Til your money's gone
Yes I know you can talk
But you don't talk to me
(???)
Drug whore money
I got a needle for your eye
A mountain of money and drugs for you to try
I know I'm a fuck up and at least twice your age
Cone on over, I'll manipulate you for days