Bouncing Back - A Brief History of Bouncy Hard House
Reported by benz
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Submitted 12-10-04 23:38
Love it or hate it, the sound of bouncy hard house has seen a massive resurgence in recent times. Whether it’s Lisa Pin-Up’s perpetual support for the sounds, or Andy Whitby’s incorporation of outrageous tunes from yesteryear, it has been a regular feature of a hard dance night out in the last half a year. But why? In preparation for the madness that shall ensue in the Bounce Central room at Hard House Academy's 4th Birthday on October 23rd, I decided to get on the case and find out...
Main room at Hard House Academy
 Well, to trace things back a little, bouncy hard house was de rigour towards the end of the last millennium. Clubs like Sundissential and Sunny Side-Up served up large doses of this rather comedic, energetic music which although was really rather silly sounding, was bloody good fun to dance to! It spawned the legendary ‘Chicken Dance’ or ‘The Wiggle’ (see your local slang-merchant for possible regional variations) – which can only be described as someone flapping imaginary wings (or pretending to scratch their torso in a downward motion) whilst repeatedly squatting and un-squatting. Hilarious to watch, even more fun to do. Tunes like BK’s “Music For The People” and the outrageous “Itchy & Scratchy” by former glamour-girl Charlotte Birch caused scenes of unprecedented dancefloor pandemonium, with entire dancefloors turning into enormous trampolines. The work ‘oinky’ was coined to describe this branch of hard house. There was a very cheeky, camp feel to bouncy hard house – it had a sense of that very innuendo-heavy humour that the British do so well. Bounce soon started to spread across the waves though, and there were soon to be hoards of Spanish producers trying their hand at it. Bounce had put the fun back into clubbing for a generation of cyber kids riding high on the Mitsubishi wave, and DJs such as Andy Farley, BK and Fergie (how much they have changed!) reached notoriety playing this hyperactive style of music.
Chicken Dancers at Frantic vs Sundissential, Camden Palace, 15/11/03
It took one Thomas Ingamells (better known as Ingo) to take bouncy hard house to its limit, and even beyond. Then just 18, his insane brand of bounce took the genre as far as it could go, with massive tunes such as ‘Ready 4 Dis’ and ‘xxxxxxx’ coming on like a Tom & Jerry Cartoon on a combination of ecstasy and poppers. Massive build-ups, ridiculous, over-the-top synth sounds and effects, and of course the huge bouncy bassline to back it all up. His production talent was obvious even then. But there was only so far this genre could go, and by 2001, the bounce backlash was well underway. A more sophisticated hard house sound came to the forefront, with producers and DJs like BK and Andy Farley discovering a love for techno, and lots of people thirsty for something new. Producers such as Ingo for example, not so long ago the flavour of the month, now found themselves deserted by almost all the hard house scene. Dropped from Tidy Trax, he found like many others that it was time to move on. And that was the last we heard of bouncy hard house for a while...
Then earlier this year it started to resurface. Nukleuz’s talented young newcomer Andy Whitby rose to fame mixing in classic bounce such as The Question Mark’s “The Birds” with upfront hard dance bangers, and found himself rapidly rising to the top of the popularity tree. Lisa Pin-Up started getting more major bookings up and down the country. Lisa Lashes was again championing the sound. Soon we had Frantic putting on a ‘Return Of The Bounce’ night, and new nights such as Skwosh making it a regular feature to. Soon it was the talk of the scene – the old ‘love it / hate it’ debates resurfaced, but mostly people only seemed to have good things to say about it. So why has it seen such a resurgence?
I think that people enjoy a bit of fun in hard dance music, and that was something that it music had lost. Bouncy hard house always brings a smile to most people’s faces, and its infectious energy certainly elevates the mood in a club in a way that dark banging hard house or techno doesn’t. As far as London is concerned, it seems to me that Andy Whitby is to be thanked (or blamed, depending on how you look at it!) – I can’t remember the last time I heard anything in that vein for years before I saw him play, and I really think that he is responsible for bringing it to the forefront again. OK, so I think a lot of it is rubbish, but it certainly has brought a welcome change to hard dance. People like Lisa Pin-Up never stopped playing it, so she has to be given credit too. Clubbers who were there the first time round revel in reminiscing and reliving the old times, and others enjoy hearing this unique style for the first time.
And the future? Well, my guess is that it will slowly fade into the background again after a while, but that’s not to say we shouldn’t enjoy it while it’s still here. Who knows, maybe I’ll be wrong. I’d personally like to see more bouncy hard trance, bouncy techno, bouncy house (if you see what I mean) and so on – no reason the bounciness has to be confined to hard house! In the meantime, I’ll see you on the trampoline for a wiggle.
Photos by Benz @ Gurn.net
Hard House Academy: 4th Birthday
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On:
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Saturday 23rd October 2004
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At:
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Brixton Academy [map]
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From:
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8:30pm - 6:00am
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Cost:
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Super Savertickets: £15+bf, Saver Tickets: £18+bf, Standard Tickets: £22+bf
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Website:
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www.franticuk.com
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Ticket Info:
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ADVANCED TICKETS:
THE EARLY BIRD TICKETS: £12.50 +bf
SUPER SAVER TICKETS: £15.00 +bf
SAVER TICKETS: £18.00 +bf
STANDARD: £22 +bf
The Six ways to get your tickets:
1. Frantic Office
Credit / Debit & Cash Sales // XL Group Discount (1 free per 5)
Call 07949 618035
2. Ticketweb
Credit/Debit Card Sales // 24hr Hotline & Online Sales
Call 08700 600 100 or logon to www.ticketweb.co.uk
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0870 246 2050 or logon to www.clubtickets.com
4. Cyberdog Stores (London)
Camden: 0207 4822 842
5. E-listlondon.com
Online ticket purchase and advance guest list booking: 07908 809 077
6. Maria
07813 684 399
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Buy Online:
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Frantic proudly presents
HARDHOUSE ACADEMY
The 4th BIRTHDAY
23rd October, 20.30 – 06.00
211 Stockwell Rd, Brixton, SW9 9SL
After 4 years and 13 Sell Out Events HHA is back!
This is going to be the very first time we have ever had 2 stages in the Main Room!
This HHA is going to be the first to have The Filth Files & Bounce Central Rooms!
This HHA is going to have Funktion1 Sound throughout the whole venue!
This HHA is going to have Eddie Halliwell & Lab4!
This HHA is going to have Andy Whitby & Proteus!
HHA only takes place 4 times a year and will be the last HHA for 5 months!
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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