| Digicore | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 2010s to early 2020s; United States |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | HexD |
| Subgenres | |
| Robloxcore | |
| Other topics | |
Digicore (originally known as draincore and glitchcore) is a microgenre of hip-hop and electronic music that developed alongside hyperpop during the late 2010s to early 2020s.
Notable acts include Jane Remover, Whethan, Yungster Jack, David Shawty, Sidney Phillips, d0llywood1, quinn, glaive, ericdoa, quannnic, midwxst, lucy bedroque, aldn, brakence, juju, oaf1, dreamcache, capoxxo, lei, kurtains, i9bonsai, kuru and twikipedia.
The term "digicore" is a portmanteau of "digital" and "-core" (derived from hardcore), and originally appeared as a shortening of "digital hardcore" during the 1990s and 2000s. In the late 2010s, an online community of teenage musicians, communicating through Discord, coined the modern usage of the term "digicore" to distinguish themselves from the preexisting hyperpop scene. [1] [2] The genre was originally seen as a subgenre of hyperpop, though later described as developing alongside the movement. [3]
Digicore draws influences from artists such as Bladee and his collective Drain Gang consisting of Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital and producer Whitearmor, who inspired a form of online rap music called "draincore". [3] In late 2019, artist lonelee coined the modern usage of the term “digicore” to replace draincore, with Quinn being the first artist to be associated with the label. By 2021, “digicore” was further popularized by Billy Bugara's SoundCloud playlist of the same name. [3]
Digicore was originally also referred to as "glitchcore", a term that first appeared in the breakcore scene during the 2000s. It later became known as a style of music associated with the digicore scene, pioneered by artists Yungster Jack and David Shawty in the late 2010s, and was characterized by plugg-based instrumentation, heavy use of audio effects such as autotune and pitch shifters, as well as rapidly chopped vocals designed to resemble audio glitches. Glitchcore also developed a distinct internet visual aesthetic with videos featuring glitchy, fast-paced, and cluttered edits, often colorful and occasionally marked with flash warnings. This visual style frequently made use of an editing technique known as "datamoshing." [4] Some popular digicore artists like d0llywood1 even refer to glitchcore as "an aesthetic, like the edits", rather than an actual music genre. [5]
Many popular producers from the microgenre are between the ages of 15 and 18. [6] Digicore differs from hyperpop mainly by adding trap-based influences but there remains a degree of crossover between the scenes, characterised by heavy autotune, high-pitched vocals, sharp 808s, and frequent hi-hats. [1] As Kyann-Sian Williams of NME stated, "glitchcore [digicore] is hyperpop on steroids", [7] referring to the exaggerated vocals, distortions, glitch noises, and other pop elements present within the genre.
Stef, a producer of the popular hyperpop and digicore collective Helix Tears stated that there certainly is a difference between the two microgenres, saying, "Hyperpop is more melodic and poppy whereas glitchcore is indescribable". [7] Digicore is typically made up of artists that share stylistic similarities to 100 gecs, rather than the musicians signed to PC Music. [4]
Digicore artist Billy Bugara wrote that his colleagues "pull from genres as wide-reaching as midwestern emo, trance, and even Chicago drill". [6] Artists also draw from genres such as Jersey club and Brazilian funk. [8] Other influences include the work of Duwap Kaine, Yung Bruh, trassh vampire, Sybyr and Charli XCX. [8] Early pioneers of the genre include the work of juju, kid trash, david shawty, yungster jack and bby goyard.
Similar to hyperpop, the digicore scene is often associated with the LGBTQ community, drawing primary influences from queer culture. [9] Several key artists identify as gay, non-binary, or transgender. [10] The microgenre's emphasis on vocal modulation has allowed artists to experiment with gender presentation in their voices. [9]
Online rap collectives such as NOVAGANG and helix tears have been considered influential. [2] [11]
In 2018, Dalton, a figure in the digicore scene, started a Minecraft and Discord server called "Loser's Club" that became a haven for several of the most popular artists within the digicore scene such as Quinn, Glaive, Ericdoa and Midwxst. [6] [12] [6] [13] [14] These artists drew primary influence from Bladee and his collective Drain Gang, which inspired a microgenre known as "draincore". [3] By 2019, the influence of the hyperpop duo 100 gecs, led the genre to be renamed "digicore", as a way to distinguish itself from the emerging hyperpop scene. [15] [16] Notable artists who emerged around this time include oaf1, dreamcache, capoxxo, twikipedia, lei, kurtains, i9bonsai, kmoe, sidney phillips, brakence, d0llywood1, lucy bedroque and quannnic. [17]
In 2020, the microgenre saw a rise in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] Around that time, TikTok, particularly Alt TikTok, [18] played a key role in popularising the scene, through video edits to two viral songs "NEVER MET!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum and "Pressure" by Yungster Jack and David Shawty. [4] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] In 2021, the digicore album Frailty by Jane Remover (who previously pioneered the dariacore microgenre) received praise on mainstream music sites Pitchfork and Paste , with the Fader stating the album established Jane Remover as "the face of digicore". [26] [27] [28]
Additionally, "robloxcore" became a brief microgenre offshoot of digicore, originally pioneered by artists lungskull and lieu, both of whom began by uploading and "bypassing" music into the popular online game Roblox, with their songs “Foreign” and “Threat” gaining wider popularity online. [29] The scene's popularity was attributed to TikTok as well as Roblox audiomaker games like DigitalAngels and CriminalViolence, with tracks like Yameii Online's “Baby My Phone,” peaking at No. 2 on the Spotify Viral 50 in March 2021. [30] [19]
The influence of the genre has extended to other artists such as New York rapper Xaviersobased, who has been described as emerging out of the digicore scene through his early work. [31]