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Nightcore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nightcore
Other names
  • Sped-up version
  • Sped-up remix
  • Sped-up song
  • Sped-up
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins2001,Norway
Typical instrumentsAudio editing software
Derivative formsHyperpop
Other topics
Anime music video

Anightcore(also known assped-up) edit is a version of amusic trackthat increases thepitchandtempoof its source material.

The name is derived from the Norwegian musical duo "Nightcore", who released pitch-shifted versions oftranceandEurodancesongs. Nightcore is also commonly associated and accompanied withanimeandotakuculture, with manyYouTubethumbnailsof nightcore remixes containing anime characters and art.[4]

Nightcore saw a resurgence in the early 2020s due toTikTok,causingmajor recording labelsto officially release "sped-up" versions of their songs.

History

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2000s: Origins

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The term "nightcore" was first used in 2001 as the name for a school project byNorwegianDJ duo Thomas S. Nilsen and Steffen Ojala Søderholm, known by their stage names DJ TNT and DJ SOS respectively.[5][4]The two were influenced by pitch-shifted vocals in German groupScooter's hardcore songs "Nessaja"and"Ramp! (The Logical Song)",stating in an interview that" [t]here were so few of these kinds of artists, we thought that mi xing music in our style would be a pleasure for us to listen to "and that" [n]ightcore has become a style of music, a way to make the music happier – 'happy hardcore' as they say. "[6]

The duo set a template of a track in the style: a 25–30% speed-up (commonly to around 160 to 180beats per minute) of atranceorEurodancesong.[7]The nightcore music has been compared tohappy hardcoreandbubblegum bassbecause of its fast tempos, energetic feel, and high-pitched vocals.[7][8][9]Nightcore made five albums of sped-up versions oftrancerecordings, including its 2002 thirteen-track debut albumEnergizedand the group's later albumsSummer Edition 2002,L'hiver,SensaciónandCaliente.[10][11]The group's first album was made witheJay,while all of its later work was made with what the duo described as "top-secret" programs.[12]All of its records were sold to their friends and DJs around the group's area.[7][12]Nightcore's works started appearing on services such asLimeWirein mid-2003 andYouTubein 2006. The first nightcore track to appear on the latter site was "Dam Dadi Doo" by the duo. Only two of the project's albums have surfaced on the Internet.[7]One of the first people to distribute nightcore music onYouTubewas a user going by the name Maikel631, beginning in 2008. The user uploaded about 30 original tracks by Nightcore on the Web site. In 2009, they found a "new" nightcore track, as well as the technique to make material in the style:[9]

I came to the realization that Nightcore songs could be made by everyone, using reasonably simple audio software. I was at least one of the first people to really use that knowledge to make Nightcore edits. oShyGuyzo did this before me with Nightcore II. Another channel [that] I followed and started exploring fan-made Nightcore around the same time was Nasinocinesino.

2010s: Popularity

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One of the firstviralnightcore videos was for "Rockefeller Street",the song byGetter Jaanithat was chosen to representEstoniaat the2011 Eurovision Song Contest.The song became an internet meme after the nightcore version was posted toYouTubeby a user known as Andrea, who was known as anOsu!player.[13][better source needed]From there, the music rose in popularity with more people applying the nightcore treatment to more non-dance genres such aspop musicandhip hop.Many of the pioneer uploaders of nightcore including Maikel631 have called these non-dance edits "fake".[7]The nightcore scene then crossed over toSoundCloudwith the help of artist lilangelboi, who had released around ten to fifteen edits on the service before signing with Manicure Records. The head of Manicure, Tom "Ghibli" Mike, recalled, "I just got totally obsessed with it. I put up that one he did," Light "; we had him up here to DJ a few parties; and then he moved here. That was totally how nightcore became a thing for us."[7]The label's #MANICURED playlist consisted of nightcore renditions ofK-popandelectro housetracks, a few of them also incorporating production techniques outside of pitch-shifting and speeding up the source material, such as "Mile High" by Chipped Nails and Ponibbi and "Fave Hours" by F I J I.[7]

By the mid-2010s, the nightcore scene had garnered attention from musicians such asDjemba Djemba,Maxo and Harrison,Nina Las Vegas,Ryan Hemsworth,Lido,Moistbreezy, andPC MusicfoundersDanny L HarleandA. G. Cook.[7]Harle and Cook have claimed nightcore to be influences in interviews,[7]the former saying in an interview:[14]

From the second I first heard it, it's been so intensely emotional for me to listen to. I don't feel like it's an interaction from another human to me, it's just MP3 sound making me feel emotional in my head. With that kind of stuff, it's just a representation of heightened emotion for me.

AThumpwriter described it as the "groundwork for some of the most innovative club music today" and wrote that it also led to a number of "awful"internet memes:[12]

Throughout the late aughts and into the 2010s, it became the subject of a number of awful memes, and even an entry on KnowYourMeme, where a surprisingly extensive history of the music sits next to histories of trap and its infamous air horn sample. Like that iconic, oft-sampled sound, nightcore's inescapable appeal lies in loud, brash, low-brow fun, a heart-pounding blunderbuss of gooey, candy-coated sounds. It's an artifact indebted to an earlier, less formalized internet, one where file-sharing and forum culture reigned supreme, and where many aspiring producers first experienced the thrill of connecting with a larger community online.

Dance Music Northwest described nightcore as "too catchy, too danceable, and far too much fun to not welcome into the dance music mainstream."[8]David Turner ofMTVdescribed a nightcore remix of "7 Years"byLukas Grahamas the same as "the normal [...] song" and "plagiarism."[15]

2020s: TikTok

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During the early 2020s, nightcore, under the name "sped-up", became substantially popular thanks toTikTok,where many sped-up versions of older songs were watched millions of times.[16][4]Online music magazinePitchforknoted: "Much of the music that performs well on TikTok has been modified slightly, either sped-up orslowed-down."Pitchforkquoted one nightcore TikTok creator: "Editors really enjoy sped-up music because edits with sped-up audios are much more energetic and interesting to watch."[17]

In turn,major recording labelsbegan releasing official sped-up remixes, gaining millions of streams.[16][1][18]They either started releasing three versions (normal, sped-up, and slowed) of a track at the same time,[16]or started curating popularSpotifyplaylists for sped-up versions ofhit singlesreleased specifically on their label (such asWarner Music Group).[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abMurray, Conor (Jan 18, 2023)."Why Sped-Up Music—From SZA, Steve Lacy And Many More—Took Over TikTok And Became A Key Marketing Strategy".Forbes.
  2. ^Mullen, Matt (Jan 25, 2023)."Why are artists releasing sped-up versions of their songs?".MusicRadar.
  3. ^Demopoulos, Alaina (Jan 10, 2023)."Why is Spotify full of faster versions of pop hits? Let's bring you up to speed".The Guardian.
  4. ^abcGeorge, Cassidy (June 20, 2023)."TikTok Is Filled With Sped-Up Remixes. Two Norwegians Pioneered Them".New York Times.
  5. ^"!: Nightcore is Hardcore:!: biography".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-02.Retrieved2016-10-03.
  6. ^"NIGHTCORE INTERVIEW | SUPERSUPER! Magazine".SUPERSUPER! Magazine. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-28.Retrieved2016-10-03.
  7. ^abcdefghiFan Fiction (August 7, 2015)."Nest HQ's Guide to Nightcore"Archived2016-09-18 at theWayback Machine.Nest HQ.Owsla.Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  8. ^abHarshman, Heath (July 25, 2015)."Why We Welcome Nightcore As The Next Breakout Genre"Archived2016-09-19 at theWayback Machine.Dance Music Northwest. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  9. ^ab"Mija Brings FK a Genre Tour to the Hangar This Week".Miami New Times. 2016-12-06.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-12-26.Retrieved2016-12-26.
  10. ^"Thomas sin jæmmesia"(in Norwegian). Archived fromthe originalon 2005-02-22.Retrieved2016-10-03.
  11. ^"!: Nightcore is Hardcore:!: news".Archived fromthe originalon 2004-02-14.Retrieved2016-10-03.
  12. ^abcArcand, Rob (August 15, 2016)."How Nightcore Became Your Favorite Producer's Favorite Genre"Archived2016-09-21 at theWayback Machine.THUMP.Vice Media.Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  13. ^"Rockefeller Street".Know Your Meme.19 November 2018.Retrieved2021-05-26.
  14. ^Graham (June 1, 2015)."Danny L Harle: Silly is a Feeling, Too".Pigeons and Planes.Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2016.RetrievedSeptember 18,2016.
  15. ^Turnet, David (May 27, 2016)."Seven '7 Years' EDM Remixes for Your Memorial Day Weekend".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-09-15.RetrievedSeptember 14,2018.
  16. ^abcCampbell, Erica (Jan 17, 2023)."Sped up songs: why are music fans becoming captivated by quick TikTok hits?".NME.
  17. ^Zhang, Cat (April 14, 2022)."Thirst Traps, Anime, and the Viral Power of TikTok Fan Edit Communities".Pitchfork.RetrievedJune 17,2022.
  18. ^Carman, Ashley (May 12, 2023)."Why Warner Music Operates a Covert Spotify Remix Account".Bloomberg News.
  19. ^Leight, Elias (March 14, 2023)."With Sped-Up Songs Taking Over, Artists Feel the Need for Speed".Billboard.
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