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charva

Charva

United Kingdom · 2000s
DancingIntenseHappyDarkSentimental

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Description

Charva is a North East England working‑class club and street‑party micro‑scene that blends fast UK hard dance with shout‑along MCing in strong Geordie/Mackem dialects.

It draws heavily from Spanish‑rooted makina, Scouse/bounce/donk and early‑2000s UK hardcore, favoring 150–165 BPM tempos, pounding 4/4 kicks, hoover leads, octave‑jumping bass stabs and big supersaw riffs. MCs deliver rapid, call‑and‑response bars about nightlife, bravado and local identity over continuous DJ blends.

Rather than a formal industry genre, Charva is a vernacular sound tied to venues, crews and homemade tape/CD/YouTube rips from the New Monkey era, later resurfacing via social media nostalgia and car‑sound‑system culture.


Sources: Spotify, Wikipedia, Discogs, Rate Your Music, MusicBrainz, and other online sources

History

Roots (late 1990s–early 2000s)

Charva coalesced in the North East of England around all‑night clubs and afters, most famously the New Monkey in Sunderland. DJs mixed high‑BPM makina imports and UK hard house/bounce while local MCs hyped the floor with fast, simple, rhyme‑dense bars. The word “charva” (Geordie slang akin to “chav”) became shorthand for the sound, the crowd and the lifestyle.

Tape culture and viral circulation (mid‑2000s–2010s)

The scene spread through ripped CD packs, Bluetooth phone swaps and later YouTube uploads of live sets. These crowd‑recorded mixes, complete with rewinds, airhorns and MC chatter, defined the canon more than official releases. Elements of UK hardcore and Scouse house cross‑pollinated, keeping the style current while remaining distinctly regional.

Revival and online codification (late 2010s–2020s)

Nostalgia, TikTok edits and car‑audio clips resurfaced classic sets to new listeners. Streaming services began clustering this material under a micro‑tag, informally codifying Charva as a genre label. Contemporary producers borrowed donk stabs and makina leads, while MCs kept the rowdy, local, call‑and‑response spirit alive in new mixes and events.

How to make a track in this genre

Tempo, rhythm and structure
•   Aim for 150–165 BPM with a relentless 4/4 kick. Use off‑beat donk/bounce bass stabs and clap/snare on 2 and 4. •   Build long DJ‑friendly sections: 32–64‑bar intros/outros for blends; frequent risers, reverse cymbals and white‑noise sweeps leading to big drops.
Sound design and harmony
•   Leads: bright supersaws/hoovers (JP‑style stacks), simple diatonic hooks (minor keys common), octave jumps and portamento slides. •   Bass: percussive donk stab layered with a sub following root notes; consider call‑and‑response between bass and lead. •   Drums: punchy 909/CL‑style kick, tight hats on 1/16ths, occasional triplet fills before drops.
Vocals and MCing
•   Write 8–16‑bar chantable verses with internal rhymes, shout‑outs and crowd prompts (“hands up!”, “rewind!”). •   Deliver in Geordie/Mackem accents; themes: going out, local pride, DIY bravado, cars, late nights. •   Use call‑and‑response hooks and ad‑libs; capture a live, slightly over‑driven mic aesthetic.
Arrangement and mix
•   Alternate instrumental riffs with MC sections to keep energy high; drop the kick to spotlight key lines, then slam back in. •   Keep mixes loud and upfront; emphasize midrange presence for MC intelligibility; sidechain leads and pads to the kick.
Performance tips
•   Treat sets as continuous blends with quick doubles; trigger airhorns/FX sparsely but decisively. •   Encourage crowd interaction; be ready to rewind on big reactions and re‑drop the hook.

Best playlists

The Sound of Charva
The Sound of Charva
Every Noise at Once
Charva
Charva
Chosic
Charva Mix
Charva Mix
Spotify
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Influenced by
Makina
Makina is a Spanish hard-dance style that surged in the 1990s club scene, especially around Catalonia and Valencia. It blends the euphoric melodies of Euro-trance with the drive of hardcore techno, resulting in high-energy tracks built for peak-time dancefloors. Characterized by tempos around 160–175 BPM, pounding 4/4 kicks, rolling snare fills, bright supersaw leads, and dramatic breakdowns, Makina favors anthemic hooks and crowd-chant moments. In clubs like Pont Aeri, Scorpia, and Xque?, DJs often added live MCing, whistles, and airhorns, turning the music into a participatory, communal experience.
Donk
Donk is a high-energy, tongue‑in‑cheek strain of UK bounce/hard dance that emerged in the North West of England. Its defining feature is a sharp, percussive, FM‑style "donk" bass hit placed on the offbeats, creating an instantly recognizable, bouncy groove. Typically running around 145–155 BPM, donk fuses 4‑to‑the‑floor hard house drums with trancey supersaw riffs, bright leads, and catchy, often cheeky vocal hooks or MC bars. The aesthetic is unabashedly fun and populist—bootlegs of pop songs, rave‑ready breakdowns, and big, hands‑in‑the‑air builds are common—making the style as much a social and regional scene as a studio sound.
Hard House
Hard house is a high-energy, riff-driven branch of house music that emerged in the UK club scene in the mid-1990s. It pairs a relentless four-on-the-floor 909 kick and off‑beat open hi-hats with pumping, rolling basslines and bold, hooky synth stabs. Typical tempos range from about 135 to 150 BPM, with dramatic snare fills, risers, and breakdowns that set up big, euphoric drops. Sonically it favors thick, saturated drums; hoover-style and supersaw leads; trance-tinged chords; and chopped or pitched vocal snippets. The focus is dancefloor momentum and DJ-friendly arrangement: long intros/outros, clear breakdowns, and memorable lead riffs designed for peak-time impact.
Hard Nrg
Hard NRG is a high-energy offshoot of the UK hard dance spectrum that fuses the drive of hard house with the trance-tinged euphoria and machine-tooled precision of late-1990s techno. It typically runs at 140–155 BPM, is built around a thick, punchy kick, offbeat or reverse-bass patterns, biting synth stabs, hoover leads, and acid lines, and is arranged in long, DJ-friendly phrases for relentless club momentum. While it shares the word “NRG” with 1980s Hi-NRG, Hard NRG is a distinct, harder and darker club form tied to the UK’s after-hours culture, warehouse parties, and specialized labels. The result is a sound that is aggressive yet euphoric—optimized for peak-time dancefloors and long-form, high-intensity DJ sets.
Happy Hardcore
Happy hardcore is a fast, euphoric branch of the early UK rave continuum characterized by brisk tempos, 4/4 kicks, bright piano stabs, supersaw leads, and pitched-up “chipmunk” vocals. It emphasizes major-key harmony, catchy melodies, and ecstatic breakdowns, aiming for maximum uplift on the dancefloor. Compared to darker hardcore and gabber, happy hardcore favors feel-good hooks, singalong choruses, and sentimental atmospheres while retaining the relentless energy and drive of hardcore techno.
Uk Hardcore
UK hardcore is a high-tempo, euphoric branch of the hardcore dance continuum that crystallized in the UK during the 2000s out of happy hardcore, hard trance, and hard house influences. Characterized by 4/4 kicks at roughly 165–175 BPM, big supersaw leads, bright melodic hooks, and pitched-up or anthemic vocals, it aims squarely at hands-in-the-air rave energy. Tracks typically feature trance-like breakdowns, dramatic risers, and explosive drops, often with singalong choruses and glossy, uplifting chord progressions. While it inherited the positivity and speed of 1990s happy hardcore, UK hardcore modernized the sound design (sidechained pads, layered kicks, contemporary EDM processing) and tightened the song structures for large-scale raves and compilation culture (e.g., Clubland X-Treme Hardcore).
Bounce
Bounce is a high-energy regional style of hip hop that emerged in New Orleans in the early 1990s. It is built on fast, repetitive party grooves, commanding chants, and call‑and‑response hooks that directly engage dancers and the crowd. Its signature rhythmic bed centers on the "Triggerman" beat (from the Showboys' 1986 track Drag Rap) and the "Brown Beat" break, usually driven by punchy TR‑808 drums, handclaps, and chopped vocal samples. Lyrics tend to be chant-like, local, and instructional—naming neighborhoods, wards, and housing projects, and cueing specific dance moves (notably twerking). Bounce’s performance tradition connects to New Orleans second‑line and parade culture: it’s communal, percussive, and built for the club and block party. The result is a kinetic, minimal, bass‑forward sound that prioritizes movement, crowd interaction, and relentless momentum.
Bouncy Techno
Bouncy techno is a Scottish-led branch of early-to-mid‑1990s hardcore dance music characterized by a fast 4/4 beat (typically 165–175 BPM), punchy distorted kicks, and a springy, off‑beat bass that creates its trademark “bounce.” Unlike breakbeat‑driven happy hardcore of the same era, bouncy techno favors straight four‑on‑the‑floor drums, simple, catchy major‑key riffs, bright piano stabs, and euphoric synth leads. Vocals, when used, are often pitched‑up or sampled in short hooks. The result is an energetic, party‑ready sound designed for large raves and laser‑lit clubs, especially in Scotland’s 1990s scene.
Gabber
Gabber is a Dutch-born branch of hardcore techno characterized by extremely fast tempos, relentless 4/4 kicks, and an aggressive, distorted sound palette. It typically runs between 160–190+ BPM, features heavily overdriven 909-style kick drums that also serve as the bass, terse minor-key synth stabs (including classic "hoover" timbres), and short, shouted vocal samples or MC hype. Culturally, gabber is tied to early-’90s Rotterdam club culture, Thunderdome compilations and events, bomber jackets and trainers, and the high-energy hakken dance. The aesthetic is raw, industrial, and maximal, prioritizing impact, speed, and dancefloor intensity over harmonic complexity.
Hardcore Techno
Hardcore techno is a high‑tempo, aggressively produced branch of techno characterized by distorted, punchy four‑on‑the‑floor kicks, abrasive sound design, and relentless rhythmic drive. Typical tempos range from about 160 to 190 BPM (and can go even faster in some scenes), creating an intense, physically demanding dance experience. The style emphasizes saturated 909‑style kick drums with clipped/transient "click" and long distorted tails, industrial textures, harsh stabs (including classic "hoover" tones), alarming FX, and short shouted or sampled vocals. Harmony is sparse and often minor, with dissonant intervals or horror/industrial atmospheres. The overall aesthetic is raw, dark, and functional for large rave systems, designed to evoke catharsis and high energy on the dancefloor.
Hip Hop
Hip hop is a cultural and musical movement that emerged from Black, Latino, and Caribbean communities, centering around rapping (MCing), DJing/turntablism, sampling-based production, and rhythmic speech over beats. It prioritizes groove, wordplay, and storytelling, often reflecting the social realities of urban life. Musically, hip hop is built on drum-centric rhythms (from breakbeats to 808 patterns), looped samples, and bass-forward mixes. Lyrically, it ranges from party anthems and braggadocio to political commentary and intricate poetic forms, with flow, cadence, and rhyme density as core expressive tools. Beyond music, hip hop encompasses a broader culture, historically intertwined with graffiti, b-boying/b-girling (breakdance), fashion, and street entrepreneurship, making it both an art form and a global social language.
Grime
Grime is a fast, raw, and minimalist form of rap-driven electronic music that emerged from London’s pirate radio culture in the early 2000s. It typically runs at around 140 BPM, with skeletal, syncopated drum patterns, stark sub-bass, and icy synth stabs that leave space for agile MCs. The genre’s vocal style emphasizes rapid-fire flows, internal rhymes, and wordplay that reflect urban life, competition, humour, and social commentary. Grime inherited the DIY energy of UK garage and jungle sound systems while foregrounding MC culture as the main event, building a distinctive British rap identity separate from U.S. hip hop.
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