Artists don’t necessarily set out to create new genres, but in the case of hyperpop it’s not hard to trace the genre back to a handful of like-minded individuals associated with DIY music label PC Music.
Armed with laptop-based production tools and inspired by the freedom offered by SoundCloud, starting in 2013 A. G. Cook’s label project released a flurry of tracks via the platform, and developed the bubblegum bass sound that would morph into what is now more widely recognised as hyperpop.
The genre takes its lead from a whole host of classic music styles such as eurodance, J-Pop, dubstep and trance, but is also heavily influenced by the deconstructed club scene and more leftfield sounds such as chiptune. Distilling all these influences is really down to the unqiues visions of A. G. Cook, SOPHIE and other close associates such as Danny L. Harle, Hannah Diamond and Finn Keane.
That said, the genre-defying roots and sonic development make for quite a lot of variation, and this has led to some artists questioning whether the hyperpop moniker is really valid at all.
