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Find like-minded dancers on udansa who share your taste in music, and discover the right street dance courses in your area.
By Mary De LucaUpdated
Find like-minded dancers on udansa who share your taste in music, and discover the right street dance courses in your area.
Every beat moves the body differently. Find out with our quick sound test which Hip-Hop era defines your personal dance rhythm and which subgenres best complement your style.
Hip-Hop is far more than just a single genre, it is a vast, constantly changing universe of beats, basses, and rhythms. While some people immediately start nodding their heads to the dull thud of an analog snare drum from the nineties, others only start moving to the rapid hi-hats and deep sub-basses of modern productions. The music you move to in the studio or at the club shapes your entire dance expression and determines how you fill the space.
If you want to understand your own Hip-Hop beats, this sound test will help you find your musical home. The different eras have produced their own unique dynamics. While the golden era relied on organic samples and handmade loops, the modern scene experiments with atmospheric synthesizers and digital effects. Both have their own unique appeal on the dance floor.
Your heart beats for the classic sound of the nineties. You love the warm, crackling sound of old vinyl samples, jazzy chords, and the unmistakable, heavy boom-bap rhythm. Your dance style is likely characterized by a rich, deep groove and a constant, earthy bounce.
To develop your dancing further, you can specifically search for old-school playlists and try to isolate the subtle nuances of the sampled instruments in your movements.
You have arrived absolutely in the here and now, and you love the modern, digital aesthetic. Fast, rattling hi-hats, extremely deep 808 basses, and spherical, almost floating synthesizer sounds get you moving immediately. Your dance style is likely dynamic, explosive, and uses the contrasts of fast accents and flowing pauses.
Use this preference to work on your isolation technique and fast changes of direction, which fit perfectly with the rapid hi-hat rolls.
| Feature | Boom-Bap (Classic) | Trap & Cloud (Modern) |
|---|---|---|
| Main instruments | Acoustic drum samples, jazz & soul loops | Synthesizers, Roland TR-808, digital effects |
| Rhythm focus | Heavy snare on 2 and 4, steady groove | Rattling hi-hats, irregular bass patterns |
| Dance vibe | Deep bounce, earthy and continuous movements | High contrast, stop-and-go, fast isolations |
| Sound character | Warm, raw, organic and steeped in history | Atmospheric, futuristic, cold and powerful |
The classification is based on the typical production features and rhythmic focal points of the respective eras.
Find the right course that fits your sound and your style perfectly.
StreetdanceBurgstädt · Germany
Videoclip Teens 11-13 JahreMonday · 16:50 · Nov 9
Burgstädt
StreetdanceBurgstädt · Germany
Videoclip Teens ab 16 JahreMonday · 17:50 · Nov 9
Burgstädt
StreetdanceLimbach-Oberfrohna · Germany
Videoclip Teens 11-13 JahreTuesday · 18:35 · Nov 10
Limbach-Oberfrohna
Once you have your test result in black and white, you can use this knowledge specifically for your training. If you find yourself more in the classic boom bap area, music with a clear, earthy groove will do you good. You can specifically search for playlists that focus on the golden era of the nineties. Your dance will particularly benefit here from a deep, continuous bounce that reflects the rhythmic heartbeat of this era. A look into history is worthwhile to understand the roots of this movement, such as the birth of Hip-Hop in the Bronx.
Should your heart beat more for trap and cloud rap, modern playlists with fast, rolling hi-hats are your perfect companion. Use the atmospheric pauses and the sudden bass drops of these tracks to play with contrasts in your movement: fast, precise accents followed by flowing, almost floating transitions. No matter what type you are, conscious listening trains your ear and makes you a more versatile dancer at every social and in every course.
Boom Bap is characterized by a classic drum pattern, usually based on soul or funk samples, where the kick drum is on the one and the snare hits hard on the two and four. Trap, on the other hand, uses synthetic sounds from the Roland TR-808 machine, extremely fast, rolling hi-hats, and dominant, deep sub-basses.
Yes, absolutely. The heavy, constant groove of Boom Bap beats invites deep, earthy movements and a continuous bounce in the upper body. The irregular, syncopated rhythms and sudden tempo changes in Trap, however, often require faster, isolated movements and playing with stop-and-go effects.
You can search for terms like Golden Era, 90s East Coast Hip-Hop, Lo-Fi Hip-Hop, or Boom Bap instrumentals. These genres emphasize the classic, sample-based sound and are excellent for training your sense of rhythm for the traditional groove.
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