HexD
In 2011, Untranced released a mixtape titled Deleted Seniors. This project featured EDM music mixed with heavy bitcrushing. It marked one of the first times extreme use of this effect appeared as an aesthetic quality in music. Bitcrushing produces distortion through reduction of bandwidth and digital audio data. Artists apply this technique to specific instruments or the entire master track. They speed up vocals while pitching them higher. Overall instrumentation receives similar treatment. The result is a distorted, digital, hazy, and psychedelic sound. Alternative Press magazine described HexD as sped up, bitcrushed and glitched out. This sonic signature defines the genre's identity.
The term hexD originates from a style of DJ mixing that makes extensive use of bitcrushing and digital effects. Processors describe this action as hexxing a song. Visual aesthetics draw influence from anime and internet aesthetics. Early Web 2.0 era iconography and artwork play a major role here. These visuals connect primarily to the 2006 online GIF editor Blingee. The genre was briefly known as surge after the Dismiss Yourself compilation album Surge Compilation Vol. 1. This release occurred in 2020. Later events differentiated the label from the broader movement. The visual language remains tied to these early digital platforms.
West Coast-based producer she_skin pioneered the use of bitcrushing in trap music. Untranced released Deleted Seniors in 2011 to showcase heavy bitcrushing mixed with EDM. Stacy Minajj coined the term hexD later on. She released the DJ mix Rare RCB hexD.mp3 in June 2019. This track samples and remixes songs from the influential online rap collective Reptilian Club Boyz. Her work established the sonic foundation for what followed. Other artists like ZBITO18 joined the movement. They contributed to a catalog described as neon Myspace-core rave insanity. Blackwinterwells led the helix tears collective during this period. Their output became SoundCloud's most exciting rabbit hole of glitchcore and hexD emo-rap transcendentalists.
The YouTube channel and netlabel Dismiss Yourself uploaded the Stacy Minajj RCB mix to their platform. This upload happened on the 23rd of August 2019. It became instrumental to the wider proliferation of the hexD genre. Members of Hexcastcrew played key roles in spreading these sounds online. The group Reptilian Club Boyz served as an influential online rap collective. Their tracks provided source material for early remixes. Collectives formed around shared digital spaces to distribute music. These groups fostered connections between producers and listeners. The community grew through file sharing and collaborative projects. Online platforms allowed rapid exchange of ideas and techniques.
In March 2021, Alternative Press magazine labelled the group Fax Gang as hexDers. The publication stated that ZBITO18 and the rest of HELLOKITTYWAFFENDIVISION provide a comprehensive catalog of hexD-ed neon Myspace-core rave insanity. An article from April that year described blackwinterwells-led helix tears collective as SoundCloud's most exciting rabbit hole of glitchcore/hexD emo-rap transcendentalists. On the 5th of April 2021, the label released Surge Compilation Vol. 1. This various artists compilation album further popularized the movement. Media outlets began legitimizing the microgenre during this time. The recognition brought attention to underground electronic scenes. Mainstream coverage helped define the boundaries of the sound.
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Common questions
What is HexD music and how does it use bitcrushing?
HexD is a music microgenre that uses heavy bitcrushing to create distorted, digital, hazy, and psychedelic sounds. Bitcrushing produces distortion through the reduction of bandwidth and digital audio data applied to specific instruments or entire master tracks.
Who coined the term hexD and when was the first mixtape released?
Stacy Minajj coined the term hexD after releasing her DJ mix Rare RCB hexD.mp3 in June 2019. Untranced released the mixtape titled Deleted Seniors in 2011 which featured EDM mixed with heavy bitcrushing as one of the first aesthetic uses of this effect.
Where did the visual aesthetics for HexD originate from?
Visual aesthetics draw influence from anime and internet aesthetics including early Web 2.0 era iconography and artwork. These visuals connect primarily to the 2006 online GIF editor Blingee and remain tied to these early digital platforms.
When did Alternative Press magazine label Fax Gang as hexDers?
In March 2021, Alternative Press magazine labelled the group Fax Gang as hexDers. The publication stated that ZBITO18 and the rest of HELLOKITTYWAFFENDIVISION provide a comprehensive catalog of hexD-ed neon Myspace-core rave insanity.
What is the significance of Surge Compilation Vol. 1 in the history of HexD?
The genre was briefly known as surge after the Dismiss Yourself compilation album Surge Compilation Vol. 1 which release occurred in 2020. On the 5th of April 2021, the label released Surge Compilation Vol. 1 again to further popularize the movement.