Hardstep (not to be confused with darkstep or the more recent drum and bass/hardstyle known as drumstyle) is a subgenre of drum and bass which emerged in 1994. It is characterised by a gritty production style, that has an inner-city feel to it. The breaks are less cut-up sounding rather than oldschool jungle, and have faster and harder simple electronic melodies. One characteristic is an accentuated, yet sparse percussive beat.