Draft:Schranz en

Schranz is a hard, repetitive, and fast-paced (most of the time between 140 und 160 BPM) subgenre of electronic music, specifically techno. It is characterized by its frequent use of industrial and machine-like sounds, repetitive, distorted percussion loops, and a generally monotonous character. Schranz can be considered a variant of tool and loop techno and a precursor to Hard techno.

History
The term was first popularized in 1994 by Gießen-based producer, radio host, and DJ Chris Liebing along with Frankfurt DJ Toe at the Frankfurt record store BOY Records (referenced as a party motto on several flyers for the Frankfurt techno club Omen ("Birthday Schranz")) and used as the title for one of Liebing's releases in 1999 ("The Real Schranz").

Weekly Schranz events began to be held at U60311 (Frankfurt) in 1999, significantly boosting the genre's popularity through the establishment of a dedicated fanbase. Chris Liebing explained in an interview that "schranzen" emerged as a spontaneous synonym for "schreddern" (meaning "to shred" in German) used by his friend to describe harsh, distorted, and dirty-sounding music, without referring to a specific tempo or intensity.

Over time, the word gained more and more popularity. Today, Schranz is no longer just used in its country of origin, Germany, but increasingly describes the sound of hard German techno worldwide. From a fad term describing monotonous and percussion-heavy techno of various styles (including monotone and progressive techno), Schranz has evolved into a distinct genre designation.

Musical characteristics
Often incorporating dark soundscapes, Schranz music typically relies on loops of Snare drums, Hi-hats, or industrial noises, underscored by hard-driving basses (which are not necessarily prominent) or even continuous Basslines (often employing the well-known sounds of Sawtooth wave synthesizers). Due to the subtle variations in this music (in terms of tone, rhythm, or effects), Schranz is frequently perceived as monotonous. For this reason, Schranz records are primarily used in clubs to heighten the mood and tempo of a DJ set.

The rapid spread of Schranz within the club scene led to it incorporating a multitude of influences from other electronic music genres. Sets from electro or House music genres are frequently played "auf Schranz" (German for "on Schranz"), signifying that the often monotonous Schranz opens itself up to other techno subgenres, making it more appealing to a wider audience. DJs often utilize Melody or passages from well-known songs and tracks to create remixes that boast a high degree of recognizability like Tekk does it.

Influence
Schranz has significantly influenced the evolution of techno music, particularly the harder styles like hard techno and Industrial techno.

Notable Schranz artists

 * Chris Liebing
 * Regis
 * DJ Rush
 * E-Trax
 * Marc Acardipane