A list of 10 Under-The-Radar tracks, curated and described by Free Spirit

Free Spirit has been around in the "hard" electronic scene for quite a while now, as well as being a heavy influence on it. Among other things, he operated the Chase Net Label for nearly a decade, which was host to a lot of alumni and heavyweight producers, as well as great up-and-coming talents.

For this feature, he tells us about his 10 favorite "Under the radar" tracks, and gives us a lot of insight on the reasons he chose the particular tracks, as well as background information on the connected releases.

So... without further delay, let us get right into it!

Panacea: "Death is near" [The Music Cartel]

This track appears to be some sort of "bonus" track from the "Twisted Designz" album by Panacea, released in 1998. Every hardcore head knows the eponymous track, which was played by Manu le Malin in his famous "Biomechanik II" mix-CD. Some other tracks from this album also received heavy rotation, such as "Lightbringer" and "Motion sickness," to name a few. However, my pick here would definitely be "Death is near." The track didn't appear on the 2x12'' release or the CD release from Position Chrome. It was only available on the CD version released in the US by The Music Cartel. And this is a pity because this track is a hell of a tune. It's a monster—dark, menacing, subtle, and hard at the same time. A true masterpiece, in my opinion, that would still deserve a decent pressing on wax if you ask me.

https://positionchrome.bandcamp.com/track/death-is-near-bonus

Sulphuric Saliva: "Spare lung" [Uncivilized World]

From this awesome French Industrial/Rhythmic Noise/Hard Techno project came 2 albums released by the Uncivilized World platform run by Mr. Laurent Hô. At the time, everything published by Uwe and their sublabels was pure gold before the labels got hijacked by some posers starting to release some really average music just to please their friends and grab some money in the process, much to Laurent Hô's biggest displeasure. But when the Sulphuric Saliva "Noisetracks" album saw the light of day, UWe was in full effect. This CD album contains a hidden gem that didn't get pressed on vinyl, unfortunately, in the form of "Spare lung." Honestly, if you haven't paid attention to this track, you should do so now! Because the track still sounds astonishing nowadays with its peculiar atmosphere. Listening with headphones is recommended here. This melody will stay in your mind for a long time, and you could easily imagine it being used as a soundtrack for a sci-fi movie.

https://sulphuricsaliva.bandcamp.com/track/spare-lung

Somatic Responses: "Umbrella" [Hymen Records]

Probably less obscure than the two previous suggestions, this is the opening track of the "Circumflex" album released by the Healy brothers on Hymen in 1999. For some reason, I don't know why, this album didn't receive a vinyl treatment like the subsequent "Augmented lines" and "Touching the void" albums on the same label. The atmosphere and the sort of melody in this "Umbrella" tune are unbelievable. The energy in it is immense. Listen to it alone in the car on a cloudy or rainy day, and you will probably remember that drive forever! Now, if you can convince the Healy brothers to release this one on vinyl, you'll have my eternal gratitude.

https://hymen-records.bandcamp.com/track/umbrella

Throttler: "Scared heart" [Darkstep.org]

You probably know this talented dark drum'n'bass producer hailing from Greece from his numerous releases both on netlabels and on vinyl, especially between 2005 and 2008. The man has his own sound signature, and you would recognize his tunes among many others in a heartbeat. He received great feedback, but strangely his tunes didn't receive the heavy rotation they deserve in those cross-genre sets blending Hardcore, Drum'n'bass, and Breakcore that were broadcasted in the late 2000s. I decided to pick a more obscure tune by Throttler, which was only released as a digital file on the Darkstep.org compilation "DSL 2.0". Oh lord, I love this track so much! Probably because it somehow reminds me of Panacea's "Death is near" and its insane atmosphere.

https://darksteplabel.bandcamp.com/track/scared-heart

Technical Itch: "Find your darkness" [Tech Itch Recordings]

It might sound weird to include a Technical Itch tune in an "Under the radar" charts list because everyone knows this incredibly prolific and talented artist from the Drum'n'bass scene. However, I thought it would be interesting to highlight this particular track as it explores territories beyond the usual dark Drum'n'bass realms. Acid and Hardcore elements are triggered here, resulting in an astonishing monster of a track. Unfortunately, it didn't receive as wide distribution as it deserved in the Drum'n'bass scene, especially in these days of limited pressings and sales. The limited 2x12'' release has already sold out, and there was only a CD-R release. This track should be hammered at every cross-genre party, in my opinion! I also suggest keeping an eye on Tech Itch's Bandcamp page because the man releases far more than just Drum'n'bass tunes. His ambient works, for example, are really interesting, dark, and captivating.

https://technicalitch.techitch.com/track/find-your-darkness

Liquid Blasted : "Lost in itself" [Goddess of Disaster]

You probably know this russian artist for his Hardcore / Frenchcore productions that were really popular in the early 00’s. The man even got signed on Deathchant and Psychik Genocide. But have you checked his more obscure or harder tunes ? Especially, I suggest you give a listen (or two !) to this monster Break / IDM tune released on Leeloo’s Goddess of Disaster label in 2005. The track is on the B2 but yet, the EP was given the "Lost in itself" title because, well… just listen and you will understand. Goosebump guaranteed within the very first seconds of the track. Hard to mix but available on wax, and still easy to find for a few bucks. You know what to do.

https://noisefactoryrecords.bandcamp.com/track/lost-in-itself

Normablock: "Poison strike" [Signal Zero]

If you're into Hardcore, you might also like Hip-Hop, as a lot of Hip-Hop records have been (and continue to be) sampled by Hardcore producers. So, I thought this track, which I absolutely love, might pique your interest as well. It's not a Hardcore track per se, but more of an Electro-Hip-Hop piece with elements of IDM and Breaks. However, it's incredibly well-produced, entertaining, and daring all at once. This track was released on the French netlabel Signal Zero, so there's no physical release available. However, you can still download it for free from the Internet Archive and enjoy it!

https://archive.org/details/SZ005/02_Normablock_-_Poison_strike.mp3

Detest: "Grobe harmonie" [Strike Records]

Detest is not the first name that comes to mind when thinking about "Under the radar" tracks. He is now well-established in the scene and known for his floor-filling tunes made for big festivals, which I'm not really interested in, to be fair. However, back in 2007, Detest and Strike Records released a truly surprising and "out of the box" EP compared to what was usually published on Strike. Due to its originality, this EP was largely overlooked, and some people probably even wondered why it was released on Strike. I chose "Grobe Harmonie" for this charts list, but I could have chosen another track as the EP is really interesting as a whole. No straight to the face Hardcore here, but rather breaks, touching melodies, and a sort of Breakcore feeling without going into the brutal side of it. Well, it's something special that I personally would love to see more on vinyl, but I must admit this is not the kind of music that can sell a lot of records, unfortunately. Anyway, props to Strike and Detest for releasing this gem back in the day.

https://youtu.be/dUUHBs1QYtE

Soam: "Gabba" [Coretzone]

This track may be less adventurous than the others listed in this chart, but hey, who cares when it comes to highlighting great stuff? And talking about great music—this aptly titled "Gabba" track is a hell of a good one! Great build up and dynamics, a lot of energy and a sense of spontaneity. Soam knows what he's doing here, and he's doing it really well! If you pump up the volume, you'll find yourself banging your head or dancing in your room very quickly, believe me. This track was released on a split with Middle M on the short-lived Coretzone label (only one release), a sub-label of the Hardcore Unit/Stryktniks Records crew who released some really interesting music in the early 2000s. The EP was probably limited or perhaps suffered from a lack of distribution, I don't know, but in the end, this track hasn't been heard and played enough, in my opinion.

https://youtu.be/HtoVMVXs7lo?t=598

Swell Sounds : "Eidolan" [Chase Records]

While making this list, I debated with myself about including this track or not, because it was released on my own netlabel Chase Records and i’m always uncomfortable with some sort of self promotion, plus I could have easily come up with another "Under the radar" tune not linked to Chase Records. But on the other hand, and in all honesty, this track is one of the most underrated tunes from the Chase Records catalogue. And I’d like to give it another chance. I will always remember the shivers down my spine when I received Swell Sounds’ demo and "Eidolan" started growing from atmospheric ambient and drop into more straight rhythmics, with this discreet yet powerful beat in the background. This track is just too short in the end, and it could have well lasted for 8 or 10 minutes without being boring or repetitive, as the atmosphere is so overwhelming. Give it a try, and let it grow on you, really. Again, listening with headphones might be the deal here.

https://archive.org/details/chase056/02_-_Swell_Sounds_-_Eidolan.mp3

Bonus pick:

Selfcontained : "Track #10" [Nasdia Recordings]

I have a little anecdote about this one as I discovered this record by "accident". I was looking for another record from Nasdia Recordings, Nasdia 006 by Razor Point and Switch Technique, which I heard in this awesome mini mix by Mark Newlands (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qGfZvYlz_o). Then I saw a Nasdia transparent record listed on the online records shop and jumped on it, thinking it was that one. But when I received the record, it appeared I ordered another Nasdia release by Selfcontained (another moniker of Mr. Stefan Senf, aka Noize Creator) by mistake. So, I was disappointed first, and then I put the record on the turntable, and quickly said to myself that this was a really pleasant mistake. The "Track #10" is actually awesome and a real pleasure to mix and blend with other break or jungle stuff. I love how the sort of stabbing melody in the second part of the track still haunts your mind even several hours after listening. That’s exaclty what I’m looking for in music, things that stay in your mind and walk with you all day long.

https://soundcloud.com/selfcontained/selfcontained-track-10

This concludes our Under-The-Radar feature. Free Spirit can be reached at https://www.facebook.com/remi.deandrade.1