The persistent Anti-Nazi tradition within the Hardcore Techno community

"Gegen Nazis" - Against Nazis.
A common sight on German Hardcore flyers

The anti-nazi tradition of Hardcore Techno

The Hardcore Techno community has a long tradition of opposing, resisting, and fighting fascism, nazism, and similar right-wing tendencies.
It is noteworthy that, in that regard, there has been an alliance made up of a huge variety of different social groups within the Hardcore scene:
otherwise "unpolitical" people, working class kids with a dislike against nazis, migrants, LGBTQIA+ folk, middle class anti right wing activists, squatters and free party people, "gabberpunks", street fighters, full-blooded communists and anarchists; all united in their hate against the atrocious monster that is fascism.
It's nice to see that these people, who would often disagree and argue with each other on a lot of topics, do all agree that fascism is a political horror and not a mere "opinion", a horror that needs to be fought, chased, circled in, and destroyed.

Slogan and logo originated by Mokum

Of course, at the same time, the extreme right always tried to infiltrate and corrupt the Hardcore scene; like they always try with any "youth culture". This was a problem in the past, and might be a growing problem in the future.
But for this feature, we want to look at the history of the resistance against fascism within Hardcore Techno culture.

There were campaigns, and slogans such as Mokum's "United Gabbers against Racism & Fascism"; anti-racist messages were included in vinyl cover art, booklets, or even etched into the run-outs of the record; anti fascist symbols and imagery was a common sight on flyers for hardcore, speedcore and breakcore parties of all types. And many notorious nazis who insisted in showing up to an actual gabber party were "shown the door" in a "very physical way", or to put it another way: many fights were won.


Now, let's turn the focus to the actual music: tracks that showcase this very topic in their sonic content.

1. Party Animals - Die Nazi Scum (feat. Rob Gee) (Whiplash Mix)

Mokum ran the campaign "United Gabber against Racism & Fascism" in the 90s (as mentioned above); this track, which was released on the label, too, is a good example of that mindset.
The Party Animals team up with Hardcore Legend Rob Gee to deliver a strong messages to the nazis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBOGqVCsTao


2. PCP Project - N.R.N.F.O. (Nazi Rednecks Fuck Off)

"This song is not against skinheads. It's against people who are stupid in the head. [...] Nazi Rednecks Fuck Off".
This track by PCP says it like it is.
It also addresses the "defense" by many right wing Gabbers: that those who confront the fascist thread would confuse "harmless, unpolitical skinheads" with real nazis. No, skinheads are not the problem at all. The problem are the actual nazis.
With a release date of 1991, it's one of the earliest signs of hardcore opposition against fascists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxJckv8uOZ8


3. DJ Freak Vs. Noize Creator - The Anti Nazi Pack A2

The extreme Hardcore / Speedcore scene was even more outspoken against the right wing, and this is a good proof of that.
DJ Freak and Noize Creator stir up a symphony of speed, noise, and distortion against the nazi menace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VaRJrZNie4


4. Chosen Few - Chosen Anthem (Against Racism)

Mokum once more. An early hardcore anthem against racism (released in 1993). and a very good one at that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9WnOZzA9w8


5. Micropoint - Anti Nazi Vendetta (Part 1)

La Résistance fought bravely against the real world nazis in world war II, and modern France has a strong opposition against them too.
and in the teknival and free party adjacent french hardcore / noisecore scene, this stance is even more prominent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dndHLHTJNdE


6. Alec Empire - Hetzjagd auf Nazis

One of the classic anti nazi anthems, isn't it? An early breakcore outing, sporting breakneck beats and hoover madness - an onslaught on the senses, and on the conscience too, i hope!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5dJuIAUzoQ


7. Bazooka - Waz Gibtz Noyze ? (FukDaNazisMix)

another example of the anti nazi current within the then emerging hardcore / speedcore scene.
a strong statement, wrapped within a high quality (and quite noisy) track on shockwave recordings.

this track samples Paul Celan's "Todesfuge", one of the most important german-language poems about the very real horrors of fascism.

The "invisible" second Hardcore and Gabber scene in the 1990s that ran parallel to the "official" one and had even more sonic output

0. Introduction

Everyone knows the big Gabber compilations, labels, producers of the 90s. Thunderdome, Terrordrome, Mokum, Ruffneck...
And some people are aware that there was also an underground beneath it, with labels that were lesser known, but often had more extreme and experimental output... Napalm, Fischkopf, Bloody Fist, Anticore, etc...

But wait! There's more. What if I told you... that there was *another* scene?

A whole world of producers, groups, musicians, that were connected with each other? A very lively and active scene - that had even more tracks and sonic output than both the "big" and "underground" labels mentioned above?

A scene that ran parallel to the 'official' Hardcore Techno realm - but has been almost forgotten by now?

A whole "invisible" world of Hardcore and Gabber!

To reveal this "secret" right away - I'm talking about the Tracker, BBS, DemoScene and its Hardcore contingent.

"Hard Effects" by famous tracker musician Daxx

1. What is / was Tracker music?

I will just give a short overview, because the topic has already been extensively covered elsewhere.

"Trackers" were programs for creating music on home and personal computers, such as Amiga, C64, Atari ST, IBM-PCs, etc etc.
They came around in the mid 80s, the first Tracker program being the Ultimate Soundtracker by Karsten Obarski; and clones and new evolutions of this concept spawning up quickly.

To this day, Trackers have a few notable differences to "normal" music software.

-The sound is almost entirely created by using and manipulating samples (even the drums and synth sounds).
-the music runs vertically, not horizontally
-the finished track is not saved as a .wav or mp3 or similar format, but as a "module" that can be played back on the Tracker

These modules essentially contain the music data (i.e. the patterns, sequences, notes and so on) and the samples.
Because of this, a module usually takes up much less disk-space than a wav file would (unless you use really big samples).

And this was very crucial in a time when space was scarce and "online transmission" speed was slow.

a normal amiga diskette had a bit less than a megabyte of space. that means you could have stored something like the first 30 seconds of a track in a wav file on it.
or 10 modules that run for 30 minutes in total (just an example).

uploading a 60 megabyte wav would have taken half a day (or more?) back in those days. while modules could be uploaded rather quickly.

Cybermouse - Overreacting

This track was originally released as a .mod, included on the amiga diskette distributed magazine "neurowaver".

And later released on vinyl by Fischkopf.

2. Now let's get back on track (pun intended)

You might say: "okay, so there were these programs called trackers. but there were also other rudimentary, early programs for creating music. I'm sure some hobbyists and amateurs had some hours of fun with them.
But what is the big fuzz around it now?"

Well, the difference is: this was not just a "plaything" for amateurs who play around with a few sounds, and then leave that thing aside.
The tracker scene was dead serious about their music. They did not see themselves as hobbyists. but as real producers, producing real music.
often, the tracks were spread "around the world". "Crews" were set up, made up of producers who did the music, people who designed visuals, wrote promotion texts, and "couriers" who uploaded all this to as many Bulletin Board Systems* as possible. Networks, communities were created.
Many people involved spend several hours a day working on the music and everything related to it. they spent their youth on this scene!

[*BBS aka Bulletin Board System - a pre-internet method of chatting, reading news, exchanging files, and doing other stuff online]

On a side note, all of this was also highly connected to the demoscene, and many track releases were supplied in the form of demos.

It was not *quite* as global as the internet is today; a lot of music stayed in the continent(!), country, or even hometown of the respective crew, but the big hits and big crews could reach global fame of course.

Hardsequencer - Sequencer Killer

Hardsequencer released in the .mod scene before he became famous on low spirit and thunderdome

All this is hard to explain to someone *who was not there*.
So let's use this analogy:

When "mp3" and the internet got a big boost at the end of the 90s / beginning of the 2000s, many people began to spread their music digitally and online, netlabels were set up, etc.
the "real" serious producers laughed at this; the "mp3 producers" and labels were seen as amateurs, lofi trash; and it was assumed that "real producers" would do real music on physical formats and they would be distributed physically to tangible record shops, and that would be were the important stuff happened, and the whole "online" thing would fade away eventually.
But noone is laughing now, and almost any producer is online now and spreads their music digitally.

So, in a sense, the whole tracker / bbs scene can be seen as a very early early attempt to create a "digital and online" form and distribution of music; a form that went really, really big, but that even at its high point was snubbed at by the "real, physical" producers. But, unlike "mp3 and the internet", an attempt that flunked and failed, has almost faded into obscurity now, and this history has been mostly forgotten.

Bomb20 - TEKKKNO`S MOST HAtED!

Early Breakcore by Bomb 20, released in the .mod scene.

3. So, what has this to do with the Gabber and Hardcore scene?

Because, after the advent of Acid, Techno, Hardcore and Gabber, these new sounds took the tracker scene by storm - and a lot of producers started to write music like that, too.
There was some huge, huge output of hardcore tracker modules in the 90s, tracks that were self released, or shipped by crews around the world.
And I would say the output of the tracker scene was much higher than that of the "official" hardcore artists and labels that existed at the same time.

the tracker scene had its own hardcore heroes, legends, favorite tracks, fans, supporters, cults... everything, really.

the stuff by the trackers was so huge and so good, that there eventually had to be a fallout - a spill over from the "online and digital" world of the trackers to the very physical gabber scene and parties.

Nasenbluten - Machete

Nasenbluten is a well-known Tracker Hardcore act.

4. And thus the tracker scene ended up shaping the actual hardcore scene to a large degree.

This happened in a multitude of ways:

1. "tracker heroes" joining the world of "physical" music:
many artists in the early hardcore scene did their first steps and had their first "success" in the tracker world.
artists like Hardsequencer or Bomb 20, for example.
There is also probably a huge number of "undisclosed" 90s gabber artists that started in this scene.

2. the tracker thing itself
many hardcore legends used or still use tracker software to write their tracks.
artists like nasenbluten, ec8or, amiga shock force, cybermouse, neophyte...

3. both of the above things influencing the scene
the sound of artists like hardsequencer of labels like bloody fist became a huge influence on the scene as a whole, even on those producers not connected to the tracker scene.

Ec8or - Think About

Ec8or was another well known amiga hardcore tracker act.

5. okay, but now back to - the forgotten 90s hardcore tracker scene

I said that the output was huge; there was also a lot of variety to it. because of this, there are many similarities between both "worlds" of music. for example, "sub-genres" of hardcore like speedcore, acidcore, breakcore etc. existed in the tracker scene, too.
Yet, there are some notable differences:

1. more lofi
a lot of tracker productions were much more lofi when compared to "physical" gabber releases.
this was due to the limited sampling capabilities / equipment of early computers, lack of disk space (see above!), sometimes the program itself, and because, yes, some producers were more on the "amateur" side of things after all.
there *are* some high quality tracker productions, too, though.

2. straight to your brain
a lot of tracker hardcore is more direct, "forward", zero to 60 (in 3.5) than physical gabber. tracks that give a quick and fast adrenaline rush. it's not exactly "prog rock" with lots of big build ups and intellectual musings (again: tracks like this exist, too, though).
this is likely due to the more lofi production, too. more of a punk thing

3. early extremism and innovation
the tracker scene was "light-years" ahead in many things that became commonplace in physical hardcore only at a much later date (or never!).
for example, "speedcore and high bpms"; the tracker producers already did stuff that had 500, 600, or 800 bpm when the "real" gabber world did not go faster than 250.
same goes for experiments with extreme noise, metal riffs, etc.

4.more novelty
physical gabber had its share of novelty tracks like "alles naar de klote" or "poing", but most of the music was not like that.
in the tracker world, a lot of people really seemed to have a sweeet tooth for novelty tracks - so there are many, many tracks that are silly pop remixes, contain "funny" sounds or are otherwise strange.

5. different experimentalism
as i said, tracker hardcore was often "straight to the point". Introspective, slow-burn, cerebral hardcore, like some of the releases on fischkopf, were rather rare.
yet, there was a lot of experimentalism going on. but when that happened, it usually went - extremely strange. like complicated deconstructed rhythms, sounds, and drones.
we're not complaining - a lot of that stuff is swell!

"epic" tracks with really complicated structure and progression were rare in both worlds (in my opinion) - but the tracker scene had some of that, too!

Rage Reset - Unknown Structure

Rage Reset showed that you can do Tracker music with high quality production values

6. the final word

so, there is this huge, hidden, lost, invisible treasure chest of 1990s hardcore and gabber in tracker module format.
Your question now is probably: how / where / when / why do i get to it?
Well, that's the hard part.

the good news first: even though it was digital, a large part of it has been kept, saved and restored!
there are various archives dedicated to the history of tracker music online.

the bad news:
it's still a hugely unexplored territory. so, in these archives, the tracks are sorted by artists, crew, format, maybe.
but because many producers did multiple styles, and many producers are "unknown", it can be hard to find the actual *hardcore* related to this cornucopia of music.

using search queries for tags like "hardcore", "acidcore", and so on, can help, but only to a degree.

lots of searching, re-searching and digging might be necessary.
maybe a future tasks for bold explorers?

Starfox - feel the music

A Ravecore track with quite complex structure and production

7. this concludes this feature about an exciting, hidden world of hardcore techno.
we hope you might have become interested in the world of tracker hardcore, and that you maybe start digging for the good stuff, too!

Amiga Shock Force - 24h Connection

A good example of the possibilities of Amiga Tracker Hardcore.

Links: some good places to start digging into the world of .mods

https://modarchive.org/

https://modland.com/

https://www.paula8364.com/

http://old.exotica.org.uk/

Review: The Horrorist - The Sky is the Floor

I don't follow social media, so I am not entirely sure whether there was a prolonged, deep build-up announcing this new album, but to me, this came as a total surprise release on a weekend's morning!

And a very welcome surprise indeed. Horrorist "returns" to his true power again and gives us a whole album of dark and twisted electronic albums.

The theme of the album seems to be "minimal wave" here. And let me tell you that The Horrorist does this better than any other act that tries to jump in the very "minimal wave" hype that's going on for a few years (decades?) now - because he covers the lofi, minimalist, improvised aspects of it - while the other neo-wave bands usually sound extremely polished, clean, spiffy. They're more like Olivia Newton-Johns than Deborah Harrys (strange metaphor).

But let's get back to Mr. Chesler. It's not all "minimal", far from it! He skillfully crochets aspects of techno, hardcore, goth, industrial into these tracks.

And the strongest point is, once again, the storytelling.

The album is made up of 12 eclectic tales, that despite their short nature are very complex and seem to contain whole words of fiction and dreams inside them.

These tales range from the disturbing and sick, perverted, to the moody and insightful, and finally to the comedic and bizarre.

An example for the former might be "The Fortress"; an example for the latter might be "Parlez-vous Français?" (here is an excerpt from the lyrics: "I met a girl from France.
I needed to get into her underpants.
So I said…Do you wanna play?
Parlez-vous français?")

So, in conclusion. Mr. Chesler delivers once again; fully and completely. It quickly became one of my favorite releases by him.

Download at his Bandcamp:

https://thehorrorist.bandcamp.com/album/the-sky-is-the-floor

Hardwired Horrors: Unraveling the Influence of 'Videodrome' on Techno Subculture

Videodrome-inspired artwork by Halil Karasu

In the neon-lit sprawl of the 80s, amidst the flickering screens and pulsating beats of the underground, there emerged a film that hacked into the collective consciousness with surgical precision. "Videodrome," a dark symphony of flesh and circuitry directed by the enigmatic David Cronenberg, didn't just make waves in the world of cinema; it rewired the very DNA of Hardcore Techno culture.

Somatic Responses - Cyclotron

One of the many tracks that sample the movie "Videodrome"

Set against a backdrop of urban decay and technological excess, "Videodrome" plunged audiences into a hallucinatory realm where reality and simulation intermeshed in a twisted dance of desire and decay. At its heart beat the story of Max Renn, a jaded media mogul seduced by the siren song of a pirate broadcast known as "Videodrome." As Renn delved deeper into the abyss of his own psyche, he became ensnared in a web of conspiracy and manipulation, where flesh and technology merged in a grotesque fusion of pleasure and pain.

Predator - Just Real-X

Another track using Videodrome samples.

But "Videodrome" was more than just a cinematic spectacle; it was a visceral assault on the senses, a primal scream against the commodification of the human experience in an increasingly digitized world. Cronenberg's masterful use of practical effects transformed the screen into a phantasmagoric landscape of mutation and mutilation, where bodies contorted and twisted in ways that defied the laws of nature and reason. This fusion of flesh and machine, of the organic and the synthetic, struck a chord with the denizens of the Hardcore Techno underground, who saw in its nightmarish imagery a reflection of their own obsession with the transgressive and the taboo.

Scaremonger: Soon We All Will Have Special Names

At the heart of "Videodrome" lay a potent critique of media manipulation and control, a theme that resonated deeply with the DIY ethos of Hardcore Techno culture. In a world where truth was a commodity and reality a construct, the film's indictment of censorship and propaganda served as a rallying cry for those who sought to subvert the mainstream narrative and carve out their own space in the digital wilderness.

Tempest 2000: Mind's Eye

Videodrome found its way into the world of Arcades, too.

And then there was the soundtrack, a pulsating symphony of electronic beats and synthetic textures that pulsed through the veins of the film like a virus. Composed by Howard Shore, the music of "Videodrome" was a cacophony of distorted synths and industrial rhythms, a sonic landscape that mirrored the film's descent into madness and mayhem. For many Hardcore Techno producers and aficionados, it was a revelation, a glimpse into a future where sound and image merged in a seamless fusion of art and technology.

Carribian Sunrise - From The Beginning

Videodrome is also popular in Goa.

Decades have passed since "Videodrome" first graced the silver screen, but its influence endures, a flickering beacon in the darkness of the digital age. In an era defined by surveillance capitalism and virtual reality, its message of resistance and rebellion is more relevant than ever. For in the shadows of the neon-lit cityscape, where the lines between flesh and machine blur and reality is but a fleeting illusion, Hardcore Techno continues to thrive, a defiant echo of a world gone mad.

Noface - Hallucinate

Videodrome-inspired artwork by Vranckx

Inferno Unleashed: When Extreme Techno meets Extreme Metal

Music styles like Gabber, Speedcore, Acidcore are, without doubt, the most extreme and boundary-pushing form of electronic music.
On the non-electronic "guitar / rock" side of things, these places are occupied by genres like Death Metal, Black Metal, Grindcore.
I guess it was inevitable then that, over time, an intersection of both of these two very dark sonic universes began to form.

Giving rise to artists, bands, and projects that try to fuse Extreme Techno with Extreme Metal - or vice versa.

And, in my opinion, when these two worlds collide, that are very different and contradictory in many aspects, but also share a relentless brutality, an inferno gets unleashed which can hardly be paralleled.

So, let us look at a selection of tracks from past and present that embody the fusion of metal and techno:

The Berzerker - Burnt

The Berzerker is probably one of the names that first come to mind when a fusion of Death Metal and Hardcore Techno is mentioned. I saw the band live two times, and, yeah, let's just say they blew my mind, body and soul to smithereens. From the beginning of the gig to the end.
This is a fine example from their first album. Combining steel-hammer drums with Death Metal guitars and growls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F6Mu_2dV0c

The Shizit - Audio Jihad II

The Shizit broke up just when their 'rise to the top' began, and thus it's a shame that there is only little audio material available by them, compared to other bands and project.
This song / track shows them at the height of their capabilities, though. A tidal wave of anger, noisy guitars, and gabber drums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXp0Sm4oJmI

Bazooka - B.O.T.T.R.O.P.P.

Bazooka started as a "pure" Hardcore / Gabber artist, but soon incorporated more and more death metal fragments in his track; this evolution led to tracks like this, which are a true fusion of death metal insanity and his hardcore roots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsoklRpyH20

Acid Enema - Desolate World - Human Extermination

While most "early speedcore" kids were more about the death metal side of things, Acid Enema was a true pioneer in choosing Black Metal as his sonic bride and allowing her to take control of his hardcore productions; and to this day he is probably still the most important act in the sector of "Blackened Speedcore".
This track is a good example of that. More complex than most "Hardcore" productions, it also features haunting, beautiful strings and intros.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bIN3VhMfl4

Sangre - As In Life, So in Death

When we talk about Acid Enema, we should not omit this side project by him.
And this is truly one of the darkest, most chaotic, most mind-eating pieces of "music" I ever heard.
Can't even begin to describe it... is this blackenend death... with goth elements? Slowcore to Speedcore? No, trying to fit it to any genre would not do it justice.
Better listen to it yourself, right away!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrTIrFIqBcE

Pulkas vs. Shitspitter - Control

Shitspitter was another interesting Guitar / Gabber project... for this release on Earache Records they teamed up with Pulkas. And the result is just pure aggression. Deafening screams, over-saturated noise, percussion, kicks... what a lovely chaos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtUlgBaiyvM

Legionz Ov Hell - Khult Ov Abaddon

Legionz ov Hell is another pioneer project that employs black metal instead of death metal sounds in the "hardcore" sector.
And the name is rightly chosen, because if you listen to these tracks, forget everything about harmonies or structure or order in music... a hellish experience that strips the flesh from your bones.
Listen with care!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SAFcmfJUo8

Napalm 9 - Shit01

Napalm was a 90s label with limited releases, all done anonymously by a pool of producers connected to the so-called "Street Trash Alliance".
Releases were always varied in styles, but also always very rough.
And while the first Napalms were more like "Industrial Hardcore", Napalm 9 is a full-on guitar and death metal assault, and this is my favorite track from that vinyl EP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kru-dUqQaI

Sonic Overkill - Realität ist Gewalt

Sonic Overkill was an early adaptor of "Death Metal Hardcore", too (which was also visible in other projects he was involved in, like the Industrial Terror Squad or Noize Junkie)

This track is from his second EP on Speedcore Records, and the track is in my opinion the most brutal one on that EP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkNFFYG5Eqo

DJ Fistf**k - Make me vomit

The list would not be complete without a project by Martin Damm, so it's the right choice to end it with this track by him.
Changing in sounds and speed several times, employing many sounds and samples, and it's a straight attack on the nerves kicking up a thunderstorm of high bpm beats and metal guitars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMwpcWyZ0DI

Do you know more tracks / songs like the above-mentioned? Let us know in the comments!

Release: Bound by Endogamy / Raw Ambassador (Acid Avengers 028)

We're in love with this new release on Acid Avenger Records, and we can't praise it enough!

But without wasting too much words *on our own*, here is the official information communique by the label itself:

The 28th split of the series exudes a sweet perfume of raw energy and sweaty bodies banging in a feverished cellar. On the A-side, Switzerland-based duo Bound by Endogamy, coming from the punk scene, delivers three industrial-synth-rave-hardcore bombs that will definitely destroy your brain. On the B-side, italian producer Antonio Barbetta aka Raw Ambassador delivers two strong dark electroid cuts designed to heat up dancefloors around the globe. This is Acid Body Music, punks !

https://tripalium.bandcamp.com/album/aar028-bound-by-endogamy-raw-ambassador-acid-avengers-028

Chechnya bans all music that is not within 80 to 116 BPM, and we just know the right genre for their parties: Slowcore Techno

The news set the Techno world into shock. Because, quoting CNN:

"Minister of Culture announced the decision to limit all musical, vocal and choreographic compositions to a tempo ranging from 80 to 116 beats per minute (BPM) at a meeting Friday, the Russian state new agency TASS reported. The new law was announced in a meeting on Friday."

We do not worry much about this, though, because we could still party hard with that new law. Party very, very hard. Because there has been a "new" electronic genre around for a while: Slowcore Techno.

Sometimes called the creepiest and most disturbing subgenre of Techno, it is marked by massively reverberated dis-harmonic synths, samples from occult ceremonies or true crime murder stories, industrial percussion, and, most importantly: massive, deep, growling, pounding, drums. And the whole thing is generally defined as "Hard or dark Techno music with a somewhat 4/4 beat running below 130 bpm". In this case, "running below 130 bpm" can mean a lot of things. And some Slowcore tracks are below 60, 30, or even 1 BPM .the slowest so far is the "A Quarter BPM Edit" of the track "Creeping Doom", which, as the name says, sports a meager 0.25 BPM.

Someone once remarked: "Slowcore? I guess that genre is for the type of people that shoot up glue instead of smack".

Of course, 1 BPMs are not allowed in Chechnya anymore.

But there are plenty of Slowcore tracks that fall right into the desired Spectrum.

So here is our list.

13 Hot Slowcore Techno bangers that could be played at wild wicked and weird rave in Chechnyan rave:

1. Kolium - Involved (100 BPM)
2. Der Cherep - Outburst (110 BPM)
3. Meta-Morph - Chosen One (Short Decision Mix) (80 BPM)
4. Ethereal Woe - Outside Is The True World (100 BPM)
5. Metalove - Lauernde Zähne Der Zeit (Taygeta) (90 BPM)
6. Soulkeeper - Time To See The Cunt Doctor (102 BPM)
7. Mirvcore - Scourging The Soul Till There Is Nothing Left (100 Bpm)
8. Origin Of Styx - Cannabis Indica (80 BPM)
9. Dedraver - Other People (99 BPM)
10. Vortex of Venomous Rhythms - In A Hallucinatory State (80 BPM)
11. Time Kanzler Green - Slowly Visiting Another Planet (96 BPM)
12. Meta-Morph - Birth Of Icy Andromeda
13. The Darkcreator - Emerald Planet (Future Dust Rmx) (100 BPM)

*note: While Slowcore music is real, it is not affiliated with Chechnya or any political government so far.

*note 2: and the whole feature should be understood with an added humoristic tone.

Help us find the most obscure, out-there, unusual themes and topics in Hardcore tracks?

Help us find the most obscure, out-there, unusual themes and topics in Hardcore tracks?

So, a while ago someone told me / us that he was bored with the usual "topics" of Hardcore tracks - demons with big boobas, gangstaz, caining cocaine... you know the drill.
Which made me think: what else is out there?
And the answer is: a lot!

Thus we started the 'Off-Charts' feature at The Hardcore Overdogs!
To show that there is more to Gabber than tracks that have always the same themes.

So, the question for you is: do you have a good suggestion for topics to cover?
Could be anything really... tracks about helping others and doing good, eating pizza, or jazz music.

While this might sound like a "troll" idea... no no, we're serious about that. There might be a lot of irony to some of these lists...

...but in the end we really want to put a spotlight on unusual gabber tropes, and show there is more to hardcore music than that which is visible at the surface.
Which is generally the intention of The Hardcore Overdogs magazine, also regarding unusual and under-appreciated artists, producers, labels... and everything else that is hardcore!


Therefore, let us know your wildest ideas. the more out there, the more abstract, the better!
And... if we like your idea... we might include it as an off-chart feature in the near future...!

So far we have covered...

Canine Core

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/04/off-charts-canine-core-hardcore-overdogs.html

This time we turn the spotlight on - us. or rather, not us, in the sense of the magazine - but the hardcore overdogs.
tracks about dogs, or that feature titles, ideas, concepts, related to dogs. so sink your canine teeth in and tear some imaginary flesh apart, dig up a bone - or simply howl to the moon.
get in touch with your inner animal and activate your "fight flight or reproduce" responses.
whatever it is, this one goes out to our four legged comrades.

Hardcore Techno for Foodies

Hardcore tracks that are related to the subject of "food and beverages" in one way or another.

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2023/10/off-lists-hardcore-techno-for-foodies.html

Hardcore for Scorpios

a list of Hardcore for (and sometimes even produced by!) Scorpios.

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2023/10/off-lists-hardcore-for-scorpios.html

Hardcore Techno tracks to send you to the hospital

a playlist related to the themes of hospitals, sickness, diseases, surgery and, hopefully, a cure.
(remember: A Hardcore track a day keeps the doctor away!)

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2023/11/off-lists-hardcore-techno-tracks-to.html

Hardcore for the Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is celebrated around the world, either directly, or indirectly, through festivities close to its date. It's a cultural universal of sorts.
A list of tracks that are, in one way or the other, thematically related to this very special day of the year.

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2023/12/off-charts-hardcore-for-winter-solstice.html

Off-Charts: Canine Core (The Hardcore Overdogs)

We're starting a new feature: "Off-Lists".

With these "Off-Lists" we will focus on themes and motifs that are more out-there, abstract, off-the-center. Exploring aspects and ideas that are rarely highlighted when people talk, think, or write about Hardcore.

Dogs in media

This time we turn the spotlight on - us. or rather, not us, in the sense of the magazine - but the hardcore overdogs.

tracks about dogs, or that feature titles, ideas, concepts, related to dogs. so sink your canine teeth in and tear some imaginary flesh apart, dig up a bone - or simply howl to the moon.

get in touch with your inner animal and activate your "fight flight or reproduce" responses.

whatever it is, this one goes out to our four legged comrades.

The infamous "Thunderdome with the dog"

This time we turn the spotlight on - us. or rather, not us, in the sense of the magazine - but the hardcore overdogs.
tracks about dogs, or that feature titles, ideas, concepts, related to dogs. so sink your canine teeth in and tear some imaginary flesh apart, dig up a bone - or simply howl to the moon.
get in touch with your inner animal and activate your "fight flight or reproduce" responses.
whatever it is, this one goes out to our four legged comrades.

Woof!

1. Dogge Team - Pitbull Power (Song For My Dog)

2. Brides Make Acid - Dogs on a string

3. xol dog 400 - flammenwerfer

4. FFM Shadow Orchestra - French Bitch

5. DJ cybersnuff - Woop Dee Dog Dee Doo

6. leathernecks - black dog

7. Atari Teenage Riot - wanna be your dog

8. Nasenbluten - Steelworks Requiem (Dog Control)

9. E-De Cologne - I Believe In Da Power Of American Immigrants (Ede Meets Dog Remix)

10. No Name - Koma (Les Loups de trois lunes)

11. teve shit - cobra vs werewolf

12. Test Tube Kid - mit den wölfen heulen

13. DJ Tails & Noizer - We'll Slammit Down

14. masters of ceremony - hardcore to da bone

15. ec8or - spex is a fat bitch

16. Laura Grabb aka Machine Bitch - Dust Storm

17. thunder wolf - natural wolf production

18. dj puppy - the bright side of life

19. the horrorist - 13 dobermans

20. rob gee - reservoir dogs

21. Cannibal DJ - Dog Will Hunt

22. t bone castro - bitches

23. omar santana - bone bastik

Dogs in mythology

Looking back at the 90s: Cross Fade Enter Tainment

"Looking back at the 90s" is a new series of features that we're doing.

Revisiting important, outstanding and possibly underrated Hardcore Techno related labels, artists and projects from the 90s era.

We're using information from the Hardcore Primer ( https://hardcoretechnoprimer.blogspot.com/ ) and our other publications, and we will provide listening examples for you as well.

These features will be more like short introductions / overviews, less like "in-depth reports". To give you a quick taste of the specific project and let you dive right in.

If you want to learn more and "dig deeper" - then the resources are out there!

Cross Fade Enter Tainment

DJ Raid, who was also involved in Fischkopf, set up this label with Paul Snowden and Christoph De Babalon. The word “hardcore” only vaguely fits here; this is just brilliant, brilliant subcultural music.

The first release was the premier release of Somatic Responses, who took the world by storm in the years (or rather, decades) that followed. This was still a lot different to their later style: heavy, heavy distorted drums (or noises) in a 4/4 style, with experimental sounds in a vein of early synth experimental music. As fierce as fierce gets.

The second release was done by Christoph De Babalon and Paul Snowden, aptly named “We Declare War”. Paul Snowden’s site has some of the most distorted acid, and CdB brings us assault troop breakbeat tracks here, going on from his Fischkopf release.

In a rare German TV interview, CDB stated CFET to him is “auteur music”, in the sense that the artist take their music in their own individualist direction, regardless of trends. And the releases give proof of that.

Later, we find some fine breakcore releases on CFET.

I can’t find much info on this, but according to defunct websites, the CFET personnel was once involved in the “Repulsion Parties”, taking place inside the “Rote Flora”, the most infamous squat in Hamburg. Line ups included artists like E-De Cologne, Alec Empire and Somatic Responses.

CFET left Hamburg with Jan (CDB) and Paul moving to Berlin.

Very influential, and pioneering, the label is well respected to this day.

Info: https://www.discogs.com/label/2038-Cross-Fade-Enter-Tainment-CFET

Listening examples:

Christoph de Babalon - Meet Fate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC30j9q6_nU

Pure - The Lockdown - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zttXZgPLe2Q

Somatic Responses - Missile Test - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3punYGKnxU

Unit Moebius ‎- Lange Leun - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijH4riGn_XY

Paul Snowden - Payback MF - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMfO9zi64LE

I-F - Torment - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2YInPs_ixo

Rap, Rock and Gabber? - The influence of Rick Rubin on the evolution of Hardcore Techno

Rick Rubin in 2009

There have always been a huge amount of rumors floating around in the hardcore techno scene; but one of the hottest takes I ever heard was that, supposedly, Rick Rubin was a huge fan of Gabber in the 90s, had the desire to make this very sound big in the US of A, and called up the "big dutch labels" at that time to make a deal and sort things out; but they were confused by this, so they declined in the end.
Not sure how legit this rumor is - it originates from the uppermost echelon of the HC world, so it might actually be quite true. It's a shame this did not work out, because it would have been interesting to see a huge Gabber scene on American soil growing under the reign of rick; and if Gabber went big in the US, it would surely have conquered the world from there.
Would make an interesting plot for an alternate history novel.
But even though that, "in our timeline", it did not happen, there is reason to believe that Rick Rubin had an important and lasting influence on Hardcore Techno nonetheless.

So let's begin. I don't think I need to introduce Mr. Rubin, but in case you lived under a rock (maybe the 3rd rock from the sun), you can read up about him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin
But, what is his connection to Hardcore Techno?
First, the best known track with Hardcore origins worldwide is probably "I like it loud". Originally by Marc Acardipane, it went into platinum-like spheres after being "re-released" together with Scooter. This track can be heard during football matches (both american and "real" football), TV adverts, on the radio, at restaurants, cafés, and street parades and festival, I even heard it being chanted at rock concerts.

Some would argue the scooter "version" is not so hardcore anymore - that's why I said "a track with hardcore *origins*". Also, the original hardcore version is quite popular, too, and when the famous melody is being chanted by people, does it make a difference?
the history of the track is quite interesting. the line "my radio, believe me, i like it loud" (misunderstood by scooter as "maria, believe me...") is taken from a rap song by LL Cool J; that song was produced for the movie "krush groove", which is a half-biographic, half-fictionalized account of the def jam label, of rick rubin and russel simmons (who both ran the label in the beginning), and the artists connected to the label and the scene. quite a few artists play themselves in the movie, like run dmc or sheila e.; and rick rubin is actually portrayed by - himself - too!

Rick Rubin playing himself in "Krush Groove"

the story runs that ll cool j was never meant to be in the movie, but that he kept gate-crashing the shooting of the film, talking to the crew and insisting that his music was to be included, until they said "well, damn it, let's give him a chance".
ironically, in the movie he is shown busting an audition too, and then being given a record deal by rubin and his crew.
did marc first hear that song by watching this movie? could well be the case, as it was an infamous movie in its time - at least to listeners of rap music.
either way, it's a rick rubin production and the sample landed inside this gabber hit.
But it's of course not just about this track - when one takes a closer look it turns out that many, many hardcore and gabber tracks use samples that originate from the hands of rick rubin and his label (we'll get back to that later).

keep in mind that, unlike in many other genres, samples provide the backbone for many hardcore productions. it's a 90% "voiceless" genre without singers and vocalists, so the "voice" of a specific track often comes from a vocal sample. these samples set the mood, topic, theme of the track then, and in many cases they end up defining the very track.
And i don't think it's an accident or coincidence that so many samples originate from rick rubin productions.
if we look at his life as a producer, we see that he had his roots in hardcore punk / rock, then switched to hardcore rap by the mid 80s, only to later "switch" back to extreme forms of guitar music, like thrash metal etc again; and going in *any* direction from then on.
these drastic "jumps" from opposite genres to each other confused many people in the 80s; and when rick was asked about it, his reply went along the lines of: he doesn't care if it's rap or rock, as long as it's hardcore.
wouldn't it make sense then if he does not care whether it's hardcore rock, hardcore rap, or *hardcore techno*?

but leaving that aside. rick is known as a producer who does not just push knobs (actually, he claims he never pushed knobs at all), but also gets directly involved in the songwriting and other aspects of production, changing lines of lyrics occasionally, and generally infusing the songs and tracks of his artists with the thoughts of his own mind, too.
And I make the hot claim that a certain "hardcore attitude" can be found in his productions, and thus it would only be reasonable that so many hardcore techno producers fell in love with his releases, decided to sample them, and that this 'hardcore legacy' lives on in numerous tracks and helped to shape and define the scene! (and, in my opinion, many songs that have rick rubin as a producer still sound more "hardcore" then quite a few actual 'hardcore techno' tracks of today).

take it like you want - but i believe it to be the truth.

a look at some hardcore tracks that sample songs which were produced by rick rubin, released on def jam recordings, or are otherwise connected to him:

(these are just a few examples - there are literally thousands of tracks out there like this).

Marshall Masters - I Like It Loud
Chosen Few - Name Of The DJ
Technological Terror Crew - The Ripper
Nasenbluten - Machete
Bertocucci Feranzano - XTC Love (Buzz Fuzz Mix)
DJ Rob & Tim B - Loud and Proud
DJ Skinhead - I Don't Understand This ??
Industrial Terror Squad - Unbelievable
Search & Destroy - Def Jam
Re-Charge - Bumrush
DJ Dano - Something Bigger (Here We Go Again Remix)
Omar Santana - Boy Is Banging
Wedlock - I'm The Fuck You Man
The Original Gabber - AD-DA
Syndicate - Watch Me Bash This
The New York Terrorist - Short Fuse
Charly Lownoise - A Whole Lot of "Lownoise" (Mental Theo Remix)
Shapeshifter - The King
Obituary H.C. and Jonny B. - Time Is Ill
Omar Santana - Panic Button
The Speed Freak - Fight!
Sonic Subjunkies - Formula of Terror
Cirillo - Wake Up Brooklyn
Les Diaboliques - Just Another Victim
Nasenbluten - Blows T' The Nose
Space Cube - Session
Tellurian - Petition The Lord
The Prophet - Alright Now Here We Go
Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - Wonderful Days (Rotterdam Mix)
Steve Shit - Having Sex
Jackal & Invisible S.P - Pirate Base
Nasenbluten - Cunt Face
Mutoïd - Don't Move Slow
Kill:Out Trash - Straight Outta Berlin

Sources for this feature:

Rick Rubin - In The Studio (book by Jake Brown)

Krush Groove (Movie)

Discogs.com

Whosampled.com

Wikipedia

Anonymous and other sources

"Hardcore Like The Wolf" - The Hardcore Overdogs has its own anthem now

The Hardcore Overdogs has been around for only approximately one year and a half, yet it already got its very own brand new anthem!

Over Dog 1 teamed up with Low Entropy to deliver a true Hardcore Techno-slammer.
The track is intended to be a representation of (almost) all the sonic areas we try to cover in the magazine - Oldschool, Newschool, Hardcore, Acid, Techno, Experimental Noizy stuff... plus it features an overdose of hardtrance and rave vibes!

It comes in 3 different mixes, the "Ravecore-y" instrumental edit, the "Je suis un chien" Terror edit that adds the tempo and cuts the harmonies, and, our favorite, the "vocal edit" with some breakneck MC-ing... done in our own special ways, of course.

The title "Hardcore like the wolf" reflects what we are, over / underdogs that are truly, well, hardcore! and tries to reflect some of the more canine aspects of our beloved sounds and culture.
And, just like a full moon, it might make the hair on your back stand up and grow!

But, without further ado, head straight to the sounds.

And remember: We are Hardcore like the wolf. Woof!

https://lowentropy.bandcamp.com/album/hardcore-like-the-wolf-the-hardcore-overdogs-anthem

"And now, release your anger!" - A look back at some of the most brutal Hardcore Techno tracks

Similar to other forms of art like metal, horror movies, gothic literature, Hardcore Techno always had an inclination towards dark and taboo topics such as anger, aggression, violence, pain, rage...

The "psychological" effects of such a sheer onslaught of terror like it is expressed in some Hardcore tracks might be up to debate; but most "Gabbers" are extremely mild-mannered, friendly, and good-hearted in 'real life', so this effect can't be that bad.

Plus, Hardcore has a claim to invoking a beneficial "cathartic release" of pent up emotions that is more sincere then in many other forms of art; because this music is made to be experienced in a party / club setting where you can quite literally and instantly 'release your anger' in the form of dancing, jumping around, stomping on the floor, screaming, banging your head or your fist; moshing, slamdancing, pogoing; throwing a choreographic tantrum in any way you seem fit (pun intended) until all the rage has left your body and the darkness has been vanquished from your souls.

By the mid 90s, a diversification of the Hardcore genre took place. Some producers adopted more happy sounds, pop vocals, and cheerful melodies, and the "rage" of former hardcore sounds transformed into more of an "euphoric energy"; this was especially true for the mass-market and TV, radio, heavy rotation aimed releases that earned quite a few hardcore producers a 'gold record' award by the music and entertainment industry. And, on the other side of things, producers began to push the aggression to a higher level, creating tracks that were more and more brutal, ferocious, vicious, grim, merciless; this usually happened on the more underground side of things and "lesser known labels" - "lesser known" at least compared to the mainstream Hardcore audience, because, after all, this very extreme sound has and had plenty of followers around the world as well!

This is a look at some of these "ultra-brutal" sonic expositions. Again, we focus more on the "classic" era of 90s Hardcore. Because, after the 90s, the hardcore scene split up into so many sub-scenes; and quite a few of these, together with the followers, claim to be the most extreme and shocking; adding a subjectivity that would demand a wholly different approach to this very topic.

DOA - Unleash The Brutality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzj21FkREmY

A track that embodies this feature in its very title. So let's Unleash The Brutality.

A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, sirens and screams - it's "Hardcore, you c**ksuckers!", after all.

DJ Skinhead - Extreme Terror (NYC Mix) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2vyJERz9S8

Yes yes, the very incarnation of a terror track - and some say its first.

And in one of our favorite mixes of it.

Delta 9 - Hate Tank (Buckwild mix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-Bf23g-D1s

Hate Tank was already tough, but this remix by delta 9 himself  manages to 1-up to.

This is the kind of aggression and insanity that makes you worry whether it might actually crack your mind.

UVC vs Narotic - Industrial Strength

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUnrt9riomQ

Oof! The scream sets the tone for the mayhem to come. A true skull-breaker of a track.

Bakalla - True Force

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-h3f5M15uM

Bakalla upped the aggression and BPMs quite early in the 90s. This one of "Terrordrome" fame is a fine example for that.

Noize Creator - NBK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIFARQO4-Hc

Feeling like De Niro? Not this time, as Noize Creator strays from his favorite sampled actor, and let's Mickey and Mallory talk instead. And it's indeed a killer of a track!

DJ Tron - Zombie (Die Slowly)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCEYwBk6Msg

There are plenty of angry tracks by DJ Tron to choose from, but this one has it all; spite, ruggedness, and a complete fuck-you attitude. more than 'jus a lil bit of the old ultra-violence'.

Stickhead - Check This Mutha Down 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNdDqAX6SPE

Kotzaak was one of the hardest, and this is one of the hardest of Kotzaak (I hope this sentence makes sense logically). 

Napalm - Shit01

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujn4XQfTmHE

Can't have this list without Martin Damm aka the Speedfreak who was "harder like the rest" from a very early point on. This is a track in his napalm disguise on his napalm label full of speed metal guitars and bpms.

Pressure Head - Effects of Pressure Pt. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TppjKOb5z8

Surgeon 16 is a label that is (still) able to frighten even the most hardened gabbers, and this is a perfect track hosted on one of its vinyls. "Devastation on an unimaginable scale will occur", indeed!

Brandon Spivey - Reality Asylum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaN8JOAb73A

Spivey did some of the most fucked up tracks that ever saw the light of day - or the darkness of hell, maybe.

This very ode to christianity ("I vomit for you, jesu") shows his talent as its zenith.

So, if you're still standing after listening to these tracks: do you agree with our choices? what ultra-brutal tracks do you know or prefer? let us know in the comments!

2024 Easter Crazyness

No matter whether you celebrate Easter, the Spring Equinox, worship a dark goddess, or partake in perfectly secular atheist belly filling food stuffing rituals, we got quite the bag of goodies for you in occasion of this date that is very special to almost everyone in the world.

1. The Diversity of Hardcore compilation has been released on Omnicore Recordings:

http://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-diversity-of-hardcore-techno

2. The Opium EP by Lunar Node is out on Slowcore Records:

http://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/opium-ep

3. Also available on Slowcore Records is the new EP ("Night Effects") by Deadraver

http://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/night-effects

4. DJ Quartzlocker returns to the Doomcore Records Pod Cast with his new gloomy hard electronic mix!

http://hearthis.at/doomcorerecords/doomcore-records-pod-cast-071-dj-quartzlocker/

And, in other news:

"Hardcore like the wolf" by Over Dog 1 feat. Low Entropy has been released as well!

It's the very anthem for The Hardcore Overdogs e-zine. An eclectic mixture of Rave, Hardcore, and a few other things.

Woof!

http://lowentropy.bandcamp.com/album/hardcore-like-the-wolf-the-hardcore-overdogs-anthem

The DJ AI Remix competition has been amended and continues until 16.04.2024 !

Read all about it at lowentropyproducer.blogspot.com/2024/03/hardcore-techno-artificial-intelligence.html

A new issue of the Mental Hardcore Health Newsletter has been published:

http://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/03/mental-hardcore-health-newsletter-7.html

So, this is it! We wish you a good celebration over the next days, whoever, wherever, and whatever you might be!

Signed,

Doomcore Records, The Hardcore Overdogs, and the Ultra Marine Audio Network