Main Menu

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Looking at the facts: Thunderdome played only a minor role in the history of Hardcore Techno

Now, let us first say that this is not a "diss" against or an attack on ID&T. They sure did a lot of work in their own field, and some of it is remarkable. It's just not very related to what we know as "Hardcore Techno".
In addition, I don't think that the whole "Thunderdome created Hardcore!" narrative originated out of ID&T; it's a story some Thunderdome fanboys invented. And fanpeople invent stories like this all the time; just like some Eminem-fanboys claim that Eminem invented Rap music, or that "P!nk" is a punk rocker.

Note: this time, we included our listening examples in order to provide historical context, and not to offend anyone. so don't take some of these tracks (and their content) too personally, but try to see it (or hear it) - 'through the eyes of the 90s'.

Listening suggestion #1: Bass-D & King Matthew - The Thunder Anthem - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeXax0fEG0U


After this short intro, let's look at the facts.
What is/was "Thunderdome"?

"Thunderdome" was the name given to a series of compilation CDs that were published by the Dutch music corporation "ID&T" (together with another company, "Arcade"), beginning in the early 90s.
At the same time, there were a series of parties / raves using this name.

Now, a "compilation CD" does not create anything (except for some very rare and highly disputed cases!).
It does not invent something. It does not generate new sounds or tracks, or anything by its own.

Compilation CDs were very popular in the last two decades of the 20th century. There were CD series for rock music, synth pop, disco, new wave, punk, "evergreens"... and so on.
Of course the business people in the music industry were always on the look-out for new trends in music; because creating a compilation series based on a "new" genre was an "industry bet" that could generate a bit of money when done right.

Listening suggestion #2: DJ Dano - Welcome To The Thunderdome - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBThLoI-PHw


Hardcore and Gabber was such a genre in the early 90s; it's popularity spread like wildfire in europe and even to other places in the world. More and more DJs and producers got into this style. Labels were started, huge amounts of tracks were created.

ID&T (and Arcade) obviously became aware of this new "youth culture", and decided to cash in on it. Thus, "Thunderdome" was created.

I don't blame them for that. They were "business people, doing business things".

But it should be quite clear that selling a hardcore-themed CD does not "create" anything; it does not "create" a new genre.
The corporation took tracks that were already released elsewhere, by other labels, and re-released them on the "Thunderdome" compilations.
Just like the music industry re-released popular rock, pop, rap songs on their respective compilation CDs.
Nothing unusual, nothing strange. Just business, man!

Listening suggestion #3: Mike Ink & The Chain Of Brotherhood - Lovely Ugly Brutal World (Original Mix) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VMSWE-gjMg


You might say: "but 'betting' on a new genre by creating a new CD can be seen as a creative/inspiring impulse".

That's debatable. For example, when the whole Nirvana / Alternative Rock thing happened, the music industry tried to cash in, too, by creating "new" compilation CDs dedicated to "grunge", "indie", or "crossover" later.
But that does not mean these compilations created "alt rock", "indie rock", nor does it mean these CDs "created" the sound of bands like nirvana, soundgarden, or pearl jam.

"But the Thunderdome CDs popularized Hardcore Techno, for sure?"

That's quite debatable, too. The new gabber sound was already getting quite "popular" on its own. And if ID&T had not invented Thunderdome, a different music company would have created something in order to cash in on "Hardcore" - as they later did.

#4: Mescalum - Asylum - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZbmhWRXXHU


"But surely the Thunderdome parties were important?..."

Again, parties, festivals, rarely "invent" something. They broadcast what already exist.
If you look at music history, there are very few parties or festivals that truly changed something (in comparison to the amount of parties that go down each year.)

And even if you look at a thing like Woodstock - that was indeed a game changer and did turn things around - no-one would claim that "Woodstock *created* the hippies and the subculture". Because they were around long before Woodstock happened.

#5: Hardsequencer - Brain Crash - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tepFCfObUMA


Part 2

Okay, so that were the early 90s, ID&T re-sold Gabber releases to Hardcore kids, and got quite popular that way.
But then something happened that completely diminished the position of the whole "Thunderdome" franchise within the Hardcore subculture.
I don't know to what degree ID&T was involved in this, but I believe it was not their fault, or caused by them.

Apparently, some music industry execs looked at the whole thing and said to themselves:

"Hmm, we are selling Gabber to the Gabber kids. We are making quite some bucks this way.
But the 'Gabber youth culture' is a limited market sector. There are different, vaster markets out there.
We could make much more money, if we not only sell our CDs to the die-hard Gabbers, but to *everyone else* as well".

In this marketing effort, they tried to "mellow down" Hardcore, added lots of sounds and samples from "popular genres" such as rock rap pop and disco, the whole thing become cheerful, party-like and harmless. The rough production edge, grim and extreme vibes, and Hardcore attitude was jettisoned. A new sound was created that would not offend people too much and was docile enough to be sold to the mainstream current of society.

#6: The Leathernecks - The Harder, The Better - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9ObLEW-IM


The "Thunderdome" series stood at the center of this new sound, together with the other big labels.

As expected, this business technique worked quite well and generated a lot of money.

Essentially, it was an attempt to "create 'hardcore' that could be sold to people who used to hate 'hardcore'".

The actual Gabbers and Hardcore Ravers were not pleased about this at all. They accused "Thunderdome" and "Rotterdam" of having sold out; of trying to destroy the whole Hardcore movement with their new "happy sounds".

And people got *really* angry. Looking back, it is almost unimaginable how fiery the flames of rage burned.
Literally 100s of "diss-tracks" against Thunderdome, ID&T and 'Rotterdam' (as a stand-in term for "commercialized hardcore", even though a lot of people involved were not located in that city, and, more importantly, the actual rotterdam gabbers were not happy about this development either) were made.
Hardcore DJs issued notes of apologies for including Thunderdome-style tracks in their mix tapes. People issued angry complaints if promoters booked "commercial" DJs at a Hardcore party. You might get booed off stage if you dropped a track like that.

#7: Nasenbluten - Rotterdam Takes It Up The *rse - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbiF1zOWYdw


If we look back at "style wars" like this, it all looks a bit silly and immature. It's all similar to "mods vs rockers" in the 60s or the hatred of "real punks" vs green day fans in the 90s. Or the scorn of black metal kids against death metal kids in the same decade.
Mysterious and bizarre to contemporary eyes.

Yeah, we, the "Hardcore Youth", over-reacted in our spite, back then. I over-reacted, too.

So, if all of this was quite silly and a bit of nonsense, maybe we can forgot about it, and it was not so important?

#8: E-De Cologne - Guys of Shit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUhOSDWR9pQ


No! Because it had some very real consequences, consequences that bring us back to the actual topic of this text.

It meant there was now a split; a split between those DJs and producers (and fans) that sided with "commercial hardcore"; and those that decided to burrow themselves even deeper in the underground.

And it were the latter DJs and producers, the "hardcore contingent", that eventually helped to create, further, and shape new genres like Speedcore, Breakcore, Industrial Hardcore, "France Style" Hardcore, Doomcore, Slowcore... and the myriads of other Hardcore sub-styles.
This means that after 1994 or so, "Thunderdome" (and many other "big" compilations) had close to zero influence on the emergence of new hardcore sounds and genres.
Because the producers involved in creating these novel styles did not like these CDs anymore, couldn't care less about them, did not listen to them, were not influenced by them. And this an important thing to point out when pondering the evolution of hardcore.

It means that Thunderdome played only a minor role in the history of hardcore techno.

It played a major role on *some* styles, true. And yes, the "commercial producers" also created some more-or-less novel genres, like millenium or mainstream hardcore, too, at a later point.

But that's not much compared to the vast amount of hardcore genres and releases.

#9: The Noize Junkie - Forget Rotterdam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAvf-aENkzI


Ending

Again, I don't want to offend or criticize anyone; artists, DJs, involved with Thunderdome or anything else. The ID&T music company did their thing, and apparently they did it very well.

We were "over the top" in our rage by the mid 90s, and it was not justified.
And, hell yeah, there are quite some good tracks on these CDs!

The whole "Thunderdome created Hardcore!" thing is, from my understanding, a fan theory, not something that was invented by id&t. The fan people are to blame, not Id&t.

And it was time to set some facts straight.

#10: The Speed Freak - No More Cheese! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3aIfszk_Ms

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

All Dance Ecstasy 2001 releases listed, rated, and short-reviewed

Originally published as a chapter in the The unofficial Planet Core Productions guidebook:

https://pcplegendsintheirlife.blogspot.com/2024/07/planet-core-productions-guidebook.html

Note: the rating means "compared to other PCP releases".

Thus, if a record has "only" 49 or 31 percent here, this does not mean it's bad; compared with other Hardcore or Techno EPs they would be 88 or 94 or higher; the percentage just "seems lower" for the sake of rating these PCP records in a way that seems sensible, and to have a bit of comparison with the other releases.


DE 2001 / PCP 003 - Cyborg Unknown - Year 2001

Again, this is a very unexpected release, "even for PCP"!
I've never heard anything like it by any other artist or label.
A crossing over of Detroit, EBM, Techno, 80s Electro-Funk, with enchanting vocoderized rapping.
And it gives off a super-futuristic atmosphere, that makes you want to watch movies like "Brainstorm" or "lawnmower man" again.

Rating: 2001 / 100

DE 2003 / PCP 010 - T-Bone Castro - Radical Padrone (The Remixes)

I think this could be best described as PCP's take on 1991 club sound techno.
Very nice, and quite "hardcore" already!

57 / 100

DE 2004 / PCP 012 - T-Bone Castro / Ace The Space - 4-Track E.P. / Ace In The Hole

I love the "weird" mixture on this EP. Something between Belgium Techno, UK Artcore and Gangsta Funk.
The laid-back, almost rap-like quality of these tracks would make them fit well to a harvey keitel movie.

63 / 100

DE 2005 / PCP 014 - Ramin - Vol. I - Essence Of Ecstasy EP

Ramin was a frequent visitor on PCP, and I like to describe this EP as "Pcp style early 90s club techno".

39 / 100

DE 2006 - T-Bone Castro - It's Me, T-Bone Fuckin' Castro

"Urban Partyzan" was one of the hardest tracks from that era. Super-distorted, mid-tempo noizecore
The flipside tracks show their electro / techno influences.
Cool, chill, laid-back dance (but tough none-the-less)

79 / 100

DE 2007 - 303 Nation - 6 Tracker

This is it! The holy grail of techno music. Right here.
Technically, it's an acid record - but the sounds are much more than that.
With minimal instrumentation, the 303 nation manages to generate an ultra-immersive environment reminiscent of outer space colonies.
I never heard something like that before, and I never heard it again.

100 / 100 (a perfect release)

DE 2008 - Nasty Django - Ey Fukkas! EP

My favorite release by Nasty Django. Ranging from Techno to mid-tempo Gabber. Cool sounds and gritty attitude.

74 / 100

DE 2009 - Ace The Space - 9 Is A Classic

9 is a classic has become a classic itself. It deserved it - ultra-manic mentasm-driving techno-core.
Pay attention to the flipside:
"Your special attraction" is an underrated breakbeat gem.

85 / 100

DE 2010 - Insider - Destiny E.P.

"Destiny" is a headstrong techno track driven by an arpeggiated sawtooth-synth.
"True" is a similarly forceful exposition.

32 / 100

DE 2011 - Test / Strong Heads - The Antwerp Anthems

Could we call this "frequency-techno"?
A side is a bit of a precursor to later pcp releases like "master of the universe"
B side is an ear-ache inducing stomper.

43 / 100

DE 2012 - Ramin - Vol.2 - Brainticket

The track "brainticket" is a true classic.
I sense a strong influence by EBM, and other proto-techno sounds, on the b side tracks.

52 / 100

DE 2013 - Ace The Space - 9 mm Remixes

several akas of marc, and Lenny dee, remix the track.
especially noteworthy are the "ultimate rave remix", which more or less became the "official version" of this track (the version most used by marc himself during performances) and mr. didesiderio's remix - which adds an early euro-american hardcore edge with a lot of spunk to it.

73 / 100

DE 2014 - Various - A Dance Ecstasy 2001 Compilation

a compilation of tracks taken from early dance ecstasy 2001 releases, plus one track from the PCP EP on R&S records.

92 / 100

DE 2015 - Headshop - 4 Sale!

Can we invent a new genre? Cause I would like to classify this release as "PCP trance". "Universe" is a marvelous, marvelous track that makes you feel as you are flying through it.
Flipside is sweet as well.

89 / 100

DE 2016 - T-Bone Castro – Sex Drive EP

"Return to planet e" is a heavenly "pcp trance" track and my pick here.
B side is more nasty and gritty (in a good way).

91 / 100

DE 2017 - Nasty Django - King Of FFM Lesson #1

So many great classics on one ep. Right at the true beginning of gabber.
Bold!

76 / 100

DE 2018 - Nasty Django - 3 P Rules!

"Strange" and under-rated release. Apart from the hardcore sounds, there is also some "pcp trance" on this EP.

78 / 100

DE 2019 - Magnetic 2 - Extraterrestial EP

Absolute cult release. The top track is "phuture piano" here; a techno track with what could best be described as 'the sounds of a piano played by an alien recorded through a wormhole'.
The b side has irradiated rave techno.

79 / 100

DE 2020 - 6 - Pack - Drunken Piece Of Shit

With a title like that, you would probably expect a mean and aggression fueled gabber EP. And well, that's what it is, too; yet it somehow manages to intertwine moments of sweet cosmic serenity into some of these tracks.

47 / 100

DE 2021 - Headshop - Universe (Remixes)

"More of the same"? Yes - but the remixes add enough deviation to it.
Especially check the lunatic mix

88 / 100

DE 2022 - VA - FFM EP

Another early collection of later-to-become classics!
"Go voodoo" is mid-tempo party-gabber.
"Futuristic Kickdown" is alien techno doom.
"Barcelona" is sweetest acid-trance.
And "Base dj" blows everything and everyone away.

89 / 100

DE 2023 - Nasty Django & DJ Cirillo – Mentasm Mafia

Marc forms a mafia with italian dj cirillo for this oldschool gabber ep.
Most would probably go for "deal wit' beats", but i also like "cocorico": a skillfully executed tempo acceleration track.

72 / 100

DE 2024 - Steve Shit – Shitkickers E.P.

right at the beginning of miro's gabber journey.
snotty, ruffian, hardcore.

61 / 100

DE 2025 - The Mover & Lunatic Asylum – Frequency Surfers

two maestros of hardcore techno join forces.
it's actually two versions of the same track; and as the names imply, the latter is a slower edit of the former.
the track itself is a surrealist acid / trance / doom crossbreed.

94 / 100

DE 2026 - Trip Commando – Temple Tunes Volume 1

the first release in the "temple tunes" mini-series of EPs.
i find it hard to give it justice using words: the tracks definitely have a sacred / religious / new age feel to them, and i mean this in the most positive way.
the foundation, of course, are hard hitting techno beats.

90 / 100

DE 2027 - Masters Of Rave – Are You With Me (She Likes To Pump It)

this would have deserved to be a chart-hit!
enormous production values, rapping, vocoders, sexy lyrics... it got everything!
also included are multiple remixes / edits in different techno styles.

58 / 100

DE 2028 - DJ Jamo - Spice

another very a-typical release for pcp, as this is essentially mid 90s hard trance at its best!

68 / 100

DE 2029 - Rave Creator – A New Mind

"a new mind" evolved to be a standard amongst the tracks that are part of marc's repertoire during his live performances.
these are still two "basic" versions of the track, but great nevertheless.

on an interesting side note: judging from the release and all other available info, it's not clear which one was the true, original version of the track. or maybe there was no such version at all!

82 / 100

DE 2030 - Ace The Space - 9 Is A Classic '95 - The Zombie Remixes

another release with remixes of this "classic" (pun intended) track.
this time, a gabber / trancecore vibe get's added to the track.

64 / 100

DE 2031 Sexdrive Ent. - No.2

after the "sex drive" EP, we get served with further entertainment.
but, despite (or because of) the libidinal title, this is another great release of what I call "PCP style trance music".

78 / 100

DE 2032 Nasty Django – The King Is Back

the king is back indeed, as he presents us two killer tracks.
one is "hardcore motherfucker", one of the most widely known tracks from the PCP catalogue (and yes, it deserves it).
and the flipside is quite spiffy, too!

84 / 100

DE 2033 DJ Jamo & Jack Knives – The Strings Of Heaven EP

another quite exquisite hard trance ep on the dance ecstasy label!
listening suggestion: the track "seastar ii".

86 / 100

DE 2034 Steve Shit – Kickin' Da Shit Outta Ya!!

Steve shit is back, and he is accompanied by his streetcore gabber style once more.
dirty samples, hoovers, 909 - go!

89 / 100

DE 2035 Headshop – Volume 2 : The Endzone

return to the headshop. outer space trance meets ebm and acid influences.

79 / 100

DE 2036 Rave Creator – A New Mind (Remixes 1)

let the remixes begin.

this is one of the most remarkable releases on de 2001.

The "original rave mix" is a true "german style" rave / hardtrance anthem by marc, including uplifting / emotive melodies, and all. With the proper music video and marketing, i'm sure this could have made the german top 10 charts in the mid 90s.

The thai acid mix has a long, brooding build-up, then erupts into forceful acid mayhem.

93 / 100

DE 2037 Rave Creator – A New Mind (Remixes Part 2)

Another round of remixes.
Including the famous "cold rush phuture remix", a tour de force incorporating over 8 minutes of doomed rave sounds.
Plus another rave remix, this time more on the dreamy side, and a remix by the mover.

94 / 100

DE 2038 Inferno Bros. – Slaves To The Rave (The PCP & DE 2001 Mixes)

Ah, yes, now we can play!
This is one of marc's most massive tracks ever.
Intro, "female" vocals, hoovers, sub-bass, breakdowns, football stadium suitable chanting... one of the most technically complex and perfect "hardcore" productions of the 90s.
The de 2001 mix induces an energetic rush with it's more "monotonous", hypnotic approach.

99 / 100

DE 2039 Lunatic Asylum – Digital Chameleon

Guillaume Leroux aka Lunatic Asylum was a frequent collaborator (or crew member?) of pcp.
This is a magnificent release, mending (dark) trance, techno, and hardcore structures.
Listening suggestion: Chaos Effect

82 / 100

DE 2040-1 Various – Frankfurt Trax Volume 6 - Return To Zero Part 1

Frankfurt 6 was a CD compilation, released by PCP.
This 4-part series of vinyls highlights some of tracks taken from this very CD.

each part has a certain characteristic, and this is the release for "softer" electro / club sounds (with a PCP spin, mind you!).
some true PCP jewels can be found on these releases.

88 / 100

DE 2040-2 Various – Frankfurt Trax Volume 6 - Return To Zero Part 2

see above. this is the part for more "mellow" techno and ambient sounds.

89 / 100

DE 2041-1 Various – Frankfurt Trax Volume 6 - Return To Zero Part 3

this part has hardcore / gabber sounds.

90 / 100

DE 2041-2 Various – Frankfurt Trax Volume 6 - Return To Zero Part 4

and the final part has darker / harder / "terror" hardcore sounds (with the exception of the "korrekte mf's" track maybe.)

87 / 100

DE 2042 Beethoven – Greatest Works Part 1

This is another release that is "strange" amongst the at times already very strange pcp catalogue. (This is meant positively!).

It's a drum'n'bass / jungle remix of, well, beethoven's work.

72 / 100

DE 2043 Reign – Chapter II: The Zombie-Leader Is Approachin'

I can't praise this release enough! Early doomcore by miro.
Atmospheric, magnetic, eldritch.
Listening suggestion: light & dark (the 2nd dimension).

96 / 100

DE 2044 Trip Commando – Temple Tunes Vol.2

"Cross The White Line" is a massive, colossal, epic techno track that slowly builds up towards it's cinematic climax.
The flipside is remarkable as well.

84 / 100

DE 2045 Renegade Legion - Dark Forces

Guillaume Leroux under a new alias.
"Torsion", a mid-tempo industrial hardcore stomper gained some notoriety amongst the scene.
"Dark forces" is very much worth checking out, too. A techno affair of most extraordinary gloom.

72 / 100

DE 2046 Miro – Blue Sun

In my opinion, this was the point when miro began to produce in his very own style.
"Blue Sun" is an oversize 'study of melodies and bassdrums'. The epic melody gets introduced, faded away, gets twisted - for over 10 minutes - while the drums hammer on.
"Bassdrum elevation" is miro's take on the "pitch hiker" concept: a track made up purely of a distorted 909.

81 / 100

DE 2047 Planet Phuture – Temple Tunes Vol.3

The 3rd and final release in this series. A techno track with an "overlord" type arpeggio, and rougher acid / doom / techno crossbreed.

69 / 100

DE 2048 Negative Burn – Crime City 2001 A.D.

Ooh, this is remarkable!
"Gates of heaven" is what could maybe considered to be "dark ambient hardcore". Acerbic-saccharine, futuristic, tranquille. 'I haven't been human for two hundred years'.
And "Gates of hell" is a doomed gabber smasher.

89 / 100

DE 2049 Steve Shit – Shit's Gabbertales

Steve shit gets crass again. All tracks seem to be libido themed. Their style is juno fueled gabber euphoria.
Listening suggestion: having sex

66 / 100

DE 2050 VA - Most Wanted Bootleg E.P.

A collection of "rare" mixes of some pcp releases, and other tracks.
The "first rave age rough mix" later became the "official" version of slaves to the rave, I think.
Rave creator adds a magnificent spin to "stereo murder".
Steve shit gives "dominator" a bold gabber workover.
And "bim bam - beeper" is an mc-fueled dancefloor attack.

85 / 100

DE 2051 Nasty Django – H.M.F. (Rmxz)

despite the name, it's more than "just" remixes of h.m.f., but "c'mon" and "another asskicka" are included, too.
Lunacy somewhere between oldschool, techno, and gabber.

52 / 100

DE 2052 Miro – Purple Moon

one of the best releases, on all of pcp, ever. period.
lifting off from the "blue sun", purple moon is driven by an almost hard-trancy, but much darker, arpeggiated melody and oldschool drumming.
"understand" twists this pattern around a bit.
a true miro classic.

99 / 100

DE 2053 Evidence – Resist / Inspirit

this is actually miro again, using a new aka.
and, in my opinion, "inspirit" has one of his best-composed melodies.
apart from that, this release is a bit more on the "hardcore" side than the previous release (i.e. purple moon).

99 / 100 ("inspirit" is a perfect track!)

DE 2054 Reign – Time Machine

you might wish you had a time machine to get back to this era, but if you don't, you can at least listen to this record.
quite experimental for reign (aka miro again) - unusual melodies, effects, and enormous amounts of reverb.
at times more reminiscent of a dark, chanting-accompanied ceremony in a huge space cavern than a techno record (in my opinion).
well done!

86 / 100

DE 2055 Reign – Hall

did we mention "the sound of dark chanting in a large hall"? this record is an even more approximate embodiment of this idea!
but to give a more technical description, it's precious, miro style techno, with one track running for almost 11 minutes and a half. and this very "Hall (Maximum Mix)" being a secret favorite for many PCP supporters.

98 / 100

DE 2056 Rave Creator – Into Sound

the "Marshall Masters Remix" indicates the marching route, as both tracks are more evocative of their output, than earlier rave creator tracks.
anthemic!

68 / 100

DE 2057 E Man - XTC Express

should be in everyone's top ten of miro's (or pcp's) releases.
going strong with the arpeggio-type tunes again, this composition almost reminds me a video game soundtrack gone dark.
but the thundering drums make it clear you that you are at a rave.
both mixes are great. i can't applaud this release enough.

100 / 100 (a perfect release!)

DE 2058 Evidence – II

another two tracker, bordering on the emerging "newstyle hardcore" sound here.
mean, gritty and brutal bassdrums.

67 / 100

DE 2059 Vitali – Robber Dance

the last release of de 2001.
there has been some speculations about who might behind this release.
either way, it's hoover-fueled attack-the-dancefloor type gabber.

38 / 100

DE 3001-1 303 Nation – Strobe Jams I

"De 3001" seems to be a kind of sub-label exclusively for 303 nation releases.
this ep almost feels like an album, with it's variations, intros and outros.
acid, techno, breakbeats, ambient structures... and if you liked the 6 tracker ep, you will love this one.
listening suggestion: "voodoo machine", a 303 defined track that starts slow, then turns into total mayhem.

98 / 100

DE 3001-2 303 Nation – Strobe Jams II

the follow up to strobe jams i. the style is comparable to the earlier outing. includes some true classics like "a world noir" or "sky crack".
this series is truly amongst the best of releases in the world of PCP.

98 / 100

DE 3002-1 303 Nation – Strobe Jams III

and on we go. i feel this sound has a stronger Detroit / underground resistance trace.
definitely recommended

80 / 100

DE 3002-2 303 Nation – Strobe Jams IV

the earlier releases were a bit closer to my heart - except for one track on here:
"Barcelona (Model # 1)".
sweetest acid-trance (see above) that makes you feel as you are slowly floating on the mediterranean sea in dark euphoria, while the moon watches on.

61 / 100

Monday, July 29, 2024

Philosophical musings on the cultural connotations of the term "Hardcore"

Hardcore can mean plenty of things. "Being Hardcore" means that someone is tough, tenacious, a firebreather. "Being Hardcore about something" means you are totally dedicated about something, willing to go "all-in".
The "Hardcore" is what we call the true, "pure" contingent of a social group or sub culture, as used in terms like "Hardcore Gamers", "Hardcore Anime Nerds", or even "Hardcore" foodies.

A hardcore ceremony

Yet we can also put some philosophical, spiritual, even mystical threads to the word "Hardcore".
A "core" is a center of something, or lies at the center of it.
Our post-christian, post-pagan world is maybe not as aware of it anymore, but in most other, and ancient cultures, there is/was a strong mythology associated with concepts of centers, centrality, and yes, the core.

"You are way off course, buddy!"

This is visible in solar and polar myths, deities, mysteries, or those associated with the heart, spirals, and other topics that are linked to centrality.
The world tree, the "axis mundi", Ra, Aristotle's' "unmoved mover" are just a few examples. There is the Sufi concept that all of the world, divinity, and its mysteries lies compressed within one singular 'dot' (i.e. one core that contains everything else).
"Labyrinths" were used in religious rites in which the acolytes needed to walk the winding paths until they reached the center, and then back again. We could go on with many more examples like these...

"This is network 23"

(the words "core" and "heart" are etymologically connected, by the way. this is even more obvious in languages like French, where "heart" is called "cœur".)

Now, similar with concepts like "the golden ratio", it's easy to 'go off the rails' and try to associate everything in myth with a central or polar concept.
The good thing is that it is self-explaining and obvious in most cases.
If a culture believes the sun is the center of the cosmic world, and worships a solar deity, then the spiritual concept of centrality is right there, and visible to everyone.
If a culture believes that a "world tree" grows at the center of the universe, from which everything branches off, we once again stand before the idea of centrality.

A central release of Planet Core Productions

But pagan days and the belief in ancient mysteries have long gone by. We are modern and rational beings now.
Yet many ancient wonders of the world still persist in our disenchanted world.
We now know that "space" is not made up of celestial spheres on which gods and goddesses fly by while Neptune is waving his trident at Uranus.
Yet we still gaze longingly at the marvels of outer space.

"I take you to the center of the earth"

We now know animals, plants, and trees are not meta-morphed and shapeshifting pixies, demons, minor deities, and that mushrooms are not home to talkative gnomes.
Yet we still marvel at the wonders of nature and the animal kingdom.

Why is this so? Because regardless of myth, religion, science, rationality: concepts like space, life, death, nature are matters that are highly detached from the ordinary, from the ordinary state of things, from ordinary modes of consciousness... and now that we no longer wear the clothes of superstition, we are free to use the language of science and rationality to describe these things.

The Euromast (an observation tower in Rotterdam) can be seen as a polar (and thus central) symbol.
And Rotterdam Records was a sub-label of Midtown Records - which was called that way as it was located at the center of the city.

And "Hardcore" is another thing that is far, far away from the ordinary state... there is much, much more to it than appears on the surface.

"There is a secret song at the center of the world"

We showed here that ancient, and different cultures worshipped the concept of a core, of centrality, and revered many "core deities", so to speak.

And we, modern people, superstitious or not, still worship the hardcore, in our music, in our thoughts, in our lives.

You can link the term "Hardcore" to many things in culture or philosophy;
But no matter of it's centrality or a social group or unique thought:

"Hardcore" is definitely something that is special, most precious, and far removed from the ordinary world.

Sunday, July 28, 2024

The Detroit-Hardcore Connection - Sonic Mayhem in the Earliest Days of Techno

Detroit was there, right at the beginning of Techno music; or, to be more exact, even before that beginning.
The sound of Detroit (in such incarnations as Cybotron or Model 500, for example) was one of the few major strains of music (together with a variety of other paths - like EBM, 80s Electro "Funk", House music, Synth Pop...) that led to the formation, evolution, and tenacity of what we now consider to be Techno music.

Fans, maniacs, and music journalists often oppose "Detroit Techno" to 'later' music genres, such as Hardcore Techno, Rotterdam Gabber, and so on; with Detroit often being considered the prodigious brainchild, while Gabber... well, it is denominated to be more of a "dirty rave bastard" then.
But little do they know that even in the earliest days of "Detroit", numerous releases got put out which are fairly hardcore, rave-y, almost "proto-gabber" themselves...

In sonic aesthetics definitely comparable to "Hardcore vibes" that were being transmitted out of Europe or UK in these same years. And quite parallel in sheer power, force, and punch of the kickdrum, too!
"Hardcore Detroit" is very much a thing.

And that's what we will be looking at now.
Showcasing 10 tracks that fit the bill.

1. X-103 - Curse Of The Gods (Thera EP - AX-103)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCdpzKkihbA


2. X-103 - Eruption (Thera EP - AX-103)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-ShY9RIboc


3. Underground Resistance - Riot (Riot EP - UR-010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUoRXLrcl10


4. Underground Resistance - Assault (Riot EP - UR-010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC51_ZZpQhc


5. X-102 - Groundzero (The Planet) (OBX-A - UR-019.5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhT2O67Pm3M


6. X-101 - Sonic Destroyer (Sonic Destroyer - UR-013.5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtqJdISUEtE


7. Jeff Mills - Data 06 (The Mayday Compilation Vol. III - Low Spirit 519 361-1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoB40bwnSCs


8. Brother From Another Planet - Planet Earth (Planet Earth / Trance Missions - SC-001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDKSmpe1rhQ


9. The Subjects vs. Jeff Mills - Dark Matter (Dark Matter - TOW-003-XXX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki1ivktBnk8


10. Missing Channel - Onslaught (Decision 2) (Onslaught - HW-001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQJzcWfUbgE


(We'd like to thank to traffic_cone for extra suggestions).

Do you know more tracks like these? Let us know in the comments!

Saturday, July 27, 2024

New digital compilation: Trash Fascism, Racism, and Xenophobia


Teknoland Productions released a new Electronics / Hardcore / Speedcore compilation against the rise of fascism in France and the rest of the world.

We highly support this cause!

Original info text:

"This album is against Rascim and Fascim, it was made because in France as in Europe Fascim is unfortunately progressing so we do not want them to gain power."

https://teknolandproduction.bandcamp.com/album/trash

Friday, July 26, 2024

Hardcore B-sides: Vexing ventures into unusual genres by Hardcore Techno producers

When you think of hardcore techno you probably think of... hard gabber beats, profanities, screams, speedy hoovers, loud guitar samples... yet, on some hardcore releases, there were tracks included that are actually quite different to that. *very* different, to be exact. and that's what we are looking at here.

Hardcore B-sides: Unusual sonic occurrences in the realm of Hardcore Techno EPs

1. Delta 9 - Infidel (Disco Inferno EP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv92vAO1nm8
"strange" harsh noise track with a televangelist going off for a few minutes.


2. Test Tube Kid - H (H EP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InRJMDAjotU
odd otherworldly outer space ambient sounds!


3. Atari Teenage Riot - "Sex" (1995 CD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDdMriUNmjU
not your brutal, aggro atr fare here... this is a very calm, downbeat, introverted track... apparently about dealing with aids?


4. Ec8or - Cheap Drops (Ec8or CD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di3nYJGx9bQ
gina's not screaming here, the typical ec8or guitars and hardcore drums are missing... a surreal spoken word ambient work out, that's not like anything i heard before, or after.
oh, yeah: gina does actually scream, at the end


5. Society Of Unknowns - Dead By Dawn (The Endless Mix) (Society Of Unknowns EP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE2pjiQQsXQ
scary and distressing intro... then a cascade of strange and scifi sounds gets unleashed... almost like a twisted doomcore affair minus hard beats.


6. Somatic Responses - S.R. Communique With The Dead (Axon EP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ-8Te0XIAc
yes, S.R., what where you thinking here? what did you channel? what's the frequency, kenneth?


7. Eradicator - Starving - Fischkopf Hamburg ‎(Shortage of Oxygen EP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbIet-Kthw8
haunting dark ambient sounds over enchanting spoken words.


8. Taciturne - Liquid Theatre (Otaku CD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzalYm-Mwds
if "eraserhead" would've been made by a French director in 1917... I think this track would have been the right soundtrack.
and yeah, i think this is the best way to describe this "style"


9. Further Individual Control - Subjected Break Pt. 2 (Acid Assault 03 EP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x958a40h0-M
full on acidcore... without the core... and beats... just acid bleeps, that keep you floating in space... with no return.


10. Orderly Chaos - Melt Away Love (Otaku CD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfWlAPCVbYM
done by super-terror hardcore producer nawoto suzuki... we don't know what happened... but i guess this is the dark(est) ambient equivalent to heartbreak.

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Mental Hardcore Health Newsletter #9: Leaving Social Media - A Personal Experience

Welcome to a new edition of the Mental Hardcore Health newsletter.
We want to share the following real-world-story with you:


How I left social media as a successful artist (and nearly snapped my mind on the way out)

Hello,
I'm a Hardcore Techno producer and author for a few decades now.
I didn't want to, but I became overly addicted to social media over the last years, and it took a huge toll on my mental health (which was not so good to begin with anyway - and that's a huge understatement).
I was especially heavy on the use of Facebook and Instagram - constantly posting stuff, trying to chat with people there, and to "promote" my music, or talk about politics - well, you probably know that crap.

So, I made the decision - I need to get out, and leave all of that behind.
I tried to leave before, but often had a relapse, and went back to the heavy use of social media again.

Because of that, this time I tried to make a plan.
I 'analyzed' there were a few reasons why I could not break free from social media.
There were minor things such as: social media provides easy distractions, a feed of seemingly interesting stuff, and so on.

But also a very major thing: I had close to zero social contacts, or even social life, in the real world. Almost all my "friends" and acquaintances were on social media, and especially on FB and "Insta". These were mostly other DJs, producers, promoters, and so on.
I deduced that this was a *real* problem. It was not something imaginary, a problem that I "made up in my head"; without social media I would slip into social isolation. And this would pummel my mental health again (which was not so good to begin with, as I said before). Because lack of social contacts can mess up a lot of people; me being no different to that.

Therefore my plan was this: I would tell my friendly DJs and artists and everyone else, that I would leave, and tell them how they could contact me in other ways (I guess you know already know how this will end).
For example by E-Mail, or WhatsApp, or other non-social media ways.

They told me they would keep in touch this way, and they did.
It was all sunshine then, I was off social media, my mental state improved, I had more time and clarity and focus and energy to focus on producing music and writing my e-books.
And talking to my friends on E-mail or on a non-media messenger felt better, the convos were more in-depth and personal than "leaving a comment" on insta.

And then the thing happened which I should have expected in the first place:
My friends stopped talking to me, one after another. In a few weeks, after a few months off social media, the communication completely dried up.
I'm not entirely sure why, but I should have expected it.
I messaged some of them, in the way of "hey, what's up, how are you doing" etc., or talking about projects and music releases, and I got some "friendly" replies and they said they would get back to me and of course they never did.

So yeah, I felt like I was thrown into a social vacuum, and this took a huge toll on me.
My mental state was worsening rapidly, as I literally had no-one to talk to, no-one to exchange ideas, music, thoughts with, I felt like my mind was locked up in a solitary cell and someone had thrown away my key.

I realized I needed to act or I would go batshit insane.

As my oh-so-clever plan to be able to stay "social" on the internet without social media failed, I saw there was only one route left. I needed to go into the offline world, instead of the online world.

I didn't expect anything exciting to happen on a social level in my urban surroundings, but I knew I needed to get out either way.

So I checked the internet for all kinds of stuff that was happening in the vicinity, concerts, festivals, art exhibits. I took up sports and bicycling and spend hours (and kilometers) pedaling around, in the nearby forests, to the nearby lakes, out into nature.

While I did not really make friends this way, going into the real world felt much better than I expected.
And I was surprised how friendly and nice the people that I met were, on average. A thousands times more friendly than the "online folk"!

But this was of course no replacement for "real" connections with other humans. And I was still an artist who was used to network and collaborate with other people on projects in order to "get shit done"...
And I was not getting ahead there.
I eventually deduced that the reason my social media friends discarded me was, well, because they were on social media. And I was not. They were in that social media world, and I was an "alien" to that now.

So the thought came to me to reach out to people who were not on social media too, or who I at least shared a connection with outside of it.
Including people that I did not contact for years after I got sucked into that whole social media thing (what goes around comes around, right?).

So I sent out a lot of e-mails and messages, and not everyone replied, but it was good to be in touch with some great old friends again.

Then everything went step by step. The crisis became a thing of the past, I'm part of a community of people again, I'm doing more music and projects than ever, I made lots of new acquaintances, labels, scouts, organizations reach out to me, things are nice and bright now. (I don't say that as an "ego-boost", I just want to be honest to show that life as an artist is indeed more saccharine without artificial social media sweeteners).

I guess just like with quitting other heavy addictions, I needed to full into this "black hole" and misery, before things could become better.

Going on with honesty, I'm not "totally social media" free right now.
I still use:

YouTube (a lot)
Reddit (but I curb it a lot)
Discord (same)

Ideally I would be free of all of these, but I was able to stop 95% of my daily social media activities, and I'm planning to stop the remaining 5% too, one day.
That's actually another main advice I would give to people who have a very hard time quitting social media: do it continuously, but do it in slices, and not all at once.

Now, who knows, maybe I can't keep it up, and will relapse again, or something like that, in the future.
But I feel that I was able to reach the point I am at - right here, right now, is a powerful success for me.
And again I don't want to ego-boost myself by saying this: because the message I want to put across is that *you could do it to* and succeed at it!

Sunday, July 21, 2024

We asked ChatGPT about the possibly positive psychological effects of 'dark and aggressive' Hardcore Techno music

Some people think Hardcore is just "dark, sick music"; others think listening to these tracks can actually be quite helpful on a mental level.
Now that AIs are around, in order to decide this question, or at least to be able to cast a better judgment on this issue, why not just ask them?

And that is what we did!

Chat transcript follows.


User

dear chatgpt,
hardcore techno often addresses "taboo" subjects like violence, hatred, depression.
can hardcore techno music have a positive psychological effect by addressing these troubling topics?

ChatGPT

Absolutely, hardcore techno can have a positive psychological impact by addressing troubling topics like violence, hatred, and depression. Here's why:

Catharsis

Hardcore techno's intense energy and aggressive sounds can provide a cathartic release for listeners. Just as people might scream into a pillow to let out frustration, blasting some hardcore can help channel and release pent-up emotions in a controlled and safe way.

Validation and Connection

Hearing music that talks about tough subjects can make listeners feel less alone. When someone hears lyrics or themes that resonate with their personal struggles, it can be incredibly validating. It reinforces the idea that others have felt the same pain, which can be comforting.

Empowerment

The sheer force of hardcore techno can instill a sense of power and resilience. The genre's raw, unfiltered nature can make listeners feel stronger and more capable of facing their own demons. It can turn feelings of helplessness into a kind of personal rebellion against negativity.

Community and Belonging

The hardcore techno scene often creates a tight-knit community. Fans bond over their shared love for the music and its themes. This sense of belonging can provide a strong support network, which is crucial for mental health.

Emotional Exploration

By confronting dark and taboo subjects, hardcore techno encourages listeners to explore and understand their own emotions. This self-awareness is a critical step in processing and overcoming negative feelings.

Therapeutic Creation

For artists, creating hardcore techno can be a form of therapy. Writing and producing tracks about personal pain and societal issues can help artists work through their emotions and share their experiences with others.

Provoking Thought and Discussion

Hardcore techno can provoke thought and discussion about difficult topics. This can lead to greater awareness and understanding, both personally and within the wider community. Addressing issues openly can be the first step toward finding solutions.

In a way, hardcore techno mirrors the function of many art forms: it holds up a mirror to the darker sides of human experience, making them more manageable through acknowledgment and expression. It can transform negative energy into something powerful and even beautiful.

User

please tell me more about point 1, "Catharsis"

ChatGPT

Sure, let's dive deeper into the concept of catharsis and how hardcore techno can facilitate this emotional release.

Understanding Catharsis

Catharsis, in a psychological context, refers to the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. It's like a purging of pent-up feelings that, once let out, can lead to a sense of relief and emotional clarity.

How Hardcore Techno Promotes Catharsis

1. Intensity and Energy
  • Hardcore techno is characterized by its fast tempos, distorted sounds, and aggressive beats. This intensity can match the heightened emotional states people sometimes find themselves in. When you're feeling overwhelmed by anger, frustration, or sadness, the music's ferocity can mirror and amplify those emotions, helping you to confront them head-on.
2. Physical Release
  • The physical act of dancing, especially in a high-energy way typical of hardcore techno events, can be a powerful way to release tension. The pounding beats and driving rhythms encourage movement, allowing you to physically expel the stress and anxiety that's built up in your body.
3. Emotional Synchronization
  • Listening to hardcore techno can feel like the music is resonating with your internal emotional state. This synchronization can validate your feelings, making you feel understood and less isolated. The aggressive soundscape can make it easier to express emotions that might otherwise feel too overwhelming or unacceptable to show.
4. Safe Space for Expression
  • The hardcore techno community often provides a judgment-free space where people can express their emotions openly. Whether it's through dancing, screaming along to the music, or simply letting the sound wash over them, fans can find a release valve for their emotional pressures.
5. Ritualistic Experience
  • Many fans describe attending hardcore techno events as a ritualistic experience. The repetitive nature of the beats and the communal energy can lead to a trance-like state where personal issues can be processed and released. This ritual can act as a form of emotional cleansing.
Conclusion

Catharsis through hardcore techno isn't just about getting lost in the music; it's about finding a way to confront and release deep-seated emotions in a controlled and often communal environment. This process can be incredibly therapeutic, turning the raw energy of the music into a powerful tool for emotional well-being.

User

please tell me more about point 2, "Community and Belonging"

ChatGPT

Absolutely, let's explore the role of community and belonging within the hardcore techno scene and how it can have a positive psychological impact.

Understanding Community and Belonging

Human beings have an innate need to feel connected to others and to belong to a group. This sense of belonging can provide emotional support, validation, and a shared sense of purpose or identity. For fans of hardcore techno, the community surrounding the music can fulfill these needs in several important ways.

How Hardcore Techno Promotes Community and Belonging

1. Shared Passion and Identity
  • Hardcore techno fans often feel a strong connection with each other through their shared love for the music. This shared passion creates a sense of identity and belonging. Fans feel like part of a larger family where their love for the genre is understood and appreciated.
2. Inclusivity and Acceptance
  • The hardcore techno scene is generally inclusive and accepting, providing a space where individuals from diverse backgrounds can come together. This inclusivity fosters a sense of belonging, especially for those who might feel marginalized or misunderstood in other aspects of their lives.
3. Events and Gatherings
  • Raves, festivals, and other hardcore techno events provide physical spaces where fans can meet, dance, and connect. These gatherings are often intense and communal, creating strong bonds among attendees. The shared experience of the music and the environment strengthens these connections.
4. Online Communities
  • In addition to physical events, online forums, social media groups, and other digital platforms offer spaces for fans to discuss music, share experiences, and support each other. These virtual communities can be just as vital as physical ones, especially for those who may not have access to live events.
5. Mutual Support
  • The hardcore techno community often emphasizes mutual support and solidarity. Fans frequently help each other with personal issues, share coping strategies, and offer encouragement. This support network can be crucial for mental health and well-being.
Conclusion

The hardcore techno community offers more than just music; it provides a vital support network and a sense of belonging that can have profound positive effects on psychological well-being. By creating inclusive, supportive, and passionate environments, the hardcore techno scene helps individuals feel connected, valued, and empowered.

please tell me more about 6, "Therapeutic Creation"

ChatGPT

Sure, let's dive deeper into the concept of "Therapeutic Creation" and how making hardcore techno music can be a powerful form of therapy for artists.

Understanding Therapeutic Creation

Therapeutic creation refers to the process of using artistic expression as a way to process and manage emotions, reduce stress, and improve overall mental health. For many hardcore techno producers, creating music is not just about crafting beats and melodies but also about expressing and confronting their inner emotional landscapes.

How Creating Hardcore Techno Can Be Therapeutic

1. Emotional Expression
  • Hardcore techno, with its intense and often aggressive sounds, provides a unique outlet for expressing complex and sometimes difficult emotions. The act of creating music allows artists to channel their feelings into a tangible form, giving them a voice and a way to be heard.
2. Sense of Control
  • The process of creating music gives artists a sense of control over their environment and emotions. By manipulating sounds and rhythms, they can shape their emotional experiences in a way that feels empowering. This control can be particularly beneficial for individuals dealing with feelings of helplessness or chaos in other areas of their lives.
3. Problem-Solving and Focus
  • Music production involves a lot of problem-solving and focus, which can be a great distraction from negative thoughts and feelings. The technical aspects of producing hardcore techno—such as sound design, mixing, and arranging—require intense concentration, providing a mental break from stressors.
4. Achievement and Self-Esteem
  • Completing a track or even making progress on a project can provide a significant sense of achievement. This accomplishment can boost self-esteem and provide a positive counterbalance to negative self-perceptions.
5. Reflection and Insight
  • The process of creating music can lead to greater self-reflection and insight. Artists often discover new things about themselves and their emotions through their work, leading to personal growth and a deeper understanding of their inner worlds.
Conclusion

Therapeutic creation in the context of hardcore techno allows artists to use their music as a form of emotional expression, self-exploration, and stress relief. The intense and raw nature of the genre provides a powerful medium for dealing with complex emotions and personal struggles. By channeling their feelings into their art, hardcore techno producers can find healing, empowerment, and a deeper connection to themselves and their audience.

User

Thank you very much for these insights!

ChatGPT

You're welcome! I'm glad you found the insights helpful. If you have any more questions or want to explore another topic, feel free to ask. Keep the beats pounding and the creativity flowing!

From Chiptune and Trance to Speedcore and Gabber: Spotlight on Oliver Kirwa aka Mindviper aka The Sorcerer

The "producer life" of Oliver Kirwa is most exceptional. Let's look at 10 of his tracks.

1. Oliver Kirwa - Build It (1991)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBX31lqj7hk

He started as a composer for video game music on the commodore 64 computer, and even wrote some games of his own. like "Gotcha". This was first released as a "type-in game" and became the winning entry for a famous german computer magazine; "type-in" meant that the magazine actually printed the source code of the game, on paper, in their magazine; and the future users had to type every word and letter and number into their own computer, often spending hours or even days on this task.


2. Sorcerer - The Silence (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SJCo8IrJ9g

an early hardcore track by the sorcerer, released on the Thunderdome edition "with the dog on the cover" (as my friends called this CD).
starts quite "silent" indeed, then goes into hyper-fast blast beats.


3. Sorcerer - Summer (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrJi_2Ctzp4

this is his best-known track in the hardcore circuit. featured on another thunderdonme, this is one of the earliest speedcore tracks ever - it goes somewhere close to 700 bpm, quite a feat for the year 1993.
"and now... release your anger!"


4. Matrix - Feuervogel (1994) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVxLFkm0-qU

again a track that straddles the line between "german" style hardtrance and hardcore gabber.. and it straddles it skillfully. nuclear pounding groove!


5. Mindviper - Messiah 2000 (1994) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weNnGQwmmsM

ooh, this is quite the treat here. situated somewhere between trance, hardcore and techno.
the instrumentation appears quite simple; the main part is a meandering bass-saw-synthline that keeps going throughout most of the composition. but the track feels so epic and immense nonetheless.
dreamcore for life!


6. Mindviper - Salvation (1994) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUqTYw00x_g

another "odd one out" track. i find it hard to describe it; kinda like a fusion of "krautrock", video game tunes, and techno. probably all his influences are summed up in this track; and it's an ear-pleasing summary for sure!


7. Future Viper - Paranoid Beauty (1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY8iRLArWcY

featured on one of technohead's hardcore compilations... was released on an uk label at first.
and it takes no prisoners! "ambient" intro, then the killer bassdrum troops arrive.


8. Nutron Intelligence - Incredible High (1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F07eK4p4cpw

this is legit hardtrance right here - good use of "rave choirs" and mean beats.
the b-side actually has one of the earliest tracks with a "newstyle gabber" kind of synth!


9. Mindviper - The Outside (1996) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6I8Ood0jQE

follow up to the messiah ep... a quite techno track again, very quixotic, feels even a bit like psytrance - "but better!".


10. Oliver Kirwa - Steelword (Chapter Two) (1996) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkVo1Y3Dnl4

this is interesting, because it's neither techno, hardcore, but more of an electro track. but the trancey synth- and basslines can be found here, too!


after these 90s releases, few traces of him can be found; and an extensive re-search on the internet produced no further results.
maybe he quit all this and joined the office work force, as many writers or composers in the early computer game scene did.
or he is sitting somewhere and still doing awesome tunes now and then.

regardless of which, we wish him a long and happy life!

Friday, July 19, 2024

Cement Tea's Top New Music Suggestions #2

We are honored to announce a new column in our magazine!
In it, Cement Tea will list and recommend some of his favorite new releases from a variety of genres.
Without further ado, let's go for part 2:

Cement Tea links:




1 - https://uton.bandcamp.com/album/muista-maisemista

if you want psychedelic noise, noise folk and such, Uton is great for it, this release in particular is quite meditative, love the vibes



2 - https://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/album/dessert-addicts-will-return-to-this

this release was always in my wishlist and i still have to buy it, the title is right, im a dessert addict, and i keep returning to it, the artwork looks particullary tasty


new Waqs release, glass theyre still putting out work, very simple, idm/breakcore, with huge netlabel vibes, Waqs' music feels like a time machine for more innocent times


sharing this solely for the first track, what a smasher! B side is nice too


somatic responses need no introduction, truly legendary producers that still makes music freely in the way they want, theyre keeping it unique, a thing extremely necessary in current times!


im glad GENE is on bandcamp now, i used to listen to these releases since about 2015 or so, lovely cheesy new age from the 90s, very cheesy soundfonts too! love it


hellfish is still popping off to this day, this is a particular favourite of mine when it comes to his recent works, the intro of Money For Fish is lovely too, huge 90s trance vibes


ive been relistening to EriS' work lately and this album still stands out, outstanding darkstep with idm influences, out of this world


been relistening to some Arpanet and related projects, those releases are still so far ahead of their time, extremely iconic


10 - https://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/album/three-inch

smashin' tunes, always a huge fan of p·a·l's work, somehow this offshot EP is quite better compared to the album its from in my opinion!

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Spotlight on: Oliver Chesler aka The Horrorist aka DJ Skinhead

We are starting a new thing here at The Hardcore Overdogs: 
"The Spotlight On..."
In it, we will focus on an artist, label, or project, and tell their bio, background and story.

For the first issue, we will look at Oliver Chesler, who is also known as, or was involved in projects like The Horrorist, Disintegrator, DJ Skinhead, Temper Tantrum, Superpower...


Disintegrator - In The Sun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AyvjLrw1uc

But first things first.

If there ever was a man with a claim to a grande-but-surreal-life, it's probably Mr. Chesler. As there are so many strange occurrences, synchronicities, serendipities...
Let's look at some of the things we know about:

He was a goth-EBM-punk-teen placed in New York; as a good goth groupie, he of course was also into Depeche Mode. Depeche Mode thought it was a good idea to make a movie about themselves at the height of their worldwide popularity (after the release of "Violator", spawning such hits like "Enjoy the silence or "Personal Jesus").

Temper Tantrum - I get the Coke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKdi2Cw2sr8

They decided to make it a touring movie. They wanted wanted some fans to accompany them on the tour. So they had a dancing contest in order to pick some mode-heads for this purpose. Chesler of course had to join that contest, and of course had to win this very contest, together with his girlfriend.

So we saw a young chesler (with an interesting hairdo, btw) being featured in Depeche mode's "101" movie. and maybe not many people know this movie anymore, but it was a "real biggie" back then. global success.

Fucking Hostile (Disintegrator Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70mhSDSVBl8

thus, in a sense, chesler was famous even before his "music career" really started.

later he got involved with Lenny dee and industrial strength records. he produced some of the label's most brutal releases for them, under the moniker Temper Tantrum. more than that, he also collaborated with other industrial strength artists using the aka "DJ Skinhead" (this 'Skinhead' was never a real person, but, according to rumor, a doll in the industrial strength office).
The production "Extreme Terror" by this project became a worldwide underground sensation, and one the first outings of the new breed of really, really extreme hardcore techno.

DJ Skinhead - Take it outside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P13AdwDEVyY

after that, chesler got into slower, more technoid music again - even going back to this 80s, ebm and industrial roots.
he gave the resulting downtempo techno-hardcore tracks to industrial strength - but they did not see the potential in less fast-paced, more somber "hardcore" at that time - a discarded opportunity for that label!

so chesler started his own label - Things To Come records.
and the 2nd release on this label became a much bigger "hit record" than any of his industrial strength vinyls.
in fact, of the 6 tracks on it, *three* became hits in their own respective genres.

The Horrorist - Flesh is the Fever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK-i-O-REPA

the first one was "flesh is the fever". it has oliver narrating a tale of futurism, conspiracies and impending doom over marching gabber beats - with an extra focus on the sub-bass.
this track became a intercontinental phenomenon, was played at hardcore parties on and on.
together with a 2-3 other tracks - most notably "stereo murder" by marc acardipane and "poltergeist" by dr macabre - it actually upended the commercial dutch hardcore scene, and led to a new focus on slower sounds similar to the aforementioned tracks.
genres like "newstyle", "mainstyle", "mainstream hardcore" were created because of this.

essentially, if you listen to the commercial gabber releases of today's dutch music market, you can still easily hear the influence by "flesh is the fever" on the tracks.

then there was the eponymous "one night in nyc" which, amongst other things, became a number one dance hit in Germany and is probably still "filling the fridge" of the horrorist via record sales to this day.
But we assume you already know the story of this track, so, for now we won't repeat it here.

The Horrorist - It goes like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fx1b_V8ItU

and the third was "mission ecstasy", which was maybe more like a sleeper / cult hit compared to the other two, but a success never the less, and known widely beyond the "hardcore" scene. i remember an american "keep-it-underground" gabber teenager moping to me that 'mission ecstasy' was now popular amongst his "bongo house" DJ friends, while they would ignore the 'real hardcore' - ah, the tragedy!

it's a great track in every way, an oversized urban fairytale of two lost ravers on the quest for their very own holy grail, pushed forwards by techno drums and occasionally being invaded by a synth-line time-traveling from early 1980s NY style new wave disco music!

his label thrived, and the output only grew more diverse from there: we got tracks in dark ambient style, electro, drum'n'bass, doomcore... everything really!

The Horrorist - Blood in the sand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdEvuG6mo2M

he also did some high level collaborations with the (former) PCP Crew at this time: a whole ep together with miro under the alias "superpower" (he was also the first to release miro's new "hypnotizer" project on his own label), and several projects with acardipane - like a remix of marc's "we have arrived", having his "mission ecstasy" remixed by marc, and a collab 12" by both ("metal man" - not related to black sabbath or marvel!).

at this point and later, he seemingly became even more interested in that whole ebm, minimal, gothtronic thing, the output changed accordingly. and once again he seems to have predicated the future trajectory of music correctly, as the global underground dance scenes soon whole-heartedly embraced similar influences.

The Horrorist - 13 dobermans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtFDLlsRkjI

while he seemed to stay afloat at his time and was not short of popular releases and tracks, he did not seem to have "game changing" tracks such as the ones during his terror and gabber days anymore - which is a real shame, as his music would have deserved it!

but do not interpret these lines too negatively, because he still is widely known and present, which is a rare feat, as most of his 90s underground contemporaries have disappeared into the medial void by now.

The Horrorist - Programmed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5CMJYeDjCU

banging his own gabber drum seems to be a thing of the past for him by now, but recently there are new influences to be heard in the output - cumulating in 2024's wonderful release "the floor is the sky" (read a review here: https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/04/review-horrorist-sky-is-floor.html ).

so, mr. chesler, thanks for all the gloomy, disturbing, and often quite hardcore tracks; and may you continue leading many a young goth, punk or raver on their own mission towards ecstasy.

Oliver Chesler - Hyperspace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Mt2tWqDjg

Links:

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/4344-The-Horrorist

further listening suggestions:

the horrorist - fire in the sky
temper tantrum - still the hardest
the horrorist - dark black omnious clouds
mescalinium united - we have arrived (the horrorist remix)
arrivers - the arrival
disintegrator - trans-dimensional
the horrorist - es ist alles aus
dx 13 - mother f*cker new York
temper tantrum - industrial strength
disintegrator - 99.9
arrivers - the sky is falling
the horrorist - behind the door
Marc Acardipane Feat. The Horrorist – Metal Man
Superpower - by the fire

Monday, July 15, 2024

All Cold Rush Records releases listed, rated, and short-reviewed

Originally published as a chapter in the The unofficial Planet Core Productions guidebook:

https://pcplegendsintheirlife.blogspot.com/2024/07/planet-core-productions-guidebook.html

Note: the rating means "compared to other PCP releases".

Thus, if a record has "only" 49 or 31 percent here, this does not mean it's bad; compared with other Hardcore or Techno EPs they would be 88 or 94 or higher; the percentage just "seems lower" for the sake of rating these PCP records in a way that seems sensible, and to have a bit of comparison with the other releases.


Cold Rush Records

Lost 1 - Various - The Last Judgement Part One EP

the first ep on the legendary cold rush label.
as varied as it can be.
"impossible xtc" is haunted sub-frequency techno.
"the fog track" is a true doom anthem, and surely a nice fit for any dancefloor at 8 am.
"Slo Motion" is a sub-bass powerhouse.
and "Maniac" is certain to twist your mind.

Rating: 81 / 100

Lost 2 - Various - Doom Supporters EP

take care, doom supporters!
one of the first "doomcore" genre releases; heavy techno and austere atmospheres come in plenty now.
my pick is "Fallen Angel", a track reminiscent of cosmic heartbreak, or an angel's tear turned into a soundwave.

91 / 100

Lost 3 - Cypher Doomed Bunkerloops

the first release by a "solo" artist on the label.
the well known one is "Marchin' Into Madness" here. ferocious snare- and bass-drums guide you on your march into hell - is anybody out there?
"Frozen Boom Erection", on the other hand, will get your heart pumping.

77 / 100

Lost 4 - Rave Creator – Lights - Sound - Action!

a lot of action here, as this EP includes 3 classics:
"Immortal" is build upon a rock hard bassdrum, intermingled with classic acid house vocals;
"Bleep Blaster" is a true bleepcore anthem that sounds like a lunatic got hold of a whistle to blow into.
And "Thru Eternal Fog" is another great track celebrating smoke filled strobe powered nightly dancefloors in derelict buildings.

85 / 100

Lost 5 Freez-E-Style – Enter The Gates Of Darkness

another big, big classic.
"Enter The Gates Of Darkness" is one of the earliest "doomcore" tracks with a highly distorted, powerful kick.
"doom dancer" is tripping the dark fantastic.

75 / 100

Lost 6 - Cold Crush City Cru – The 6th City Mob EP

yes yes, this is the one (sorry, Laura!).
as it includes "stereo murder", maybe the most monumental track by PCP (and in techno history!)
"t99" type samples, a thunderous, reverberated drum... guaranteed to send anyone in the huge space arena into madness.
the flipside gives us another two mean and dirty tracks.

99 / 100 (for stereo murder!)

Lost 6 R - Marshall Masters – Stereo Murder (The Cold Rush Remixes)

"more of the same"? No, 3 very diverse remixes!
reign adds a cavernous doomcore type sound; rave creator adds extra boldness;
and "Stereo Murder (2 Tonys' Progressive Club Mix)" is what the name implies.

in my opinion, the original release is slightly better, with its untouchable reduced purity; but this is a great release as well.

90 / 100

Lost 7 - The Mover & Rave Creator – Rave The Planet

most people will know this EP for atmos-fear - and deservingly so.
but the other tracks are interesting as well:
"O.K. Bassquake" is a dancefloor killer with a very twisted mentasm and vocal sound;
and "Astral Demons 94 (Cold Planet Remix)" is an outer space trancecore remix of the classic original track.

91 / 100

Lost 8 - Reign – Chapter One: Skulls And Crossbones

miro pays a visit to cold rush records, using his "reign" alias.
mentasm-fueled doomcore-gabber with miro's trademark somber, rude attitude and samples

62 / 100

Lost 9 -  Protectors Of Bass – Awake In Neo Tokyo

pitch-hiker is on here; a track widely known beyond the hardcore sub-scene of techno.
in case *you* don't know it, it's an genius-bordering-on-the-insane 909 bassdrum workout without any other elements; just on-going filtering and distortion. if you hear it, you will love it.
and the flipside is pure phuture sound.

92 / 100

Lost 10 - Pilldriver / Tilt! – Apocalypse Never

"doom supporter" marc acardipane seems to have had a sudden change of mind, because now it's "apocalypse never"?
either way, it's a superb track somewhere between hardcore, doomcore, and gabber; i won't describe it further, as you probably know it already!
"Hell-E-Copter" is one of these speed-up / slow-down tracks, and i think PCP always does this very well.

87 / 100