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").
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.
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.
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:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thingstocome/
Bandcamp: https://thehorrorist.bandcamp.com/
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
dx 13 - mother f*cker new York
temper tantrum - industrial strength
disintegrator - 99.9
disintegrator - 99.9
arrivers - the sky is falling
the horrorist - behind the door
Marc Acardipane Feat. The Horrorist – Metal Man
Superpower - by the fire
Superpower - by the fire
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