Monday, September 30, 2024

The vast differences between listening to Hardcore Techno at home - or experiencing it at a party

Today we want to talk about something that we already alluded to briefly in the past
The difference between music - Hardcore Techno, to be more specific - that is listened to at home, or experienced at a party.

Hardsequencer - Bass Experience

Let's move back a bit, first.
It is often forgotten that when you look at the human history of music, "recorded music" has only existed for a fleeting moment so far. When Beethoven, Bach, or Mozart composed their pieces, they were not uploaded on social media or video sites for "easy playback" - if someone, or rather, an audience wanted to hear these, they had to go to a performance at a concert or opera house, or similar occasions.
These compositions existed as *performances*, not as frozen, recorded things that would always sound the same and that you could rewind any time.

Juggernaut - Beat Go Booooom

So in these days, there was almost a symbiotic relationship between these genius composers and the genius performers who were needed to turn the notes on the sheets alive.
But even when gramophone and vinyl recordings existed, the focus still stayed on performed, "live" music, in a jazz club, and later in rock venues.
Bands like the Rolling Stones stated that their main focus was on performing music, not recording music. It was not unusual that famous rock and pop bands spent all the year on touring or preparing the next tour, and only rarely, sometimes, in between they used a few weeks in the studio to record the songs they played on these tours, for an album or single releases, only to get quickly back onto the circuit.
According to Julee Cruise (of "Twin Peaks" fame), most of the singers she met in her life disliked recording in the studio, as opposed to vocalizing live at a club or concert.

Delta 9 - Speaker Worship

So, there always has been this divide between "music at a performance or club" and "music listened to at home".

Now let's fast forward to the transitional time between the 80s and 90s decade, when the techno and hardcore sounds had their formative phase.


Because this divide played an important role in this period, too.
To be more exact, the early techno, house, acid, breakbeat, hardcore and gabber records were produced with the club and squat experience in mind - and the main focus was not on the "listeners at home".
This has been stated and confirmed by some very well known producers of techno, rave, and hardcore, and by people who were around "back in the days", too.
Even in 1995, before I went fully into the Hardcore scene, the more "softy" Rave and Trance fans that I knew usually had the same response when I inquired about Gabber and Hardcore sounds: "very good in a club, not so good to listen to at home".

T-Bone Castro - Base DJ

Part 2

But what exactly *is* the difference between the "live / club" sound and the sound "at home"?
There are *plenty* of differences.
Let's get first into the "purely sonic" ones:

1. On a loud sound system in a club, squat, or elsewhere, you not merely *hear* the music, you *feel* it. I'd say at a party, your ears play only a 10% role or less when it comes to experiencing the sound. The rest is "heard", or rather, felt, by the whole of your body, from your toes to the uppermost hairs on your head.

Evil Force - It Started With A Bass (live)

People who never experienced it might underestimate how powerful sound-waves can get. There's the 'story' that before "early hardcore techno" DJ Tanith performed in Berlin in the early 90s, he made sure to set up the sound system to such a volume that each bass hit would "swipe the foam off the top of a glass of beer" (probably a typically German thing?).
Either way, I experienced bass speakers where each beat created a literal (small) gust of wind in the squat basement.
The vibrations can move objects from tables, rattle windows, or literally "drop the lime" from the ceiling - this can actually hinder the performance of the DJ when things on the stage suddenly start to move around on their own.

As mentioned, this is also felt in various parts of the body. A gabber track at max volume creates a strange sensation in your stomach and intestines that I sometimes describe as a "raising column of fire". I don't know if it's the same for everybody, but the frequencies also highly resonated in my throat area. This made me feel like I was choked by the music, which added to the darkness and brutality of the tracks.
Your skull vibrates too, of course.
And there are other parts that... well, like a guy I knew once said: "Damn, these bass frequencies kept shaking my balls around, it was really unreal." (I assume it can be felt in the counter-parts of various other genders, too).

Hardsequencer - Sound Vibrations

*Nothing compares* to this body experience of hardcore techno. Listening at home won't do the trick.

2. Because of this, the frequency ranges, the spectral landscape, completely changes. As it's mostly the bass, the low ends, that effect the body, these suddenly become much more important than during a "home session".
And frequencies that are below the audible range, that are literally invisible (or inaudible) at "home listening", are suddenly very prominent on the dancefloor.

Q-Tex - Get On The Floor

I always had a sweet thing for powerful 20-30 hz (or lower) stuff at parties.

3. A friend remarked "so, in a sense, the speakers in a club add to the *distortion chain* of the track".
True, but it is even more complex.
Most speakers do distort the sound, but this analogue, "club" distortion sounds different to plugins you can use on your laptop.
Plus, not just distortion is added, but also "reverberation" (due to the size and shape of the location) and other complicated "effects".

This is the reason early techno records often sound quite "dry" and minimal in their instrumentation; Because the producers were aware that the "club experience" fills up the track with distortion, reverb, and other things.

Superpower - S.T.R.O.B.E.

4. Let's go beyond mere sonic sentiments.
Things *feel* different in a club or squat.
Bass-lines of Acid, Trance (or Acidcore and Trancecore) feel quite hypnotic and en-trancing, right?
But hearing these at a party multiplies this effect by a thousand times!

It's like they are of a whole different matter suddenly.
Generally, "monotony" and slow changes can do miracles in an event setting.
People have complained that "drums-only" tracks such as Pitch-hiker would be a bit dull.
Well, I tell you, listen to them at a party, and you will feel their true magic.

8 A.M. - The Fog Track

While tracks that are "too hectic" might suddenly sound not so good anymore during a performance.

5.
There are also other factors that add into this transfigured sound experience. Fog, darkness, strobes, the size of the room (squat basements are best in my opinion), the size of the crowd, their 'entranced' state... and so on.


So, let's come to a conclusion.

a) Techno and Hardcore tracks can sound *completely* changed when "dropped" at a happening.
b) The experience is totally different.
c) If you never felt this, you are missing out.
d) The majority of Gabber producers in the 90s produced for the club experience, not for your home.
e) Take that into account when listening to older records
f) And you might take this into account when aiming to produce new banger hardcore sounds!


And with this, I leave you into the night... a night at a rave, with blasting beats, until 10 am and beyond.

Temper Tantrum - Darkness Eternal

Saturday, September 28, 2024

A word of advice for (new) producers - don't trade your ideals for fame & success

Another guest piece by one of our anonymous authors.

I've been in the Hardcore Techno scene for over 27 years. I made lots of releases, played at plenty of parties, met a lot of people...
So, I've want to give an account, a warning, to those who newly entered the scene, as producers, DJs, creative minds... about some of the darker pitfalls you can run into. And especially the unexpected ones.
And I think, what I experienced, is not only valid for the Hardcore area; but the Techno scene as a whole; music scenes as a whole; maybe even life as a whole.

So, when I got into Hardcore Techno, in the early / mid 90s, the dominance of capitalism was not complete yet. I.e. not everyone had the sole aim of making money in life. And not every artist had money as his singular desire; this was especially true for underground scenes like gabber, punk, rap, computer music...
I had lots of ideas in my young mind, but my most important aims were to start a political revolution, and to help other people, especially troubled ones, and amongst these, those that suffered mentally. And I intended to create music in order to pursue these goals; to use music as a powerful tool for "propaganda", to infuse tracks with a sense of defiance, rebellion, spunk, that hopefully crossed over to other people, and all the other ways in which music and media can be used as a forceful weapon, too.

of course, I was not the only one with these ideas, and they did not even originate with me; there were several groups and artists within "hardcore" that claimed the same.

So, I got "into gear", I began my production, and I began spreading these sounds. At first slowly, but then more and more thoroughly.
I expected I would meet a lot of opposition; by "the system", authorities, maybe even upset citizens, and so on. But that did not really happen. Instead I met fierce opposition by the very thing that I considered an ally; the hardcore scene itself. "keep your politics out of hardcore", "you stupid anti-fascist pig", and worse; death threats began to pile up, and often were delivered "in person" at a location where I did a gig; and since I'm not much of a "street fighter", I often had to find clever ruses to avoid a physical confrontation with these Nazis and 'sneak out of the backdoor' again; but this is not what I want to talk about here, maybe somewhere else in the future; even though this was bad, I don't think it was the worst thing.
Because, in retrospective, I think much more dangerous where those people that posed as "friends", but tried to strip me of my innermost aims; and instead tried to steer me towards "money", "fame", "success", and all these other infernal concepts.
"hey, I really love your music and everything, but if you could get rid of these horrible political messages... much more people would like you, you will see!"
"we all have to make a living, right? so if an artist gets famous and makes a lot of money... should one really blame them?"
that was some of the bullshit people started to tell me in one way or another, and even more stupid stuff.

"you know a lot of people tried to change the world... they started revolutions... but that only made everything worse. so it's pointless to put your energy into political stuff. you won't get anywhere this way."

or:

"music should be about partying, having a good time... stop wondering about philosophy, or politics, or any of that. just 'shut off your mind' for a while, and enjoy yourself..."

"don't worry so much, don't make your life so hard. just live your life and enjoy the pleasures that come your way, like everybody else does".

and

"oh, what you do in music is not bad... if you get a bit more professional, go after the money, just change a few things, you could get really big".

when you start out, it seems so easy to evade all these "clever lies"...
but when you go on, and life gets harder, and the world gets together, and your "friends" keep whispering these things in your ears... all the time... it's like a poison that slowly sinks into your brain into your heart.
maybe i was "too weak" to resist, but i think it happened to other people, too.

because it's one thing if there are nazis or other obviously fucked up people yelling at you or threatening... why should you change your mind because of that?

but if people that are friends, that seem to be anti-conservative, intelligent, well-meaning, smart, bold, deliver the poison to you... it's much harder to not swallow it. and especially if this "poison" is held by almost everyone you know and encounter. it's almost like a "bodysnatcher" movie... you wonder "can i really be the only person that was not turned around yet? maybe i am really wrong, and they are the right ones".

so, yes, i started to listen to the lies, i did not stay on the course, i began to swerve, and in the end my music, my life, become completely de-railed.

it was a slow burning process, i paid less and less attention to politics in my tracks, or my task of helping others, until i dropped all this and really began to produce music for "fun, party, and enjoyment", and i paid for this and it all ended infernal.


it took me many years to recover and get back to *what i really felt and thought in the first place* - but maybe I have not fully recovered even now.

so this is my word of advice to newcomers, and everyone else really:

always stay true to your heart. to your mind. to your soul.
to what you believe. to what you desire. to what you know is the truth.


there are many, many people in the "scene", and all around the world trying to feed you beautiful poison that is the more deadly the pleasurable it feels.
they pose as friends or as well-meaning strangers.
but if it's running against your intuition, against your innermost convictions, then what they tell you is dangerous.
noone knows better than yourself what your art is about. noone knows better than yourself what your art *should be* about.
"money, fame, power, and success" stink and it's an odor you can never wash off.

so walk on the path that *you* choose, and that noone else can choose for you.

stay true to your core. stay true to yourself.

Friday, September 27, 2024

New Mix-Set - Αναρχία Αραχνοειδείς - LightIntoDarkness (Ambient to Gabber)



One of the defining aspects of Hardcore is that it crosses over into both "Light" and "Dark" territories; unlike genres such as e.g. Black Metal that is rarely cheerful, or Eurodance, which is rarely dark and disturbing (maybe by its innate cheesiness!).
Because of this, we did a serious of features on this positive / negative entanglement.
This mix is another attempt to illustrate it.

It starts with calm, soothing, tranquil ambient sounds; builds up into elated trance, rave, and acid sounds; then walks towards gabber euphoria.
Then, uh oh, things start to turn around.
Disturbing Doomcore and Darkcore sounds make their entry. And we slowly crawl towards infernal noise Terror.
But, as an old proverb said: "even this shall pass".
Another transfiguration happens, and we ascend from this void, into sweet electro sounds. And, finally, the music arrives at ambience tranquility again.
We have come full circle.


Thus it's a conceptual set, spanning a mixed bag of genres.
Connected to its philosophical theme; that, in life too, tenebrous and bright things, feelings, events, are all part of a one-sided coin; and, as you traverse your own life, you might find yourself drifting to one extremity and then to the other; but in each case, you will always return to the core.

Also check the other features in our "Light & Dark" series:

Pleasure and Pain, Ecstasy and Melancholy, Brightness and Darkness: The Multiple Faces of Hardcore Techno
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/09/pleasure-pain-ecstasy-and-melancholy.html

The Spirit of Hardcore - Dealing With Both The Positive And Negative Aspects Of This World
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-spirit-of-hardcore-dealing-with.html

Hard electronic producers doing calm, soothing and tranquil ambient sounds
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/08/hard-electronic-producers-doing-calm.html

Philosophical musings on the cultural connotations of the term "Hardcore"
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/07/philosophical-musings-on-cultural.html

From moments of terror to states of serenity: Hardcore Techno as a catharsis
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/05/from-moments-of-terror-to-states-of.html

Philosophical musings on the iconic cover artwork of the first Thunderdome compilation
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/02/philosophical-musings-on-iconic-cover.html

Tracklisting:

1.Alien Factory - Alpha Music
2.Negative Burn - Gates of Heaven
3.The Alternative Creators - Sound Creationn (Nervosa Mix)
4.Church Of Extacy - Passion
5.Mindviper - Messiah 2000
6.Perplexer - Church of House (Heaven & Hell Mix)
7.Masters Of Rave - Pump It (Like A Master) (12 Rave Mix)
8.Frozen - Out of the Light
9.The Possessed - Manipulator
10.Noface - Master of the Lost Souls
11.Freez-e-Style - Enter The Gates Of Darkness
12.Negative Burn - Gates Of Hell
13.Disciples Of Annihilation - Unleash The Brutality
14.Igor - Talking about God
15.Reign - Light And Dark (The Next Dimension)
16. The Mover - Signals of Hope
17.Quench - Redemption (Ambient)
18.Frozen - Into the Light
19.Mindviper - The Salvation
20.Alien Factory - Return

Pro-Tip: Play this set on "looped repeat" to truly experience this cycle of sounds!

Thursday, September 26, 2024

From Industrial Goths to Doomcore Techno: Tracing a Dark Bloodline - Part 2

This is a follow up to this text:

From Industrial Goths to Doomcore Techno: Tracing a Dark Bloodline

(After reading the article) In return, you might ask:
What are the Doomcore Techno tracks that show visible (or audible) traces of this line in their blood? That are influenced by Goth, EBM, Industrial, Synth-Pop - and beyond?

Well, here are a few examples for this as well:



1. Hypnotizer - The Light Is Leaving



2. The Horrorist - Can You Hear The Sound?



3. Current 909 - The Lockdown



4. Arrivers - The Arrival



5. The Mover - Time Traveller



6. Hypnotizer - From Where The Pale Dwell



7. Low Entropy feat. Countess M - Techno Stomper



8. The Horrorist - Mission Extacy



9. Taciturne - Mourning



10. Miro - Under My Command

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

The Early Hardcore Techno Canon - A kickin' list of 90s Gabber tracks worth listening to

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the Hardcore Techno scene of the 90s again - as should be very obvious, by now.
Freshlings and rookies of all kinds poke their nose into this strange and shaded domain - and information, facts, and the truly good stuff remain hard to find.

Because, let's face it, this sound does not have much documentation, exposure, collected data for the outside eye... yeah there were a few fanzines here and there, one or two TV specials, but beyond that?
Thus we get the feeling it's mostly the same few tracks from this decade that get thrown around and around again... usually taken from the more well known "Hardcore" compilation CD franchises.

Thus, we arrived at the idea: how about creating a type of "Early Hardcore Canon"? A kind of road map for the brand new Hardcore Techno explorers - and everyone else, as well.
The tracks that connoisseurs, disc-spotters, and experts on this topic consider to be the vital, defining, and most important tracks and releases in this field. The backbone of the Hardcore movement, to this day.
This could be also useful for Early Hardcore DJs that are on the look-out for new material to feed their sets with.

Such a list - of course - can not be complete, and will be highly subjective.
As there were literally thousands of early hardcore tracks in the 90s - and the same amount of differing opinions on 'what's hot or not'.

But, alright now, here we again:

The Early Hardcore Techno Canon
  1. Lenny Dee - Hammer Head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2_0EBc9F7s
  2. Darrien Kelly & Scott Brown - Geleihoofd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPLudCLnOC0
  3. Neophyte - Communicate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVOLObNf10
  4. Hardsequencer - Brain Crash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tepFCfObUMA
  5. Program 1 - Shoot Dis ** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1fP316Q1Ow
  6. Euromasters - Alles Naar De Kl*te https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE32aoIDjvY
  7. Asylum - M*scalum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZbmhWRXXHU
  8. Glitch - Heavy Mental https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYWR8aCruTY
  9. Rex Anthony - For You Marlene (Extended Version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0VF0sVoUZM
  10. Final Analyzis - El Punto Final (Power Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PUXVaCM-tQ
  11. RMB - Place To Be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1EF8MNwtCs
  12. Ilsa Gold - Silke (Speed Freak Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7qX3Gv76dg
  13. 3 Steps Ahead - Hardcore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_C37Nx8X0M
  14. English Muffin - Follow The Leader https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rS-FQaAzLI
  15. Distortion - Frantic Thigh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBLs5zCkEHk
  16. Titanium Steel Screws - Paralyzed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfkN7ildM_w
  17. Gringo – Executed By The FBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEeruO4mhSc
  18. Tellurian - C*cksuckers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrG5VV0JwJY
  19. Chosen Few - Gabberdam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvAIrpW--18
  20. MC R.A.W. - We Who Are Oppressed (Remix By Rob Gee, Repete & Damon Wild) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGdjL1O8WKs
  21. Bertocucci Feranzano - *** Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP9vhOpufho
  22. C-Tank - Nightmares Are Reality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3KI_zmO1qE
  23. DJ Dano - Welcome To Thunderdome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64apgdcb-o4
  24. Genetic Waste - Genetic Waste https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OAVcQxdvDQ
  25. Mike Ink - Lovely Ugly Brutal World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VMSWE-gjMg
  26. Knightvision - Who Is It? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjB08EjPDHQ
  27. Nasty Django & Cirillo - Deal Wit' Beats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAHdBKC-Ajk
  28. Reyes - Rock With Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdy_mUFeeHo
  29. Turbulence - Six Million Ways To Die https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JdjMdK0pw8
  30. Dr. Macabre - Poltergeist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_Ac0U18j70
  31. DJ Repete - Softy ***** ***** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUsJYVrwOhY
  32. Human Resource - Sound of Rotterdam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hmLr6F60oA
  33. Source Code - I'm Not A Number https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYhUrtD2OCg
  34. Juggernaut - Communism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf-mkvn3PTk
  35. Reanimator - Bigger And Bolder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PekR9P8S27Q
  36. Sigma 909 - Power Of *** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFIlAEmLCc4
  37. Wedlock - Acid Rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GgTrNWUPaY
  38. Club X - Don't Deny The Beat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUV9vSgIYmA
  39. Igor - Talking About God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osRBJstCvso
  40. Gizmo - Guestlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFzVS2s8kQw
  41. X-Buzz - Overload https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALusPIDIves
  42. DJ Skinhead - Extreme Terror https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA3m6ENcIao
  43. Nasty Django - King of FFM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9ZMcY16ATM
  44. Program 1 - ** Skulls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7NJ_Oq3Bdw
  45. Leathernecks - At War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSi9VpJCUBs
  46. Smash? - Konstablerwache https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_SiY7t7Jc
  47. Pilldriver - Pitch-Hiker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E53IM0jF-s
  48. Ace The Space - 9 is a Classic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDP8Ann3huo
  49. T Bone Castro - Base DJ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrYRUVBNgR4
  50. French Connection - French Connection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-i1vk7UXWA
  51. Pascal - His First Creation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YoO4B5f2f8
  52. Temper Tantrum - Industrial Strength https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8apP55QZ4Kw
  53. Short Circuit - Megahouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_epu8QgfqwU
  54. Bodylotion - Catastrophy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HeIOlhNWhM
  55. Hardsequencer - Feels so Good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O1xgxXjYco
  56. Lenny Dee & Edge - Silence Of Eternity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8gQcGxK_rI
  57. Bald Terror - Rotterdam Terror https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxQggfWCwEs
  58. Space Seed - Devistating https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jMTrkmQXM4
  59. Ramirez - El Gallinero (Axis remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZVgF5823fU
  60. Dyewitness - Brrr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb9XgDqcD8M
  61. Lenny Dee - F**king Hostile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhs936Mbz24
  62. Program 1 - Betrayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOSc5CbrDNo
  63. Wedlock - I'm The **** You Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jdpquXbdDQ
  64. Cyclopede - Bad Mother https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utl4P3H87Ss
  65. Human Resource - **** Em https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLsdZM4ZdIY
  66. Zekt - External https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfU3d5pjiLM
  67. SP23 - Network 23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_AnOcHwGX0
  68. Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - Verotted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVF6yQSPVnY
  69. Terror Arnold - Gabba Mission https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReQyWrNd6U8
  70. Omar Santana - Step The **** Back (Lenny Dee remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcuI9_MMuho
  71. Critical Mass - Psychotic Break https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mytSXoYPhT8
  72. Nasty Django - SGE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sAtP-Gngls
  73. Sorcerer - Silence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Pto-kcVlk
  74. Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - DJ **** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZKeoqR0uho
  75. Sorcerer - Summer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrJi_2Ctzp4
  76. Creepozoids - One More Time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79qaDJ1g-o0
  77. Speed Freak - Red Poison Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03PniNcLWBc
  78. Ralphie Dee - Mad As Hell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeY3OWLdEH0
  79. Critical Mass - Psychotic Break (Lenny Dee remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc_u-nIw3XA
  80. Original Gabber - Ad-Da https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js5pu2z4OC4
  81. Vitamin - My House Is Mine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbhSpH5M7os
  82. Vitamin - In 16 Beats Time Second https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMOksl_MkQ
  83. Rave A Graphixx - There Is No Other https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_9zYk7qIDc
  84. Riot Squad - Nonshlen Tustokken https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWyRQXHIpZg
  85. Sigma 909 - Stay Down With The Hardcore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpVjze91b9g
  86. Ingler - Trek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKTP4l2Gebk
  87. Ech Heftag - Den Haag Hakke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfBByXEWXjA
  88. Topdrop - Achtung https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOBOgk8ZGcY
  89. Annihilator - I'll Show You My Gun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gzO0XHeAso
  90. Spy - Pathogen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSIIj1FUbz8
  91. E-De Cologne - Ein bisschen Frieden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRZY7ZnpmL0
  92. House Pimps - Get The Hook (Ilsa Gold remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lympvjd4nNY
  93. Cookiemunsta - Madnessinsanity (Housesucker Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcFi44ETUo
  94. Hardliners - Motherfu**in Breakbeat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFJuyitgIuc
  95. Moka DJ - Hey Deighito https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BECvp3Jy-TI
  96. Musical Vandals - Hoppa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1bxvFe-mr0
  97. Boom Terorrism - Gabberhouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsGdp6e-z0Y
  98. Reyes - **** You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cckP7IwW3Fo
  99. Ilsa Gold - Elastico https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kIPTG4-i4k
  100. Ilsa Gold - 4 Non Blondes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Lt5fRNgO8
  101. The Dark Raver - Direction of Fear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noWh_p6cdMQ
  102. Mind Candy - Mind Destroyer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKm1hAXsjB0
  103. Caustic Vision - Distrought https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQY7dmC4Tu0
  104. Disintegrator - Locked on Target https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8hTs_PfexY
  105. D.O.A. - Upon The Power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKuJ6pyu3Oc
  106. Delta 9 - Phreaked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvEw7T9-iDY
  107. La Cosa Nostra - The Black Hand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PVxrMbbR60
  108. The Speedfreak - We Shoot To Kill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiHDr7zXwjk
  109. Napalm - Scream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY0uHt7_Zq8
  110. Pelgrim - Amen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHgn2jLzRlU
  111. Hooihouse - Pien an de Eure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arRNb6rcrp4
  112. Titanium Steel - Dance The Night Away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S6GUD0NxZg
  113. Phave IV - Shape The Future (Speed Freak Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CRVl5_HuOg
  114. Wasteland - First Time On This Planet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5wPTJ5O2C4
  115. Wavelan - Overphase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK9vLh4_y60
  116. The Undertaker - Flatliner (Graveyard Shift) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cSSRNu1LJI
  117. Moby - 1000 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQDCcqQu2Q
  118. E-De-Cologne - Zimboculture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oGNjQmpOoU
  119. 80 Aum - Stronger Than Steel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWbNlChuiBo
  120. 909 Bassline - Imitated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvebYBg-X-I
  121. Omniscience - Tired Of Having To Be Good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M3rEiSuTlQ
  122. Human Resource - Sick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMnBJpxqsj0
  123. Hocus Pocus - Hocus Pocus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl7PntdakjM
  124. 2 Low 4 Zero - Fast (De Kuip-Hardcore-Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG2GtYtZShc
  125. DJ Gizmo - End Of The Beginning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TKDPvI17yg
  126. Hard Attack - Bonehead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGaL3uU13Nw
  127. Vitamin - Cosmic Trash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ddLqsfvdA
  128. Marshall Masters - Stereo Murder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTftdLWUYhI
  129. The Mover & Rave Creator - Atmos-Fear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg7v9tKyQB0
  130. Global Hardcore Source - Let's Get This Thing Off The Ground https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brkWK9zyFu8
And here is also a Youtube playlist for more convenient listening:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvgSYgoYaFC88sAHwTCRrU83LW0tSfT8B

Thanks to the following people for helping with the list:
Painbringer, traffic_cone, bmolsbeck, John Galbrath, musicshaolin, RuffEd, Sönke

Monday, September 23, 2024

The Hardcore Overdogs Compilation Second Issue - Slowcore2Speedcore

Hey hey,
Your beloved e-magazine got its own compilation release - and its already the second issue!
But let's not 'bark around the bush' - here is the original release information!

'This is another release employing our "Slowcore2Speedcore concept"; starting low, slow, and heavy, then getting into industrial and doomcore sounds, finally venturing into speedy and terror-core areas, experimental, and noise (while still being heavy).

Combining all the possible sounds of Doomcore Records, Slowcore Records and Omnicore Records united.
But not only the styles are "all over the map", the artists are as well, heralding from Belgium, Germany, England, Ukraine, other places, and even outer space!
So if you are in for a release that is "a bit different" from the Techno and Gabber mainstream, why not pay a visit to these soundscapes, too?'


https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-hardcore-overdogs-compilation-2

Tracklisting:

1. T.LenC.Phal.X - Etendue de Vortex 08:44
2. James F - Into The Darkness 04:39
3. Anders - Acond (250 bpm) 05:45
4. T.LenC.Phal.X - Des Points de Suspension... 09:23
5. Kolium - Aztec Death Whistle (91.11 bpm) 06:29
6. Le Pamp - Hell On Earth (165 bpm) 04:39
7. Anders - Untitled (201 bpm) 05:42
8. James F - Evil Rises 05:04
9. Le Pamp - Endless Summer 04:34
10. Low Entropy - Slowcore Doomcore Resistance (120 bpm) 08:00
11. Cosmic Anarchists - Chaos Star B 10:05

Also check last year's compilation.

https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-hardcore-overdogs-compilation

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Upcoming HCBXCast Shows - Hardcore - Oldschool - Speedcore

Streams and podcasts for dodgy Maincore, Hardstyle, and Uptempo are plenty... but broadcasts for quality hardcore stuff are rare and hard to be found...
Thus it's good we have the HCBXCast by DJ Asylum.
Alternating between weekly and bi-weekly, we get to hear bold sounds be old dogs and newcomers alike, in various hard genres, but usually on the Speedcore / Noizecore / Experimental side of things.

And here is the schedule for the next few weeks:

Mactron - 14th Sept
https://youtu.be/T0dlOA6Twnc

Mac is back... Again! HCBXCast regular Mactron from Österreich is dipping into the classics. The gabber afficionado who normally brings you the best of new, old style shit is going back in time and bringing you some hits from back in the day, along with his signature sound. Strap in for this one folks. It's some good shit.

DJ Asylum - 28th Sept
https://youtu.be/Ax31M-3Smp4

Oh look... It's DJ Asylum doing a bit of self promotion on his YouTube channel. I'll expect that the prick will be caning his own tracks and mixing them in with some classics from other producers with infinitely more talent, guile, and hardcore class, to mask his own crappy production skills. Yes. You are fucking right.

ScarCode - 5th Oct
https://youtu.be/cI_wajQ5DkU

HCBXCast regular ScarCode is back and he's bringing his hard as fuck, fast as fuck musical weapons with him. Metaphorically taking us to his gun show, you'll be quivering in the foetal position in the corner of your bedroom after this one. It starts off hard and fast, and it ends up even harder and faster. What do you expect from our favourite Austrian cavity filler?

DJ Probert - 19th Oct
https://youtu.be/26yZJVyfXOg

DJ Probert makes his return to HCBXCast and he's back to the old school! If you thought his first outing on the show was rammed with classics, he's absolutely outdone himself on volume 2. The hits keep coming. Fresh from his stint a Aftermath All Day Annihilation, Probert delivers an hour of punishing hardcore techno with an ever-increasing-speed-limit as you'd expect.

Kampfgeschwader303 - 26th Oct
https://youtu.be/fL11nSuXf2g

A very special edition of HCBXCast - We have Kampfgeschwader303 performing a full set of Acid Terror specially prepared for you lovely HCBXCast listeners. The Austrian Acid maestro gets the hardware out and cranks the distortion up to 11 to create some brutal sounds for your enjoyment. I'm really proud to get the fella on the show doing a set like this - you're in for an acidic treat.

A small guide to interesting Hardcore Techno releases on the Future Sound Productions Bandcamp presence

As an "Oldtimer" there was something that took me a while to truly understand:

It's not easy to dig deep into the 90s Hardcore underground for newcomers. There are few physical record shops etc. anymore. If you want to get vinyl you need to become a discogs discspotter or something similar.

And if you want to get the "good stuff" on digital... well, then in a majority of cases, you are out of luck, because that shit simply hasn't been digitalized yet, and stays analogue.

One of the few resources available to feed this inclination is the Future Sound bandcamp page.

Future Sounds Production was / is an umbrella music publisher that encompasses, amongst other things, BOY Records, Generator, the Street Trash Alliance... and this Street Trash Alliance, as any good Hardcore entity knows, in turn incorporates cult labels Shockwave, Napalm, Speedcore Records, Agent Orange, and more! While BOY / Generator had some classic (proto-) Hardcore releases as well.

So, there is it, right before your eyes (or ears):

https://futuresound2.bandcamp.com/

a legit source for the good, hard stuff! In digital shape.

But as all releases from all labels are on one page it might not be so easy to *find* the real deal without much searching... as you would have to listen through all the house, trance, ebm, etc. releases too (which would definitely be worthwhile, though!).

Thus, let us lend you a hand, and offer you a very subjective and not really complete guide to a few interesting releases on the Future Sound Productions bandcamp:

1. V.A. - Braindead 1

legendary compilation of earliest hardcore and terror artists.


2. E-de Cologne - Hello Again!

Amongst the most zany gabber releases ever. done by patric c, who later did marvelous stuff as ec8or, test tube kid, or with other projects.


Napalm 03

This is one of the most notorious releases by napalm. "total destruction" ensured.


4. V.A. - This Is Spite

do you know early breakcore if you don't know this mini-compilation?
features patric catani, hecate, and the girls that later turned into gogo goddesses.


5. Desperation - Our Reservation

classic and very nasty early hardcore stomper.


6. O - Das Spiel

do you want to get to the root of the output by martin damm aka the speed freak? get this one. kinky german ebm new beat(s).


7. B.C.Kid - Wild And Wonderful EP

one of the wildest releases of 1993 indeed!
the kid later grow up to become a hero producer for the street trash alliance; and this one is an earlier hardcore-gabber masterpiece.


8. Xynomorph - Xynomorph

the boys from Wales - aka Somatic Responses - under a different alias on anodyne recordings.


Napalm 09

Hey hey, if you don't know this one, you're out of luck! One of the roughest and fastest releases out of the 90s that combined Death Metal with Hardcore beats.


10. The Shapeshifter - Back From Hell

insane-mind gabber, one of the primary hardcore releases. by the speed freak.


11. V.A. - Hardcore Traxx Vol.2

okay there's some "cheese" on here too, but this doesn't have to be a bad thing. and there is really extreme speedcore included, too. and most importantly, it's a big release with hours of listening pleasure.

Friday, September 20, 2024

Pleasure and Pain, Ecstasy and Melancholy, Brightness and Darkness: The Multiple Faces of Hardcore Techno

For several decades, Hardcore Techno and its sub-styles were treated like "pariah" genres by the larger Techno community; and by society as a whole.
Undoubtedly, one of the main reasons for this is that Hardcore music and producers never shied away from the darker aspects of culture, media, and society.
While Techno-Trance material, for example, is often related to having a good time, euphoria, reaching a state of serenity, Hardcore tracks sample horror movies about summoning demons that tear one's soul apart via chains and iron hooks while dressed in a type of kink gear - and possibly worse things.

Yet, maybe it's the Techno and Acid House heritage, but Hardcore *does* have the euphoria, the bliss, the happiness, the moksha of Rave, Trance, House and Goa, too.
So it's best of both worlds, and some subs of Hardcore learn more towards the former, or more towards the latter territory.

Recently, a friend noted that there are quite a few tracks, especially among the Oldschool regiment, that combined both "dark and light tropes" inside one track; and, more than that, they merge, weave, blend, and twist these things together.

So, we have a three-fold presence here:

1. Positive, "light" topics
2. Tropes that 'the normal people' consider to be sick and twisted
3. A combination, a fusion, a synthesis of both.

And this is extremely remarkable; because if you are a bit into philosophical and "intellectual" musings, you would know this is essentially the "holy grail" of philosophy. at least the Hegel-approved formula of "theses and anti-thesis fuses into synthesis" should be well known, right?

So, we could step out of the light into the dark now, and ponder on this medial enigma... but we hold still for a moment, and push that towards a future date. Because right here, right now, we will look at a few releases that exemplify this "good and evil, positive and negative" intersection.

1. RMB - Heaven And Hell EP

It is a well-suited starting point, because you have it right there, in the title: heaven and hell.
This is a very polar release: sweet and chilling "Trance" sounds on one side, gruesome "Terror" on the flip side.


2. RMB - River's Edge

Let's stay with RMB. The "This World Is Yours" album exemplifies the above idea in a perfect way. Starting with softest, soothing, saccharine Ambient-Trance-Rave sounds, it packs up a lot of darkness and pain on the way, until it ends in terrifying gabber beats accompanied by the sounds of warfare machinery and shrill shrieks.
Its track "River's Edge" is almost a recursive miniature version of the album as a whole. Minutes of ambient sounds that slowly fade into hard rave.
To this day, I haven't heard another tune that does a fusion like this.


3. The Horrorist - It Goes like this

A "spoken word" techno-electro track telling the story of an everyday person whose life get's turned around when he discovers a world of lust, drugs, and nihilism.
It's almost like a "twisted moksha" where you realize everything is fine, because pleasure and pain, happiness and misery are all part of the same coin.
Let's look at the lyrics:

"I felt nothing, but I felt fine. I'm alive and I'm passing the time."


4. Reign - Light & Dark

It's in the title again! But more than that, the vocals state:

"Life is the result of the struggle between dynamic opposites.
Form and chaos, substance and oblivion, light and dark.
And all the infinite variations of Yin and Yang
When the pendulum swings in favor of one
It will eventually swing in favor of its opposite
Thus the balance of the universe is maintained."

So instead of a typical battle "light vs dark", the importance of balance and equilibrium is stressed, with no side being allowed to win against the other.


5. Masters of Rave - Pump It!

This is an almost "blasphemous" release, as it begins with a rendition of genesis in the Christian bible;
But it get's turned around and instead talks about the creation of rave.
Finally, fiery sounds and beats come in, and merge with sleazy and libidinal lyrics; until a heavenly choir joins in.
So this is a tracks where "high" and "low" concepts are really interwoven with each other.


6. Zekt - Explorers

“Explorers in the further regions of experience.
Demons to some, angels to others.”


We hear you, Zekt!


7. Taciturne - Der Toten / Mourning

Der Toten and Mourning are quite similar: both involve epic, orchestral and / or chanting soundtracks, pierce them with slow, super-hard drums; and stay minimal and hypnotic like that, only interrupted by very few other sounds.
But while the melody in the former is hell-raising, in the latter it is sacred, innocent and pure... or is it the other way round?
More tracks that have light and dark elements by Taciturne are, for example, Haematopan and Phenprocoumon.


Further Examples:

8. Freez-E-Style - Enter The Gates Of Darkness (Stay Strong, Raise The Flag And Spread The Spheres Of Light)
9. Symbiosis Of Sounds - Tales Of Creation And Destruction
10. George Vagas Meets Mike D - Hyperdome (Heavens Version)

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Mental Hardcore Health Newsletter #11 - Hardcore Techno as a community of rejects

[A personal account]

Today I want to talk about what Hardcore Techno means to me, from the bottom of my heart. Not just the music - the movement, the scene, everything.

Part 1 - The world we live in

So, let's begin. The thing is, in our oh-so civilized world, there is a certain impression that is spread around. Which is that we would live in a society that cares about the well-being of its members. That 'basic humans needs' are taken care of. Unlike that "bad, evil" world "outside the west", where people could die of starvation, or civil war rages, or they rot in prisons.

And this is just not true. Maybe it's true for the majority of people. Maybe it's true for some people. Maybe it's even true for no-one. But I know one thing. For a lot of people, in "well-civilized" Europe, Northern America, Australia, elsewhere, "life" is a daily fight for survival. They don't know if they are still alive next week. They don't know how to get by. They stared into the abyss all their life. And no-one takes care of them. No-one even cares. And that's how society is. That's the world we live in.

And, most harrowingly, this is highly effecting children and childhood in general.
Kids might be subjected to bullying in schools; and i don't mean taunting or name-calling, I mean being confronted with bullies that have knifes, guns, or other weapons and that might snuff them out within a few seconds. having to face them each day at school, and not knowing if they are still alive in the evening.
Or they have physically abusive parents, drug, alcohol addicts, a father (or mother) that might bludgeon them to death in an angry fit one day.
They might have teachers that harm them. They might be in institutions and facilities that are a danger to them. They might be homeless.

There are countless other examples of very bad situations that you can find yourself in when you are young.
And in these cases, *no one* will come to help you or rescue you. Society does not care. You are on your own - and you are left for dead.

Yes, maybe, someone somewhere got helped by "understanding adults", just like in these cheesy silly movies.
But the reality in most cases is that society spits on you and hopes that you die and fade away quickly.

Part 2 - The underground family

And this is where Hardcore Techno came in; not just Hardcore Techno, of course.
These "dead end kids" eventually formed youth cultures; rock'n'roll in the 50s, rock in the 60s, rap, punk, metal, mods, northern soul... and then Hardcore and Gabber, too. These youth sub-cultures led to communities of rejects. If no one else cares.... at least *we* do care about our own kind, right?

One of the most marvelous things about being in the HC scene was meeting other people who went through the same shit - or even worse stuff - as me, connected by the common interest in this very unique form of music, and then trying to help and support each other.
Even simply knowing that you are not the only one who was treated like a stain of excrement by everyone else in life can already be a quite helpful event.

That's the spirit of Hardcore for me, and the feelings and experiences of violence, trauma, rage, hatred, rejection, can be heard in the vocals and lyrics of the original Gabber tracks and the sentiments of their sounds.

Part 3 - Hope for the future

i hope that the new generation that enters the hardcore movement in the future will gain the same beneficial reactions - and that all of us will still be bound by a sense of unity.

and maybe, maybe, some time in the future, even the people of the "civilized western world" will start to care for other humans, too, instead of putting innocent lives in danger.

For other editions of the Mental Hardcore Health Newsletter, check here:
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/p/the-mental-hardcore-health-newsletter.html

Monday, September 16, 2024

From Industrial Goths to Doomcore Techno: Tracing a Dark Bloodline

I always like to say that Doomcore actually predates the advent of Hardcore, even that of Techno. A tongue-in-cheek statement, of course, but with more than one grain of truth.

The reality is that the types of synths, sounds, melodies, chords, arpeggios that are used in Doomcore tracks had been around in the 80s already.
Electronic music and electronic experiments where vast in that decade; and while you had euphoric poppy Cindy Laupers and Limahls on one side, darkness ruled in the valleys that led into the underground.
There were "scenes" such as post-punk, goths, industrial, ebm, minimal-wave that often bled into each (yeah and a lot of these "terms" came only in major use after the 80s had long ended). It is astonishing to me how similar some of these synth-tracks were to what we call Doomcore now. All they would have needed was a straight 909 and some percussion.

Was this a case of "parallel evolution" (if somewhat time-shifted) or is this really the root and origin of Doomcore?

Well, there are at least a lot of artists that claim this earlier sound as a source of inspiration - including The Horrorist, Marc Acardipane, Current 909 (many non-doom producers as well - such as The Speed Freak, Xol Dog 400, Taciturne)... so there definitely is a thread there... a dark and blood-stained thread.

But regardless. The "Electronic Doom Music" of the 80s is able to stand on its own as well, with its powerful, punishing beats and haunting, tenebrous sentiments.

So let's look at 10 tracks from this occulted realm now:

#1. Anne Clark - Contact


#2. Nightmoves - Transdance (Uk Club Mix)


#3. The Actor - Le Champ D'Honneur


#4. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - I Betray My Friends


#5. John Foxx - The Garden


#6. Nocturnal Emissions - In Our Time


#7. The Cure - One Hundred Years (Studio Demo)


#8. New Order - Doubts Even Here


#9. Oppenheimer Analysis - Scorpions


#10. The Vyllies - Whispers In The Shadow

The 1000 Deaths of Taciturne

Would you die for Hardcore? Well, Taciturne did - not really, of course.
In what he later described as a "necessary task" he did a ritual which involved floating in a bathtub of "blood". The associated photograph and narrative were so "convincing" to some that they really started to believe he had "pulled the plug"!
This one episode out of many in his life as an artist should make quite clear that Taciturne is/was no ordinary producer at all.

Entering the Hardcore world as shy teenager like most of us, he quickly trail-blazed and out-gunned the underground scene, playing in front of tens of thousand people in de-ranged airport hangars and having the most expensive hardcore techno collector record at one point ("6 Fragmente in der Chronologie des Wahnsinns").
"He took it all too far (but, boy, could he play guitar)" (like David Bowie might have said), then came the fall, and his life "ended", like that of many great musicians, in a bath tub.

There was a long silence that lasted over a decade. His path crossed the Hardcore realms a few times since then. Not least because of the fact that he made hundreds (or thousands?) of tracks in the 90s, of which only the tiniest fracture got released - so we have (finally!) seen some unearthing of this material recently.

But now... let's look directly at 10 of his compositions!

Der Toten
his big gig gabber hit! featured on all the huge compilations and festivals in the 90s, and ripped-off several times by other artists.



Mourning
sacred chanting meets "devilish" bassdrums... a dangerous and nasty mixture!


Moonbreaker
james bond is a good sampling source, ain't that the truth? this time getting messed up with proto-breakcore beats.


Praxis Dr. Fischer
was all the rage for the speedcore heads.


Boys Don't Cry (Revisited)
yes yes even hardened noizecore producers weep to robert smith.


They Appear
proto-doomcore appears on this track.


Infrustrial
experimental beats, sounds, noise!


Nix Mellow
"not" mellow indeed... early speedcore lunacy.


Corrupting Morality
the sound station and gear seem to be corrupted too, in this fast-tempo hardcore track.



Module Of The Damned
interesting amiga experiments!



11 AM
11 am is usually the time a producing session ends, so we fade out with these soothing ambient-electronic sounds.



Sunday, September 15, 2024

The 1000 Faces of Biochip C. (aka The Speedfreak, aka Martin Damm...)

There are few artist as legendary as Biochip C... aka The Speedfreak... aka Martin Damm... aka The Shapeshifer... aka Phase IV...

Well, you are beginning to get the point here, right? He is truly a man of 1000 faces - and aliases

Definitely in the Top 5 of "most Techno releases ever", on all formats, a plenitude of labels, - and an almost endless variation of styles.

Most hard-heads know him for his Gabber / Hardcore / Speedcore stuff, maybe even the "more cheesy" side of it... but beyond that, he produced in virtually all styles of electronic music: Acid, Ambient, Breaks, EBM, Electro, Eurodance, House, Industrial - you name it, and he has done it.

Thus, we will be looking at 10 very varied tracks from his sonic works - to show the vast spectrum of his creations!



1. Biochip C. - Steal It And Deal (Dmx Krew Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1oaUos-_Rk
kool electro.




2. "O" – Das Spiel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Pw8NMI9g4
bdsm-ebm-techno.




3. The Speed Freak - Fight! (El Hombre Maquina) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkl0S5q6HFo
high energy gabber.




4. Biochip C. - Strange Invaders (Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCzNJUPXtuo
sour cyber-techno.




5. Cyberchrist - Belief https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOtQCL3fV0o
noisy industrial.




6. Steel - Steel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsTc0I3_lsU&t=503
Industrial Dance Beat.




7. DJ X-Play - Dreams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmXtDplZCc
cheesefest dance tune.




8. Search & Destroy - Def Jam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGklGh-NFpA
hyper-pop-sample-hardcore.




9. Napalm 9 - Shit01 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kru-dUqQaI
guitar speedcore madness.




10. DJ Fistf*ck - Make Me Vomit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMwpcWyZ0DI
extreme metal hits hardcore techno.

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Vicious Responses on a Somatic level: A look at 11 tracks by the Welsh brothers, and their new EP on Aneurysm Recordings


There is a new Somatic Responses EP on Aneurysm Recordings - it's about time to look back at the very "Hardcore" past of the Healy brothers, and their new 12" on this special Italian label.




Track #1: Somatic Hardbeats

by all I know, this was the very first life sign by the Somatic Responses. Released on the infamous capitol noize compilation, alongside such acts like Spiral Tribe, Alec Empire or Marc Acardipane.
There was nothing like this, anywhere in the world, when it was released. Cold Future-Core, technical, cerebral, and harder than the rest of the competition.




#2. Electrical Fault

Did you know this was supposed to be released on Fischkopf Records? But there was a change of management, and Paul & Jan took this release, and also the 2nd Christoph de Babalon EP (which became one half of the "we declare war" split 12") and released it on their label instead.
Whoever did bassdrums that hard back then, or even now?
A track to get killed for!




#3. Sound of Disturbance

already elements of departure here. no longer pure cybernetic noise, but a very dream like acid melody is included. a track that makes you feel like major tom was high on DMT (instead of smack).




#4. Axon

you know this one from the biomechanik compilation, right?
words fail me to describe it. this is not some gabber-shit, this is highly complicated "math-core". truly smart, truly brilliant
i will see you at Axxon N.




#5. Cyclotron

one of the hardest and most noisy tracks in any genre, ever. no wonder it was released on the "terror troops" ep.
this samples the part in videodrome where dr. oblivion tells max that he is going to slip from reality into a life of total hallucination.
and, yes, this track will verily have the same effect on you. all hail the new flesh!




#6. Drome

somatic responses truly began to change their sound here.
like a wild bastard of electro, but much harder, the sounds evoke labyrinthine and non-Euclidean images before the mental eye (well, to me, at least!).




#7. Freezing Point

released on the legendary "passages" ep, on ufo recordings. and this could really be the soundtrack to an ufo sighting, landing, or abduction. driven by an arpeggio that sounds like it contains physically impossible tone intervals, the drums hammer the message straight in your brain. only to fade out into sounds that make you feel as if the ghost of captain nemo is circumnavigating the globe in a haunted nautilus.
a true "rite of passages" in sound and mind!




#8. Umbrella

The opening synths of Umbrella… I never heard something like this before. It changed my outlook at music forever. I know another artist who also listened to this track described the sound by Somatics as “feeling as if you walk through a dystopic world of burned out industrial building and cyborg wars”. Couldn’t agree more.




#9. Wherever

of all the tracks of the "classic" era somatic responses releases, this is a favorite to many.
no longer "techno" or "gabber" or anything, more like a surreal cinematic soundtrack underscored by drums and distortion.
well done, SR!




#10. Metalert

be alert, because this track has one of the best and most interesting melodies in electronic music (how did they manage to compose this?).
and a rusty, screeching breakbeat tears down the rest of the architecture.




#11. Oldrosv

yes, that's part of somatic responses sound, too - serene, selenic, dreamy ambient + electro / "idm" beats.
calm and soothing, no attack by the troops of terror this time!



this little overview essentially captured the early, hard, noisy releases by the somatic responses. the material they released in the decades that followed was not less interesting, but too vast for the scope of this feature. we will take a look at this one-of-a-kind music at another point in the future.

the new release on aneurysm is partly a return to this experimental "hardcore heritage", but also contains many new elements, designs, methods (of mutulation! [sic] ) .
and, yes, in my opinion the sound is even more vicious!

Release info:

Somatic Responses
Abred Hanesydool E.P.
Aneurysm 05

Listening suggestion: Old Evil (Part1) 04:06

Pre-order + Pre-views:

https://aneurysmrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/somatic-responses-abred-hanesyddol-e-p

The forgotten Hardcore (video) History of the 90s German Mayday Rave Parties

If you're a follower of Hardcore Techno, you've likely stumbled upon some videos taken from the German Mayday Raves by now.
At least the PCP@Mayday video should be a given, then there's Laurent Hô, Dano, RMB...

So, in case you were not "there and alive, in that corner of time and the world", let us throw some light on this rave-y hardcore phenomenon.

1. What was Mayday?

In the 90s, Mayday was the biggest Rave in Germany - and likely all over the world, too.
It was a huge party set in a vast indoor area (actually an exhibition hall) in the middle of germany, ran for several days, and had several "stages / floors" each time.
Some raves were set in berlin, too, but that concept was dropped then.
The first mayday took place in 1991.

2. Why was Hardcore and Gabber being played at Mayday?

Because, from the beginning of the 90s to the mid of the decade, the various Techno "styles" were not split. People would listen to, and party to several styles, and Raves did host a variety of music, too.
So it was normal that Trance, Techno, Acid, Gabber and "Terror" DJs played at the same floor - or that DJs simply dropped all of this in one set.
As Hardcore was a natural part of the Techno and Rave scene, it obviously had to be at Mayday, too.

There is also the misconception that in the 90s, "Hardcore" was only played at some dedicated parties and festivals, mostly set in the Netherlands.
Bullshit! Hardcore was played all over the world, at 100s of places and destinations. But, as mentioned above, it did not had to be a special "Hardcore" party, DJs dropped Gabber beats all the time on the dancefloor.

But, above that, at one point Mayday seemed to be catalyst for the Hardcore scene too. Hardcore and Gabber were seen as the hottest and newest trends for the Techno crowd ca. 1992-93, and Mayday tried to jump onto the wagon and push this even more.

3. Why are there so many videos of these parties?

"Viva" was a music television channel that was set up to kill MTV's market share in Germany. One of the concepts was to focus on "new youth trends" as the execs thought the "old dinosaur" MTV would be too lazy to pick up on these, and be vulnerable to losses in that regard.
So right from the start Viva clung to the Rave, Techno, Dance scene (which was the biggest youth movement in Germany in the 90s - much bigger than Nirvana, Oasis or Blur etc.). Tracks like Technohead - I wanna be a hippy, RMB - Redemption, or DJ Hooligan - Rave Nation were on heavy rotation on Viva and could be seen throughout the day.
Viva also decided to do broadcasts of the Mayday raves, lasting something like 5 hours into the night.

This means these videos were recorded by a professional, dedicated sound and video team for a TV broadcast, and have thus superior quality to almost any other recordings from the 90s.
Fans than just recorded the TV signal onto their VHS tapes.

4. Are there other recordings than the videos?

Yes, there were also a lot of audio recordings of Mayday sets, and some where even much more Hardcore!

5. What are some notable Mayday recordings?

Videos:

#1. PCP - Live @ Mayday "Judgement Day" - 30.04.1993

I mean, yeah, here comes the big one, right?
If you have not seen this video, what do you know about Hardcore, really?


#2. Laurent Hô @ Mayday The Raving Society 26.11.1994

His set is definitely not some Mellow, Trance type music. It's true underground Gabber and "Terror", from the likes of Industrial Strength, DJ Fistf*uck, C-Tank...


#3. RMB Live @ Mayday The Raving Society 26.11.1994 

Starting rave-y and rough, then getting real Hardcore towards the end!


#4. Marusha @ Mayday The Raving Society 

Dropping stuff like "3 Steps Ahead - Hardcore".


#5. Moby @ Mayday Reformation 30.04.1995 

Woah, man! Moby ends this set with 1000 BPM.


Audio:

#6. Gizmo Live @ Mayday, Rave Olympia 30-04-1994 

Getting really, really rough here, with tracks like "We who are oppressed" or "riot in ny".


#7 Ravers Nature Live @ Mayday, Rave Olympia, 30-04-1994 

the MC asks "Do you want some happy hardcore?" well, that's not quite the sound here, but it's hard, hard rave beats.

Again, but this time the full set! (the tv crew did cut out some of the best parts).


#9. Hardsequencer Live @ Mayday, Rave Olympia 30-04-1994

"I'm talking about God, the Devil, Hell, Heaven." you know the score!

this.is.just.insane! rumor is that ilsa gold played on an ice machine instead of a synthesizer while doing this set in front of frantic ravers.


with this, I leave you into the night.
And when you get lost and are in need.... just remember... mayday... mayday... mayday....