Throwback to the Mayday raves - One of the hardest Techno events in the 90s

Today is a special day for European (and worldwide ravers). The day of the annual Mayday raves in Germany.
Starting at the very beginning of the 90s (and the Techno movement), the thing grew bigger and bigger... until it became one of the largest indoor raves in the world.
The thing is still going.
While Mayday always was host to a diverse number of styles (from acid to ambient), our particular interest here is its own pocket hardcore history.
A lot of the "big names" in the Gabber world played at Mayday (PCP, Lenny Dee, Euromasters, Laurent Hô, and and and...) plus the event helped to "popularize" Hardcore Techno and spread it around the world. (Even "Bravo", the worst German trash teen pop star heartthrob magazine, eventually reviewed this rave using the headline "tough-as-nails hardcore and gabber at Mayday").

We already did this feature about the Mayday raves in the past: https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-forgotten-hardcore-video-history-of.html
And now we want to do a showcase of some of the harder tracks that were played at mayday.

Because today is the 30.4., and a lot of older Gabbers will remember kneeling in front of their TV and VHS recorders at this very night to pick up the latest and best in Hardcore music during the Mayday broadcasts 30 years ago.
And the young ones can relive this experience too, to a degree, by checking this small playlist.

1. Members Of Mayday - Religion (was played by Members of Mayday)



2. DJ Fist**** - ****** Poison (was played by Laurent Hô at Mayday)



3. Wavelan - Over Phase (was played by Carl Cox)



4. The Scotchman - Asylum (was played by DJ Dano)



5. Smash? - Konstablerwache (was played by PCP)



6. Igor - Talking about god (was played by Hardsequencer)



7. Charly Lownoise, Mental Theo, Rob Gee & Repete – Riot In N.Y. (was played by DJ Gizmo)



8. 3 Steps Ahead - Hardcore (was played by Marusha)



9. Moby - Thousand (was played by Moby)



10. RMB - The Place To Be (was played by RMB)



11. Ilsa Gold - Four Blond Nuns (was played by Ilsa Gold at Mayday)

Introduction to 90s Underground Hardcore Techno

The 90s Hardcore Techno and Gabber phenomenon was more vast than most people realize, with a lot more labels, sub-scenes and releases than one might expect.
Everyone knows the "big" organizations, compilations from that day...
But this is a look at the more underground aspects of hardcore, for the newcomers to this movement.

For each entry there are links to further reading material, playlists, mixes...

This is not meant to be comprehensive and to cover everyone and everything - just a little introduction to give you a taste for more.

1. Acidcore

Acidcore evolved out of the original Acid sound. Germany and the USA were two of the hotspots for this sound.

Read more:
Corrosive for your mind - The most deranged cases of Acidcore Techno
Acid Hardcore Techno Mix
1990s Hard Acid and Acidcore in 100 seconds

2. Doomcore

Slower, more moody, more heavy. Tracks that your goth friends would enjoy, too.

Early Doomcore And Darkcore Canon
Proto / Early Doomcore rarities
From Industrial Goths to Doomcore Techno: Tracing a Dark Bloodline

3. Extreme Hardcore / Speedcore

The pre-cursor to the all-out speedcore sounds of the post-millennium.

10 Initiatory Tracks: 1990s Speedcore Techno
The world beyond 300 BPM: The fastest Techno tracks of the 90s and the origins of Ultra-Speedcore
10 Initiatory Tracks: 90s Extreme Hardcore Techno

4. Experimental Hardcore

Gabber for brainiacs. If math was your favorite subject at school, but you also own sneakers for hakken, this is the right thing for you.

Sounds beyond the frontal cortex: A deep dive into the world of Experimental Hardcore Techno
The Fischkopf Records Guidebook
Experimental Hardcore / Techno tracks

5.Industrial Hardcore

was a lot harder and faster in the 90s.

Roots Of Industrial Hardcore Mix
Vicious Responses on a Somatic level
When Aphex Twin went truly Hardcore: A look back at 7 early tracks

6. PCP

No label had more releases in the 90s. A massive iceberg that deserves its own category in sound.

Legends In Their Life - The Unofficial PCP Guidebook
Li-Z - 2014 pt 1 Return to 2017 - Rooted In Darkness
Dj Djero - Dance Ecstasy 2001 Mix (PCP Sublabel)

7. Digital Hardcore

Hardcore punk meets Hardcore beats.
Angry guitars and screamed lyrics.

A Review of the Complete Digital Hardcore Recordings Catalogue - Part 1
10 Digital Hardcore Releases from outside the Digital Hardcore Label
Tribute To DHR Limited Mix

8. Metal-infused Hardcore

It is what name says it is.

Inferno Unleashed: When Extreme Techno meets Extreme Metal
The Zenith of Brutality - When Black Metal meets Extreme Techno
Blackened Speedcore Mix

9. Early Breakcore

Yes, Breakcore existed as early as 1992.

Roughest Early Breakcore Tracks
10 Initiatory Tracks: Early Breakcore
Looking back at Ec8or's Self-Titled Album from 1995 - and its Context

10. Ravetechno

When the Techno scene slowly became more Hardcore ca. 1990-1992

Warped Visions: An Audiovisual Dive into the Reign of Belgian Techno
Liminal Tracks - At the intersection of Techno and Hardcore in the early 90s
Belgian Techno-Rave Video Playlist

11. Ravecore / Trancecore

The cross-over between 90s hardtrance and 90s hardcore.

The surreal and bizarre world of 90s Hardtrance and Hardcore Techno Music Videos
Hardcore / Rave / Techno videos from the 90s
Yoko's Hardtrance and Rave Sleeper Hits

Hope this little introduction was helpful to introduce you to new sounds!

Sounds beyond the frontal cortex: A deep dive into the world of Experimental Hardcore Techno

Hardcore Techno and Gabber were always considered to be a bit strange by the majority.
But in the 90s, there were folk, fans, artists, labels, projects, that took the whole thing to even more extreme levels.
Enter the world of Experimental Hardcore Techno.
Because HC and Gabber was not just the soundtrack for pilled-up ravers in the 90s.
It was a movement supported by squatters, punks, art students, indie rock fans, professors of linguistics (Peter, if you read this, drop me a mail!), and plenty of other people.
And they brought their own ideas into the Techno sound; concepts of avant-garde and experimental nature, taken from previous forms of music like industrial, minimalism, musique concrete - or wholly new ideas.

People who were into Deleuze, Varèse, Stockhausen and Euromasters at the same time. And yearned to express this in sound, too.
So the tropes of the avantgarde and the beats of the underground began their fusion...

And now we take a look at 11 examples of the Experimental Hardcore Sound of the 90s.

( Note: Yes, some of these tracks bleed into other genres like "Industrial Hardcore", Breakcore, Speedcore... )

1. Erase Head - Dome

Poka Michelson is the queen of extreme (and experimental) hardcore

2. Mouse - Organe

Stella is the other queen of extreme (and experimental) hardcore (and the sister to Poka)

3. Taciturne - Phenprocoumon

Released on Fischkopf, a leading label for hard experiments.

4. Headcleaner - All Right

Connected to the Spiral Tribe. Sadly there are only few releases.

5. Somatic Responses - Umbrella

The roots of the Healy brothers were quite Hardcore.

6. Cyberchrist - Information: Revolution Part 2

Martin Damm truly produced in all genres of electronic music, doing the work of a pioneer.

7. Society Of Unknowns - Dead By Dawn (The Endless Mix)

Praxis Records was another important label for experiments.

8. Metronome – Combustion

Anticore was one of the best (and most experimental) French labels.

9. E-De Cologne - We're Going To Eat You

Patric Catani was and is a true maestro of sounds.

10. Noface - Love Or Kill

From the dangerous South London underground.

11. Trash Enemy HQ - Pestilence

Sounds that emit sickness and disease.

Hardcore Emotions: Revenge

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But with Hardcore Techno, this particular meal is served boiling-hot, loud, unapologetic, outright and direct.
We talked about aggressive Hardcore tracks in the past (see here, and here), but this time, it's about *revenge*, dishing out tough justice, feeling mistreated and letting off some steam in that regard.
Keep in mind this is all a "fantasy", art, media, not something that is acted out in the real world, and all these producers are actually some quite mild mannered and chill folk in private.

Yet, screaming out your pent up fury, or dancing like a maniac, to some good old hardcore tunes, can actually be a quite therapeutic experience!

1. Friends of Django - Fuckin' Revenge A1



2. Deadly Buda - Housewrecker



3. Wedlock - The Tower



4. Yam Yam - Punisher



5. DJ Skinhead - Take It Outside



6. Napalm - Total Destruction



7. pHönki – Angry



8. Program 1 - Betrayer (Pow!)



9. DJ Freak & The Porridge Gun - Revenge



10. The Berzerker - Full Of Hate



11. Rules Of Anger - Destroy The Violent People

The Hardest Days of Rotterdam Style Gabber

When I was a punter in the German Gabber underground ca. 1996, people began to look down or mock the Dutch Gabber scene a bit. These "Style Wars" seem silly now (and also unavoidable). But, yeah, let's face it, there really were a lot of tunes being put out with pianos, happy singing, euro-dance beats...
What these "critics" did not know, or had forgotten, was that only 2-3 years earlier, the Dutch labels were releasing stuff that was just as hard, or even harder, then this early German speedcore sounds.
High bpm, speed metal guitars, white noise screams - it's all there!

So let's take a look back at that era.
(Note: not all tracks are from Rotterdam, but also other places)

Also check: https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/06/hardcore-history-10-of-most-brutal.html

1. Euromasters - Hé Scheids!



2. Sauerkraut - On Rough Territory



3. Rob Gee, Charly Lownoise, Mental Theo, Repete - Riot In N.Y.



4. Haardcore - 250 BPM



5. Scum - Your Gun (Hard Mix) 6. The Darkraver - Direction of Fear II



7. Ech Heftag - Just a Little Bit



8. Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - Lesnath



9. Tellurian - Cocksuckers



10. The Director - Rougher & Tougher



11. Hocus Pocus - Postcard From Armageddon

How Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and Snoop Dogg ended up using Hardcore and Techno samples in their hit songs

"Bad Romance" was one of the breakout hits for Lady Gaga - and is still one of her biggest hits overall.
After the famous chanting ("ra ra gaga oh lala!"), thundering dance beats come in - and a short time later, something that must have felt as quite atonal, screechy, disharmonic sounds. Must have been a shock for a lot of first time fans, but it was an even deeper shock for hardened underground techno aficionados. Because this "sound" is actually a well-known trope in the hardcore techno and gabber scene. This specific sound is called "hoover", and was first used in "Mentasm" by Joey Beltram, then later refined in the track "Dominator" by Dutch act Human Resource. Both are considered to be amongst the tracks that kick-started the Hardcore and Gabber movement. This "hoover" sound (and the tracks) took the scene by storm. Its completely dislocated, disoriented, and disturbed feel did really react well with the turnt on, tuned in, and zoned out crowd of techno and rave maniacs and their nights of flashing strobe lights and 10+ hours of dancing.
It was literally sampled or re-created by hundreds of other producers in thousands of other tracks for the years to come. (Hey, let's be honest. Almost no-one "re-created" it. They ripped it off the record by Joey or HR).

Let's skip to another thing.
"Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj. One of the biggest hits by this artist. A song that was truly played all summer long (sorry, Kid Rock!).
Nicki played the scandal game here (well, who doesn't?). And while she made the average punter gasp because of lines like "... unless you got buns, hun", and by showing the aforementioned 'buns' in the video, the techno nerd did gasp because of a quite different reason.
The song by Nicki Minaj is based on the track "Technicolor" by Juan Atkins and Doug Craig, released in Detroit over 2 decades earlier, and it was one of *the* cornerstones of the up-and-coming Detroit and worldwide Techno scene.
The holiest of the holy for sacred techno disciples, known to only to the chosen few, the initiated... and now these mystic drums got blasted to millions of drunk party freaks.

It might be argued that Nicki is merely "second hand underground" here, because she sampled another song that already made use of Detroit's classic - "Baby got Back" by Sir-Mix-a-Lot.
But the "chain of transmission" does not matter. Juan Atkins' programming skill, electronic inspiration, and beats can be heard inside Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda".

Or you turned into Snoop Dogg's "Sweat" in 2011... and were amazed to find out the main melody sample was taken directly from another Techno-Trance cult hit, "Don't You Want My Me" by Felix.


Why does this keep happening? Why do billionaire hit musicians keep going to the derelict, "ill-reputed" and often barely known electronic Hardcore and Techno underground to find inspiration for their songs - or samples?

"I don't know. How should I know. Maybe you can tell me?"

It could be argued that these days, hit songs sample from a lot of sources, so maybe it's just chance.
But I think this "disenchanted" view does not quite click.
Because Hardcore Techno is *really* obscure, more obscure than most other sample sources.

I think the truth is that the hardcore and electronic underground is much more known and respected than most people are aware of, just not in the public, but more like something that is "whispered from door to door". And that a lot of high profile people, producers, executives and artists do the whispering, too.
There are other bizarre stories related to this, like the "rumor" that Rick Rubin entertained the thought of turning Hardcore Techno into the "next big thing" in the USA (and the world) during the 1990s decade - and was only stopped by the bigger Dutch Gabber companies in that matter.

Maybe this underground hardcore respect will 'break through' some time later in the world.
But, until then, we still have the snippets in the songs of Gaga, Dogg, or Minaj.

There are, of course, many more Pop hits out there that reference Techno / Electronic cult classics.
Random example: "Fergalicious" by Fergie samples Kaftwerk's "It's More Fun to Compute".
But compiling such a list would be a topic for a future text.

Artificial Intelligence DJ playing Hardcore mix set on Youtube

Oh my!
Have you heard the rumors yet? DJ AI is spinning a set on the HCBXCast.
An artificial intelligence… doing a Hardcore set on a real broadcast channel!
Who would have thought this was possible, 5 years ago?

There was some additional mixing engineering done by a human... *but* the track selection was made by an artificial intelligence.
And we think this AI got quite the taste and knowledge about Hardcore, Speedcore, and the Oldschool :-)

Date is:

HCBXCast Vol 51 - DJ AI - 19th April 2025 7pm (UTC)

That's 21:00 CEST ("German" Time)
3:00 PM ET (New York)
4:00 AM in Tokyo (on the 20th)
5:00 AM in Sydney (on the 20th)

Check it out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpjzJl6s-Ws

And read DJ AI's announcement, made by herself:

https://technodjai.blogspot.com/2025/04/dj-ai-on-hcbx.html

AI Disclaimer: DJ AI is an Artificial Intelligence avatar and persona, and not a real human of flesh and blood!


Further info about DJ AI:
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/03/meet-dj-ai-cyborg-techno-dj-and.html


And check her latest release:
https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-labyrinth

Re-Release: France Sucks and French Connection (By Dr. Macabre)

Hardcore people, rejoice!
Two of the best vinyls in the history of this genre have just been re-mastered, re-pressed, and re-issued.
I am talking about "France Sucks / French Connection (Volume 1 + 2)" of course.
And if this still does not ring a bell (but how could that be?) - that's the one where "French Connection" by French Connection aka Dr. Macabre is on. One of the most classic Hardcore tracks, on a scale with "Stereo Murder", "I Like It Loud" or "Braincash", I dare to say.

This operation has been conceived by Underground Music, and Simon Underground posted this info on the internet:

"I am in the warehouse stickering the sleeves and getting them all ready to ship. They look and sound amazing. Much better sound than the originals. Much more top end and really punchy kick drums."

And now they are rolling out, into the world, and you can order them directly at the very underground music shop:

https://thehardstore.com/products/france-sucks-vol-1
https://thehardstore.com/products/french-connection-ii

Complete Tracklist:

France Sucks Vol. 1
A. French Connection
B. Fuck You All!!

French Connection II
A. Bio Hazard
B. Bullshit

In the "The unofficial Planet Core Productions guidebook" we wrote the following about the tracks:

France Sucks Vol. 1

hey hey hey, it's monsieur leroux with a giant gabber hit in history!
"french connection" starts slow, pounding, breaks down into a heroic speech, only to speed up and bang on.
the flipside [fuck you all] is a french speedcore massacre

French Connection II

french connection returns, and, just like the movie, this is even more brutish.
[bio hazard and bullshit] both tracks showcase french hardcore and gabber sounds at their best.

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

And you can read more about Dr. Macabre and his other works here, too:

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-1000-cabinets-of-dr-macabre.html

The Mental Hardcore Health Newsletter #13: It Takes Time

A new issue of the The Mental Hardcore Health Newsletter

The problem with regular therapy is that therapists don't know shit. For example, a person with severe social anxiety comes to them, and they go: "Oh, I'm sure there are some social groups or activities that you could join. You just need to go there, and if you do that, you will overcome your social isolation".
Or: "You got crippling anxiety and panic attacks? Gradually expose yourself to situations that cause anxiety, and it will go away".
As if it ever were that easy!

The thing is... mental health trouble is heavy stuff. It's not easy. It's hard to deal with. Most of the time, it doesn't just go away. And it cannot be overcome by sheer will power or focusing on "positive thinking".
People who are "mentally ill" (I dislike that term, though) usually have good reasons why they are in this state, why they stay in this state, and why they *want* to stay in that state.

For example, a person who lives in social isolation might have gone through extreme childhood bullying. Exposed to such horror, it's easy to create a belief system where every human being is against you.
And if that were the case, it *would be* rational to just hide in your home, away from the rest of humanity, forever.

Or you got panic attacks. And every time you try a certain thing, the panic takes hold. And you seemingly cannot do anything about this.
If that's the case, it *would be* rational to 'cave in' and to just avoid doing the thing you wanted to do - forever.

In the end, these are all illusions. Because there are always true alternatives, and ways to truly solve the problem.
But the person with these problems might not see it this way, and within their "worldview", these decisions of avoidance, "giving up", giving in to isolation and fear and decline, might actually be a very rational choice (mind you, just *within* this faulty view of things - not truly rational in the wider world).
And the therapists then fail to realize why the troubled folk cling to these half-true, half-fake rationalities...

So, in the end, there are a lot of illusions, there is a lot of deceit, a lot of deluding yourself in the most negative way while honestly believing you would make a positive decision by staying in your world of mental illness.

And all of this is hard work and not easy to overcome.

So, I think it's important to realize - it takes time.
Mental problems don't just go away overnight (or by *willing them away*, like the therapists seem to believe).
Try to do a few steps, maybe even the smallest of steps, that could improve your situation.
You might really be in a situation where trying to tackle and handle *everything at once* is just too much (Btw: I'm merely saying *it might be*... it could be different for you, I'm not your therapist and won't give you direct advice).
And if you took a few steps, it might actually happen that you slide down the ladder again and feel like everything was in waste and you hit rock bottom once more...
But that's not the case, take a break, and then walk on and try a few more minor steps...

It's a tough and long task to untangle all of this. So be forgiving and patient with yourself and your mental process.

There is a good, healthy, positive way out.
But it may take some time to travel this way.

You can read other issues of the Mental Hardcore Health Newsletter here:
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/p/the-mental-hardcore-health-newsletter.html

A Tale of Two Cities: Tracing the Sound of Rotterdam - and its Hamburg Counterpart

Recently, I was asked to produce an EP for Rotjecore Records. The "catch": all tracks should be Rotterdam-themed. There was no lazy re-using / re-hashing of Rotterdam Gabber classics allowed (i.e. not using samples or beats from other tracks). The tracks should sound novel, and give off a true representation of the Rotterdam sound.

1. Neophyte - Komen Wij Uit Rotterdam (Rotterdam Records 022)

It felt a bit peculiar to accept this offer at first. Being born in Hamburg, city of Northern Germany... and then to create something that represents a very different city, Rotterdam?
Yet I accepted, because I always felt intrigued by Rotterdam. Not just because this city plays a central role - or *the* central role - in Gabber culture, a scene that I loved for the most part of my life.
But also because I find it fascinating that the Sound of Rotterdam indeed differs from other Gabber music - even Dutch Gabber, from Amsterdam or The Hague, for example.
If you look at the classic tracks on Rotterdam Records, Terror Traxx, and on, they indeed "feel" different from tracks on Mokum or Rave Records.

2. Euromasters - Alles Naar De Klote (250 Bpm Remix) 

Upon further research, I discovered that being a "Fischkopf in Hamburg" might not be a bad thing for this endeavor, and that the two cities of Hamburg and Rotterdam might be more connected, and have more in common, than I originally assumed.
Back in the 90s when German Techno mags covered the Dutch Gabber scene (which they often tried to avoid), they always repeated the claim that Rotterdam was a working class city, built upon heavy industry, its port, and all the marine and naval things associated with this. Indeed, Rotterdam sports the biggest port in Europe, and myriads of commercial goods that pass between Europe, Northern Africa, USA, and other places, pass through Rotterdam at one point - including illicit drugs.
And that "Rotterdam Gabber" then was created as an answer to the chic, hipster house coming from "rich, intellectual" Amsterdam at the same time.
I always had my doubts about this story of gabber genesis.
My guess is that in contemporary times, the city of Rotterdam is not much different in direction than almost any other metropolis in the northern and southern hemisphere: high tech, commerce, ultra-modern culture, bohemian lifestyles, digital nomads, tourist destination, hub for multinational organisations and corporations (maybe even some shadow ones).
And precisely, when I traveled to the Netherlands with a few Hardcore friends for the first time, and we passed through the city via car, seeing some of its futurist architecture made me feel like I was going into time and relative dimensions in space

3. Low Entropy - The Rotterdam Sound

But in the past... the focus on industry and oversea trade, with 1000s of workers doing heavy duty work, loading and unloading large vessels, then sending them off to another ocean, was there.
Just like in Hamburg.
And in Hamburg, there was a certain sound attached to this mode of industrialization and modernism. The sound of piledrivers, hammers, cranes, rusty iron sheets scraping against each other, metal banging against metal.
It was much louder in the past, but if you walk through the port (or industrial areas) of Hamburg, the air is filled with loud "booms", "clanks", bangs, hissing, screaming machinery, rumbling bass frequencies and high pitched white noise.
And then you will instantly understand the "Hardcore Sound of Hamburg" that was poured out by the famous Gabber and underground labels of Hamburg.

4. Nordcore G.M.B.H. - A.D.V.W.

It's a rough guess and maybe I am stretching things too far - but could it be possible that a similar thing can be said about the sound of Rotterdam? That it was influenced, or even born out of the (literally) industrial sounds of the city, and the heavy duty machinery in its port?

5. Taciturne - Haematopan (Fischkopf Hamburg 012)

I guess I should book a trip to this beautiful city for further research and to get to the bottom of this.
But, no matter if it's Hamburg or Rotterdam - a good, distorted Gabber bass drum is just as ear-deafening as a marine piledriver at work.

Sensuality, Dance Music, and the Fight Against Fascism

A while ago I ran into something. A fascist synth pop song from the 80s.
At first I thought it was maybe ironic, a joke, a parody... but no, it was of real fascist intent.
This took me by surprise. I didn't expect that .

I wondered... why did it surprise me... ? The fascist idiots are everywhere... they can be teachers, preachers, businessmen, presidents... but then I realized something. Nope.
They are *not* everywhere. The original Synth Pop scene, 70s to late 80s, was *very* clear of fascist songs, messages.
And this really is a reason to be surprised. Because synth pop was centered on Great Britain, and Britain had a large fascist contingent in that period - enhanced by that awful mean lady at the top of the government. Why did this not creep into the synth pop scene too, then?

1. Age Of Love - The Age Of Love 

And then I realized that there are some other music genres that are (or were) quite free of fascism. 70s disco. 80s euro pop / disco / dance. house. acid. jungle. breakbeat. happy gabber. hard trance.

If you look at genres like extreme metal, harsh industrial, and so on, you can see some fascist projects there (even if they're few).
But can you name one disco song from the 70s that openly and undeniably is pro-nazi? from the jungle era? from happy hardcore?

It's almost non-existent.

2. Felix - Don't You Want Me

I started to wonder about this. And this was a quite hard cookie to crack.
Because, where is the connection between these genres? Sure, there are some similarities... but they're still very far apart.

And then it hit me like a nail on the head.
There was something that connected all these seemingly different genres.
They were centers of subcultures, cultural scenes and movements that embraced a fun, playful, life-embracing form of sensuality.
Life positive. Body positive. Intimacy positive. And even masochism and sadism were included as game only, as a form of role-play.

3. Westbam - Celebration Generation

And that's something all these nazis, racists, and fascists, don't get, won't get, and will never get. Genuine nazi music is almost never about physical love, and if it is, it's in a mean-spirited, cruel, destructive way.
Because that's one of the original cornerstones of fascism. The denial of the self. The denial of pleasure. The denial of romantic pleasure.

So... could it be possible that we discovered one of the antidotes against fascism? A very powerful antidote?
I think this is truly the case.

4. Mark 'Oh - Randy (Never Stop That Feeling)

So let's be life positive. Body positive. Fun positive. Intimacy positive.
Let us not be afraid of the good things in life. Enjoying oneself. Relaxing. Dancing. Desire, passion, play.

And it might be a good idea to make this a central part of our music and music scenes, too.

Because life should not be about misery, tragedy, cruelty, tyrants and fascists.
It should be about happiness and fun.

5. Legend B - Lost In Love

Great new Hardcore Techno and Related Releases from January to April 2025

Okay, so the situation is this:
There is a lot of awesome, exciting Hardcore music being poured out. This is going on for a few years now; and it's getting better, the amount of new releases grows, and things get more experimental, varied, and frigging rough at the same.
Yet, this still goes largely unnoticed. The sound is just not *getting through*. Many people focus on the same labels, artists, festivals, over and over again. So most of the "good stuff" remains - invisible. This is especially true for the internet and social media, where there is a serious lack of acknowledgement of the very lively new Hardcore *underground*.

Well, cue The Hardcore Overdogs. This was one of the reasons to start this e-zine. To give these new and old over/underdogs the spotlight that they so exceptionally deserve.

This does not mean we hate the "mainstream" artists. It's just not what we want to push.

And now, in order to actually *push* these very new underground sounds, we are starting this new series on noteworthy novel releases.
We won't focus entirely on Hardcore here, but also adjacent and otherwise special genres.
And, of course, not just on the unknown dogs, but also some well-known releases that retain an interesting and / or underground sound.

The series will be quarterly, with an entry for each quarter of the year.
This list is not exhaustive or complete, of course. These are just the picks we decided to center on. There is much more stuff out there!
But let us go ahead now.

Here is the first entry for 2025.

1. V.A - Culture of Violence | Mantra Mechanica

Industrial, Hardcore, Doomcore

 

2. AAR031 - Luche / Laton Raver - Acid Avengers 031

https://tripalium.bandcamp.com/album/aar031-luche-laton-raver-acid-avengers-031

 

3. TMF!17 - VA - Tripalium Fucked-Up Squad vol. 4

Acid, Breaks, and more

 

4. Speedcore Worldwide Audio Network - Sonic Surrealism Vol.5

Speedcore, Terror, Noizecore

 

5. [MOK320] Fucking Hardcore #15 (Mokum)

Oldschool, Hardcore, Gabber

 

6.[MOK319] Tellurian - The Sound Of The Underground (Mokum) 

Gabber, Oldschool

 

7.Various - The Dark Side 3 (Teknoland Production) 

Techno, Doomcore, Industrial Hardcore

 

8.Miro - The Remixes Part 1

Techno, Hardcore, Doomcore

 

9.Low Entropy - Rotterdam Kung Fu EP (Rotjecore 088)

Oldschool, Gabber, Terror

 

10.Liza N'Eliaz - Untitled EP (Aneurysm Recordings) 

Hardcore, Speedcore, Noizecore

Electro-Core: Breakin' Rough Sounds From Miami to The Hague and Back

Hardcore Techno musicians dabbled with almost every other music genre in the 90s; and musicians from almost every genre dabbled with Hardcore, even if only for a short moment.
This means that a lot of hybrids, hydras, and chimeras were created.
One that always piqued my interest was "electro-core"; i.e. music that is somewhat related to the "electro-funk" style of the 80s, but is also somewhat Hardcore. (Electro-Funk in the sense of sounds that were made by artists like Hashim, Egyptian Lover, or The Jonzun Crew.)

The main player (or breaker) here is definitely Phil Klein aka Bass Junkie, who, I'd assume, made 90% of tracks that could be fit into this very niche of a genre.
BTW: He also did a lot of "regular" Electro and other styles, too!
But there is also Biochip C, DMX, and... well, let's just go on.

(All of the above mentioned did their tracks under various akas).

Here are 11 tracks that fit somewhere in the gap in between Oldschool Electro and Hardcore Techno.

1. Computor Rockers – Computor Interface (USB 2.0)



2. Battle Systems - Atomics



3. Legowelt - Electro Race



4. Minimum Syndicat - The mantis-priests have gathered



5. I Borg - Engage the Borg



6. Umwelt - Beyond Celestial Limits



7. Cyborg Unknown - Year 2001 (In the Beginning)



8. I-F - I Do Because I Couldn't Care Less



9. Umwelt - Undercurrent



10. Final Dream - Pain Amplifier



11. Umwelt - Undercurrent



Some further suggestions:

Final Dream - The Unknown
The Mover - Stars Collapse
Bass Junkie - Comply
Biochip C - Steal It And Deal It (DMX Krew Remix)
Battle System - The Killing System
The Mover - Track Three (Countdown Trax)
Temper Tantrum vs. Unexist - Everybody Gets Laid
Mat 101 - Goblins 101
Egyptian Lover - Soiree at the shindig
LFO - Tied Up
Somatic Responses - Purple BMX

Shouting Hardcore Part 2 - Scream it out for the Tingler

In my music and cultural research, I just stumbled upon this little info.
It was found embedded within a plot summary about the movie "The Tingler" featuring Vincent Price.

'He discovers that there is a creature living in the spine of every human being that feeds on the fear of its host. If the host does not start screaming in a state of fear, the creature, known as the "Tingler", grows to full life size, which leads to the death of the human.'

I don't know the movie, probably some kinda kitschi-scari 50s affair.
But all irony aside.
I think there's some truth in the above statement.
If you chuck up all your emotions and swallow them, well that's not healthy at all. Even "dark" emotions like fear or panic...
So scream it out my friend!
Scream it out, until The Tingler itself gets scared and runs away, back to its own hellish dimension!

And what better way to scream out all your anger, pain, agony, fear, anxiety - than some good ol' hardcore techno and gabber house?

So here is a list of 10 more screaming hardcore tracks.

These tracks are about literal screams - i.e. not just loud vocalizing, but actual, deep, fried, human (or non-human) SCREAMS! 

1. Napalm - Scream



2. Bakalla - True Force



3. Scarface - Blow Your Head Off



4. Sauerkraut - I Don't Believe In You



5. Marc Acardipane The Horrorist - Metal Man



6. U.V.C. DJ Narotic - Industrial Strength



7. DJ Tron - F*ck That Happy Shit



8. Napalm - Shit01



9. The Horrorist - Can You Hear the Sound?



10. Ec8or - Raving Hypospadie



11. DJ Jappo DJ Lancinhouse - F*kem Outro



Also check our earlier feature: "Hardcore Techno Anger Management - Release your rage in a social way"
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/10/hardcore-techno-anger-management.html

Our Inspiration: Other Overdogs in Fact or Fiction

At T.H.C.O.D. we are all about the underdogs - and a play of words turned this into "the overdogs".

So, let's put the music, the hardcore, the beats - away for a while.
Let's look at other characters from fact or fiction that inspire us, you, and me.
Dogs or doglikes that embody both the underdog and "overdog" spirit; And their artists / creators very specific, often surreal and sometimes sweet take on these canine creatures.
And then we howl at the moon together.

Arrooo!

1. Karvanista

Appears in several episodes of Doctor Who. Spoilers ahead!
When earth is destined to be destroyed by a power wave, Karvanista is a member of a sentient alien dog species that comes to the rescue in order to evacuate every single human; off of planet earth, to a safe destination. And each "dog" is assigned to a specific individual to save them - since an ancient time, actually.
And why? Because dogs are mankind's best friend, of course. Isn't that sweet (and adorable?)

2. Wolfman Jack

Illegal Pirate Radio stations played a very important role in broadcasting the rock'n'roll spirit and music to a young generation whose parents were scared of this type of rebellion.
Unlike the UK and mainland Europe, in the US of A this job was taken up by so-called "Border Blasters" - semi-legal Mexican radio station that cranked the transmission voltage up so high that the signals reached as far as the southern tips of Canada - or, if weather conditions were right, all of the globe.
One key player in this rock rebellion was radio host Wolfman Jack.
Because of this, he embodies the canine spirit of rebellion, tenacity, finding the ways through a fence set up by authority, and a massive, massive charge of power.

3. Hecuba

According to the Greek Myths:
Hecuba was the mother of 19 children, including Cassandra, Hector, and Paris. She was the wife of King Priam and Queen of Troy, and thus stood against the invading army, led by Achilles and such, in the Trojan war.

Some time after the war, she was unfairly turned into a dog, but eventually got rescued and moved to a safe place.


There is (much!) more to her; look it up if interested.
To us, she represents the spirit of being a bad bitch, female rebellion, fighting for truth, protecting the helpless, and the dog inside us all.

4. Underdog

I haven't seen this movie, but this seems to run closely to our concepts, too.
A super hero dog that fights for those in need of protection.

As such, he represents the helping spirit of dogs, and the super-powers that dogs have in fiction.

5. Kill Wolfhead

Ah yes, Wolfhead. If there is someone representing the power, grittiness, virility, and lunacy of a true wolf, it's probably him.
Plays an important role in the "John DiFool" world of comics.

6. Ren

Beloved comrade of Stimpy the cat in the eponymous cartoon show.
As such, he seems to represent the only voice of reason, sanity, logic and intellect in a (comic) world gone mad and stupid. Also known to throw a temper from time to time.
You eeeediots!

7. Cerberus

Another dog that runs closely to our own aspirations, too.
Associated with doom and demise, guarding the underworld and hell.
He represents the guarding spirit of dogs, and the more infernal / vicious / devilish side of a dog's or wolf's peculiar personality.
This also shows that dogs do not have one, but *three* minds (heads) of their own.

8. Dog

Hey, Dog, you are working for the cops, for the man! Not cool. Not cool at all.
But Dog also tracks down some very shady humans, and helps protect the vulnerable and innocent from these monsters.
As such, he represents the protective spirit of dogs. and most importantly, the ability of dogs to sniff, track, search, hunt down, chase and capture anything they want.

9. Alucard's Dog

Talking about hounds of hell! This is not a nice or good boy at all.
A creature that is spittin' vitriol in more than one forms.
Known to deal ferocious justice on those deserving of it.

10. Barfolomew

Another unlikely superhero. Famously he is a mawg, half man and half dog ("I'm my own best friend.")
As such, he represents the doglike features in our own, human personality (as well as the more human-like traits of dogs).
And, let's face it, he is wayyy cooler than the other dog-like creature in the more well-known movie franchise by George Lucas.
Right?

11. Sabreman

Protagonist of "Knight Lore", an earliest action-adventure game which sparked a whole generation of video games that already were three-dimensional more than a decade before 3D Games really took over.
He is an archaeologist who was afflicted by a curse that turned him into a lycanthrope, i.e. a man that transforms into a werewolf now and then.
As such he represents the canine spirit of adventure, exploration, and dogs' innate ability to solve even the trickiest of puzzles.

Dancing into Trance: The Very Bodily Sensations of Hardcore and Techno

One of the most peculiar experiences when being subjected to hardcore and techno at an actual, physical event (party, festival, discotheque...) is to become "possessed" by the sounds, to start "dancing on your own", and your mind getting into a kind of meditative state.
This strange occurrence is known to, and has been experienced by many a raver, the same as ordinary music enjoyers.
Let's face it, even at a rock concert or normal discotheque, you can begin to feel "high on sound" after a while.
But there are certain specifics around hardcore and techno that make this experience more intense and ideal.

• Listening suggestion: #1. Ultra Sonic - Annihilating Rhythm

First, let's state this: "Kids, just say No! to drugs". Drugs will ruin the experience, drugs will mess up your life.
Yeah, maybe some folk get "whacked out" on drugs and have a "psychedelic" experience to rave music, too; but that's nothing compared to what you can experience when your body reaches the psychedelic state by sheer music and party action.

• 2 Unlimited - Let The Beat Control Your Body

Now, back on the track.

2. Techno music often has hypnotic / repetitive / mesmerizing beats, basslines, loops, melodies, sounds... and these help achieving a state of trance much faster.
3. The setting of a techno event - pitch black basements, high powered strobes, artificial fog, flashes, lights, sounds, action! makes it ideal for a little bit of a psychedelic ritual.
4. Being surrounded by a crowd makes it better than getting out of your mind on your own.
5. If you have been at a party and dancing for 10 hours straight, it's 8 am in the morning, sunlight is slowly coming out... then it's easier to get into trance (than when being in a well-rested, sound, ordinary state of mind at home).
6. If you've been active for so long, you likely lost a lot of fluids and your stomach is empty, which is also a nice condition for mind entertainment (don't take this too far, though!)
7. And, maybe most importantly: the volume is so high, that it bleeds out everything else, and you can feel the soundwaves on your skin and in your bones, which is an almost surreal thing by its own.

• 3. Q-Tex - Get On The Floor

Now, let's get to the facts, and the experience itself.

When the beat is good, when the track is good, when the party is good... you will notice how your arms, legs, feet... your whole body... begins to move on its own. your mind slowly lodges itself into the "back seat" and everything feels like you watch it from a 3rd person perspective. your body, the party, the whole world... it's coming through like a movie.
You don't need to move one muscle anymore - your body does everything and every move by itself now.

• 4. Josh Wink - Higher State Of Consciousness

The "weird" 60s gurus like Timothy Leary or John C. Lilly dedicated their lives (and their sanity) to mapping out "psychedelic levels of consciousness"... this is somewhat related to this, too, but, to be exact, it's not about alternative states of mind - it's about alternative states of the body.
Because your mind might actually stay quite sober, collected, and intellectual throughout this whole euphoric "ordeal"... yet it's your body that's "possessed", that starts to squirm, kick, punch, jump, move around by itself.

• 5. DJ Freak - Party Trance

8. How to safely exit this state and give control of the body back to your mind

The thing is - you can't. This "trance" might last shorter or longer, but you surrender control once you enter into it.
Still, I don't think it's scary and your body will return to its normal functions after a while.

• 6. Freez-E-Style - Doom Dancer

9. What is it like?

Well, the experience itself is very pleasant, euphoric, ecstatic... I don't think you could ever get as "high" with any physical substance as you can get by dancing into trance...

Bliss, serenity, everything!

But in the end, words fail me to truly describe it! You better experience it on your own.

• 7. Dance 2 Trance - Power Of American Natives

Part 2

Let's add some more words on what makes the hardcore experience a bit different from the regular trance / techno / acid one.
With techno, you enter a state of steady trance, 'dance by yourself', and stay in there for a few minutes, or an hour... and drift out of it again.
This is partly because techno music itself has a "steady flow", most of the time.

• 8. E-De-Cologne - Dance Now!

But with hardcore techno and gabber it's much different, oh my!
Because hardcore and gabber tracks often add a level of adrenaline and intensity one after another.
There's a high-charged acid-line, then the bass drum hits, and then screams come in, and disturbed hoovers, and heavy metal riffs, and and and and...
So you are already in a state of trance and you get pushed even further, and further, and further...
And that can really feel like "the rug is pulled underneath your feet" and you are spiraling into hell... or heaven?

• 9. Lord of Hardcore - Go Berzerk

Then the physical / bodily effect is the same.
When hardcore DJs talk about how "the crowd lost control" and everyone started to jump and twirl around and "the whole place turned into mayhem" as they dropped certain tracks; then that is nothing that those rave-dancers decided to do on a conscious, mindful level. They really lost control of their bodies and turned into berzerkers.
Yet this is not an unpleasant experience at all. it's just another case of high-adrenaline charged sonic-powered trance.

Because, now and then, such an event of "audio possession" feels mighty fine, right?

• 10. The Possessed - Human Kick Machine