I remember tuning into a TV show called "Viva Trance" on a weekends' night, feeling completely wasted (but not being it). It was hosted by German Techno pioneer Mate Galic, who later found a job at Native Instruments. He used the show to play his favorite tunes. And I could swear I saw a music vid that featured a "zhark dagger" logo. I never found this tune or video by the label again, so maybe I just imagined it. When I stayed at the Zhark International headquarters in Berlin a few years later, I was shown a lot of video material (amongst other things), so maybe it was something like that.
But yeah, I guess that shows that Zhark is indeed a weird "glitch" in music history. Hard to pinpoint, hard to define. Dislocated, disregarded. Split into two separated labels early on. Penetrated far wider cultural circles than your usual "electronica indie". Still not as famous as deserved.
Maybe quantum-entangled. And we are still waiting for the wave function collapsing...
Either way, apparently the label found a new, digital home, and has begun to happily re-release some of its earlier releases, and also showing spanking new stuff.
CdB appears on the Zhark label. His sound has always been more of a trip than a genre. This shows him at a time when his lofi trash fischkopf brutality began to fade, and things get more introverted... intellectual. still packs a mighty punch, i tell ya!
Zhark branched off a sub label called the Homewrecker Foundation. The idea was to have a label for females in the breakcore, harshcore, dark electronic genres. This was quite the revolutionary idea back then, and i guess it is quite the revolutionary idea for today, too! and the sounds are just as renegade.
I remember some south london scenester slagged this one off on an email list forum for being "completely conventionalist". which is funny, because most breakcore poster boys these days would disagree. and they are right. this is the good stuff.
that one come out when my interest in "breakcore" already faded to black, so, while i enjoyed it, i was not too plussed by it. listening back to it once more, i notice that it is indeed some wickedly good stuff. but that's the point of re-releases, innit? to get a second glance!
but there is one track i adored back then already: Liberty And Justice For Us, ghastly (ghostly) ambient noise
This ain't a re-release of an old album or ep, but instead its tracks from all over the map (and dimensions, i guess). These are either collabs between hecate and other artists, or remixes. Mmm where do I start, where do I end...? There is breakcore, post-industrial, blackened death, a hint of gabber in the form of overly compressed kicks. and these are amongst the best tracks i ever heard in these genres!
Rachel Kozak turns into Raquel de Grimstone, and this is one of the best things she ever did. Oh, you want to know how it sounds, too? breakcore and black metal... become one and merge into one of the meanest freak creatures ever.
Slamdancing went out of control in a berlin backyard club hipster party, and me and my friends nearly buried ourselves under the falling turntables. and the tune that got dropped that night was... "caught up" from this one. i have loved it ever since!
oh yeah, get this one. if you get one release off this label, get this one. it's like a secret vault hidden inside a secret vault. the best tracks by well-known and not so well-known artists that the world has never heard. like kerosene's cover of the velvet's "heroin" (by a guy who actually did real world collabs with julee cruise - and others).
There are few, few releases, in all of the world of music, that can be considered solitary, unique, and i mean *really* unique. Because, let's face it, there is usually always some other gal or dude at the (other) end of the world, doing the same sh*t that you do. but this is one of the few releases that fit to the term. there is no other release that really sounds like this, or is even close. it is brilliant, an anthem, and sheer genius.
so how to describe it then? let's say it occupies a liminal place at the crossroads of the emerging breakcore scene, the then-fading industrial / ambient scene, spoken word poetry, and... millions of other places and connections.
I admit, this "best" list is highly subjective. so I would be interested to hear your own, personal best of list from this label's release.
there is a project i have been doing since i even started producing music. well, at least the first seeds were sown then.
happy hardcore always has been a kind of guilty pleasure for me. producers sample a lot of catchy melodies and pop stuff. the mainstream behemoths, abba, madonna, olivia newton john...
but it's not just the pop billionaires who are apt at creating catchy cool melodies... i am talking about indie rock here... alt pop.
they have more bittersweet, joyful-tearful melodies than any mainstream pop producer could do...
and now and then, a producer picks up these underground swooners and puts them in a tune. it's ultra rare, but it happens.
let's revert to the starting point. my love for this nano-genre appeared when i listened to a happy hardcore tune called "started with a bass" by jorge & rico. the breakdown felt so good, it flew me to the stars!
only much later i learned that they sampled an 80s underground pop song - colour box, with "suspicion".
somehow, the catchy cool melodies by indie pop artists or alternative rockers sound even better, when pitched up to a pixie-like voice sound.
another track in that vain is "suddenly" by space cube. the sample's from an obscure 80s underground thing, too.
and then there's DHR with DJ Bleed's "in bed with marusha", or alec empire himself with "doesn't make it alright", which samples the specials (or are they considered to be mainstream now?.
i tried to have a few stabs at that genre myself, by sampling obscure new wave and other acts.
for example here and here:
hopeful that there will be more post punk underground hardcore dance in the future!
do you know more alt rock and indie pop hardcore techno tracks? let me know!
Records, tracks, releases of the past, discographies, even music videos and some journalist's snips are like bones, fossil. Buried remains, once living, now dead, and no longer able to tell a story. And they never tell the whole story, indeed. They don't *really* tell the story of a sound, a genre, a movement, a culture. For that, my dear friend, you need to dig deeper. And to also take a stab at the things, the invisible strings, that connect each genre, that act as transmats, from one style of sound to the other, from one destination to another. from one decade to another.
"techno", according to some of its fan-based "historians", is a monolith structure; and, depending on who you ask either entirely invented, designed, created within detroit, berlin, or off-shore, amongst the balearic tourist-traps.
Nightmoves - Transdance (New York City Mix) (1981)
But in truth, techno, and its subgenres, acid, trance, hardcore, gabber, never were monolith structures. not one, pre-defined, closed-off genre. these styles have cracks, tunnels, splits. they were liminal, at the crossroads. broken down at the seams, liquid, fluid.
not a fixed sign (maybe not even a watery one), not one location. more like a journey, a trip, a life time (and yes, it is a trip).
Hashim -We're Rocking the Planet (1984)
especially the internet has been haunted by a double fold dispute in past decades. two (or four) of these monolith tribes going against each other.
in the case of techno, the "techno comes from detroit" tribe against the european one, and in the case of gabber, the rotterdam hooligans agains the frankfurt "soccer" maniacs (or, spoken less poetically: did PCP invent everything, or was it the rotterdam labels?).
But let's not fuggetabout the big apple. Couldn't New York City put them all in one basket?
Frankie Bones - Call it Techno (1989)
Well, no, this claim would not be entirely right (or fair) either. Let's say it was co-evolution and pan-continental synchronicity.
Now let's get to the point, or the core; and become a little worm that chews a deeps tunnel into this big apple.
There is a line that had been repeatedly said by Lenny Dee, the American Godfather of Hardcore Techno, about the music of another Godfather of Gabber, Marc Acardipane from Frankfurt, Germany (now residing in Hamburg).
That, when he heard tracks like "Mescalinum United" for the first time, he finally founds someone (i.e. Acardipane) who produced tracks and put them on vinyl, that to him (Lenny Dee) did sound like the stuff *they already* created when playing live or during DJ sets (in New York).
Now, I guess you need to be a raver at hard to really understand the above passage, and have experienced the sound transformation of hearing a record being dropped in a strobe and smoke filled basements, and zig thousand watts on the speaker systems.
A mid 80s "dance" record from new york, that might sound "wimpy" with its bass and everything, when listened to at home, in the current day, on one's computer or phone, could sound really, really hardcore, when dropped in the abovementioned scenario.
Joey Beltrasm - Mentasm (1991)
and, more importantly, tracks become more hardcore depending on the tracks you mix them with during a set.
there is also a similar statement by new york dj legend frankie bones; that in the few years before the real advent of "techno" as a name, new york djs already played tunes that were technically the same as techno - they just sounded a bit different.
DX13 - Mother Lover New York (1993)
so, let's get back to the beginning. by the late 70s and early 80s, and maybe even earlier, New York had a very alive scene of clubs, club kids, discotheques. And these places played records from all over the map, that would now considered to be "no wave", "goth", "ebm", "industrial", maybe even hip house and electro funk...
but there is something that stood out with new york, and it is that they always had DJs and nights that selected the more, or most "hardcore" of these records, of these genres, and stitched them together in a mix. the most futuristic, the most minimalist, the most dance-driven, electronic ones.
Lenny Dee - Hostile (Brooklyn Mix)
of course not every dj, every night. but there was a scene for this. and these were the bare bones already, of genres that would later get terms slapped on top of them, like "techno", "acid", "gabber"...
if we look at the new york club scene from the late 70s to the early 90s, there is indeed a strain visible (or audible) that is becoming more "technoid" each year, and more "hardcore", too.
and, at least by the 90s, this strain finally got put on vinyl too, and spread all over the world, too!
here is a mix that shows the transition of new york club sounds, beginning with ebm / goth / industrial tunes in the 80s, and slowly transition to techno and acid, and finally hardcore. with tracks that are directly, or indirectly related to the new york city scene. (which was broadcasted on a new york city based online radio).
1. Wargames - Defcon One scene 2. Amnesia - Hysteria 3. Micro Chip League - New York 4. Frankie Bones - We call it Techno 5. Interactive - The Techno Wave 6. Space Trax - Atomic Playboy 7. Komakino - Drill 8. Turbulence - Whurlstorm (Remix) 9. Sub System - J'ai Peur 10. Disintegrator - Locked on Target 11. English Muffin - Follow the Leader 12. Disintegrator - In the sun 13. Wavelan - Cygnal 14. Glitch - Heavy Mental 15. Gringo - Executed by the FBI 16. Signs ov Chaos - Killout A2 17. Signs ov Chaos - Killout B
You read our magazine, you liked our features... and you asked us, "what about merch?" and now, merch is finally here! carry your love for the hardcore techno overdogs magazine on your sleeve, or rather... on your shirt!
comes in various sizes and colors.
money spent on shirts will help us to uncover more precious bones dug deep within the history of hardcore and electronic music! woof!
Can a release be more varied? There is one of the most distorted, cranked up Acidcore tracks (acid storm). Then there is acid-techno, but not the newer, goa-like brand. That futuristic stuff like old Cologne acid, Underground Resistance, or the stuff from New York underground. Quite fitting, of course. (in the machine) Aggro is another weird hard acid stepper that would fit well into a DBN set. And R8-808... has that dirty the hague / dutch acid house vibe.
Hello Pups, Dogs, and Overdogs! GabberGirl here, and I am back, this time to interview Jay Maniakal, one of New York City’s most prominent players of the hard dance scene. With deep foundational roots, his tree is strong and tall with many supporting branches—Jay is an event promoter, hard techno producer, a DJ, co-owner and founder of the globally reaching online station RTDF Rave Radio, and of course, a raver, since the 90’s. He is famously linked to DOA through their albums’ art work and the late Nicky Fingers, now memorialized on Jay’s arm as a tattoo. Beyond all the incredible support he gives the East Coast dance scene, Jay Maniakal is also an accomplished artist, running Maniakal Tattoos out of NYC Tattoo Parlor in Brooklyn.
GabberGirl: You were part of the NYC rave scene when it was still young. When did you discover hardcore?
Jay Maniakal: I discovered hardcore in the NYHC scene in Lower East Side NYC as a young teen in the early 90’s, but I discovered hardcore techno from buying ‘Factory 1’ mixtape from Frankie Bones at Ceasar’s Bay in Brooklyn in 1993.
GG: You’ve been an artist your whole life, including being a graffiti artist as a teenager. You are also the collage artist for the Discipiles of Annihilation album cover art. How did that assignment come to you?
JM: The week leading up to ISR Disciples of Annihilation’s second double album release (NYC Speedcore), me and Nicky Fingers had planned to have me go to his family's house where in the basement he had his studio set up. I was being mentored by Nicky and taught how to mix records, etc. When I arrived, he told me I had to help him finish cutting and pasting photographs on the back of a vinyl sleeve to get it done fast! Lenny needed the album art finished and time was short so Nicky and I did it together, got it out of the way, and jumped into our session.
GG: Growing up, were you just as interested in music as you were in art?
JM: I was instantly controlled by both art and music as a kid. I never went to school, always cut out so I could go hide somewhere and listen to music while drawing.
GG: What were your earliest musical influences and favorite recording artists?
JM: Everything from Public Enemy to Nirvana to The Doors, U2, Beastie Boys, NIN, Ministry, Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, and then ultimately Bones, Lenny Dee, John Selway, Oliver Chesler, Jimmy Crash, Onions, Odi, Decipher, and the list goes on forever.
GG: When you joined the ranks of DJs, where would you typically play out in the 90’s?
JM: First places I played out were illegal underground hardcore outlaw raves. Most of them myself, Nicky Fingers, and multiple other friends at the time would organize together all over the NYC area. I played out a couple of times for a friend/promoter Mark “Joust” Mccloskey (RIP) at venues like Planet 28 (Demarora) and 1 Front Street, Brooklyn Bridge. I was able to play at a couple of Mecha parties hosted by Simon Underground at the Ludlow in the lower east side of Manhattan. I played a bunch of very small hardcore shows at local clubs like the Wetlands and even CBGB’s one night. I got really lucky one night and was asked to fill a slot in the Chapel Room of the Limelight Club [Manhattan location]. I played in The Engine Room of Palladium a few times throughout the summer of ‘96 or ’97, and then The Tunnel one night for one of the memorial parties we organized after Nicky passed. Besides those, mostly all illegal underground outlaw raves.
GG: What kind of music was your focus then? How has that changed compared to what you play now?
JM: My focus then was always hardcore techno, lol. I wanted to be like Nicky! The only thing that’s changed from then till now is I’m more versatile and I like to mix a lot of genres in my sets today, while always staying in the Hard realm. I tend to build up to the hardcore now days.
GG: What was the funniest thing that happened to you when you were playing out?
JM: The funniest thing was cops chasing us all over the city, sometimes with helicopters even, lol. One night they rolled up on us in an abandoned pool hall above an auto body shop in Queens and they just threw their hands in the air, turned around, and gave up when they saw the pit through all the smoke and lasers while DJ Narotic was blasting NYC Speedcore!
GG: When did you start party promotion? What rave company or crew were you part of?
I started party promotion right away, at like 16 years old, lol! Even before DJing, I was organizing outlaws with multiple different groups of local ravers. I was directly affiliated with ISR, Renegade Virus, the McMuffin Family, Lunatic Asylum, Brooklyn Zoo, Digital Domain, the list goes on. Half the time back then it was a multitude of different organizers working together for outlaws.
GG: What was your most memorable event you threw or helped to throw in the 90’s?
JM: My most memorable was the party named “WHAT” (1995). We did that in the abandoned pool hall I referenced before. Zero budget. Just an empty space and a generator. Every city bus that pulled up had a snake of ravers getting off it. Too many showed up but we made it through the night till 6am. The line-up was Nicky Fingers, Narotic, Siege, Atomic Babies, Decipher, and myself.
GG: You are highly involved in event promotion now. Do you book hard dance DJs for your events? Tell me about the April 3rd party you just hosted with another promotion company.
JM: I was involved in organizing the DJ talent for Nocturnal Creature Society (NCS) at a rave they threw at an indoor skate park in Brooklyn (3 April, 2026). NCS is the promotional company I work with today, mostly. They are the best I have seen since the early 90’s when it comes to vibes and overall atmosphere for original true rave culture! They are very young and they have a stronghold on today's youth within the underground rave scene. My role with them is curating the DJ talent and bookings, etc. I also provide connections and resources for the audio equipment.
GG: You have a lot in common with your wife, the Baroness Jennylee, formerly P****lee. You are both artists, DJs, event promoters, and hard dance producers. You also co-founded and run the RTDF Rave Radio station together. How did you meet? When did you realize your friendship had turned into a love match?
JM: Yes, me and my wife do all the same things always together, lol. We met from her finding my art online and then reaching out to me for tattoos. We became friends. Started dating. Started rtdfraveradio together and eventually fell in love. Today we are NY City's hardcore power couple, lol. We have been doing very well with all the Hard work put in! We have played together in the UK, Detroit, Florida, Connecticut, upstate New York, New Jersey and all over the NYC area.
Baroness Jennylee, Lenny Dee, Jay Maniakal
GG: You have some tracks out as Jay Maniakal, and some out as P****fist (you with Baroness Jennylee). You also have a record label RTDFRaveradio on Bandcamp. What are your goals for your label? What’s next for your music production?
JM: When Jennylee and I play out together as a tag team or produce together we are known as “P****FIST”. We have one single release as P****fist on our label, but are actually just about finished with our next release which will be an EP.
Goals for our label is to keep the underground techno, hardcore, and hard Rave sounds alive and strong! We really want to grow rtdfraveradio to a point where we have regularly scheduled pod cast shows!
Myself and Jenny are both in the process of a multitude of projects. I am also in the middle of a collaboration with Lenny Dee of ISR . So, expect a handful of new releases on rtdfraveradio from us in the near future.
Two years ago we ventured into the forbidden doomed forest of Hamburg...
and did we return? well, maybe not really...
so it's even more significant to return. this is the video footage that the forest spat out again... and this time it's quite different to our first two (halves of) movies...
it's no longer one long, big, circular walk... we ascend and descend stairs... we branch off... we explore clearings... or planes..? fewer large trees cloud our vision... and we can see the blue sky and its clouds more often... but does that make the descent... down to the ground, to earth, even more bitter? or better? there is little time to rest... a bench makes an appearance... but the emergence of a bicycle reminds us to move on.
there is really no motion or direction perceptible at times... or at least it becomes obscured, again and again... or do we eventually regain lucidity? maybe in small steps.
also the soundtrack to this movie project has changed. not just doomcore and slowcore techno stompers this time, no no. while there is no straight motion in the visuals (or in the physical steps), there is a clear progression in sounds, and circular once more. we start at dark drones and brooding ambient, industrial and techno beats come in, things get more noisy, more restless, fiery... until we return to silence... for now!
hope you enjoy this little movie project of ours.
let us recap the key concept of these movies again:
it's not just a surreal and abstract visual movie, but the soundtrack is intertwined with the graphic aspects. both fuse into a melange, a mixture. something new and interconnected!
Hardcore is a style that emerged at the turn of the 1980s into the 1990s within the dance and electronic underground. The entire evolution of the sound is not tied to one location. It was an international, global effort. In essence, the early hardcore techno scene already was a model of the "global village" concept, a few years before the real advent of wide-spread internet use. (And it sometimes amazes me how everyone could have stayed connected around earth, with just fax, phone, and early dial-up stuff in some cases).
So... let's take a look at the various locations of the this music scene, at a time when hardcore techno and gabber house was still young!
Note: No AI has been used when writing this text.
do you know more and obscure cities of hardcore? let us know!
Tracks used in this video (and the cities they represent) :
1. New York Doa - Nyc Speedcore
2. Paris Ingler - Trek
3. Hamburg (Germany) Nordcore GMBH - Hartcore City
4. Rotterdam Underground Nation of Rotterdam - X-911
5. The Hague The Illegal Alien - Frankfurt, this is the hague
6. Los Angeles Deadly Buda - esto es los angeles
7. Sydney Rage Reset - Resistance
8. Newcastle (Australia) Nasenbluten - Blows to the nose
Hello folks, Like most bandcamp fridays, I am gonna do a little coverage of the ongoing events again. Because, just like last time, releases were poured out en masse by the labels!
A reason to rejoice and to smile, and I want to take a deeper look at all that cool stuff (and the *hot* stuff too!)
Like last time, my focal point is mostly on electronic, techno, hardcore etc kind of... stuffz. Note: No AI has been used when writing these texts.
DrMacabre - The Macabre Excavation (Haunted House Records)
Holy Cow! What a release (one track on the release is literally called "Apocalypse Cow", btw). I'm certain most electronic fans know the label PCP and the head honchos Marc Acardipane, Miro, Slam Burt... and Dr Macabre was the sneaky french guy who was part of the main crew, too. So this is some legit music history here, as - nomen est omen - our lunatic from france dug up a lot of his past tracks and put it on this compilation. There are some sacred, sacred gems here. Like "Dimension of the doomed", his collab with Miro from PCP. Or "Boomstick" with the hilarious Evil Dead quotes ("and this is my.... boomstick"). But the creaming on top is that some bona fide *unreleased* tracks were put on this comp, too, by the french maestro!
Vilde Tuv is a norwegian artist that speaks with stones, sings like an angel, plays the flute, and drops some gabber beats. what could possibly go wrong? nothing went wrong. and these are some remixes by v.a. of her tracks. (sorry if the description is misleading. the gabba beats are mostly absent from this release and instead... it's a super cool mixture to be heard!)
Hecate - More Tales From The Crypt (Zhark International)
Hecate has been on a huge spree of re-releases lately. She named herself after the Greek Goddess of liminality, the underworld, witchcraft and long journeys (amongst other things) And I guess this describes the mood of these tracks very well. And "from death dub to breakcore and black metal" describes the style of these tracks very well.
Surprise release by the welsh brothers. "The unobserved observer..." oh sorry, my mind slipped into another topic of thought. But, well, no, it's actually a good take on the music here. music that has to be observed, music that has not been observed yet, sounds never seen... trippy, psychedelic, lush soundscapes. a piano plays in the distance and aliens escape through the Cardiff space-time rift nearby.
Mokum was an amsterdam label that filled the european dancefloors in the 90s. With dance and rave smashers like "techno head - i wanna be a hippy" or "party animals - hava naquila". And, unlike most of the 90s dance craze remnants, mokum is very much active, and not in a zombie state at all. Like the title says, this is a new compilation of happy dance gabba rave smashers, and that, according to the promo blurb, is "filled with brandnew blasters and a few remixed or remastered Mokum classixxx"
New flesh is slowly becoming my new favorite label. I guess it was named after the video drome quote, btw! This release is... techno? but very industrial, with electro. and, most importantly, some bad ass french rapping (yes, such things exist!)
Remember when Underground Resistance and Detroit was on a huge "Sun Ra" type trip? With all the references to alien communication, star trek, the rings of saturn, and such? This release reminds me a lot of that! but it does not copy, it just floats in the same river. Let's... call it space-techno!
Various Artists - Origo LP (Zodiak Commune / Same Size Soul)
Zodiak Commune Records is one of these labels that do not tie themselves up in one style. There is acid, techno, maybe even house... i guess this follows the "commune" idea, so to say. the common thread seems to be danceable, hard, dark, and high quality music in these releases. another style they dedicate themselves to is electro, and, oh boy, this new release is so good!
this is no cheese funk, really crunchy, cold, dark steel electro beats. also mixed with other styles, industrial sounds, minimalism, krautrock... a commune of sounds! good one.
Noice is a project by the crazy gabba-germans surrounding "the speed freak". It's a throwback, to their 90s output on labels with cutie names like "napalm records", "agent orange" or even "street trash alliance". Let's... call it nosebleed techno! for the total maniacs.
Harry Harrison was an author who gifted the world with stories like "soylent green", "bill the galactic hero", and one that was called "the final incoherent adventure!". and this would have been a fitting description of this track (or is it multiple "tracks" ? ) on this release, and a fitting end to our coverage.
because there is no coherence or linearity in this track. seemingly just a collection of noises, beats, and sounds. out of sync, for 16 minutes. and so do we end. the final.
Zodiak Commune Records is one of these labels that do not tie themselves up in one style. There is acid, techno, maybe even house... i guess this follows the "commune" idea, so to say. the common thread seems to be danceable, hard, dark, and high quality music in these releases. another style they dedicate themselves to is electro, and, oh boy, this new release is so good!
this is no cheese funk, really crunchy, cold, dark steel electro beats. also mixed with other styles, industrial sounds, minimalism, krautrock... a commune of sounds! good one.
Tracklist:
1. Signal 72 - B72 04:58 2. Bytecon - Hydraulic2 06:36 3. Spectrums Data Forces - 1livefil 05:12 4. X-Truder - Void Reflections 05:12 5. Zobol - Simulated Memory 06:26 6. 303 Vision - PW Acid 05:56 7. G303 - Like This 06:02 8. Nasty Boxes - Seeking for truth 06:02 9. Dergach - E Mission 04:12 10. 4TRIKS - Achtung Electro (Nasty Boxes remix) 04:12 11. JWNK - Core function 05:07
A respected commander in the anarchist army, Nevermind has been following recent orders to keep the citizens of Planet Speedcore entertained. Following his February EP release, Lt. Larry Nevermind followed with a DJ set on HCBX. Under threat of torture by the enemy, he has also revealed too many secrets in an exclusive interview. Listen for hidden clues and agendas in his latest release, reviewed here by GabberGirl:
Nevermind “Huffing Glue”
RTDFRaveradio Records
3 track EP- Release date February 2026
Huffing Glue = Starts super stompy, an industrial barrage of crunchy beats then surprise! Switches gears to a double time speedfest.
Punk Ass Bitch= Similar to Huffing Glue, starts halftime, then casually turns into speedcore when you are least expecting it. Nasty kicks, spacey woo-woo sounds, and nicely curated samples tie it all together.
The Zapper 400 = Exciting and intense, the crowning jewel of this EP. From quarter time to quadruple—this track has no limits. Just gotta hear it for yourself.
Dogs and bltches! We got some rolling grrrreat news for you! Remember the gabba techno track "Topp Dogg" by Topp Dogg? It was the 2nd official anthem for our very magazine. And now... it gets its own music video!
Heavily channeling the vibes of rave / hardcore videos from the 90s... cuts from parties, cyberpunk action, a journey to cyberspace, flying saucers pass by... everything you need!
But it got lots of spiffy new sparks, too! You know us... we won't get stuck in the vintage bin.
So, without further ado (but much "arooo!" - sorry, bad joke), here is the latest by the overdogs.
1. Back during the Covid pandemic in 2019-2020 we discovered Doomcore Records. We were searching for a place to release music under the first alias of Librarium (Zornus Maximus) which resulted in 4 releases under that alias. And also for new music styles for Bohemian to dj with. It was a great fit.
2. Our 10 favorite releases on Doomcore records and sublabels are the following:
Naos - 07 - June 2013 - Doomcore Records Murmuur - 43 - March 2017 - Doomcore Records Maël - The Night Eternal - September 2021 - Doomcore Records Bazer - The Giant - January 2022 - Doomcore Records Voldo - Nordmyt - August 2022 - Doomcore Records Undercurrent (aka Li-Z) -Method to my Madness - August 2025 - Omnicore Records Lunar Node - Opium EP - March 2024 - Slowcore Records Mekronikal - Alone In The Dark - October 2023 - Doomcore Records Lkpas - Sunlight Bar Lover - March 2022 - Slowcore Records MIRVcore - We Are The Ones That Dwell Within - October 2020 - Doomcore Records
3. Just keep on doing what Doomcore Records does best. Being a great platform and label showcasing new talent as well as veterans of dark electronic sounds.
4. What can you tell us about your releases on the label? (Motivation, background, production...)
It all started with the Zornus Maximus releases. 3 Doomcore-ish releases and a Dark ambient album. Which led to the birth of Holmur. Librarium’s ambient/drone & experimental Project. And also the first official Librarium & Bohemian projects. Whether it is solo releases or collaboration projects, We are both almost always very intertwined in our work and projects. We love doing music together. We are brothers in Music and by blood.
Schirin
1. When did you first hear about Doomcore Records? How did you get to know the label?
it was ten years ago, i don't have much memories left, but i looked it up in my files and i think the story was that i played at a party and a friend of a friend said you have to know low entropy and that's how it started
2. What is one of your favorite releases, artists, or tracks of Doomcore Records? And why?
AnTraxid - Akira that i found on "Shatterdoom - Oldschool Style Doomcore Compilation" it has the power to shift me out of dark disturbances thank you :-)
3. What "wish" / idea / suggestion do you have for the future of Doomcore Records?
never stop your path is the most diverse and authentic it makes so much sense to me
kaworu2801
1. I discovered the label thanks to James F and Pardonax. 2. I’m particularly a fan of the Speedcore and Terror releases! 3. For the future, I think more regular activity on your Facebook page would be great to help the label gain more visibility. Happy 13th anniversary!
Plinn1518
1 : I discovered Doomcore records around release number 8 ( points artwork ) I was searching Doomcore on the internet elsewhere than youtube for making dj sets in this style
2 : slowcore comp 01 ! Because it's like the birth of slowcore in real life haha
3 : wish :v/a vinyl (not dubplate )
Sigma8 / Gnosvled
I think around 2018 i listened to some releases for the first time, when i looked for doomcore at RYM. I found out about it again during 2021 with the "Rave Disciples" release, the tittle caught my attention.
Artifact by Ryuroido at the best of 2023 releases. Awesome track, it's intense and beautiful.
I would like to listen to more occultish stuff and maybe more experimentation with old sounds, lofi stabs and samples, that gives the vibes of something arcane.
I have released stuff that may not be as polished as more professional or experienced producers, but always with the aim of bringing something unique and/or forgotten to the table, within the realm of hardcore and related intense music styles.
GabberGirl
1. When did you first hear about Doomcore Records? How did you get to know the label?
I found out about Doomcore in the summer of 2023, when I was asked to make a mix for the Doomcore Records podcast. I didn’t know about doomcore as a genre, but was adding Doomcore Records releases to my DJ sets within a few months of the discovery.
2. What is one of your favorite releases, artists, or tracks of Doomcore Records? And why?
This is a tricky question as I don’t know the entire discography of Doomcore Records. I mostly know the releases since I discovered the label, 2023 and beyond. But I can confidently say that within the releases I know, my favorite album is “Stygian” by Origin of Styx. It’s beautifully haunting melodies, catchy beat patterns, and massive kicks define doomcore to me. I can relate to this music, and it is such an extensive album, with 24 tracks, there is something for everyone’s tastes. Additionally, the track titles are very amusing.
3. What "wish" / idea / suggestion do you have for the future of Doomcore Records?
What I would like to see for Doomcore Records and its subs is a continued pushing of boundaries and genre lines, as they are already leaders in that now. I am happy they don’t hide behind strict genre boundaries, and are willing to try new stuff. Taking on the experimental artist Disrrr and finding a home for that intensely mad music, for one good example. The world needs to hear Disrrr’s music, but how to present it as it doesn’t cleanly fit into any one category or genre.
1/ I heard about Doomcore Records through Soundcloud, don't really remember the year but i was by a track of Low Entropy posted on Soundcloud. At that time, like today, i was looking for some new artists in Doomcore, Hardcore ... and i found his track. So i looked at his page and the link for Doomcore Records and it was the discovery of this huge label , already with several albums in Free Download and new artists also to discover.
2/ The 11 by Ylion, that i released 2 tracks off on my label, on the vinyls Doomland and Doomland 2 with his alias Verminous Skumm I really like his style of Doomcore. But there are so many albums that i haven't had time to listen to everything yet so maybe i missed other good artists / tracks ?
3/ I don't really have ideas, just the suggestion to produce vinyls in limited edition maybe like 30 vinyls or 50
4/ I released 2 albums : The Lost Souls in 2020, that was the period when i was producing a lot of Hardcore / Doomcore / Darkcore tracks. So i 'm happy that Low Entropy gave me the chance to appear on his label, and Darkness Is Your Candle in 2021
Doomcore Records, what a huge motivation when i discovered it, a label who gave a chance to a lot of artists contrary to a lot of labels who accepted only artists with a solid background / experience.
And i 'm also a small label who refused some artists , because most of the time the albums are released on vinyls so i can't produce everybody - i don't have the money.
For me, it is important to give small artists like myself the chance to share my music on a renowned label and to be heard by enthusiasts who would never have heard it without the Doomcore Records label.
After that, I released other tracks on compilations/albums from the label, which I also enjoy, being alongside other talented artists. I have a lot of tracks never released in different styles because they are unfinished, that i keep some for my label and some for Doomcore Records and his sublabels. So i will be back, like the Terminator says.
A few weeks ago, I met up with doomcore and dark ambient producer Origin of Styx at a hardcore rave, and asked to interview him for the Hardcore Techno Overdogs online magazine. He agreed, but only if the driving energy of hardcore kicks could be audible, background beats to the recorded interview. I suggest you listen to the eleven-minute audio, but if you would rather read the transcript, see it below. Cheers! GabberGirl
GabberGirl: Okay! I’m here with Origin of Styx, at a hardcore party in Phoenix, Arizona, put on by the AZ Hardcore Junkies. I’m here to ask him a few questions. Origin of Styx, just to let you know, if you haven’t heard his music, its deep and atmospheric. I would say it’s beautiful and accessible and it’s probably, in my mind, the definition of doomcore. So, here he is. Why don’t you introduce yourself and say hello.
Origin of Styx: Hey ya, this is Ethan from Origin of Styx. I’m at the AZ Hardcore Junkies 30th Anniversary party right now. It’s a really great rave, probably one of the best raves I have been to in a long time. It’s got three stages, main stage with a lot of big name hardcore DJs, even coming in from Europe. We’ve got two techno buses here, one playing hardcore, and then the other strictly playing techno, from the Techno Snobs.
GG: So, do you want me to call you Ethan, or Origin?
OOS: Ethan.
GG: Okay, Ethan. I would like to understand how you came to doomcore, and like what your roots are with the specific kind of music you play these days, that you produce. Like how did you find doomcore, and what draws you to it?
OOS: Well, I first started listening to electronic music when I was around 12. I was first exposed to house, dubstep, with artists like Deadmau5 and Skrillex, which were really huge at the time. And then I went deeper down the rabbit hole of electronic music. Probably around like 2014, I started listening to more hardcore, eventually speedcore, and I just kept branching out and learning more about different genres.
You know, when I was in high school, I started having more health-related problems, actually, it got me more prone to feeling fatigued, feeling depressed, struggling with brain fog. So, I started listening to more darker styles of music. I found more comfort in darker styles. Previously, I had just listened to more mainstream house and techno, until the time I started listening to a lot of dark ambient.
I first started producing dark ambient when a rapper from Poland named Biniolynx messaged me on Soundcloud and said he wanted me to make the intro and the outro for one of his albums. So I said I wanted to do that for him but I didn’t have a name to release this kind of dark ambient music under so he recommended Origin of Styx, and that was where the name came from.
GG: Oh!
OOS: And around that time, I started listening to more hardcore, and I was exposed to doomcore when I realized that it’s pretty much the synthesis to techno, hardcore techno, and dark ambient.
GG: Thank you. So you’ve started a doomcore label yourself with your friend who I believe is in LA, and I believe it’s the first doomcore label in the United States of America. Can you tell me a little bit about that? Like the name of it, and how I could find it?
OOS: Yeah, we are the first US-based doomcore label. We have a Bandcamp page, I think its morosrecordings.bandcamp.com, or if you just search Moros on Bandcamp, you should find it.
It was created with my friend Hecatonchirus, a bit of a mouth full but if you search the label, you can find his music, my music, and we wanted an outlet for doomcore that was from the United States because we’re really, at the time, pretty much the only artists in the United States that were producing doomcore.
GG: Right on. So, tell me a little bit about your production style. Are you using actual instruments or are you focusing on a DAW, a D-A-W, or do you use both?
OOS: When I first started producing, when I was like 14, 15 years old, I made all my music digitally with a digital audio workstation (DAW). I started with a cracked copy of FL Studio 10, that was my first DAW. Then I started using Ableton, mostly like the Intro, or the “light” version, and at the time there was all digital, other than maybe some midi controllers that I would use to play the digital synths.
But then probably about two or three years ago, I started having more writer’s block with the DAW. I ended up expanding, I got a lot more DAWS. I started experimenting with Logic, Reason, Ableton more, Persona Studio One, and so I tried all these different DAWs, but I was still having a lot of writer’s block.
I started investing in buying electronic instruments. Synthesizers, drum machines, music sampler, mixers, stuff like that, and I found out that its a lot more enjoyable to actually be able to put my hand on a piece of hardware; be able to hear how turning a knob actually changes the sound, the way the synthesizer sounds. I found that to be a lot more interesting and I stuck with it, and it’s become somewhat of an addiction now, collecting all these synthesizers and collecting all these drum machines, and I’m recording them now into my DAW. So it’s a little bit of both, mostly analog but also a little digital.
GG: Right on. Do you have goals for your studio? Do you have any other synthesizers you are trying to get or do you think you have a complete studio at this point?
OOS: I have most of the things I need to make the kind of music I want to make. I recently got a music sampler, that was a key part of my studio. I also got a Drone synthesizer, like its my first semi-modular synthesizer. I think it might be cool to get a second modular synthesizer, and sync those two together, or also, there are kits online; one is called Microrack. (Search microrack.org online.) Its basically a build-it-yourself DIY analog modular synthesizer kit. I want to get that, learn more about modular synthesis.
Otherwise, there’s also a noise box. Kind of like an acoustic instrument, where you could pluck it and make different weird ambient noises.
Those are the only other instruments, really, otherwise I have everything I need to make the kinds of styles and genres I want to make.
GG: I feel like you already have all that just with your DAW because your album from, what was it, 2018, on Doomcore, was it from 2018?
OOS: The first record I put out on Doomcore Records was 2017.
GG: Oh, 2017. And what is it called?
OOS: I think its just 53, like the catalog number of the label.
GG: Well, what about the album that came out in 2023?
OOS: 2023 was Stygian, I believe.
GG: But you made that with a DAW, didn’t you?
OOS: I made all my music with a DAW up until July of 2024. Pretty much switched and made my music now, pretty much like 80 or 90% analog.
GG: Okay, so you grew up in the Phoenix area, correct?
OOS: [nods yes]
GG: Okay, so this is your rave scene. When did you join this scene? As a raver. I understand when you started making music and stuff. But were you already going to parties, when you were 14, 16?
OOS: I started learning about styles of dancing when I was 14, 15, actually earlier, when I was probably like 12 or 13, I learned first about Jumpstyle, and Shuffle. I’m really good now at Jumpstyle, but I can’t Shuffle at all, but I also kind of have my own kind of style, where I incorporate like Brisbane Stomp and Drum n Bass Step. So I started dancing when I was 14, 15, and then after finishing high school, when I was 18, I started attending more local hardcore techno raves which were mostly either in warehouses, or they were in deserts; underground desert raves.
GG: Oh wow.
OOS: The reason I started doing it that way was because at the time I couldn’t get into venues that served alcohol.
GG: Right.
OOS: Mostly bars, clubs, more things I started going to later, after I turned 21, I started attending a lot more Techno Snobs shows at the club, and I also started going to a lot more goth dance nights because there is a very active goth dance night scene here in Phoenix, with lots of bars, lots of clubs, hosting exclusively goth music, industrial music, and catering more to that kind of audience.
GG: Okay, how do you think the scene has changed or progressed in the past 15, 20 years?
OOS: It could be just because I am going to a lot more clubs, but I don’t think the desert rave scene is as active, but again, it could be just because I’m not looking for those anymore?
GG: Or maybe its cuz of Covid?
OOS: Yeah that was… Covid definitely… a lot of the desert raves have been happening less frequently when the Covid pandemic started. Because I was going pretty much every weekend or at least every other weekend, 2 or 3 times a month, back in like 2018 and 2019, before the Covid started.
GG: Okay. So you started raving in like the 2010’s?
OOS: I started raving, the first rave I went to was in 2018.
GG: Okay. Well, that concludes my questions at this point. Do you have anything to add, to this interview? Anything you want to let this audience know, about your music, your scene, or your goals?
OOS: I would say, just keep following my music, keep following my projects, look up originofstyx.com. and also shout out to the Techno Snobs, and shout out to the Arizona Hardcore Junkies for putting on such a great show tonight.
There is the rumor that the Industrial Strength sub IST had its initials as a stand-in for "Industrial Strength Trance". It's just a rumor. And after all, there were no releases on IST that belong to the "Trance" genre of electronic music. Industrial Strength artists *did* do Trance though; but it was a rare, rare, rare occasion. And this happens to be one of them. I guess, back then, IS wanted to test if they can "break through" in the Trance market, too - after conquering the Gabber world already. After all, many other "formerly" HC acts did the same - Hardsequencer, Charly & Theo, Interactive... just to name a few. And I can imagine these tracks on here ended up in quite a few Trance playlists.
Of course, the core of this release's content are the belligerent tracks "Sacrifice" and "Utopia". But even these have more "Trance-y" elements than usual. And then there are two more mellow mixes of these tracks. And, in all honesty, it sounds like the less aggressive tracks are the originals, and the gabber-maniac food is actually the remix.
Either way - it's an interesting entry in the Industrial Records catalogue all the way.
Tracklist:
Strychnine - The Utopia Project
A1 Utopia 5:28 A2 Utopia (Trance Mix) 5:32 B1 The Sacrafice 5:51 B2 The Sacrafice (Dissonant Energy Mix) 6:20
Praxis Records was one of the "big three" of Experimental Hardcore releases. But it was also widely recognized and respected in plenty of other scenes, such as Gabba, Breakcore, squat culture... drumnbass, techno... the list is endless!
Unlike most labels, projects or artists with "links to the past" that we review here, praxis is *not defunct*, but still very active. it does not just still put out records, but the crew is also involved in publishing a magazine (datacide) and running a record shop in berlin, and involved in overthrowing the capitalist system in an anarcho-communist techno-revolution.
but let's cut to the point. due to the large material and output of the label, we focus only on one segment here: it's 90s releases. which helped define plenty of the genres and culture we mentioned above (hardcore, breakcore...).
let's go!
Scaremonger - Scaremonger EP (Praxis 1)
*Very* interesting initial release by Praxis. Even though it's from 1992, it's almost "pre-techno" in sound - the drums, percussion closer to acid house, detroit, or new beat. If these sounds were made on a distant planet. In a different galaxy. On a different universe. Also quite hardcore! The "bang bang" beats blast pretty bold. The icing on the cake, of course, is the overarching theme of video drome on here.
Bourbonese Qualk - Knee Jerk Reaction EP (Praxis 2)
Praxis had a very different sound in the beginning, and compared with other qualk releases, this might even be the most "dancefloor" friendly. if terms like this are appropriate here, as the sounds are still very shrill and powerful.
Scaremonger - Soon We All Will Have Special Names (Praxis 1X)
more scaremongering, via remixes of the first praxis release. this goes all over the map, from 80s ebm type sounds, to proto-hardcore techno.
Bourbonese Qualk - Qual EP (Praxis 3)
Bourbonese Qualk actually began producing long before the advent of hardcore - or proper techno, even. on this release, you can still feel the anarchist diy spirit of early electronic days. that get channeled into the upcoming era of hardcore beats and dancing insanity.
Metatron - Speed And Politics EP (Praxis 4)
If there was a genre term called "left wing squat techno", then this would be its epitome. The tracks have the deep bass frequencies for huge sound systems within enclosed walls and basements. The semi-dry production as regards reverbs and fx; that fits to the same surroundings. Plus the focus on hypnotic and repetitive beats for pre- or post-riot allnighters.
the peak track is "men who hate the law". But I also like "state of emergency", as it is a bit slower than the rest.
Bourbonese Qualk - Autonomia (Praxis 5)
This release is a hidden gem, right at the beginning of the label's catalogue. lots of tracks and sounds. genre is "undefined" to most part, i hear influences and spirits of ebm, industrial, acid house, even a bit of the proto-plasma of psy-trance maybe... but, and this is noteworthy, there are some legit industrial hardcore tracks on here, and these are amongst the earliest tracks of that kind. and amongst the hardest.
Noface – Burnout EP (Praxis 6)
Very interesting early release by Noface aka Christoph Fringeli on his own label. It's mentionable that the drums (and tracks) are optimized for very low and loud bass systems. Like those in the UK squat and free party scene.
The tracks on the other hand could not be more varied. There is a kind of strange "dubcore", early Doomcore, fast acid, industrial hardcore... And the killer track for me is "Love or Kill". Cyberdelic bleeps and totally insane, non-traditional drum structures.
Disciples Of Belial - Songs Of Praise (Praxis 7)
A very interesting release in the early days of what we now call "Hardcore" and "Gabber". The man behind it used to be a black metal musician, and after his electronic period, found success in that genre again. So one might expect a kind of "blackened gabber" release here, and, in concept it might be, but not really in sound. Because in sound it's very close to the rotterdam and amsterdam counterparts of its time. "Bang bang" 909s, four-to-the-floor rhythms, sequencer logic. But there are no funky hoovers, silly squeaky vocals, MCs shouting "clap your hands" and all the other shenanigans that were so typical for "Rotterdam Gabber". They have been replaced by sounds of screaming machines, klaxons, and general noise.
Of course, at much later years, we had artists that did all-out speedcore bpms, chaos without rhythm and rhyme. But this one *still* has structure, yet the structure is already caving in and breaking down.
And this is exactly what makes this releae so interesting: it almost sits in the middle of the road from "dance-gabber" to infernal speedcore. that doesn't mean it's necessarily "both" at the same time: it's hardcore techno with a zany, mental, hellish twist. and we like that!
Metatron - Seduction EP (Praxis 8)
for me, this release is a spiritual brainchild to both the preceding metatron release, and noface's "burnout". the sound continues in their direction, and if you are in need for a sequel (which you should be!), then check this vinyl as well.
DJ Jackal - Drumtrax (Praxis 9)
PIL once stated "this is what you want, this is what you get". and it's true for this record; it promises "drumtrax", and drum tracks you get. tracks that focus almost exclusively on rough drum, strange rhytms, earth shaking grooves, and rumbling basses. in the praxis way.
Various Artists - Paraphysical Cybertronics (Volume One: The Experiments Of Bloor Schleppy) (Praxis 10 CD)
Compilation by Praxis Records, which is, as you know the pioneer label for experimental Hardcore and, later, Breakcore. We are told that these are the "paraphysical" and "cybertronic" experiments of Bloor Schleppy. An undisclosed character, and neither on this, or later releases, we do learn who he actually is or was.
Under-rated EP. "corridors" and "blista" are industrial hardcore bangers. (when industrial hardcore was still fast!) but even more interesting is "homage". kinda like polygon window / lory d / mover soundscapes are disrupted by slowcore beats.
DJ Yubba / Deviant – World's Fattest Split (Praxis 12)
this is definitely the odd one out on praxis. a release featuring hardcore that feels more brawny than brainy.
but this is not a bad thing. as the liner notes indicate "If this doesn't get you yubbaring, then you're no yabba!"
Lorenz Attractor - Strange Attractor EP (Praxis 13)
Something i mentioned before is that "blackened death metal" musician jason mendonca happened to do a frantic hardcore-gabba EP on this label. and in an even weirder twist of things, he also was involved in the production of this ep. and it happens to be a true blue doomcore techno EP. one of the first of its kinds. heavy, dark stuff.
there are also two more experimental tracks, "raw toy" and "the suffering of kabul".
Deadly Buda – Morph Beat Vol.I (Praxis 14)
I reckon this is one of the first EPs by deadly buda, or productions even. buda always had a very interesting style, different from most other producers. lot's of samples from various genres, thrown and cut together, layered, punctured... i guess this is an influence from rap / hip hop and its traditions of scratching and mashing things from the most diverse sources... either way, this machine kills!
Cyberchrist – Information : Revolution (Praxis 16)
imho cyberchrist always was one of "the speed freak"'s most interesting projects. and this 12" is outstanding, too. yeah, there are some killer terror-gabba tracks at the start of each side. highly recommended. but then... the second tracks.
there is a completely arhythmic hardcore/industrial track on side A. loud, and very minimalistic / futuristic at the same time. imagine Schwarzenegger, in his role as the terminator, turning into a b-boy, then firing the gun in every direction, and then doing the same while breaking into a funky dance.
now side b... an ambient composition... with heavy use of frequency-modulation synthesis (martin damm was always quite good at that). like a nightmare while your sub sinks down, down to 20.000 leagues under the sea. then you wake up from the nightmare. and are still trapped in this sub.
Disciples Of Belial – Goat Of Mendes E.P. (Praxis 17)
"the goat of mendes" is a cult classic to some gabber fans. in my opinion it's topped by dob's preceding release, "songs of praise". but, it's still high quality, and good, true industrial hardcore is a rarity to come by, and this 12" does not disappoint in that regard.
the real interesting track / song on this ep is the one about mary. real oldschool, lo-fi death / black metal on a hc tech vinyl. it must be a miracle!
Somatic Responses – Post-Organic EP (Praxis 18)
it's somatix! this release happened when they were on the fringes of developing an own, new style. like it was featured on later albums on hymen or ant-zen. but this one here, oh it's still rooted in the "kill em all!" style of hardcore-gabba-terror of the 90s. more cerebral, more... "metallic", though. and the later experimentalism is already peaking in. but maybe... this makes it all the more lethal!
very under-apreciated release on praxis that shows the label at one of its highpoints. really smart, really clever electronic hardcore and acid or experimental music. if your friends think "hardcore techno" would necessary equal "gabba gabba hey!" sillyness, play this record to them.
this happened around the time praxis transitioned into more of a breakcore direction. this release is kinda inbetween, it's half 4/4 "hardcore" and other half is breakcore in sound. and this is a nice twist, ain't it?
Test Tube Kid – H (Praxis 22)
in my opinion, catani had the "e-de cologne" alias for his "gabba!" output, ec8or for digital hardcore songs, eradicator for underground squat terror-hardcore, and this one... uhm i'd say it goes in the direction of eradicator, but maybe even a bit more experimental. test tube kid, nomen est omen. this ep stands out as no track on here sounds like the other. "promars" is probably the one you know from your local underground dancefloor. my favs are "marchine" though... and "h" !
Various Artists - Dead By Dawn (Praxis 23)
"Dead by Dawn" was a series of "satanic speedcore parties" (according to the flyer) in a squat in london, in the 90s. the very squat was actually quite famous and pops up in anarchist history books. this LP was made to accompany or celebrate these parties, and, as far as i know, only artists who played at the parties are represented on here.
the tracklist looks like the "who is who" of dangerous electronic underground in the 90s. tracks range from harsh / gabba, to more intelligent or experimental products; or tracks that are all at once. like the final one, "the fire is the centre", which is also my favorite track here.
Society Of Unknowns – Society Of Unknowns (Praxis 24)
collab between christoph fringeli and jason skeet. (and aphasic) this is one of the earlier breakcore releases... and you can feel that the style was without a "solid framework" yet. "transversal" is quite close to traditional jungle... while others use distorted, "hardcore" type drums.
i love this one because there is an interesting source of sounds aka samples... musique concrete, contemporay avantgarde from the past... this is more like an intellectual, auteur mode of breakcore... not some rave/drug fueled low blow stuff.
and the main, sweet, wonderful piece for me is "dead by dawn" - the endless mix.
it's neither breakcore, nor hardcore, or in any genre really. one of a kind. ...like a sound collage, washing over you, voices and despair in the echoes... something remiscient to steel works or a bell... and lower bass frequencies, too, yeah.
looping on and on. listen to and maybe you will feel the same way.
Potere Occulto - Potere Occulto (Praxis 25)
the long awaited collaboration between the chiefs of ghostly idm and the head honcho of experimental hardcore. i don't know how long this has been in the making, but if i recall correctly it was around 4-5 years before it finally got released. given the hadean and wild nature of all 3 producers involved, the results are as good and positively-terrifying as one might expect. stand out track for me is "Mynydd Ddu", which exchanges the usual juno-like synths of the somatix with something that sounds like the wailing of cerberus.
Pure – King Kong Pt. 2 / Katharsis (Praxis 26)
pure is / was one half the infamous techno-gabba project "ilsa gold". he does not give us xtc-driven rave madness on here, the whole thing is more cerebral, introverted and - hard & disturbing. my fav pick is the flip side: "katharsis". a track that hammers on with its speedcore beats for close to 7 minutes.
Base Force One – Welcome To Violence (Praxis 27)
the ep that set new standards for the (back then still very) young breakcore movement. there are also two speedcore-smashers included. and phuturist has a surprising, piercing industrial slowcore sequence. maybe my favorite thing on here.
oh, and the whole ep is based on the "faster, pussycat! kill! kill!" movie (not related to the tom jones song).
Bambule – Vertical Invasion (Praxis 29)
interesting second release by bambule. at the meeting point of idm, breakcore... and general weird experiments!
Eiterherd – 1984 Vs. 1999 (Vision Vs. Reality) (Praxis 30)
to say this release was a breakcore manifesto would not be an under-statement. as its tied in to political and insurrectionary concepts. the front cover art features a printed-out pgp key for electronic communication. the back cover provides further links for the (hopefully) revolutionary listeners. like a list of websites dedicated to politics, cryptography, information... (i guess most of them are defunct by now, though.)
the music itself is just as revolutionary. the whole concept is, of course, the question: do we already live in a world that is as authoritarian and dystopian as it was envisioned in orwell's novel "1984"?
so there are lots of samples cut from the german dub of the 1984 movie used in the tracks.
which makes everything even more powerful and deep.
16-17 - Mechanophobia (Praxis 31)
another project on praxis, that was already very active before the dawn of techno and hardcore. 16-17 already released on the praxis pre-cursor vision before. and on here, they give us early breakcore that seems to be influenced in equal parts by avant-garde industrialism and deranged free jazz.
Hecate - Hate Cats E.P. (Praxis 32)
still one of hecate's finest, maybe even hardest EPs. also one of the best and wildest early breakcore vinyl overall. especially look out for "caught up". some of the most haunted, chthonic soundscapes i ever heard!
Nomex - Trocante Gramofony E.P. (Praxis 33)
praxis' output was always the most varied; of course. so here is something completely different, a pure harsh noize / experimental ep. it's more heady than, say, merzbow or masonna, but cuts just as deep. check this track: "the fire is the centre" (a noizy re-make of the "dead by dawn" track by the jackal?).
