Psychedelic audio and frequency research radio broadcast happening in Hackney, London at the date of the fall equinox

There is a broadcast on a London based radio station tomorrow, that will also deal with psychedelic audio research. And it is related to electronic music! As part of the Nkisi show.

Here is the official info text of the broadcast:

Low Entropy is a producer that spent decades on psychedelic audio and frequency research.
Similar to the scientific study of psychedelic substances, which began in the 1950s amongst the american neuroscientist community and quickly fizzled out after the "nixon-shock" in the early 70s, the primary goal of these studies is to research the psychedelic properties of sound, frequencies, music, harmonies, genres, and their abilities to put the human mind into a state of trance or "ecstasy", including deep meditative states.
Connected to this is the question of how these sonically induced states of trance could be used for healing mental issues or traumatic experiences, or generally improve a person's mental health.
Another field is the question of whether the psychedelic aspect of religious or shamanistic experiences, which is a constant in all human cultures and history, can be "accessed" through the use of special sounds and frequencies as well.

This continuous "mix set" is the result of a field study where Low Entropy put himself into states of deep trance during music production, then recorded these sounds while having an experience that could best be described as "being outside one's mind".

Space and time:

Nkisi

https://www.nts.live/
23.09.2026 22:00 Hackney Time
That's 23:00 German Time
5 PM New York Time (on the day before)
4 AM Tokyo Time

Tracklisting:

1. Slowcore Voodoo Priests - VooDoom
2. The Ancients of Pluto - Second Transmission (Titan Reflections)
3. The Hardcore Overdogs - Ritual of Rave (One-2-Three)
4. Low Entropy - Frequency Whales
5. Low Entropy - Tierra del Fuego (Heavy)
6. The Haunted League - Drone from Ganymede
7. Godfather Death - Drum Test (Model 8)
8. The Hardcore Overdogs - Anthem Part VII (Arena of Doom)
9. Fight for your Right - La Revolución del Sexo
10. Topp Dogg feat. Wolfvoice - Hakken with Wolves
11. Pluto Transit - Scorpio Nox
12. Low Entropy - Acidcore Pleasure Release
13. Meta-Morph - Musical Stairs

The forgotten most important German Techno label: Force Inc. Music Works

I remember seeing a documentary on the 70s New York City punk scene, CBGBs that kind of thing, on TV.
One of the guys involved said: "those who do something first in music, the true pioneers, never get any fame, recognition, or money." (paraphrased)
And, yes, it seems this is true, more often than not.
And if we move from the New York City punk world to the Techno and Dance culture in the 90s, and to germany, more specifically, I know one project that fits the bill quite exactly.

I am talking about Force Inc Music Works here. The label was created by Achim Szepanski in the early 90s. I don't know much about him, but it seems the label was not so much seen as a commercial enterprise, but as a communist / socialist experiment. He was also influenced by Gilles Deleuze and post-modernism (More on this later).

This description might hint at the fact that the label occupied a place that was in the more intellectual / avantgarde territory of the Techno behemoth. It's maybe ironic (or post-ironic) that the label turned out to be hugely influential in creating some of the most "bodily", dancefloor-extremist genres of electronic music or techno in a wider sense: Hardcore-Gabber and Breakcore.
More on this later.

The alumni and maestri that found a host in this label, include Khan, who, amongst other things, did a collab project with Julee Cruise (from the twin peaks tv show!), or released a breakcore mash up album by alec empire and "elvis presley"... that also found its way into the museum of modern art.

khan is the brother of Cem Oral, who was well known as being one part of Air Liquides, these poster boys of "intelligent electronica" music in the 90s.
the other half happened to be ingmar koch. that guy also did some great acid and other stuff as Dr. Walker. and can claim to be the great grandnephew of the literal Friedrich Engels! (i guess the socialist connection runs deep?)

there is also Thomas Gerlach, who later hit the mainstream euro charts, and the worldwide dance charts. with his "DJ Tonka" project. also did some collabs with ian pooley: they had some real rave hits with their alias space cube. (and ian, of course, had excellent single releases).

i mentioned alec empire already. he also had the majority of his early releases on force inc and its sublabels.
a lot of the tracks he started digital hardcore recordings with, were tracks that, during inception, were still aimed at force inc.
(oh, if you don't know alec... front man of atari teenage riot. merzbow, trent reznor and bjork were his fanboys / girls).

and, because of this, the creation of the breakcore music genre, happened on force inc, too. with the release of "tötenposse rides out" by, can you guess it? alec empire in 1992.

now that we are finally in hardcore territory, the label had some really good early gabber tracks and releases... many times these were produced by martin damm aka the speed freak or biochip c. (damm himself later created labels with names like "napalm", "agent orange", or "speedcore records", so you might guess what to expect there. he also earned some gold certified record awards by the music industry, for his euro-house tunes.)

there was even a hardcore sublabel to force inc, called communism records (the connection runs deep, eh?).
some of the first ultra speedcore tracks of the 90s, with beats that went faster than 400 bpm, were (indirectly) connected to this label.

on a complete site note, do you know the famous "techoviking" meme? this was shot at an annual "techno" parade in berlin, called the ****parade, which still takes places in berlin, every year during summer.
and force inc was very substantial for getting this whole thing off the ground. by providing a float, DJs, and a very (very!) loud sound system at the first edition of this party parade. without the label, all this might never happened...

then, on the topic of subs... there was also "mille plateaux". which might be the one with the most lasting fame.
it's named after a concept by gilles deleuze apparently (see, thats one of the points where post modernism ties in).
how should i, how could i describe this label... ? there is not much techno about at all anymore... really experimental, strange / abstract stuff.

alec empire had his best ambient albums on there... yet there also idm, noize, industrial... well, listen for yourself!

i feel there is very little in the history books of techno and music on this label these days. those "who are in the know", might know it, but who else?
and if it is mentioned, this is more in the way of... "another label in the 90s that had some very very good releases". which is true to the point. but there is more to it, it's a label that changed entire genres and subgenres! that is interconnected in a huge network of artists and musicians, that went far beyond techno (or even electronics).

so, let us take a moment, to look back at it, and then keep it in mind.

The label on discogs:

https://www.discogs.com/label/269-Force-Inc-Music-Works
https://www.discogs.com/label/270-Mille-Plateaux
https://www.discogs.com/label/3844-Communism-Records
https://www.discogs.com/label/3845-Riot-Beats

Oh, and by the way: what are your favorite releases from the labels or the sublabels?

Anthem Part III - now with a video

The Hardcore Techno Overdogs Anthem Part III Music Video #gabber #oldschool #darkcore #rave #wild

Good morning dogs and itches!

We got something very very exciting for you. And it is the new music video to The Hardcore Techno Overdogs Anthem part III.
The Hardcore Overdogs is a an electronic online magazine, an "E-Zine for great and / or underrated Hardcore Techno past and present!".
And this is its third anthem, to promote the mag.
Style is a bit like oldschool gabber, fast doomcore... dark hardcore and gabber beats!

So check... The Hardcore Overdogs!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4ywX9cIw1sI

When Trance, House and Hardcore were still one thing... 11 reviews from Germany's obscure Techno past

People sometimes fail to realize that a lot of Techno genres that now seem to be very distinct and separate from each other, used to be part of one whole "Techno" movement, culture and scene.
I mean, yeah, there is not much crossover between styles like soulful house and terror-speedcore, or drum'n'bass and acid techno, right? Or IDM and the trance revival.

But, in the early 90s, DJs at a Techno party or rave, would start their set with house or downtempo maybe, then drop some acid and faster techno, maybe some breakbeat stuff from UK, one or two aphex twin tunes, only to end with 180+ bpm Hardcore and Gabber. Don't believe me? Check this set by DJ Marusha at the German Mayday 1994 rave, for example.

Of course, each Raver had their personal preference... some liked harder and darker some, some liked more light things... or maybe more funky tunes. Some probably detested 1-2 styles, totally.

But it was one big big youth movement in the end. We partied together, we danced together, we went into bliss, and then chilled out together. It was not like there were "trancers" on one side and "gabbers" on the other. or "housers" on one side and "acid heads". At least not yet!

And because of this, a lot of the early releases that came from the Techno movement, let's say 1988-1994 at least, were not really in one style, they had multiple styles on the vinyl. Maybe an ambient track as A1, then A2 and B1 is techno, and B2 is gabba. The same goes for artists and labels in that time.

And this means there are often releases, on labels that are more known for techno, trance, "dance", that are totally hardcore, or have 1 or 2 extreme hardcore track(s) on it, and noone would have expected that!

Something for the true diggers and train (track!) spotters.

Especially the early German scene is a true treasure trove for that.

And that's why I will now look at 11 releases... that are just like that!

Influid III - Ladyshaver Non-EP (Influence Recordings IR 023-12)

This release is quite the treat! It's on Influence Recordings, which was started by Talla 2XLC.
In the "music history" books, Talla is usually considered as one of the two original sources that came up with the term Techno. Detroit in USA on one hand, for their Underground Resistance etc type stuff. While a few years earlier, Talla invented the term Techno for dark, groovy electronic music (which at that time was still close to EBM, New Wave, etc).

Influid themselves were a duo that also released music using akas like Komakino and Final Fantasy. I think they even went into the charts with some of their hard trance stuff.

"We're Always Behind You" is a trancecore / ravecore classic. It is very, very, very good!
The flipside, "The Destroyer", might be even more interesting, though. The info says "1.2 Million BPM Mix". And thats what it is. Starts slow, then goes up to 1 million bpm and more.
It has been released in 1994 already, so i guess this one is one of the first true "ultra speedcore extratone" tracks.

Mutter, Es Geht Um Geschwindigkeit - Mutter, Es Geht Um Geschwindigkeit (IMR-Records - imr007cd)

Isn't this one of the best cover artworks for a release, ever?
I don't know a release date, but judging by the style, and as the label faltered in 1994, I guess it was somewhere in 1993-1994.

The style is very interesting, oldschool hardcore and gabber. very "german" in a sense, like c tank or mono tone a bit maybe... but also with elements of hardtrance and rave... really rough and groovy!

Distortion - Serious Things (Influence Recordings - IR 003-12)

Frantic Thigh is a contender for the first really fat gabber 909 kick in music history!
The other tracks are nice and evil techno.

God's Groove - Prayer Three / Four (Black Flame - 44110)

What an obscure and precious gem! Prayer Three reminds me of UK Trance around that year..
but the real banger is "Prayer Four". How to describe it? A bit like pailhead style EBM, ultrasonic, there's a gabber drum, basslines, metal guitars...
Almost reminds me of KLF's vision for the 'black album' (and this one is released on a label called black flame, after all).

I don't know much about this project, but this release is a killer.

Pleasure - We Are Not Saved (Labworks Germany - LAB 47)

DJ ESP makes an appearance on labworks. bad acid? no such thing, on this record. the killer track for me here is "flying open". one of the toughest techno drums ever!

Plutone - Dream Sequence (White Label - WL 107)

Whoa, mate! this is from 1992? definitely ahead of its time. noise and industrial elements, more like later speedcore or "industrial hardcore" productions. or like musique concrete, even.
still, some rave-y and trance elements make an appearance. which is a most welcome touch.

Baphomet - The Force (Trigger - TR 010)

duuude... this one is big! very big production, there is acid, lines, techno drums, choirs are singing... also has a phuture / doomcore feel, also a bit of psytrance and ebm maybe... wonderful!
makes me feel like i am listening to a techno ritual in a giant cave underneath
earth.

Son Of A Bitch - Polio 800 E.P. (Hellrazor Records - HR 001-12)

Hellrazor was started by Andy Düx, who was also involved in Overdrive Records, which already had a lot of Hardcore releases. But Hellrazor seems to be even one notch... more insane & hard.
This release is by Thomas Elers, who was a true Hardcore and Acid powerhouse in the early 90s, or maybe we can call this style "acid gabber".
The style itself reminds me a bit of e-de cologne (who actually samples some of elers tracks!), like, it's completely chaotic, and deranged sounds are flying at you from every side really.
Elers has a more analogue feel, of course.

Even for today's standards in Hardcore, Speedcore and Noize... this record is still damn tough!

Sorcerer - My Four Seasons E.P. (Hellrazor Records - HR 001-12)

if there is one artist who had a really (really!) interesting trajectory, it's oliver kirwa. He was a coder on the commodore 64 computer. he won a reader's contest for the german "happy computer" mag - he wrote the "video game of the month" for them!
he also did video game music for other games. and then he turned into a techno and gabber producer.

"sorcerer - summer" is well known from a lot of 90s gabber compilations. one of the first tracks with really really, fast speedcore beats. and generally, some of the hardest stuffs ever.
but the other tracks are gabber-great as well.
i am especially into "winter", which also has some trancecore / rave pads and sounds.

Parrot Torture - Parrot Torture E.P. (Communism Records - COM 1)

Wow! I never would have thought that Thomas P. Heckmann could get that hard.
You probably know him from trax like Drax - Amphetamine or Phosphene.
These were big trance hits of the 90s.
but this one is gabba gabba all the way. not the cheesy post-1994 hardcore, of course.
minimal, brutalist, 909 kicks, percussion, and acid!

Alien Factory - Tell Death You Don't Wanna Die! (Generator Records - GEN 9112-12)

Do you know a style called "rave techno" ? which is an umbrella for the harder edge of rave, house, dance culture from the late 80s to early 90s... before the real gabber-craze took over, basically.
and this is the hardest edge of that spectrum, in my opinion. the basses are super deep and hard, we got screams, shouts, there are metal and guitar-like noises.
but still, one could imagine a dance club in nyc or antwerp to this. it is still "groovy" and has the funk, so to say.

Alien Factory later had some huge trance hits like "destiny" or "get the future started". but this is a great early release.

Do you have any own favorites in german hardcore 1990-1994? let me know!

Toxic Sickness, Darklords 2, Bdacid, and the Dark Arts of September

TOXIC SICKNESS RADIO OFFICIAL · BDACID / THE DARK ARTS #47 ON TOXIC SICKNESS / SEPTEMBER / 2026 / DARKLORDS 2 COMPILATION SPECIAL

What sounds like a horror movie title, actually means that Toxic Sickness aired a mix in September that is purely made up of tracks from the new Darklords 2 compilation.

Read more about the compilation here:

The mix is 100% Doomcore Techno for start to finish. So, if you are planning to jog through a dark forest, and maybe are interested to take a haunted train ride, and need something to feed your mind through the ear buds, get this mix, turn it on, and off we go!

Tracklist:

1. Shadowfiend DN - Die Seance
2. Mental Fear Productions - Black Hole
3. Der Cherep - The Hundred-Hander Stairs
4. BadCarma - Das Fitzen Glockenspiel
5. Industrial Demon - Soul Reaver 2
6. Doom HK - Viking Ritual
7. Silent Humanity - Make Believe
8. Tonal Verges - Elagabal
9. The Slaughter - Into Our Doom 2
10. Joshua & Cyrilen - Yoggs Revenge (voix celeste doom remix)
11. Primitik - Fear
12. Succubus Helna - Prometheus
13. Fifth Era - EYDL
14. The Darkcreator - Synthetic World
15. Bdacid - Devil Of Darkness
16. Desolation & Frakass - Broken Memory
17. Low Entropy - Doomed For All Eternity
18. AnTraxid - Damien
19. James F - Teared The Flesh
20. The Antagonist - Lost Minds
21. Librarium - Dying Star

https://soundcloud.com/toxic-sickness/bdacid-september-2026

When UK's free party Spiral Tribe went really, really Hardcore (Reviews of 11 releases)

There was a very funny skit on British TV, when Trigger Happy's Dom Joly pranked innocent english citizens and neighbours by dressing up like a freak, then announcing to them "I am from spiral tribe". Spoken in a very cockney type way, I assume. More like: "Ay uuum froom spooral traib".
And then indicating that the neighbour hood will be left in shambles after the upcoming free party reveling that is about to go down regularly, now that the Spiral Tribe has moved in.
Anyway, I am completely off the road, because I now want to get to something completely different.

I don't need to tell you what the Spiral Tribe is, and I am certain you know some of their releases. I don't think any other collective was so influential in inventing the free tekno / teknival sound (and thing).
But if you dive deep into their back catalogue and network, you will see that they also did some real Hardcore Techno type things.

And that is really, really interesting to me, because it's not just free party sounds, with a harder or even gabber type beat on top. No, no, it's a real original brand of Hardcore, it's like uhm... take the harder 90s hardcore and hard noize from cologne, or new york, or the london underground... and yeah, it's even more strange and psy-chotic in some way. Like a bizarre derivative of acid and core and gabber... uhm. You check it, and you will know it (I hope).

So here is a look at least 11 releases!
They are either on a label, or by a person related to the Spiral Tribe.

Note: No AI has been used when writing this text.

Automanic and Person Unknown - Criminal (Rabbit City Records - Cut 019)

I suppose this is one of the Spiral Tribe related releases that is closest to Dutch Gabber.
Pitched up rap type samples, manic hoovers. But also more insane, and with influences of acid and free tekno, of course.

Spiral Tribe / Person Unknown - Black Plastik (Network23 - Spiral 001)

I guess this is the first record I heard where I realized the Spiral Tribe makes bona fide Hardcore Techno, too!
The track to go for (at least for me) is A2. Very simplistic, just a drum and the same acid note repeated for minutes on and on. A bit similar to unit moebius - zipper maybe, but faster. And so hypnotic, in a dark and twisted way!

SP 23 / Unit Moebius - (Out Of The Blue Blue Attack Records - 123)

One of the "hardest sh*ts" both Spiral Tribe and Unit Moebius ever did.
A2 reminds me a bit of the Gabber-compilation classic "Network 23", but it's different.
Zipper by U.M. is also a true classic of a track (I mentioned it above already). Acidcore, very minimal. There is just a drum and an acidline and not much else going on, also very slow. But the track "slaps like a wolf", so to say.

Spiral Tribe Sound System - Sirius 23 (Butterfly Records - BFLT4)

"Going all the way" is the go-to track for me here (pun intended).
First heard it on the Technohead 3 compilation, which was a widely released Techno-Hardcore CD comp.
Has a gabber type beat, that "misses" every 3rd and 4th beat. Instead there is a low bass rumble, and it might not sound much on home speakers (even less on head phones or ear buds), but I assure you, if you hear these sub bass frequencies on a field in the countryside, ran through a sound system with a zegallion of watts, pop! goes your head.

69db / Person Unknown / Warlock - Unknown Source (Network23 - NTW-23-18)

track a1 like... what... what the fudge? i was completely blown away when i first heard it, and still am.
nasty, mental, insane... these frequencies kill! one of my all time fav "hard" electronic tracks.

Somatic Responses / Caustic Visions - Malignant Earth (Network23 - NTW 23-29)

One of the most interesting releases on Spiral Tribe's own label.
The tracks by Somatic Responses sound as if they were not made by a human, but by Klatuu from the movie "The day the earth stood still" (original black and white version, please, not the one with keanu reeves) while under the influence of strange fungi.
the caustic side hammers on, too. literally, as it has the sound of hammers hitting on metal.

Various - Pure Pirate (Network23 - Stormcore 666)

Cat number "Stormcore 666" might indicate what to expect, right?
This release is a bit like the turnstyle between the free tekno scene and the wider experimental hardcore underground and noisecore of the later part of the 1990s decade...
My fav will always be "pure pirate".
This track was up at the legendary internet forum / website "Circuit 8 com" (really legendary!) and I used to listen to it there, for ages, on repeat.

Les Boucles Etranges - Untitled (Network23 - Isotop 1)

Uhm yeah... I guess this is a good example of the whole "free party" spin on Techno and Hardcore, or at least the early free party scene that was likely more dangerous and savage. Especially the low frequencies on here, that demand a loud sound system, or you will not really feel the effect, my friend!

There seems to be a warning on here, in french, that says the frequencies might be hazardous for the "radioactive" people... i dont have a dictionary nearby, but i guess you can catch the meaning... and my drift!

SP 23 - Untitled (Rabbit City Records - 011)

The "Network 23" track, who doesn't know it? Even the dutch gabbers knew (or know), because it was on the famous compilations (as mentioned above, btw).
This bass has been sampled in many later tracks, and, oddly enough, the "spiral tribe" vocoder type voice found it's way to the "void sector" release on ruffneck records... which became another classic!
The "this is network 23" spoken piece itself is famously nicked from the british "Max Headroom" TV show (... or was it in the movie...?)

Various - Hidden Resistance (Network23 - Stormcore 5)

I assume most people would go for the micropoint side, and i must agree, that stuff is really good.
but please also listen to christoph fringeli's share of the thing.
this was released when he and praxis were about to go "full breakcore", but it's still with repetitive hardcore beats and all, and i guess these are some of the last tracks he did in that style... or anyone else did, really, as it's quite unique!

Listening suggestion: Outland

Base Mobile & SP 23 - Expekt The Unxpekted (Network23 - Explore Toi 08)

another classic free techno release that is more on the hardcore side of things.
if memory serves me right, i listened to the "respect to the hardcore" tune in quite some mix sets.
a1 is spiffy as well, with the "slower" drums, that give off a bit of a deeper bass punch.

Person Unknown - Potential Hazard (Network23 - PH 1)

a real, true hardcore one. actually brings up e-de cologne or ec8or in my mind. with the cuts between jungle breaks, sounds, gabba drums... but with a more "analogue" sound!

Another noteworthy track to check out is the track "Berlin HC Nite" on the Capital Noise compilation.

What are your favorite Spiral Tribe releases? And which ones are the most "Hardcore"?
Let me know :-)

Off-Charts: Is it future or is it past?

We're running a new feature: "Off-lists"

Paper fanzines were filled with charts; some DJs turned their charts into lists such as "10 favorite Dutch Gabber tracks".

Features in zines often also have additional lists such as "9 anime related Hardcore tracks".

We wanna build on both these currents; but, with these "Off-Lists" we will focus on themes and motifs that are more out-there, abstract, off-the-center. Exploring aspects and ideas that are rarely highlighted when people talk, think, or write about Hardcore.

It's no secret that techno and hardcore producers have a sweet tooth for future sounds - see here.
But also going to the past is possibility, or a fascination with time in general.
Why is this so?
Not sure.

Maybe time is just magic!

So here are 25 tunes related to the ticking of time. Not just hardcore, but electronic and other genres, too.

1. Temper Tantrum - Year 4010
2. Lory D - We are in the Future EP
3. The Mover - Time Traveler
4. Countdown FFM - V
5. Reign - Time Machine 

6. E-de Cologne - 5 Years on Gabba
7. Base Force One - Phuturist
8. Meta Morph - Through the Darkness of Future Past
9. Future Shock - Let it hit on
10. Justified Ancients of Mu Mu - What Time is Love (original) 

11. Nostrum - Immaculate (Time unlimited) 
12. Angelo Badalamenti - Moving through Time
13. Syrius 23 - Dark Age Survivor
14. Tangerine Dream - Zeit
15. Infernos Bros - Slaves to the rave (first rave age mix)

16. Marc Acardipane - Remember the Phuture 
17. DJ Rob - Love Time
18. Lenny Dee v DJ Edge - Silence of Eternity
19. Formic Acid - Eternia
20. Cyborg Unknown - Year 2001 (from the beginning)

21. Guru Josh - Infinity 
22. Cosmic Baby - Loops of Infinity
23. Profound - 4 O clock
24. 8 am - The Fog Track
25. The Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O'Clock

Off-Charts: Happy 909 day!

It's the 9th of september, or 09.09.2026 for us europeans and you know what that means... it's 909 day!
so let us celebrate this drum machine with a list of tracks that make... good use of it!
and also check our past feature about this unique drum computer: https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-basic-sounds-of-hardcore-and-gabber.html

cheerio!

1. Sigma 909 - Right Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmtGZjDXH7Y

2. Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - Rockin' Party (I Can't Handle It)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnOb-v2fazA

3. Distortion - Franthic Thigh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBLs5zCkEHk

4. Program 1 - Betrayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfhzlAKfLTM

5. Titanium Steel - Paralyzed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbCeUY9pHHw

6. Cyclopede - Chemical Warfare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2AhXbiT1mU

7. T.N.T - Better than Better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9nvvtvWals

8. Human Resource – Sick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cCuXHv5C4E

909. Rob Gee - 909 Hit Me 1 Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zoXEPKgTak

10. Genetic Waste - Genetic Waste (World Premiere Brooklyn Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPPAJGjng98

11. Electronic Subforce - Hard Spirit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGNlaHucB9Y

12. MC R.A.W. - We Who Are Oppressed (Remix By Rob Gee, Repete & Damon Wild)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGdjL1O8WKs

13. Program 1 - MF Skulls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7NJ_Oq3Bdw

14. Hard Attack - Bonehead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGaL3uU13Nw

15. Unit Moebius - Zipper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzFSE8odDTg

16. XE-DUS - The Groove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG8p81ffGmc

17. Nasty Django & DJ Cirillo - Cocorico (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGleJSVLkxQ

18. Phrenetic System - Fantasy (Original Mix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyrDv4jBBRA

1909. Robert Armani - Hit Hard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRS3ZPIJUUU

We're running a new feature: "Off-lists"

Paper fanzines were filled with charts; some DJs turned their charts into lists such as "10 favorite Dutch Gabber tracks".

Features in zines often also have additional lists such as "9 anime related Hardcore tracks".

We wanna build on both these currents; but, with these "Off-Lists" we will focus on themes and motifs that are more out-there, abstract, off-the-center. Exploring aspects and ideas that are rarely highlighted when people talk, think, or write about Hardcore.

Our Bandcamp Friday coverage for September

Sometimes, for bandcamp fridays, we do a kind of "live coverage", and review some of the ongoing releases, that pour out that day. Here is our coverage for the september bandcamp friday in 2026. it's not just hardcore and techno, but also other genres, even those that go beyond "electronics".

Note: No AI in any form has been used for writing these reviews!

Update: 5 more reviews:

Hellcreator - Beyond The Gates (Mokum 348)
https://mokumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mok348-hellcreator-beyond-the-gates

When it comes to the early hardcore / 90s gabber revival, I always considered Hellcreator to be one of the better artists in that field.
He is a little bit less cheesy, the stuff is closer to old underground gabber (think nordcore, lenny dee), or even speedcore
Mokum is one of the few survivors of the original gabber house scene of the 90s. And it's cool and nice, that they now host a few of the (brand new) artists that were inspired by them and the original era, too.

Void Sorcerer - Autumn EP (self-released)
https://voidsorcerer909.bandcamp.com/album/autumn-ep

It's autumn (or close to autumn), and here is an EP for that season, too.
According to void sorcerer himself, he aims to combine dungeon synth with... gabber, speedcore, hardcore techno!
And that's a really unique combination, and I have not seen anything like that yet...
Nice to see there is still some creativity around. And the tracks themselves are quite cool, too!

Ductape - Faded Flowers (self-released)
https://ductape.bandcamp.com/album/faded-flowers

This is a card-carrying goth rock / pop album. There is nothing wrong with that!
Think cure, siouxsie, bauhaus... more modern of course, and more dance centered. and maybe less "rock-y".
the descending melodies and the vocals, that sound quite "haunted", do it for me, on here.
If you want to lament a lost love, or one you never met, i guess this is the right album.

Lord Nap - Alien Dreams (self-released)
https://naprecords.bandcamp.com/album/alien-dreams

i must admit that i am a fan of some lord nap tunes, but barely know anything about them.
maybe it's because the releases are very varied, there are even some hip hop ones, others are closer to synthwave.. even chiptune?
i sense there is also a vapor wave influence somewhere, and the tunes sometimes spell the online world of 2010 (think myspace, post-myspace, ICQ, frutiger aero... that aesthetic), which is not entirely my thing.
this release is top, though. it's a bit like lofi hip hop, but also very interesting, and there are many things that actually made me think of the glam rock / power pop era of the mid 70s!

liars' conspiracy - switches (self-released)
https://liarsconspiracy.bandcamp.com/album/switches

this was actually a reader's submission, a band by one of the readers that read the coverage.
and it's brilliant! it really is!
the music is related to drone and drone rock, i suppose. but the sound itself feels very logical, mathematic, but also very reduced, quite minimal, with lots of tiny modulations. and it's really mesmerizing.
dunno, is this a trend, a genre in music, that evaded my gaze over the years, or maybe is something new that they came up with?
either way, there are two tracks on the release, 8 minute and 14 minute long, and i just kept them running, like i was hypnotized by the sound.

Update: 2 more reviews:

Hellboii - Humanicide (Bunker Records)
https://bunker-panzerkreuz.bandcamp.com/album/humanicide-bunker-4028

The Bunker label from The Hague in the Netherlands seems to appear everytime in my bandcamp friday lists... weird!

"Hellboii" is really old school, I remember first seeing their music, when I browsed soundcloud, like 10 years ago (if i remember correctly).

This was a time when there was a new wave of techno and dance music everywhere (well at least on the internet). It was not as minimal or "detroit-ish" as the years before, but colder and harder again, also with hints of acid and acidcore in many tracks. But not as distorted yet as todays "industrial techno"!
Hellboii somehow did fit in there, and also did not. Because they also sound like 80s ebm, pre-techno detroit releases (hah!)... and, yes, Bunker is known exactly for these type of releases, where you can't really describe what's going on.
Either way, it's quite nice!

Fischer-Z - X-Ray Serenade (Self-Released)
https://fischer-z.bandcamp.com/album/x-ray-serenade

tt seems that some high profile artists want to join Bandcamp Friday! First John Carpenter, now Fischer-Z.
(If you don't know them. They were a charting UK new wave band from the 80s that had top 10 hits around Europe).

Their newer songs are less wave-y or synth pop. More like a guitar centered indie band now... even a bit of folk on here, imho. Especially in the song "suburban cowboy".
There is a bonus, and that's (re-imagined?) re-recordings of their old hits, like "so long" or "marliese".

Future Nobodies - Kiss Me Like You Used To (Self-Released)
https://futurenobodies.bandcamp.com/album/kiss-me-like-you-used-to

If I remember correctly, I became aware of the band "Future Nobodies" because Youtube suggested it to me, which might not be the most professional or classy way to do music research. But, truth is, I learned about some very interesting projects and good music in this way, and multiple times.
As far as I can see, there is a whole bunch of artists (and bands) now that are not exactly within one genre... they're not 100% synthwave, or 100% goth, but they somehow mix up everything that is dark, and also danceable.

Future Nobodies is one of the best bands in that "area", in my opinion.
This album uses a snippet from the original French version of the movie "Alphaville" by Jean Luc Godard, from 1965, and this instantly made it a winner for me.
Something that is also notable for me is that the synths, melody, and even rhythm seems to slightly slide out of tune or sync, but only very slightly, not completely detuned, which feels kinda... cool!

Btw their band info read "we make sad happy music to dance to." which kinda fits to the idea I described above.

John Carpenter - Lost Themes II 10th Anniversary Expanded Edition (Sacred Bones)
https://johncarpentermusic.bandcamp.com/album/lost-themes-ii-10th-anniversary-expanded-edition

Hey, I already had John Carpenter in my list for the last time it was Bandcamp Friday! Now he puts out a new release again. Dunno, is this some kind of... magic thing?

Either way, to make it clear: this is *the* John Carpenter. The director of Halloween, of The Thing, of Escape from New York. And he does not suddenly do music on the side, he has always been a music producer too, next to his Hollywood career, and for fans of electronic music, John Carpenter has been revered as much as Vangelis or Moroder.

According to the text this is a new extended version of a previous release, of "John Carpenter's acclaimed second album of non-soundtrack compositions".

And I will stop right here, because this is really perfect, it describes the music on here so well. A "non-soundtrack composition"... yes, it sounds like you were hearing the score to a typical John Carpenter movie, just that this time, the movie does not exist!
(Okay I know that is a weird way to say it... but listen to it, it makes more sense then... I hope!).

Betty X - Skoochies (Self-Released)
https://bettyx.bandcamp.com/track/skoochies

New single by Betty X. If we trust the info (and lyrics), she did this one for an all-ages dance club that existed in the past. She met her first love at that club, and dedicates this song to them.
The style of the single reminds me of the "rockier" side of synthwave, or maybe the more synth heavy and retro side of indie rock. So maybe it's up to you to decide!

But it's really good, and, yeah, I could imagine dancing at a club while this song plays.

I-f - Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass (Viewlexx V-002)
https://viewlexx.bandcamp.com/album/viewlexx-v-002-space-invaders-are-smoking-grass

According to their own accord, the "bunker" crew were some kind of nerd-squatters in the netherlands, that did those hardcore / acid parties in... well, bunkers and warehouses, with a bunch of weirdos freaks... from all walks of life.
and wouldn't you guess it, one of the DJs and producers associated with that scene, was electro-rocking it on the MTV(*) only a few years later. Because "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" was on heavy rotation on the various dance programs of TV and other channels, and I guess a lot of people who came home or came down from hardcore raving and other nastiness on a friday or saturday night, sank down on their couch and turned on the TV... will remember chilling to this track when the very video of it came up.

so, yes, it's a literal underground "hit", and i love it, too. very good electro, cool futuristic lyrics... cool concept... completely the correct thing for cool cats!

CVSY - Writhe (Self-Released)
https://glaring.bandcamp.com/album/writhe

Glaring / Anna Nin is one of the most interesting Dark Ambient producers right now. Or is it really "just" Dark Ambient?
Apart from Industrial and Harsh Noise elements, there has been more and more rhythmic sequences in her music lately... I dare to say "dance" elements!
And it might be a coincidence, but I feel a throwback to the earliest days of Techno, Hardcore, Hard Acid, Doomcore Techno... when I listen to these tracks.

It's released using the aka CVSY. According to the info these were "Recorded live in summer 2026". Quite a feat, because it is still Summer, and it's a 17 track strong album after all, that she apparently finished in a very short amount of time!

I love these tunes very much, there is hardly any filler inbetween, the tracks, the concept are top... even if you are only remotely interested in the mentioned genres, please take a listen!

Review: Writhe by CVSY (Dark Ambient Album, Self-Released)

Glaring / Anna Nin is one of the most interesting Dark Ambient producers right now. Or is it really "just" Dark Ambient?
Apart from Industrial and Harsh Noise elements, there has been more and more rhythmic sequences in here music lately... I dare to say "dance" elements!
And it might be a coincidence, but I feel a throwback to the earliest days of Techno, Hardcore, Hard Acid, Doomcore Techno... when I listen to these tracks.

It's released using the aka CVSY. According to the info these were "Recorded live in summer 2026". Quite a feat, because it is still Summer, and it's a 17 track strong album after all, that she apparently finished in a very short amount of time!

I love these tunes very much, there is hardly any filler inbetween, the tracks, the concept are top... even if you are only remotely interested in the mentioned genres, please take a listen!

https://glaring.bandcamp.com/album/writhe

Demonic Wavs releases new Darklords 2 Doomcore Techno compilation

Are you a Doomcore Techno head? Would you agree that the scene became quite meagre in recent years (or recent decades)?
Are you tired of all that crap that labels itself "Doomcore" this day - even mainstream hardcore or sometimes hardstyle gets the "doom!" label slammed on top of the release?

Then, rejoice, my friend!
Here is the new Darklords 2 compilation, released on Demonic Wavs.
And it's really Doomcore, through and through.
It's like a who is who of the best producers in this genre.
So there should be something for everyone with a darkened heart on this one...

https://demonicwavs.bandcamp.com/album/darklords-2