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 :-)
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