GabberGirl interviews The Tyrant about Skumkore Muzik

We are proud to present a new feature by GabberGirl for The Hardcore Overdogs.
This time, she interviews The Tyrant about Skumkore Muzik and other topics related to his music.

GG: When did Skumkore Muzik begin, and what was the concept for it?

Skumkore was supposed to be initially a publishing company but sort of forgotten about. When Bobby Tense, Axys-Deza & I first started FUHD I had gone to an audio engineering school in NYC and had a music business class but when we signed a master purchase agreement deal with Industrial Strength it was sorta unnecessary. Once we signed with Crapshoot Hardcore I brought it back. That contract was just a license agreement for the 1st maybe 3 or 5 years. I can't recall exactly. I feel like I'm on trial.

GG: It is hard to find info on Skumkore’s history, as a truly underground label this makes sense to me. I can see a vinyl release by Hellz Army on Discogs listed under Skumkore and is so rare that it costs collectors between $150 and $200 for a used copy. But it also seems this same album is being offered on Apocalypse Records. What other releases was Skumkore known for? Is Skumkore related to Apocalypse Records? Did Skumkore release the Team Bring It CD compilation from 2005?

Thank you for the question. (Have you noticed all politicians say that now? ) Hellz Army is of course related to Skumkore, we're all skum. In a good way though. Hellz Army is The Tyrant, Nevermind & Tense. I can't believe people are asking for a crazy price. I may be posting for sale vinyl mint condition not opened for sale at the skumkore bandcamp site. ( http://skumkore.bandcamp.com ) Not sure how many left but it'll be cheaper than $200. Nevermind has the digital files on the apocalypse site so that's pretty cool. I'm glad he's still keeping the label alive. I appreciate him very much. The Team Bring It Comp was just a collaboration while I was living on the west coast. It's a collaboration from East to West artists from the US. People can pick up the compilation at https://tbi25.bandcamp.com/

GG: Has this always been your label or have you had partners in the past?

Skumkore was sorta my idea. Of course you can't do it on your own but the support and artist contribution from Nevermind and Tense was the beginning. Any artist I have worked with is always a contributor you can really include Madame Chao, Fiend, Deadnoise.



GG: What is your connection to Madame Chao and can you give any background on the newest Skumkore release?

My connection with Chao started in around 2000. We met at a basement spot we all used to hang out at. He was playing some of his VHS tapes of his visual art. I was blown away. We always crossed paths between the west and east coast. When I moved back from the west we formed a real good friendship. Even did a small tour in canada with duran duran duran. you can listen to my set here https://teambringit.bandcamp.com/album/the-tyrant .... The 1st release was actually inspired by my wife. She asked me if there's one thing I can do that made me a little bit more happy and the 1st thing I thought was to start a new label of my own. Apocalypse started with Tyrant and Tense. But like Larry Nevermind said in his interview with DJ Asylum, managerial positions have changed and I couldn't be more happy then to have Larry still doing it. Skumkore is meant to be sort of free for all Music genres. Apocalypse has that signature speedkore. I just want to give a different avenue to expose more.

GG: The artwork on the vinyl release is fabulous and memorable. Who designed the album art?

The artwork was all Madame Chao. Let's not forget though Jared Knight gave the concept of course Adam knows his visual art but Knight was the inspiration and especially on the Side A track "Compulsion of the device". I met Knight through Chao. He used to go by the name the headless rapist. It's unfortunate he passed away, but Chao always gives props when props are due. You can even see it on his website of whatever he samples. madamechao.com



GG: Is the Madame Chao digital and vinyl release a reboot for Skumkore Muzik, or a one-off reminder of Skumkore’s existence?

Well it's not really a reminder. It just came up with an idea of how to start something new not really associated with anything from the past. It was sitting there for years for me to rediscover. Skumkore 25-2 Is coming with most likely a 7" with Duran Duran Duran and Fury 8. Steve Fiend mastered the 1st 7" and the 2nd one once it's ready to go. Also in the works is a digital online world peace compilation my wife is working on. artists to include Madame Chao, Nevermind, Midnight Sonny, Fiend, myself (the tyrant), Fury 8. A 2 part digi release to focus on how the conflicts of political powers that don't really reflect the will of the people. Especially in Gaza and Israel. Not everyone agrees with their government of law.

Thank You for all your questions and movement for the scene.

Storytime: I played my first gig at the Techno Viking Parade (over 25 years ago)

Hey Hey,
You Dogs!
Here is a piece by one of our authors, Low Entropy.
About a gig and event that happened in their music past.

Recently I saw an image that was a throwback to one of the most popular memes ever: the very famous "Techno Viking" video. I hadn't thought about that for a long time, but it made me instantly nostalgic.
Because the same party that the Techno Viking video was shot at, was also the place where I performed my first electronic live performance ever.

But let's roll right back first. Of course this party was not really called "the Techno Viking Parade". It was called the ****parade (the first word is a profanity). This party existed because... well do you remember the Loveparade in Berlin? Biggest Techno party ever. 2-3 million ravers each year. Endless partying.
The loveparades began in the early 90s, but as the years went on, "commercialization" set in or, like people would say today, "ensh*ttification". It was no longer a parade that was set up by the freaks and ravers themselves, where everyone was welcome. "Pay to play" became an issue. Business interests, and even political parties tried to grab a share of the cake.

A lot of the OG Techno and Rave guys were no longer "welcome" at the Loveparade. So, they set up their own parade, that happened at the same time as the Loveparade. First called the Hateparade, then it was called the ****parade (because the slogan was "**** the loveparade!".

Everyone who was not "mainstream techno" was welcome there, so gabbers, punks, skinheads, freaks, squatters, goth, old hippies... well, everyone! started to flock there. Literally from all over the world. I met people from Japan there, Peru, Canada... you got it.

I of course needed to be there too and I knew I needed to play my music there! When I was 15 year old, I had begun producing weird experimental noise music... gabba, and harder techno stuff. On strange MS-DOS based "tracker" programs (before I switched to windows 98).

Now I was 19, I just had my first record out (500 copies on 12" vinyl... quite meagre, eh? but you gotta take what you can take) and heading to berlin.

my first gig was actually supposed to happen 2 nights before, during the extended "****parade" weekend. I guess it involved 12-13 separate parties... at least!

but the promoter overbooked the venue! so my gig fell flat.
my gig at the ****parade nearly fell flat, too. Our float was boxed in by two other floats, and I had technical problems setting up my equipment, which involved me playing my tracks from CD-R and shouting into a mic (quite meagre, eh? but you gotta do what you can do).

Thankfully, a few DJs from the Spiral Tribe helped out and played their vinyl sets first, so I had my gig re-scheduled to a later hour, which also meant more people had arrived at our parade, which started to get super crowded.

Now let's get back to Techno Viking. To be honest, I never assumed the video would blow up that much!

The whole meme / viral video thing was still in its infancy, so how could I have known. The "all your base are belong to us" craze already felt surprising in those years.
Plus, Techno Viking was far from the only "surreal" and strange occurrence at these parades.
I remember when I went to the first parade, in 1997, the first sight I saw was a nude woman, completely covered in golden bodypaint, dancing on a float to dub/techno/reggae. And there was some "against commercial love" related sign fixed to the float.
Or nerds from tokyo, dressed in full "candy goth raver" style. They filmed everything and everyone, I wonder what happened to that video.
I also have vague memories of some old, ragged man, standing in the middle of the parade, long beard, and slowly waving a huge wooden staff around. Street magician, i suppose.

So yeah, the parades were a festival of freaks, freaks like me and you and everyone who liked weird stuff.

Which might explain why the "techno viking" incident happened in the first place.
I actually - scrutinizingly - watched the techno viking vid over and over again, to check if my own music / performance is audible in the video (blame my ego). But no, i cant hear anything of it.

There is also a short vid that is running for just a few seconds, which shows me playing at the parade. But in that video, Techno Viking is not visible. Ah well.

My own gig was a lot of fun, though.
And it's nice to think back to that party now and then, or these days in berlin. and to the techno viking meme, of course.

And all this happened, on almost exactly the same date, as i am writing this text.

Note: No AI was used when writing this text.

16 bit were enough: when Commodore Amiga computers ruled the Techno and Hardcore dancefloors around Europe

everyone knows the commodore 64, or c64, or "bread box", of course.

the single most sold unit in computer history, to this day.
the "sequel" computer by the commodore company might be lesser known, sadly.
the commodore amiga is a bit of a glitch in the timeline of computers.
when it was engineered in the 80s, it was way ahead of its competition.
4096 colors at once, build-in parallax scrolling, a GUI that looked (and worked) better than microsoft windows, multimedia abilities...

Hardsequencer - Magic Flight

A techno-trance tune created on an amiga by German producer Hardsequencer

it seemed to be off for a good start, and even managed to wow a few bona fide stars, like andy warhol, debbie harry (blondie), timothy leary...
but in its homeland, usa, the computer remained obscure. a lot of people blame the (mis) management at commodore, a company that seemingly was in perpetual decay even back then. rumor is that one of the engineers even left a message of "we build it - they f**ed it up" somewhere in the circuits of the first amiga models.

Christoph De Babalon - Babylon 90210

Scary jungle by Christiph de Babalon

while it did not get much traction in america, it became a big, big hit in europe, particularly in countries like uk, germany, france...
most people now remember the amiga for the games that were made for it, or were ported and re-designed for it. because a lot of now-classic games either saw their debut on their amiga, or did shine the brightest on that system. lemmings, the early lucas art adventures, populous, rick dangerous, the turricans...

Taciturne - Mourning

Taciturne's "ambient gabber" track

and that was it. slam the kid on the coffin now, kid!

but hey! not so fast. did we not mention multimedia capabilities?
and indeed, the amiga had a huge and lasting influence that went way beyond playing video games at home with your friends.
it was a major player in creating and shaping the various rave, techno, hardcore scenes that swept over europe in the early-too-late 90s...

Cybermouse - My Dorectives 

Dark techno On hamburg cult label fischkopf

the c64 was legendary because unlike other system of its time, the company did not pack a generic "beeper" type sound chip into its system. they designed the SID chip, which a lot of people consider to be a real synthesizer.
the commodore company kind of repeated this trick with the amiga. they did not give it another soundchip that generated simple sine, saw, square waves... instead they designed a real, miniature "sampler" chip for the amiga. this sound chip was called Paula, after one of the girlfriends of the engineers.
just like a real sampler, it could trigger and play pre-recorded sound snippets and samples at various speeds and pitches, and do a few basic effects on that.
it was limited to 4 channels, but clever composers could bypass that restriction easily (for example, if you sampled one drum loop, with 7 different types of percussion, it would still take up only one channel).
bitrate was often not so good either, even though a friend of mine insists that the "lofi" sound quality of most amiga tunes were not the result of tech restrictions, but the lazyness of the composers.

Static Tremor - Resistance 

The Heutling brothers were known to produce high quality amiga hardcore.

despite these visible (or audible) flaws, the amiga had many pros and advantages as a sound machine:
it was very cheap, at least compared to high standard, "industry" equipment
you had more memory and therefore you could use much longer samples and sounds, compared to "real" samplers in the same price range. this means you could have long string sounds, vocal passages, etc.
it was inside a computer! coders could create programs for it, that used the chip / sampler in any way they wanted.
no need to hassle with getting a sequencer for your hardware sampler, setting up midi, wires, fx, gear (which would have been super expensive as well).
it was all inside one box, back in the mid 80s already.

Neophyte - Execute (Live at Thunderdome) 

Oldschool amiga hardcore

the amiga did not make it in pop, or any genre like that. but the techno and rave producers started to flock to that computer.
maybe because the early techno scene attracted a lot of "outsider" artists with zero budget and industry connection, so an affordable computer-sampler system with "overpowered" abilities had quite the appeal.
the first wave of producers that used the amiga in a massive way were the acid house crazed ravers in the UK scene. a lot of classic breakbeat, and later, jungle tunes were made on the amiga.
amigas were used in "mainland europe" too, though, and there are some classic techno and trance tracks made on an amiga.
to this day, not all producers gave full disclosure of their amiga use. the amiga still had the ring of being "lofi" to it, so artists that wanted to be seen as more credible might not have admitted of using one.
that means there are probably still a lot of records out there that there were made on amiga, but without anyone knowing that this was actually the case.

Amiga Shock Force - Shoot em Breax 

Metal-jungle by the shock force

amiga music did shine it's brightest light in the "dangerous" hardcore techno and gabber-house underground.
there were countless of hardcore classics that were produced on an amiga. there were whole hardcore groups that exclusively used an amiga for their music, like nasenbluten or the amiga shock force (nomen est omen, eh?). there were labels, like bloody fist records from australia, that to 90% released amiga produced hardcore music.

Nasenbluten - Machete 

One of the amiga-gabber classics

other labels, especially in the netherlands and germany, used some more or less clever tricks to mask (and hide) the lofi sound of the amiga: by wholesale slamming reverb and EQ boosts on the entire track!

and this was not a niche thing! DJs played amiga music next to "regular" tracks in their sets, and sometimes amiga produced music even made it to the national charts.

Hardsequencer - Broadcast (live at mayday)

More rave madness by hardsequencer (the first 5 minutes)

i find it funny that some remember the amiga as the machine where they played cutesy pixel platformers in their cozy bedrooms, while on that same night, 20,000 crazed ravers went wild to amiga-produced hardcore tracks on a gabber festival 100s of kilometres away.

it's hard to speculate, but I could imagine that, at least in the beginning, 5-10% of hardcore records were actually produced on an amiga.
these amiga tracks and bands then influenced other producers, and they then influenced even more producers...
so the amiga had a huge impact in that scene.

Ec8or - I Dont wanna be a part of this (live in japan)

"Digital hardcore" made on amiga

And here is a playlist featuring classic amiga hardcore and techno tracks:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUdJgXot-vsc

Taciturne: The Story Becomes

Maybe, or likely, you will know the producer Taciturne from the track "Der Toten" which is one of the few true hardcore classics, amongst the ranks of other tracks like poltergeist, six million ways to die, rotterdam subway...

He is a mysterious figure in music, and there a kind of mystery surrounding him that ran for over a decade.
There were rumors about his death, in the early years of the millennium... but noone really knew what happened, there was a lot of speculation, research, strange things happened...

Now we are looking back at a piece of information that was released 11 years ago already. As you can see, it's a disclosure of more things that happened...

But we can't say that it made the whole issue less opaque and confusing...

Yet, eventually it led to the release of the Taciturne archives.

Which includes a lot of excellent hardcore material, that likely would have become classics had they been released in the 90s already.

Plus marvelous music in many other genres!

https://taciturne.bandcamp.com/

And here is the text:

on the scene of Leontin Voigt Abilgaard's - to some knowns as Taciturne - way too-early-su*cide, one question remained: where were the olekrapp archives?

investigators could not find them even though they thoroughly checked everything on the event's scene.

rumors about 2 or 3 men entering his place shortly before this tragic happening spread fast. but, no matter how much energy was used for this investigation, the olekrapp archives remained not to be found. rumor was that even private and government agencies used some spare time to set some light into this; for whatever reason. but again, no result.

this all changed in late 2014. a corpse in a junkyard in tokyo was found. this person looked like a mix between a rocker, a punk and a high tech engineer. some claimed it was Flavio Flavione, the professional agency killer. other's said it was Ivor Wadrolavski, a promising scientist, that was shunned by a post-soviet goverment, and indulged in private studies from then on, whose objective remained unknown.

but what made this case even more special, was that a plastic bag of chrome cassettes was found in his possession. when an ancient tape recorder was finally found in tokyo, the content of the cassettes was transferred to modern computer systems. the officials, the scientists could not believe what they saw! it was the ole krapp archives.

for over a year, it was carefully avoided to leak any bit of these news and events to the outside press, and was just passed on by government and shadow-government officials alike. yet, for whatever cause, the repercussions soon set in. a fire bombing was attempted on the secret laboratory where the olekrapp cassettes were stored. scientists involved in this case were found hanging dead from monuments in tokyo. poisoned flowers were sent to the policeman that discovered the body first.

who was behind this? why were the olekrapp archives considered so special? what mystery did they hide, in their encrypted ways; a scientific breakthrough? a transdimensional message? a dark secret at the bottom of western civilization? who was involved in this; secret police, special agents, crime organisations, elite computertech groups?

another lead that was followed was the case of Yiyamoto Moto, the infamous japanese prodigy, who is supposed to have been a key factor in exchanging the mona lisa with a fake one inside the louvre; by being the painter, who painted the imitation, when being eight years old! could he also be responsible for forging the ole krapp archives on an emulated amiga? this, too, is not sure.

so, indeed not much is known - yet. but what is known, is that after these attempts at the destructions of the original tapes, the special agency saw only one solution; to make all the content available on the internet for a while.

New radical and electronic music

I'm a 90s kid, and yeah, we had some fun. Especially related to music. Grindcore, Death Metal, Gabber, Hard Acid, Rave... music that really knocked you out and went from 0 to 60 in 3.5.
The decades that followed were a bit more boring. Or maybe, not boring. There was cool stuff, indie rock, pop, dance pop.
But everything felt less extreme and... hardcore.
Of course the above mentioned scenes still existed, too, in the underground.
But they kept repeating themselves, loop after loop after loop...

So I am very happy to see (or hear) that there are now lots and lots and lots of new artists and bands, that are really tough, extreme, wild, anarchist again...

Things obviously happen on many fronts. First, a lot look back at the 90s, take some stuff from there, and try to continue the thread.
New talented hardcore bands, new punk rockers, and so on...
Then there are new "genres" that get really tough now...
And, most importantly, a lot of people combine the old with the new, old rage with new anger... and throw many genres into one pot.
So there musicians with metal guitars and rave beats and hardcore screaming... or rap artists that break down into gabber and death metal... or jungle punks.
And the common dominator (sic) seem to be the very loud and harsh screams by the vocalist.

Oh and these bands often do not shy away from political and cultural statements, too.
Which is another breath of fresh air after a decade of "unpolitical" music.

So, I wanna recommend 17 artists or bands that are worth checking out. (Yeah, I know not all of them are brand new. But all of them recently released hot new stuff.)

(and one more time: these are songs from lots and lots of different genres).

1. Eville - Ballistic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NBLkvUTAvk (Metal / Jungle)
2. Hands Off Gretel - Territorial P*ssings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3qYl-6SYU8 (Metal / Punk)
3. IceLipzz - Be My Dog https://gabberindustriesberlin.bandcamp.com/track/be-my-dog (Gabba / Punk)
4. Partyof2 - Punk B!tch (Live From London) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjkwj7Qzla4 (Rap / Aggressive)
5. Slash Need - The Money Will Roll Right In https://slashneed.bandcamp.com/track/the-money-will-roll-right-in (EBM / Metal)
6. XOXO - Punisher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kBUYRq26GA (Metal)
7. Astrid Gnosis Titan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_HN9S6ILR4 (NuGabber)
8. Stoneburner - Catch and Kill https://stoneburnerofficial.bandcamp.com/track/catch-and-kill (Metal / Industrial)
9. Mimi Barks - Power durch Verrat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5bp6RjEbLE (Doom Trap)
10. Tsytska — Menstruation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4DRGGN_KNU (Female Black Metal)
11. Ramel x Jeune Lord - Etat De Droit https://newfleshrecords.bandcamp.com/track/etat-de-droit-2am-mix-free-download-rods02 (Techno / Rap)
12. Slaughterhouse - Sick and Tired https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcs_a2CdIlI (Punk / Alternative)
13. Poppy - Dying To Forget https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoedCng--Rs (Aggressive Metal / Pop)
14. Zheani - Designer Sadness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X961ka0k1a0 (Metal / Trap)
15. Bound By Endogamy - Killed By Shame https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDNqWlQIIDI (Acid / EBM)
16. Ege - I Love Stealing From Woolies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeZsdP2trO0 (Hyper Pop / Rave)
17. Vial - Scorpio Moon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHAhA7LOeqE (Death Punk)

And here is a mix set that combines this new radical music with the older hard electronic stuff from the 90s.

The original Gabber creators: looking back at 11 tracks by the Euromasters and friends

I guess everyone who is into Gabber heard the name Euromasters being mentioned, one time or another.
After all, a lot of people consider them to be the creators of the first true Gabber track ever - Alles naar de klote. That's the origin of Gabber right there.
That track really rocked the scene, was also widely known beyond the Hardcore moshpits. I remember a few german music mags crowning the track as one of the best releases of that year.

And it even lent its name to a wicked dutch movie ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117142/ ) - about rave, crime, and gabber house, of course.

What might be lesser known is that they also were involved in lots of other cool tracks and releases. They also did side projects or solo stuff.

And that is what we are looking at, here. 

1. Rotterdam, Ech Wel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXiht93wT0

"Amsterdam waar leech dat dan" is probably the other well-known tracks by Euromasters. This b-side to the record release sounds actually quite similar... but i prefer this one even one notch more!

2. Alles Naar De Klote (250 Bpm Remix By Dimitri) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO2ebqVYoKY

hey, dimitri! this is the tracks we've been talking about... but it is even harder & faster :-)

3. He scheids! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE0gNBjjaoI

a dutch guy once told me this one is about soccer, and rivalry between teams (of other nations?)
regardless of the message, this is one of the most bad ass rough gabba tracks ever!

4. Oprottûh (Hooligans Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhrtV-WnWpE

as far as i know, euromasters established the "loud scream, bass drum, go!" formula long before other labels did... this track is a good example of that!

5. Noiken In Die Koiken (German Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlxmFhukr4k

the title is about a profane act in the kitchen.. weird?
love the bass vibrations here.

6. Everybody Clap Your Hands (Original Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP1GYcG4kpc

notable for being one of the few gabber tracks that does not really follow a "four to the floor" beat.

7. De Klootzakken - Dominee Dimitri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T3dxhQ3S-I

this is madness! some of the most insane psycho hardcore sounds ever.

8. Hooihouse - Pien An De Eure (Kuilgras Hop) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgJxr7nlIqw

solo project by teun hooihouse. a early "speed up" track. heavy and fast.

9. Ziekehouse (Semtex Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Hr5fXq--o

a later solo project. it seems the samples, and therefore most of the track, is made up by the sound of fire crackers!

10. Sonic Warrior - Supersonic Guerilla https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gOTf37U10g

teun hoihouse used an aka to create the intro to the terrordrome iv compilation.
it's much more than an intro, it's a complete tracks, yet a very unusual track, because at the same time...it's still an intro!

11. A Message from Hell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UCSPIUHlJE

sounds like this one was sent from hell, indeed! even though it has that funny sample by british punk band the "toy dolls".

Jay Maniakal talks about his life as an artist and the roots of New York City Hardcore, Rave and Gabber (Interview by GabberGirl)

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.

GG: Thank you, Jay Maniakal!

https://rtdfraveradio.bandcamp.com/

https://rtdfraveradio.com/

III questions with Doomcore Records - artists and fans give feedback

Doomcore Records turned 13 years a while ago.

We asked the label's artists, and everyone else, 3 questions about the label.
To get to know the "public opinion" and perception of the very label.
And here are the answers / results!
Also check our other features we did in order to honor XIII years of Doomcore Records: https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2026/03/xiii-years-of-doomcore-records-and-its.html

Bohemian & Librarium

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.

Low Entropy · 13 Years of Doomcore Records (on Toxic Sickness)

Primitik

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.

Thanks to everyone!

Interview with Technohead - Michael Wells Looks Back at his Sonic Legacy

The Hardcore Techno Overdogs are excited to present an interview with Michael Wells of Technohead. The mastermind behind Technohead, and other electronic music projects such as Greater than One, Church of Extacy, Elvis Jackson, and Killout Squad, discussed his artistic and musical career, studio setup, and what’s next for Technohead with interviewers Low Entropy and GabberGirl.

Q. You went to the Royal College of Art and hold a doctorate in Fine Art, and a BA in graphic design. You met your late wife at the college, and you did art shows together, set to music you two created together. Were you surprised that it was your music that took off and launched you into fame, as opposed to art? Were you always as interested in music as you were in art?

A. I got into music through Art. When at Art College I started making 'Performance Art' physical happenings involving sound, action and film so I needed a soundtrack for these shows. The soundtracks were created by scratching records, making tape loops and creating rhythms on anything from banging metal tables to using children's toys. This is how my love affair with sound began.
In the beginning it's not what people would normally call music. Early Greater Than One releases are a testament to this.
After college Lee and I started buying musical equipment and slowly built a studio, learning from scratch the basics of recording techniques. The earliest releases were very experimental but it was the influence of Acid House and the emerging underground club culture that focused the music towards the dancefloor.

Q. You also created your own album art. Do you still make physical art for fun or professionally?

A. I still make most of my own artwork. I worked as a commercial artist after I left College and made illustrations for book covers and magazines. In the early days We made music in our spare time as a hobby even when the music took off I was illustrating, but eventually it became a full time thing. I am lucky now that after more than well over thirty years I can live from making music.

Q..You have been known to say that Detroit was not the birthplace of techno; that techno’s roots were formed in the 1960’s experimental music movement of Germany. Is this where your earliest electronic music influences came from?

A. For me personally my influences come from a mixture of sources which range from Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle to Stockhausen and The Sweet. Electronic music for me started with the sound of the Moog and the work of Stevie Wonder, The Monkees, Wendy Carlos etc.

Q. You are one of the original creators and innovators of hardcore and gabber; who were some of the bands or artists you were listening to and possibly emulating in those earliest days of hard music?

A. For me Gabber was just a harder faster version of techno, made with similar equipment but containing a more irreverent attitude. At the time living in London it was the antithesis of House Music and represented a spirit of rebellion. No radio shows played it and most clubs were scared by it, so that's what made it attractive.
The Hardcore that emerged from the 90's took no prisoners and was a great experiment in sampling and assimilation. Samples came from everywhere Horror Films, Cartoon Shows or cheesy pop. There was Hardcore coming from everywhere Australia, New York, Holland, Vienna and we were playing and listening to it all, so the music was a reflection of this.

Q. Let’s talk about your most famous track as Technohead, “I Wanna be a Hippy”. Who sang the lyrics? Did you and your musical partner Lee Newman write the lyrics? This track has sold a million copies and has been remixed and remade, officially and unofficially, dozens of times. How do you feel about making the most famous gabber song of all times? A lot of bands get sick of playing and discussing their most famous songs; do you feel like this, too, about “I Wanna Be a Hippy”?

A. Unfortunately amongst probably thousands of tracks we released this is the most famous. It represents a few hours of cutting up a sample from a film the unique factor being that it is a great funny song about Marijuana. It was a great idea that worked and as soon as it was released on Mokum Records many Hardcore Deejays told us that the audience response was crazy. We had experienced this before when Pure and Tricky Disco were hits, so it wasn't such a big surprise. In the end though for me it represents a very difficult and sad time because it was successful at the time when Lee was very ill. And when it was a hit both Lee and my Mother died. So it is a track I really don't associate with anything good.

Q. You were infamously widowed at a young age. It breaks my heart thinking of what you must have gone through, watching “I Wanna Be a Hippy” top the charts week after week, and not being able to share that with your late wife Lee Newman, who created the music with you. On a personal note, were you able to find love again?

A. As the above answer can show it was a very difficult time. On a personal and professional level I eventually moved on but you never really recover from such a thing, it is a part of you.

Q. What is your current studio setup like? Are you mostly using analog equipment, DAWs, or a combo in your recent music productions? How does your current method of production compare with your historical approach?

A. Yes maybe ten years ago I changed my studio to fully digital. No mixing desks no synthesizers. All plug ins etc.
So it is radically different to the early days of tape recording and physical boxes and units but it allows me the freedom to work more streamlined. Technology has moved on. We were probably one of the first people to buy a sampler and now the virtual samplers and effects are so sophisticated that to move with the times is a good thing. So my set up is Logic Pro and lots of fun plug ins and Synths my favorite is always a sampler, then a Spire synth and a great free reverb and delay plug in called Valhalla.

Q. What do you think about the current sound of hardcore and its new subgenres—will you incorporate any of the new sounds into future Technohead releases, or can fans possibly expect a new hardcore project?

A. The Sound will always evolve as new producers and new technology goes hand in hand. Art and music is reflection of our society and therefore as society changes so will the art. We are experiencing at the moment a radical polorisation of politics and society and art will react to this.



Q. What is next on the horizon for TECHNOHEAD

A. Recently I released 'Acid Head ' on Mokum Records a collection of Hardcore Acid style tracks. And coming is an E.P. called Taxi also on Mokum incorporating Middle Eastern sounds. And I continue with techno releases as Michael Wells a.k.a. G.T.O. and my more experimental work as Greater Than One.

Interview Questions by Low Entropy:

Q.The "Technohead 4" CD compilation was the biggest exhibit of experimental and underground hardcore in the 90s. With labels like fischkopf, praxis, artists like somatic responses and alec empire on it. Way different from the gabber mainstream. What was the intent and inspiration behind this release?

A. Simply, Technohead 4 just represented for me a selection of the direction of Hardcore at that time. It's use of speed, rhythm, distortion and humour. People ask me why you say humour, it's because for me humour is a specific kind of intelligence like irony. If you look at great Art, literature or Cinema the real subject is Human and Humans are full of contradiction and ultimately humour no matter how dark it is. I also love invention and the Avant Garde is the mother of invention.

Q. You were already very active in music long before the advent of hardcore. How were those days? And is there a connection between your industrial output in the 80s, and your later "industrial" hardcore?

A. Yes the seeds of Hardcore were sown in the early tracks in New Beat, EBM, Electro and Hip Hop. It's an involvement in alternative culture underground films, art etc. I also draw from the 'Do it Yourself' idea of Punk culture. I still make my own artwork, promo videos etc and create alone in the studio. I think there is a connection between the older music, in that I still want to add elements that surprise or maybe don't seem obvious. In that sense I approach each new project as an opportunity to experiment and try something new.

Q. Your signs ov chaos release on kill out was one of the hardest, fastest and most insane audio outputs ever - already back in 1993. What is the background to that production?

A. It's interesting that the Killout releases were totally instinctive and spontaneous and recorded almost 'live' in the studio. Real experimental Hardcore. But it's only after many years that I realised that people played and reacted to them.

Q. PS: Last question from GabberGirl: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

A. Only that when people talk about music or art it's only a construct to perception. It can be anything it's not a system, it's not a law or a rule and if it breaks the rules it's a good thing.
For me the worst music, art or film is 'middle of the road' pop and rock. Commercial radio has killed music with it's playlist garbage. To a great deal of people art is not an important part of their life, for me it's vital.


Thanks Michael 🤖

Links

Bandcamp
https://dataflow.bandcamp.com/artists
Beatport
https://www.beatport.com/artist/michael-wells-aka-gto/830509?srsltid=AfmBOop9hluaAWOLMnW0Mtf97sL94XgFuvxrJDa_zccMlR75TgRR7yrA
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/1DEirPY2f2/

Also check our earlier in-depth feature:

The 1000 Heads of Technohead

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-1000-heads-of-technohead.html

Miro / The Kotzaak Klan on The Oblivion Show

If you are into Hardcore Techno, you almost certainly have heard of the producer Miro Pajic - aka Reign, The Overlord, Steve Shit, DJ Stickhead, Jack Lucifer, The Kotzaak Klan and - Miro.
Miro made a rare public and interview appearance on the Oblivion Show. Talking about his productions, ol' times, and new stuff. And we even get to hear some exclusive tracks!

Check it here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/M21PujDl1yI

Reign in Black Blood - An earliest Doomcore Techno veteran back on scene

Black Blood is a Techno veteran from Germany who is deeply embedded within the history of Doomcore. Part of the early generation - only PCP was earlier.

After the millennium, not much had been heard of him. But he now returns with a bang.

There will be new releases of old (unreleased) material. There will be new... videos! And who knows what's still coming?

While we wait on the stuff to pop up... check here for a recent interview:

https://hcbxcast.blogspot.com/2026/02/interview-with-black-blood.html

Info about Black Blood in the "Doomcore Techno Guidebook":

https://doomcoretechno.blogspot.com/2025/06/history-of-doomcore-techno-2nd.html

And, last but not least, the old releases on a new bandcamp:

https://frontlineofsound.bandcamp.com/album/

Baroness Jennylee: Hardcore Royalty of NYC Underground (& Tunnels) - Interviewed by GabberGirl

Before the name Baroness Jennylee carried weight, she was known as Pussy Lee—a raver, hardcore DJ, artist, and Club Kid who helped shape the hardcore and techno underground in New York City starting in the late ’90s.

Her first DJ gigs set the tone: a Saturday night residency at the club Tunnel, in 1999. Momentum followed. Alongside her partners, she co-founded Neverland Entertainment, producing weekly events at iconic venues such as Octagon, Exit, and Webster Hall.

At the same time, she was working as a professional model, a crossover that only amplified her visibility and influence—leading to a guest appearance in the cult classic Party Monster during the height of the Club Kid era.

Then life shifted. Jennylee stepped away from nightlife to pursue a successful career in real estate—but the music never left. Techno stayed loud in her car, in her head, and in her heart. Something was missing.

In 2020, everything snapped back into focus. Seeing pioneers like Frankie Bones still commanding the decks lit the fuse. The thought was simple and defiant: If they can still do it, why can’t I?

By 2024, Jennylee was fully back—and fully evolved, as rave royalty. The Baroness partnered with Jay Maniakal, and together they founded RTDF Rave Radio, her passion project and creative stronghold.

RTDF is unapologetically underground, built to unite eras and generations of rave culture while rejecting watered-down commercial trends. RTDF Rave Radio specializes exclusively in authentic underground rave genres—deliberately separating itself from mainstream EDM culture. The mission is preservation, not compromise. Pure sound. True vibes. No dilution.

Through RTDF, Jennylee now delivers weekly DJ sets, releases music through the RTDF Rave Radio label on Bandcamp, and represents a growing roster of performing artists. She’s been getting booked, reigniting a fan base she didn’t even realize was still watching—and listening. She has also stepped fully into techno production, with releases on Industrial Strength’s Hard Electronic and Brooklyn Sessions Trax.

“I only see creative growth and freedom in my future now,” she says. “Not just for me, but for all that are involved. This is my life passion.”

Baroness Jennylee isn’t chasing trends—she’s leading them. And now, in her own words, she tells us a bit more about herself. Interview by Charm Dreier, aka GabberGirl.

GabberGirl: What were your early influences into rave music; how did you find your way into the scene, and in particular, hard music?

Baroness Jennylee: My early influences were industrial: Nine Inch nails, Lords of Acid, Front 242. I used to go to a lot of all-ages (and fake ID) goth clubs as a teen. As well as punk and hardcore shows (early 90's). Then I started getting more and more into techno. I remember Saturday nights on the FM radio was a techno DJ (Liquid Todd). I sought whatever Techno tapes I could find.

Fast forward: at 17, I moved into the east village the day I graduated high school. NYC club scene was my jam (Tunnel, Limelight). I remember walking into Twilo once and REALLY liked that party, but it wasn't a club night—it was a RAVE!! (Galaxy Quest). After that I was full blown in the rave scene. Going to every single NYC rave every night.

Hardcore was the 'Techno' back then. It was all hardcore, even Frankie Bones played hardcore. The harder it was, the more I loved it. First time I heard Lenny Dee, that was IT. At the same time, I also was hired to DJ at the Tunnel as Pussylee. It all happened around the same time. (97-98-99)

GG: You were part of the second generation of rave DJs in America that appeared on the decks before the 2000’s, and before everything went digital. Do you still play vinyl on turntables, or have you switched to fully digital? Which do you like better and why?

BJ: I still have my records and A turntable, lol (to digitize the records!) I first bought turntables because all my favorite music was on records in the 90's! That's how I even became a DJ! Records have a warmth to them that digital does not have. However, there is sooo much more you can do with digital. You can get so tight on mixes so fast. So many more effects and 'tools' now. It's more like producing. I prefer the technical flexibility with digital.

Records, though, and the way the tracks produced, were so much more raw and fun; both elements have their pros. I have switched to fully digital. My Pioneer RX3 is the best controller I have ever used! Them records are heavy AF to lug around! I do have to say that I'm glad I learned on vinyl, though. Learning on digital takes a lot away from the 'listening' element, which I feel hinders many.

GG: What was it like being a female DJ in the 90’s compared to now?

BJ: Gurl!!! I was the 'ONLY' female DJ in the club back then. It was a spectacle simply because I am a woman! I'm glad the terrain is more even now. I feel now we can be valued for our skill and not just because we are women. I think I shocked a lot of people back then because nobody expected a 'Girl' to be pumping the nasty hard shit I play. Now, there's a whole army of Hard AF women DJs! Me and my sisters can give them boys a lesson on who’s the 'Hardest'!

GG: What kind of equipment are you using now for music production? What are your goals for music production, and your studio?

BJ: I use a bunch of shit. Ableton, sample packs, a Maudio Oxygen 25, a little Roland SP 404, a Behringer 303 (acid). A voice recorder app (for samples). Some more hardware stuff. For my earlier tracks, I co-wrote with an engineer.

My goals are more combining the hardware and software & learning ALL of their features. There’s so much more to build on that! I REALLY want to make more Bitchcore, so much so that it becomes its own genre. I started producing because I simply cannot find enough of it. So, I decided to make it myself!

https://hardelectronic.bandcamp.com/track/get-outta-my-seat-diva

GG: What was the craziest or funniest thing that happened to you while you were DJing or booked to DJ at an event?

BJ: Oh god, so of recently, I was picking up Lenny Dee to play an event together in New Jersey (I was on after him). On the way, he blew farts at people REALLY LOUD at every stop sign (out the car). Pedestrians got all shocked and scared. I laughed so hard it was difficult to drive. He did this the whole time. That was one of the funniest nights I can remember!

Craziest was when I was booked to play an outlaw in an abandoned train tunnel. I was one of the headliners along with Doom Mechanik and Raphie Dee. It was HUGE! An hour before my set a GIANT rock fell from the above ground train tracks onto MY HEAD!! I was knocked out for a few with a tennis ball-sized lump on my head. Dizzy AF. I still played though (and collapsed after). Bitch, show must go on. I wasn’t about to give that slot up!

The most heartwarming was when Satronica and Gonzo personally congratulated me on my sets (on different nights). That to me is a real honor to have legends I respect so much actually listen to me. DJs like that I really look up to because they share the love and give back to the talent after them.

Another best moment was the New Year's NCS RTDF Rave, like 2000 kids! I was so focused on the mix (200 plus bpms), I didn't look up all that much. Then someone told me, "Look—you made a moshpit!" I looked and it was an absolute sea of kids moshing and thrashing their hearts out. All smiles and fists! Oh, what a moment that was! I haven't seen a pit like that since the 90's!

https://soundcloud.com/rtdfraveradio/baroness-jennylee-gabbercunt

GG: Do you have anything else you would like to tell our readers?

BJ: Yes! NEVER give up on your hopes and dreams! Do what you LOVE!! No matter what and no matter who likes it or not. The people meant for you will come to you! If you do what you truly love the universe will provide all you need! You will be truly HAPPY!

And also SHARE the love! Support your team and your people! We are all in this together and we are so much stronger UNITED!

Thanks, Charm, for having me! I am grateful and honored to be a part of this!