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.

History of Hardcore Techno: Looking at Agent Orange Records (The son of Napalm).

Martin Damm aka The Speed Freak is probably the only producer in the world who made tons of 250+ bpm nasty speedcore-gabba tracks in the underground scenes. And still owns a few music industry certified "golden record" awards. For his enormous amounts of sales for the dance productions he did "on the side".

By the mid 90s, his own label was called Shockwave Records. Which, again, sold pretty good, as a lot of that stuff ended up on compilation CDs that were sold... everywhere!
This was already nasty hardcore techno, but a bit more accessible... and for the even more extreme stuff, that sometimes went above 280 bpm, and surely was devoid of melodies or singing, there was the sublabel, Napalm Records.
"Strictly Limited to 500 copies", according to the vinyl print.

The only "problem" was that both labels had mostly productions by Martin Damm and his crew themselves. They were prolific producers!

And for this reason, another sublabel was forged - "the son of napalm", also called Agent Orange.
Word was that only producers-who-were-not-them were allowed to release on here, but that rule was not always strictly enforced.

And now... let's look at 6 releases in this very piece of Hardcore history.

Somatic Responses - Agent Orange 2

The Somatic Responses were one of the most unique acts in the 90s world of electronica, and, even for them, this is a very distinct release.
As you know, Somatix started with a more "straight" Hardcore / Techno sound, and then turned into that weird ambient / idm thing with "disjunct" beats, as they like to say.
And this 2-tracker sits right square there. It aint broken idm yet, but it is not quite "hardcore tech" anymore. It has the best of both worlds, so to say.

B2 on here is actually one of my all time favorite tracks ever. The bassy sawtooth-lead-synth really brings it home for me. The "melody" reminds me of video game music, jean michel jarre, german 50s radio "tonstudios"... all rolled into one!

Doc Gringo - Agent Orange 3

Gringo aka Roger Cobernuss is a bit like the secret weapon or hidden dog of shockwave (and mono tone earlier on).
There's the "gringo theme" on here, and this track blows all the gabber competition of its time out of the water. It just slams with its kicks and noise!
but behold... the b-side is an early speedcore track, and this is, once again, harder than the rest!

Biochip C. - Agent Orange 5

The track to go on here is "black sunday". It transitions from one genre to another. I think speed freak / biochip c is one of the only producers who can pull off such a trick.
There's industrial / techno, then it breaks down into noise, there is a breakbeat part... and it erupts into some type of low frequency gabba rhythm.
oh and the trade mark martin damm fm synthesis sounds ring on.

Seveso - Agent Orange 1

The very first Agent Orange.
ABC-Alarm is a German term for an "air raid" type of large scale civil defense warning siren about nuclear (atomic), biological, and chemical attacks or catastrophes.
And the eponymous track is one of the hardest and most abrasive speedcore tracks of the entire 90s decade. I think this is done by abusing a lot of analog gear, and then cranking the levers up to 13 while jamming on the setup.
And the b-side is a sweetheart as well.

Listening Suggestion:

Lasse Steen - Agent Orange 7

Just like Somatic Responses had one of their best eps on this label, so did lasse steen.
And I am talking about the track "Phreak Show" which breaks down into a kind of descending synth line melodie which is... well it sounds as if the score to frankenstein - the movie was conducted by mc escher. if you catch my drift.

News Flash: The return of the Shock Wave

Shock Wave Recordings was one of the biggest Hardcore Techno labels of the 90s in Germany, and one of the biggest in general. One of the few labels that managed to break through the dominance of the "bouncy hardcore" sound that was coming out of labels like ID&T at that time.

The label had its own sound more or less. Other Gabber labels at that date were quite close to Dance music, Happy Hardcore, and all Jazz.
Shockwave was into horror / trash movie samples, lots of hip hop and rapping vocals, acid, noize, death metal guitars, and really, really fast BPMs.

But always served with the tongue in cheek.
So if you happened to be into Morbid Angel and Sepultura, the Evil Dead and Re-Animator movies, or were into Manga, Akira, Ghost in the shell *and* happened to be into Techno at the same time - this was the perfect label.

So it's quite nice to see a return of the legends.
The first release is already out (see tracklist below).
More info, and more releases to come!



Various Artists - The Saga Continues (SH-3434)

1. The Speed Freak - Hit You Like A Shockwave 03:58
2. Chryzis - One Step Further 05:00
3. Stormtrooper - Psycho-Pets 05:08

https://refusion.bandcamp.com/album/the-saga-continues-sh-3434

https://www.discogs.com/label/1383-Shockwave-Recordings

The History of Hardcore Techno: Looking back at Strike Records from Leipzig, Germany

Steffen Kuschel kept 66.6% of the underground hardcore techno scene afloat and alive in the 90s, and the years after. He ran sound base music, out of leipzig, germany. Was host to a network of labels, sub- and side-labels. And distributed half the scene, from bloody fist artists in australia to the other side of the globe.

the main, "own" label of sound base was strike records. i'd say it was one of the pillars of the "german" variant of gabber. fast tracker type music, lots of metal guitars, lots of swear words. less melody and harmony in vocals, unlike the kissing cousins from the netherlands.

so... let us take a look at 7 outstanding records of strike records! (i refrained from saying "the 7 most striking..." ha!)

Various Artists - Straight Out Of Newcastle (Strike 008)
https://www.discogs.com/release/47687-Various-Straight-Out-Of-Newcastle

Oddly enough, most of these tracks are outstanding pieces, even when compared to the rest of their output.
Like Grim Reaper, Shitbeater, or No Significance, which are amongst the hardest and wildest by the respective artist. Quite the feat for a compilation release.
But I guess my own favorite is "no sex", which is an oddly "calm" breakbeat track by Nasenbluten (well, it's not the breakcore you would expect with bloody fist) which fades into super melancholic pcp-like sounds.

AXL - Hardcore (Strike 006)
https://www.discogs.com/release/120982-AXL-Hardcore

i always had a thing for these tracks. it's not ultra hard or brutal or anything.
but it has these weird, amiga type pads throughout the tracks. almost like ambient trance gabba!

Various Artists - Strike Records Vs. Bloody Fist (Strike 015)
https://www.discogs.com/release/56796-Various-Strike-Records-Vs-Bloody-Fist

clash of the 16 bit core titans!
fav by far is "patchcore" by sandkorn for me.
not because the other tracks are bad. but because this track has some super insane sounds that i never heard elsewhere.

Nasenbluten - Cheapcore EP (Strike 020)
https://www.discogs.com/release/90154-Nasenbluten-Cheapcore-EP

my 2 cents: not as good as not as good as 100% no soul guaranteed.
no wait, let me reverse this opinion: there are some brilliant tracks on this one, like the early breakcore track "check the sound".

S37 - En Ordentlig Omgang Røvsutning. Uden Ost - Tak! (Strike 019)

https://www.discogs.com/release/52558-S37-En-Ordentlig-Omgang-R%C3%B8vsutning-Uden-Ost-Tak

Together with folk like Noize Creator, S37 was one of the german artists that stripped the gabba sound to its bare necessities. No need for a groove, melodies or happy singing. Drums, screams, death metal samples, go!
After the stuff he did on Juncalor and Brutal Chud, this is the one where that concept is fleshed out the most.

Rage Reset - Sydney Core EP (Strike 012)
https://www.discogs.com/release/121029-Rage-Reset-Sydney-Core-EP

good quality gabba as usual with rage reset.
"Fortex" has been played at quite some parties and DJ mixes.
"subconscious" is my pick, though. almost completely minimal, some horror flick strings, plus a nasty reverberated kickdrum. but that is enough. the track rocks.

S*icide Squad And Max Death (Strike 018)
https://www.discogs.com/release/3702300-Suicide-Squad-And-Max-Death-Untitled

666 might be the number of the beast, but 13 is the number of death... am i right?
maybe it's only logical that max death is on here then.
S*icide Squad was one of the projects by simon underground, as you probably know. and they are still one of my fav "amiga style" hc projects (even though, i guess, strictly technically speaking, this was not done purely on amiga).
and the "death side"... this is strike records at it's best. take no quarters. just brutal, brutal hardcore.
"go insane!"

The History of Gabber House: A look back at Brrr Records

In the Hardcore Techno Overdogs magazine we usually focus on the underdogs... well, maybe that term is not entirely correct. Let's say we focus on the under-appreciated labels, that still duly deserve their spotlight.
Because of this, we neglected the "motherland of gabber" a bit so far - The Netherlands.
After all, every boy and his dog was raving to the wicked hardcore beats of gabber madness in the 90s - right?
So gabber from holland is hardly hardcore of "underdog" quality... and everyone already knows it, right?

well, while that was true for the 90s, it might not be so true anymore. We maybe could define a kind of "temporal overdog". Stuff that indeed everyone knew in the 90s, but in today's media culture, is shadowed and under-appreciated because everyone else focuses on the "big" labels mostly.

So let us look at the various interesting dutch gabber label from the 90s.

And this time, we want to tell you about 7 very interesting releases on the label Brrr Records.

Scarface - Blow Your Head Off (BR-260)

I remember late 90s terror-speedcore heads looked a bit down on the older gabber scene, because it felt too cheesy and mellow in comparison.
well, not this record, for sure. this is very very extreme.
like some deranged mental killer got behind the 909.

also watch out for the cool trance-ambient strings in one of the tracks!

D & F - Buzz Click (B-170)

A novelty gabber record with strange / mental samples and voices. A bit like the trashmen cover records, that sample the "the bird is the word" tune.
The Hard Buzz mix is my favorite, because, yeah, the bass on there is really ultra hardcore.

DJ Alex - Say What ? (BR - 480)

I guess some people might know "In Control" from DJ Dano's Cyberdrome mix.
I think this release has a kind of "belgian" sound to it, think Bonzai and all that stuff... very good, deep bass, reverb, hoover-heavy, like music made for rave arenas.
One of the upper releases on Brrr records.

Speedloader - Guilty As Hell (BR - 440)

"Kick Some Ass" is one of my favorite Ravecore / Trancecore tracks.
Sweet "german style" hardtrance with angelic choirs and a cutie melody (i guess taken from an annie lennox song?) and then - woo! - the gabba noise commando kicks down the door.

Scarface - Let The Dope Get In Your Soul (BR-370)

Very interesting EP for Brrr Records. This is definitely more Hard Trance / Techno than Gabba mania.
The eponymous is almost like eurodance, actually. If it were more polished, and with a nice flickering music video, I could imagine it being music television in the 90s.
And I always have a sweet tooth for releases that "cross the line", and the line is trance to gabba in this case.
and there is one total gabber track included too: the "shock intro".

D & F - Hard Attack (BR-300)

I always loved hard attack because of the rap sample, and its use.
It's not some overly hectic or aggressive sample this time. It's very monotonous, robotic, fitting very well to a techno track.

Scarface - E.P. - Death Is The Future (BR-310)

"Death is the future" might be the hardest "classic" gabber track ever.
Hands down.
What I like about Brrr is that some of their releases incorporate rave / trance or "german hardtrance" sounds, without sounding too cheesy. The intro "F**king A**hole" fits the bill imho.
There is another (good) chucky sample track, apparently this movie was super popular amongst gabba producers.
And the "funny" You Stink track, which is a bit slower.

The History of Gabber House: A look back at Rave Records from The Hague

In the Hardcore Techno Overdogs magazine we usually focus on the underdogs... well, maybe that term is not entirely correct. Let's say we focus on the under-appreciated labels, that still duly deserve their spotlight.
Because of this, we neglected the "motherland of gabber" a bit so far - The Netherlands.
After all, every boy and his dog was raving to the wicked hardcore beats of gabber madness in the 90s - right?
So gabber from holland is hardly hardcore of "underdog" quality... and everyone already knows it, right?

well, while that was true for the 90s, it might not be so true anymore. We maybe could define a kind of "temporal overdog". Stuff that indeed everyone knew in the 90s, but in today's media culture, is shadowed and under-appreciated because everyone else focuses on the "big" labels mostly.

So let us look at the various interesting dutch gabber label from the 90s.

And this time, we want to tell you about 7 very interesting releases on the label Rave Records from ’s-Gravenhage (aka The Hague).

T.O.P.D.R.O.P. - Achtung! (RAVE 13th)

"hey meine gabber freunde". who doesn't know "achtung!"? and in case you really do not know it...
this track takes the early hardcore classic "b.o.t.t.r.o.p" by dj hooligan (see the similarity in name? a clever trick!), well at least it's acid sample, speeds it up and boom boom adds more gabba basses to it.
a track that either smashes or clears the dancefloor, depending on whether the crowd is hard enuff.

Noisegate - Goddamn' Mind (RAVE 028) 

"goddamn mind" is one of these releases that goes from 0 to 60 in 3.5. the track starts, boom! the bass hits and there is slaughter.
take no prisoners!
other tracks are cool as well.
generally, this is one of the "gabber" releases that do not focus so much on melodies or nice harmonies, but are just lovely NOIZE.

Square Dimensione - A Brand New Dance (RAVE 35th) 

You might know this one from a mayday rave recording, or other sets...
Almost trancy intro, beats come in, then some cool rapping, everything get's harder... word!
A track on the b-side, "brand new bassdrums", in an early pill-driver style bass-drum only track.
One of the more complex simple gabber tracks (hah!)

DJ Isaac - Bad Dreams (RAVE 45TH) 

"Bad Dreams" later became a Thunderdome classic. But this early draft on here is even bigger, bolder, rougher and tougher!

Various - The Erotic Kingdom E.P. (Rave 8th) 

One of the more sleazy hardcore / techno releases.
The main track is some house / funk affair, that also feels like early rave-hardcore, if you catch my drift.
Most interesting to me is the "happy hardcore" edit, because this is neither the breakbeat happy hardcore that was typical for 92, nor the "happy gabber" of 1996.
It's legit oldschool gabber, with some mellow / happy sounds, and that combination is very rare, my friends!

Ech Heftag! - Uit Je Dakkie (RAVE 18TH) 

Has this ep been pre-mastered to a cassette tape? There is definitely something odd (i.e. lo-fi) about the levels and sound...
Either way, it kicks more hard this way, I suppose.
Brutalist Hardcore for 1993.

The Falcon - Tear You Apart (RAVE 23) 

Do you remember when gabber (or "rave") labels released acidcore EPs too?
Like this one. Very cool.
There is some weird rhythm stuff going on, as it feels like some elements run at different or "broken" speed (somehow).
and that bass is extra large.

The History of Gabber House: A look back at Hard Stuff Records

In the Hardcore Techno Overdogs magazine we usually focus on the underdogs... well, maybe that term is not entirely correct. Let's say we focus on the under-appreciated labels, that still duly deserve their spotlight.
Because of this, we neglected the "motherland of gabber" a bit so far - The Netherlands.
After all, every boy and his dog was raving to the wicked hardcore beats of gabber madness in the 90s - right?
So gabber from holland is hardly hardcore of "underdog" quality... and everyone already knows it, right?

well, while that was true for the 90s, it might not be so true anymore. We maybe could define a kind of "temporal overdog". Stuff that indeed everyone knew in the 90s, but in today's media culture, is shadowed and under-appreciated because everyone else focuses on the "big" labels mostly.

So let us look at the various interesting dutch gabber label from the 90s.

And this time, we want to tell you about 7 very interesting releases on the label Hard Stuff Records.

Mental Hardcore Associates - Let's Get Wappie (Hard Stuff 021)

Gizmo played this at the mayday rave, hey hey! 50,000+ ravers getting wild to this track.
There are also two other mixes that do not feel too different to the original.
It's an interesting mix of very, very hard "dutch oldschool" with hoovers and all, and "guitar terrorcore" like the americans did.

Thomas E - Datastorm EP (Hard Stuff 14)

Thomas Elers is a bit like the forgotten man of acidcore. also from denmark, like zekt or choose.
He did some wicked acid/techno on german labels like labworks.
But also did some gabba-acidcore, like on this release.
And this one is very, very crazy. Just as over the top as the best stuff by e-de cologne or bse dj team.

Wasteland - Ibiza (Hard Stuff 12)

Ibiza is an interesting tune, as it sounds one half hardcore, one half hardtrance, and one half arcade video game music (yes, three halves).
There is also a "boom boom remix" that make me feel as if the venga boys went gabba (even though the melody is completely different).
Yet the killer tune on here is "First Time On This Planet". Gabba with one of the fastest use of a T99 like sound I ever heard. I guess the sampler had a meltdown towards the end.

Brainblower - Mental Hangover (Hard Stuff 10)

a good release to show how varied gabber house and hardcore techno were in the "beginning".
a1 is a very fast oldschool tune with the typical "rave" stabs.
the next track on the other hand is almost slow, with an industrial sounding drum and an interesting groove.
plus there is lots of acid to be found here, and other madness.

Cellblock X - Secrets Of Nutrition E.P. (Hard Stuff 11)

A project by Thomas Elers that is closer to pure "acid" techno. but very hard acid. and, unlike batteries, a few gabber-speedcore sounds are included as well!

Charley Lownoise & Mental Theo - The Bird

Have you heard about the bird? Yup, the trash men's 60s garage song was already a well known cult classic long before an american cartoon series adopted it in their episodes.

this time, our favorite birdsong get's the gabber treatment, and it get's it good.
at a time when charly & theo were still very wild & hardcore, before their european chart success.

there is also a kool acidcore test as the b side.

Illegal Alien - Frankfurt vs. Den Haag (Hard Stuff 016)

’s-Gravenhage (or "The Hague" for english people) is such an idyllic european megalopolis, placed neatly near the ocean at this side of the atlantic... and they got a hot gabber scene too.
the track here is actually by gabber legend "3 steps ahead" using one of his akas.
hardcore drum... check... repetitive "hoover" melody... check.... hyptnotic acid lines... check!
there are also three alternative mixes to the original track on the record.

What other dutch labels are underrated in your opinion? let us know!

A look back at... Zhark International from Berlin... and rating the Zhark Records Re-Releases from 11 to 1

I remember tuning into a TV show called "Viva Trance" on a weekends' night, feeling completely wasted (but not being it).
It was hosted by German Techno pioneer Mate Galic, who later found a job at Native Instruments. He used the show to play his favorite tunes.
And I could swear I saw a music vid that featured a "zhark dagger" logo. I never found this tune or video by the label again, so maybe I just imagined it.
When I stayed at the Zhark International headquarters in Berlin a few years later, I was shown a lot of video material (amongst other things), so maybe it was something like that.

But yeah, I guess that shows that Zhark is indeed a weird "glitch" in music history. Hard to pinpoint, hard to define. Dislocated, disregarded. Split into two separated labels early on.
Penetrated far wider cultural circles than your usual "electronica indie". Still not as famous as deserved.

Maybe quantum-entangled. And we are still waiting for the wave function collapsing...

Either way, apparently the label found a new, digital home, and has begun to happily re-release some of its earlier releases, and also showing spanking new stuff.

So let's take a deeper look.

Note: No AI has been used on this text.

#11 Christoph de Babalon - Rise above this https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/rise-above-this

CdB appears on the Zhark label. His sound has always been more of a trip than a genre. This shows him at a time when his lofi trash fischkopf brutality began to fade, and things get more introverted... intellectual. still packs a mighty punch, i tell ya!

#10 Various Artists - Dirty Debutantes https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/dirty-debutantes-vol-1

Zhark branched off a sub label called the Homewrecker Foundation.
The idea was to have a label for females in the breakcore, harshcore, dark electronic genres.
This was quite the revolutionary idea back then, and i guess it is quite the revolutionary idea for today, too!
and the sounds are just as renegade.

#9 Various Artists - I Drink Your Blood https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/i-drink-your-blood

despite the name, this is more light hearted subject matter on the zhark label - by far!
hardcore electro, breakers, and weirdo shenanigans.



#8 Hecate - ...off the jackal https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/hecate-jacks-off-the-jackal

I remember some south london scenester slagged this one off on an email list forum for being "completely conventionalist".
which is funny, because most breakcore poster boys these days would disagree.
and they are right. this is the good stuff.

#7 Thunderinas - The Thunderinas in Blower! https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/thunderinas-in-blower

the best psych-occult 60s rock'n'roll album by non-rocknroll musicians.

#6 Supernal - Light as night https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/light-as-night

that one come out when my interest in "breakcore" already faded to black, so, while i enjoyed it, i was not too plussed by it.
listening back to it once more, i notice that it is indeed some wickedly good stuff.
but that's the point of re-releases, innit? to get a second glance!

but there is one track i adored back then already: Liberty And Justice For Us, ghastly (ghostly) ambient noise

#5 Various Artists - Hecate and Friends https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/hecate-and-friends

This ain't a re-release of an old album or ep, but instead its tracks from all over the map (and dimensions, i guess).
These are either collabs between hecate and other artists, or remixes.
Mmm where do I start, where do I end...?
There is breakcore, post-industrial, blackened death, a hint of gabber in the form of overly compressed kicks.
and these are amongst the best tracks i ever heard in these genres!

#4 Raquel de Grimstone - Freemansonicyouth https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/raquel-de-grimstone-freemansonicyouth

Rachel Kozak turns into Raquel de Grimstone, and this is one of the best things she ever did.
Oh, you want to know how it sounds, too? breakcore and black metal... become one and merge into one of the meanest freak creatures ever.



#3 Hate Cats E.P. https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/hate-cats-e-p

Slamdancing went out of control in a berlin backyard club hipster party, and me and my friends nearly buried ourselves under the falling turntables.
and the tune that got dropped that night was... "caught up" from this one. i have loved it ever since!

#2 Various Artists - Zhark Compilation 0000001 https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/zhark-compilation-0000001

oh yeah, get this one. if you get one release off this label, get this one.
it's like a secret vault hidden inside a secret vault.
the best tracks by well-known and not so well-known artists that the world has never heard.
like kerosene's cover of the velvet's "heroin" (by a guy who actually did real world collabs with julee cruise - and others).

#1 Hecate - Pay for Protection https://zharkinternational.bandcamp.com/album/pay-for-protection

There are few, few releases, in all of the world of music, that can be considered solitary, unique, and i mean *really* unique.
Because, let's face it, there is usually always some other gal or dude at the (other) end of the world, doing the same sh*t that you do.
but this is one of the few releases that fit to the term.
there is no other release that really sounds like this, or is even close.
it is brilliant, an anthem, and sheer genius.

so how to describe it then? let's say it occupies a liminal place at the crossroads of the emerging breakcore scene, the then-fading industrial / ambient scene, spoken word poetry, and... millions of other places and connections.

I admit, this "best" list is highly subjective.
so I would be interested to hear your own, personal best of list from this label's release.

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!

Electro Warriors of London: Taking a look at Battle Trax Records

Battle Trax is a label that was set up in the midst of the 90s by "electro-maestro" Phil Klein.
I guess it's still off the radar for a lot of people. It came quite early for the "retro-electro" boom (even "space invaders are smoking grass" became an MTV a few years later - despite The Hague scene around I-F being a prime mover in the first electro revival).
And, maybe even more importantly, it was much harder, more dirty, zany, or to put it bluntly: hardcore - than the rest of the electro funkoids.

Time to throw a glance back at this one, and look at the first 5 releases.
These established the sound for things to come.

And, and lets not forget: the label did *not* get stuck in the 90s, or became defunct - but is still (more or less) alive and kicking.

Battle Systems - The Killer Instinct E.P. (Battle Trax 001)

The inceptory release on the label.

It's interesting, as you can see a melange of sounds of the London electronic/hardcore underground here. A lot of stuff that only began to bloom in the years that follow later - like the industrial and electro labels in the city at the turn of the millennium (and beyond). Even a bit of acid-tek.

But let's not digress beyond the core of this release. Great, slamming, steel-reinforced "electro" hardcore.

Listening Suggestion: Battle Systems - Annihilator

I Borg - The Borg Collective E.P. (Battle Trax 002)

A quite singular release, really.
Supposedly based on the beat of an earlier tune by Cybernet System and Dynamix II.
I'd describe the sound as "Hardcore Techno" meets "Electro" - even though "Detroit Techno" purists might disagree here.

All tracks actually sound quite "similar" - there is the abovementioned beat, there are star trek / borg related samples, even a similar bass-bleep...
But it's still a great release, and a true hidden gem in my opinion... futuristic, cold, very hardcore... what more could one ask for!

Listening Suggestion: I Borg - Engage The Borg

Industrial Bass Machine - Industrial Bass Machine Vol. 1 (Battle Trax 003)

The second collab by Dynamix II and Bass Junkie on this label, as far as I know.
Less "frontal hardcore" than the earlier releases, but gritty, rought, corrosive and neet never the less.
And there is an extra dose of funk and futurism.

Listening Suggestion: Industrial Bass Machine - IBM (We are the Future)

Battle Systems - Hardware E.P. (Battle Trax 004)

If I would write down a personal top 10 of electronic 1990s releases, this would be in there.
It's really a league of its own, also in the style of sound.
Not heard anything as this one elsewhere. It's like high-speed-gabba with a broken rhythm and non 4-4. But it's also like distorted and overdriven 80s electro funk.
And those basslines sound like some haunted paganini took up a bass guitar and jammed these notes into the future.

Listening Suggestion: Battle Systems - Atomics

Cybernet Systems - Cybernizm E.P. (Battle Trax 005)

Two of the best tracks of Cybernet Systems' "Robot Movement" are on here.
Hmmm how to describe them.... this is pure phuture-shock, like getting all the great sci fi flicks of the 80s and 90s directly rammed into your brain in 3 minutes 23. robocop, terminator, blade runner... these are the pictures i get in my mind when i hear these sounds.
There are also 2 "exclusive" tracks on here that were not on the CD. They are cool.

Listening Suggestion: Cybernet Systems - Voider

A big label called "Bonzai" and the very Belgian roots of Hardcore, Techno, and Trance

Hello,
I'm a self-proclaimed "music journalist" and more often than not, I find myself returning to a certain topic: the early days of Techno and Hardcore, or rather, the time *before* these days.
The period when all of these genres were still in creation, and the final form of Techno (and Hardcore) was yet to be seen.

In those days, there literally were a myriad of influences that poured into the maelstrom that gave birth to "Techno" as we know it.
Some of the more "out-there" claims I heard was that "glam rock" shaped Techno ("because it had a 4/4 and shuffle beats already") or that video game music was involved (likely true).

Jones & Stephenson - The First Rebirth (Original Mix) 

But most generally, the dispute is whether the USA (detroit / nyc club scene), europe (new-beat / ebm), or the UK and Ibiza (acid house / rave) are the inventors of Techno. "Who has the one, true ring"... excuse me, I mean, who is the one true inventor of Techno and its subgenres.

The truth is likely much more complex, and it really was the result of... a myriad of influences, as mentioned above.

With hardcore-gabba, there is a similar division, amongst those who are "investigators" of its history.
Some claim it was a Dutch invention (with "Rotterdam Records" etc), or one out of Germany (with Marc Acardipane and his label Planet Core Productions - which went into business 2 years before "Rotterdam" did).

Cortex Thrill - Innerspace

But again, we need to agree that it came down to - a thousand of different influences, from all the wide world.

And because of this, I want to talk about Bonzai Records.

Bonzai was neither from Germany nor The Netherlands (nor Detroit or London), but is a label out of Belgium.

And it virtually represents all this that I mentioned above. Techno, Acid, Gabba, its creation or history, Dance Music, traces of detroit / new-beat...
The label is sitting right there, in between all these things and states.
And it was a huge influence on 100s of other DJs and producers. And it is not a bold claim to assume that the label played a very important rule in the evolution of these styles - in the creation of these styles!

Cherrymoon Trax - The House Of House [Live At Tomorrowland]

2.

Those who are into early dance and techno music, and know the 90s; or those that even were around in the 90s and are "rave veterans" now might utter a slight "gasp!" at this claim.
Because, yes, Bonzai is mostly known for its "trance" music, releases, compilations. and is seen as a trance label, belonging to the "history of trance" music.
And that is quite true, and they deserve this place.

But at the same it's true that they had a lot of releases in other genres. Techno tracks, gabba bangers, hardcore classics, acid house all the way. even some outer space ambient stuff. oh and did i mention house and more progressive genres?

For example, they likely were the first label to massively use "hardcore kicks" on its releases. These were bass drums from a tr-909 drum machine that got "overdriven beyond recognition" by various methods (in some cases, just by pushing the volume levels on a mixer into the reddest of reds).
and bonzai was a true pioneer here.

maybe some later "gabber heros" first heard these kicks on a bonzai release, and repurposed this technique for themselves?

D.J. Bountyhunter - Come On (1992)

when i inquired about the "history of hardcore" among some gabberheads i know, real veterans from the "early days", some of them said that gabber evolved out of techno tracks "with the belgian hoovers" ('hoovers' are a type of rave-synth sound), that just went harder and harder, and then we have arrived at proper hardcore techno.

bonzai was not the only belgian label involved in this rapid development. but they were one of the labels involved in it.

3.

apart from the hardcore-gabba-fiends, bonzai played a huge role as a player in the trance and hardtrance world. a lot of the classics that are still played at retro-rave nights were from this label.
and they still get regular, modern "updates" of these tunes.

i'd also like to add that bonzai gave rise to a kind of "anthemic" rave sound. their trance tracks did not sound so much like the more club focused music. the kind of trance that was done around the same time, in germany for example.
when i listen to these (bonzai) tracks, i get the feeling they were created with "rave arenas" in mind; huge cavernous halls, filled with thousands of zany raver kids, shaking their bones to the thunder of the drums.
these producers sure knew how to put the "reverberation" fx units to good use!

Overwhelming Rain (Jones & Stephenson Mix) (Played at Mayday Rave 1994)

let's skip their contribution to the world of house, acid, and others for now. because i would need to write a book then, not just this meagre text!

4.

so, was bonzai dominantly a trance label? or a hardcore one? or both? bipolar?

Well, i would argue that the answer is - even "more complex".
the tracks are somehow "in between" these genres, they have undefined sounds.
even on one vinyl release you sometimes find one "gabba-smasher" on one side, and the flipside has calm ambient-trance.

the label really defined this "primal" state where genres are still fluid. nothing is set in stone yet. everything is possible.

No Man's Land - Termination ZX (Hardtrance 1993)

5.

It's weird that Belgium - a quite "small" country (no offense to the belgians!) played such an important role in the history of techno (and hardcore).
And it's weird that a label called bonzai did it. A bonzai is the smallest of trees after all.
But they did.
And I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles, folks!

Yves Deruyter - Calling Earth (Official Video)

The Pantheon of Terror

We wrote about a lot of topics so far. And one topic we are certain to return to is: Extreme Hardcore Techno of the 90s.
Some might call it "Terrorcore". Or early Speedcore. But it doesn't matter. What is meant is music that is a few notches harder than the gabber mainstream of the 90s.
We decided to list our excursions into this troubled territory.

A listing of what we consider to be the "Pantheon of Terror" in 90s Hardcore. And a few other tricks.

What other labels (and artists) deserve to have a place in this pantheon? let us know in the comments!

Extreme Techno Barbarians from Scotland: Looking back at Storm Records
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/07/extreme-techno-barbarians-from-scotland.html

All Eyes on Six Sixty Six: The Midwestern Terror Corps
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/06/all-eyes-on-six-sixty-six-midwestern.html

Our Top 5 Favorite Tracks from Kotzaak Unltd.
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2023/03/our-top-5-favorite-tracks-from-kotzaak.html

Sonic Terror out of Dresden: All Eyes on Brutal Chud Records
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/06/sonic-terror-out-of-dresden-all-eyes-on.html

History of Hamburg Hardcore - Fischkopf, Cross Fade Enter Tainment, Nordcore and Blut
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2023/08/history-of-hamburg-hardcore.html.html

Overdogs of the past: looking back at Crapshoot Records out of UK
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/08/overdogs-of-past-looking-back-at.html

Vienna's Hardest: Looking back at DJ Pure's Loop Records - and at Panacea's "secret" Gabber EP
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/11/viennas-hardest-looking-back-at-dj.html

Video Feature: Let's not forget how great Kotzaak Records was
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/10/video-feature-lets-not-forget-how-great.html

Japan's 90s Hardcore Techno scene was wild
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/09/japans-90s-hardcore-techno-scene-was.html

The Hardest Days of Rotterdam Style Gabber
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-hardest-days-of-rotterdam-style.html

Looking back at "Braindead" - and a few other compilation series
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/05/looking-back-at-brai

Vienna's Hardest: Looking back at DJ Pure's Loop Records - and at Panacea's "secret" Gabber EP

This one's a true under / overdog. It's entirely inexplicable that this label from vienna / austria became so "obscure" now.
After all, there was Panacea involved. There was Patric C. (Ec8or / E-de Cologne / Eradicator) involved. There were the Gangstar Toons involved.
And, above all, the label was run by one half of Ilsa f**king Gold!
It was set up by DJ Pure, who is still active under akas such as Current 909 in the more doomed Techno scenes of the current days - by the way.

As obscure as it seems, it was the center of attention in its glory days, and every good speedcore squat DJ dropped one of its tunes to the sweat drenched basement crowds - for sure.

Now let's look at the label's individual releases.

DJ Pure + Hoschi – How Life Sucks! (TB 001)

I don't own this release! So please allow me to reference a review from the 90s alien underground magazine instead:

"First release from DJ Pure’s label Loop that promises to become a thing to watch out for and after Main Frame’s demise could quick be the #1 austrian hardcore label… Monotonous pure underground acid , slowly building up, on the How Life Sucks side and very cool super-monotone bassdrum plus noise cut on It’s OK that totally rules. Tiny noises drilling little holes into the membranes of your brain while the rest of your body is synchronised to the 4-4; no escape. CF" (source: https://datacide-magazine.com/alien-underground-01-record-reviews-1995/ )

Pure & Liza 'N' Eliaz - Killerbees On Acid (Loop 002)

The queen of terror meets up with one half of Ilsa Gold for an overdriven Hardcore production?
What could possibly go wrong? Nothing, and nothing did go wrong!

Two caustic terror creations.
The bee has a toxic sting.

Pure & Liza 'N' Eliaz - Killerbees On Acid

Steel - Bondage ‎(Loop 003)

The third one on loop. Produced by DJ Pure and Berlin based producer Rok.
Well, what should I say. Nomen est omen. "Kinky" Techno and Acidcore that's also hard as steel.
Hypnotic, trance inducing rave waves.

Steel - Bondage 1.2

Violent Shit - Untitled ‎(Loop 004)

Do you collect Catani's "Gabber" works?
Do you own his stuff via the akas of Ec8or, E-De Cologne, Eradicator?
Well, it's quite possible you still don't know this one!
Because it's way obscure and rare.

Collab with DJ Pure, and each of them adds their own ingredients.
So you have Catani's "Amiga" sound and Pure's distorted experimentalism.
And both are good!

Violent Shit - Side A

Information:Overload Untitled (Loop »9701)

Very "interesting" Speedcore record.
Because it is very experimental, intellectual, and complex.
Still a straight blow to your nose.

Information:Overload - Unit B

Slab - Untitled (Loop 006)

The eloquent track titles indicate who or what you are going to meet here.
Two speedcore demons that jumped out of disturbing and zany horror videos.

Slab - Anoint me... 

Pure Vs. Gangstar Toons Industry - Speeed (Loop 010)

at first, initially, this release was a double disappointment for me. judging by the history of GTi's output, and the output of loop records, i was expecting some ultra fierce and noisy speedcore hammers that blast the flesh from your bones.
but it felt closer to... "normal" amiga type hardcore of the 90s.
now, if i listen to it with the ears i have now, my judgment seems a bit too early. it's actually very complex, lots of ideas, lots of elements... unusual stuff... some "video game" kind of loop in the middle (?)
and yeah, sheer nasty hardcore gabba fun.

oh and the other "double" disappointment i had?
because i was "shocked" that it's not a double-sided release, like a regular vinyl.
but that is okay, too.

Pure Vs. Gangstar Toons Industry - Speeed 

Kate Mosh - Untitled (Loop 011)

Was hard to get by in the old days, but it's probably the "best known" release of loop records by now - for those in the know.
As it was done by none other than Panacea himself.
As far as I know this is the only "fully" Speedcore release that he ever did - and not mixed with other styles like Hard Techno or Drum'n'Bass.
And it's hardcore kicking shit, man! The Hellraiser choice of samples reminds me a bit of Nordcore; but apart from that, it's very industrial and bass-heavy.
Highly recommended!

Kate Mosh - Untitled A

A fan-written "guidebook" about Digital Hardcore Recordings -

Books or E-books about Electronic Music, Hardcore, or Experimental stuff are still very hard to come by. So we are happy to announce a new one, this time dedicated to DHR out of Berlin!

All the infos about the book:

It was due time that Digital Hardcore Recordings aka DHR got its own, unofficial guidebook. It was an important part of music history, of 90s culture, and of history.

This book lists and reviews all Digital Hardcore releases; all albums, EPs, and single releases, CDs, Vinyls, including those that got put out on sublabels.

It's not just a dry, music-centered look at the tracks alone. But also mentions the cultural context, the philosophical context, the political context. And goes way off on various ways sometimes - by looking for connections to other media, movies, movements...

The book is for the dreamers, the restless minds, that were looking for a true alternative in the 90s, or are (still) looking for it in today's times.

Chapters:

About Digital Hardcore Recordings
All Digital Hardcore Recordings Albums listed, rated, and reviewed
All Digital Hardcore Recordings single and EP releases reviewed and rated
All DHR Limited releases listed, rated, and short-reviewed
A look at DHR Video releases
All Geist releases reviewed
Credits

All DHR Limited releases listed, rated, and short-reviewed

DHR Limited holds a special place in my heart.
The label once described this sub as the "trashcan" of DHR. Every release is limited to 1000 copies (which, I think, was still pretty much for an electronic label in the 90s). And - according to the label - the destiny for discarded projects, try-outs, experiments, one-off stuff, half-finished projects, drafts, abandoned cubase sessions. I.e. for all output that did not seem fit to be put on a "proper" release.
I'm not sure this is the case for every track here, because a lot of them sound full-fledged and finished. But even if it were... despite of this, or rather, because of this, here is the place where the real experimentation, research, and adventure takes place. I mean, the main label by DHR was already pushing limits and breaking grounds, but this one is breaking through all barriers and shattering all fences (and mirrors, maybe).

This is the peak moment of the Digital Hardcore movement to me.
The tracks are tethered to no rule or concept in the mainstream world of music anymore. Anything goes, weird noises, surreal trips, start-stop structures, a little bit of funk and vintage kitsch, musique concrete and musique électronique, blastbeat breakcore and gabba drums.

I can't praise this nasty little sub enough. If you really want to experience music that is completely "out there" and out of its mind as well - take a taste of this one.

Death Funk – Funk Riot Beat (DHR LTD 001)

The ep that kickstarted that label.
Imagine the destroyer album... and then imagine things got twice as hard and rough.
Because this is what you're gonna get here.

Fav picks:

Crystal
Moon Explosion
New World Order

No Safety Pin S*x – No Savety Pin S*x E.P. (DHR LTD 002)

People wondered who might be the producer behind this one, there were rumors it was Alec Empire, and then it turned out it was indeed Alec Empire!
I think this release could accompany the DJ 6666 album. The style is somewhat close: splatter breaks, and all distortion units set to eleven. Only interrupted by passages of machines hissing, growling, then clawing at you.
Sweet!

Patric Catani – Snuff Out (DHR LTD 003)

This release happened at an interesting period in the creative life of Patric Catani.
His first tracks were often more on the ironic / silly side (but cool!), with the pitched up pop and schlager sampled tracks of E-De Cologne's early works.
Then, with Ec8or, Eradicator, Test Tube Kid et al, things became dark, grim, experimental and political (but cool!).
He transitioned to Breakcore by the Millennium, which led to more fun, ironic tracks, and now he's mostly a video game music producer with tiny-cute jingle-like tunes (but cool!).

And I guess this release resides in the gap between these periods: Breakcore, but still super dark, weird, and surreal.
And I love it.

Give Up – Fuck Step '98 (DHR LTD 004)

This release almost feels like a "breakcore jam session"! Quick, raw, and dirty.

Carl Crack – Black Ark (DHR LTD 005)

Each member of DHR had their solo projects, and this is the one by Carl Crack.
Very exciting indeed, there is nothing with the same sound on DHR.
The minimalism of Shizuo comes to mind... but it almost feels like it isn't even an electronic-driven, logic, sequenced release, more like a live jam, improvised on real and raw sounds, that just by accident resembles a "breakcore" record.

Or a voodoo ritual, haunting you through the edges of time.

Patric Catani – 100 DPS (DHR LTD 006)

My favorite breakcore album by Patric C.
This is him at the highest height of his art. The breakbeats never were more slamming, the distortion never was as loud, the lo-fi amiga buzz never cut as hard (not sure if this was done entirely on amiga - but it resembles its sound).

There are fascinating breakcore experiments on here as well, like the cyber-valkyrie transfigured opera singing on track 6, or the short-cut political agit-prop screams of Still Wanna Win (I Can't Lose).

Makes you wonder how things would be if breakcore continued to walk this way - instead of descending into pop chatter drooling.

Sonic Subjunkies – Live At The Suicide Club 8-7-95 (DHR LTD 007)

SSJ are really fascinating. At first glance, there is the two official EPs they did for DHR... and subsequent post-DHR albums and releases.
But as you dive deeper, you will find the "Sounds From The City Of Quartz" tape on Midi War, and yeah, that one blows the competition out of the water, so to say. Even though it never got a proper release. This one here has a proper release, but I think even for DHR fans it's a slightly overlooked release.

Which ain't correct, because there are hidden marvels to be found here, too.
The live version of the known tracks are so much more aggressive and primal. And there are Hardcore gems like "Destroy" which, to my knowledge, have never been released elsewhere.

Nintendo Teenage Robots – We Punk Einheit! (DHR LTD 008)

Do you like chiptune? Retro?
Vintage game units and computers such as game boys, famicoms, amigas, c64, and other "commies"?
This is quite the hype now. But you know what? DHR did do this thing you like so much - already 30 years ago!

There's the flex busterman release, and then there is this one here.

Very creative and bold use of the game boy's very-limited-but-quite exciting sound capabilities.

Expect no super mario moon song here and poppy harmony.
It's noisy, it's atonal and, within its abstract way - it's super funky.

Alec Empire – Miss Black America (DHR LTD 009)

With Alec Empire's massive output, it's hard to say "this is *the* best". regarding any single release.
So let's just say: this is *one* of the best.
At least it's the most varied.

We got the aggro electro-punk of "df0". The very strange electronic sounds of tracks like "The Robot Put A Voodoospell On Me" or "They Landed Inside My Head While We Were Driving In The Taxi Up To 53rd Street And Took Over!"

And then there is "It should be you not me". What genre is this...?
It's almost as if dub had become possessed by an Egyptian God and gave birth to an enchanted track. There is even the recitation of a bible verse about Satan hidden (entombed?) within the track, after all the laments that "It should be you. Not me".
(And that's correct. All that shit should have happened to *you*. And not to me.)

But I digress... "Black Sabbath" is totally mental messed up breakcore, with an odd reference to "Milwaukee".
"The Winds of Saturn" almost feels like a chilled track compared to these... the cold chill of minus 140 degrees.

Ec8or – Gimme Nyquil All Night Long / I Won't Pay (DHR LTD10)

7" release with two tracks that were also on The One Only High And Low.

Heartworm – Bleeding In Circles (DHR LTD MCD011)

One of the very final releases on DHR, before the label came down.
And this would be a suitable soundtrack for a controlled demolition indeed!
Noise, Acid, Breakcore, deranged samples... nihilism served with a vicious smile.

Alec Empire Vs Merzbow – Live CBGB's NYC 1998 (DHRLTDCD12)

A live recording. By alec empire (the inventor of breakcore). And merzbow (the champion of noize). At cbgb's (the birthplace of punk).
Could it be more legendary?

I remember some contemporary folk said, after this triangulation, they expected more and felt underwhelmed, but no no, this is as good as it gets. It cuts like a laser cuts through diamond.

Fav track: Enter The Forbidden Space, a rare meeting of sweet and dark ambient with harshest noise.

Various – DHR LTD12 CD

A compilation of tracks from other DHR (Limited) releases, remixes, obscurities and rarities.

Alec Empire – The CD2 Sessions - Live In London 7 12 2002 (DHRLTDCD14)

I always assumed that "Intelligence & Sacrifice" was janus-faced, or even schizophrenic (in the most positive senses!)

Because, the question is: what part is the actual album, and what is "side 2" or the bonus disc?
Most hardcore-breakcore-gabba ruffians would probably claim that CD1 is the proper release, with an extra CD of bittersweet électronique attached to it; but to me, "CD2" feels like a full-fledged album too that could have been a complete release on its own.
So it was only the logical conclusion that Alec did not just tour with his band and the tracks of CD1, but also did live shows based on this one here.

You probably know what to expect with this - and it's exactly what you get!

Tuareg Geeks – Introduction To Global Stupidity (DHRLTDCD15)

The last release on DHR Limited.
And it at parts feels like a retrospective of the Digital Hardcore catalogue:
All your favorite sounds are here, gabba drums, disto-breaks, burnt-chiptunes, clenched fists screaming...
And then the lid gets closed and the coffin gets lowered into the ground.

DHR Limited on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/label/265482-DHR-Limited

Also check the reviews of all Digital Hardcore albums: https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-review-of-complete-digital-hardcore.html
And all Digital Hardcore singles & EPs: https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/09/all-digital-hardcore-recordings-single.html

Note: No AI was used in writing this text.