Hardcore is a genre that has been a part of my life since I was a teenager. I’ve always loved hard and aggressive music and still listen to metal, punk, or whatever gets my adrenaline flowing on top of my daily hardcore headbanging. To be able to be a part of the history of this amazing genre is incredible. Here are five of my top picks from Hard Kryptic’s catalog.
- How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Original Mix)
- How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Ophidian Remix)
- How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Braincrushers Remix)
- How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Vi Ta Lee Remix)
- How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Section IX Remix)
- How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Silent Humanity Remix)
- How Hard & Jimmy X – The Pit (DJ Delirium Remix) [2016 Remaster]
- Jimmy X – No Clownin’ (Scathatch Remix)
- How Hard – Suck A Fuck (Neural Damage Remix)
- How Hard – Revenge (Neverlution Remix)
“The Pit” is the record that started it all for Hard Kryptic and the next step for me in my music career. I remember first writing the melody on “The Pit”. I had the kick drum and was playing the melody on loop. It was one of those melodies that I played out of thin air and that was it. It’s a simple and chromatic melody, but catchy. The overall theme of the song is fun, but when the melody and kick came together, it’s aggressive. Ten years after that album’s release, it was beyond exciting to re-create the song with my buddy J Root. The original mix of “Return To The Pit” is a complete re-imagining of the original track. I recorded new, original vocals and guitars with my buddy Spikey Jay. I’m still blown away by the magic we had on it. Then the remixes are beyond incredible! Ophidian took the melody and worked his magic. I can’t get enough of it! Braincrushers were the first guys I wanted to put their touch on the track and they didn’t disappoint, taking those guitars and making a headbanger! Vi Ta Lee came through with a unique, low tempo remix that bangs. Section IX dropped a strong rawstyle remix utilizing “less is more” when it comes to making a banger. Silent Humanity came through with a doomy, techy version that made a lot of use of the original Pit melody with the new vocals. Finally, we remastered the DJ Delirium remix from the vinyl record. There’s also a re-release of two remixes of two tracks that appeared on the original vinyl (“Suck A Fuck”) with a Neural Damage remix and a Neverlution remix of “Revenge” on the digital bonus edition.
2. How Hard, J Root, Komarovski – “RMXD” Hard Kryptic Records (HKD029)
- Komarovski – We Don’t Give A Fuck (Hard Essence Remix)
- J Root & How Hard – Origin Unknown (Komarovski Remix)
- Komarovski – Viva La Revolution (How Hard Remix)
- How Hard & J Root – Listen! (Dither Remix)
It always exciting to see how an artist can interpret another artist’s work. You could simply rearrange channels, add a few elements to it, or go all out to create something completely new out of the original song’s elements. The idea of RMXD came about as a fun way to have artists remix another. First, I did a remix of Komarovski’s track “Viva La Revolution”, and in return, he did a remix of my track with J Root called “Origin Unknown”. Another remix, also with J Root, called “Listen!” was done by none other than Dither. I forget at what point Hard Essence came into the picture for this project, but I’m glad it did! That didn’t leave my bag for who knows how long! Overall, this is a release where every track was constantly on my setlists. Even to this day, I’ll pull out Dither’s remix or Hard Essence’s remix with no second thought that it will rock the dancefloor.
3. Hard-Tex – “Art of the Melody” Hard Kryptic Records (HKC007)
- Hard-Tex – Art Of The Melody
- Hard-Tex – The Sound (feat Alina)
- Hard-Tex – Opposites
- Hard-Tex – Save The Planet (feat Pyschoforce)
- Hard-Tex – Inflammatory (2016 Remix)
- Hard-Tex & Outrage – The Night Is Generous
- Hard-Tex – Trapped In Despair (feat How Hard)
- Hard-Tex – Beneath The Surface (Komarovski Remix)
- Hard-Tex – You Don’t Know Me
- Hard-Tex – Out Of The Ordinary
- Hard-Tex – Outraged (Neverlution Remix)
- Hard-Tex – Frozen Shiver (Embrionyc Remix)
- Komarovski – I’m Dropping A Hit (Hard-Tex Remix)
“Defined By The Melody”, Hard-Tex’s first release with us, is an incredible EP, but his 2016 Art of the Melody album is what really makes him really shine. Hard-Tex is a melody machine, and this shows it! “Opposites”, “Trapped In Despair”, “Art Of The Melody”, and “Out Of The Ordinary” are stand-out tracks. When you look at the album as a whole, there isn’t one filler track on this release. There’s collaborations with people like Outrage, Psychoforce, and even li’l ol’ me, plus remixes by Embrionyc, Komarovski, and Neverlution. This album proves Hard-Tex has the talent that is in-line with the best out there.
4. Braincrushers, E-RAYzor, & How Hard – “Worldwide Movement” Hard Kryptic Records (HKD060)
- Braincrushers, E-RAYzor, & How Hard – Worldwide Movement
- Braincrushers – Awakening
- Braincrushers – Automatic Leg Spreader
The title track on “Worldwide Movement” is the one track that even if my name wasn’t on it, would still be a song that continue to be on my tracklists for years and years. It was an incredible project to be a part of with Braincrushers and E-RAYzor, and something with a positive message behind it. Hardcore and music in general bring people together. No matter who you are, someone in another part of the world could be listening to the same song as you and feeling that same inspiration. This track was our way to celebrate that. The music video that accompanied the project had footage of hardcore events from different parts of the world. The rest of the release with the two Braincrusher solo tracks is also great. “Awakening” has a dark, trancey melody that I love and reminds me a bit of Miss Hysteria—who I’m a big fan of. “Automatic Leg Spreader” is a slower but bouncing track that is a great set starter. With the recent release of “Worldwide Movement: Remix Project”, we took this already amazing track and added some incredible remixes by artists like Re-Style, Dark Headz, Trinitite, and more.
5. Komarovski – “The Melody Within Me” Hard Kryptic Records (HKD019)
- Komarovski – We Don’t Give A Fuck (Original Mix)
- Komarovski – We Don’t Give A Fuck (Braincrushers Remix)
- Komarovski – I’m Dropping A Hit
- Komarovski – Viva La Revolution
Komarovski’s first release with HKR “The Melody Within Me” really blew me away—right from the moment I was first given the demos. I always loved the marriage between hard and melodic, and Komarovski is a master at this. Like Hard-Tex, Komarovski is a pro at uplifting melodies on top of aggressive kick drums. Before Hard Essence did their remix of “We Don’t Give A Fuck” on RMXD, the Braincrushers boys remix was in heavy rotation when I played out. Even if you weren’t a fan of hardcore, this EP would still make your ears perk up. All of Komarovski’s tracks have been great, but when I look back at releases that made me stop in my tracks, this was one of them. Can’t recommend this one enough when talking about the history of the label.
Listen/Buy The Melody Within Me
About the author: How Hard is a hardcore DJ/producer from NYC who co-founded the hardcore label Hard Kryptic Records and its parent company Hard X Music in 2006. He enjoys long walks on the beach and is totally not afraid of flutes despite what you might have heard. It’s called aulophobia, and it’s a real thing.
