No day is safe from the crossbreed onslaught of our man Daybreaker, denizen of the THD -ahem- “offices.” But Daybreaker is faced with perhaps his ultimate challenge: the oppressive Las Vegas summer sun, ever-present during American Gabberfest. Before this epic struggle commences, we figured it was paramount to question the “steed behind the crossbreed” and reckon his mission…
How did you decide on your stage name?
When I first started, I had a different name chosen, but I wasn’t particularly fond of it; I just had to pick something for the forums I was signing up for (Global Hard forums, for any of you that may remember that glorious website) and that remained my stage name until I decided to change it. When looking for a new name, I wanted to choose something that incorporated horror (I’m a really big fan of the genre). I was stuck on finding something worthwhile until a movie came out in January 2010 called “Daybreakers”. I thought the movie was really unique and original, so much so, that I dropped the “s” and behold, Daybreaker was discovered!
How did you start DJ’ing?
Shortly after discovering hardstyle and hardcore, I decided that I wanted to do exactly what these guys were doing in the aftermovies I used to watch over and over again. So, I got my first job, saved up some money to buy my cousins pair of Numark TTX’s and a mixer and it was a quick skyward launch into where I’m at now!
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
Hard dance music itself I discovered by accident in the basement of my dad’s house (2007). I was on Myspace at the time, browsing random music profiles by clicking on one, and then clicking on others from those artists’ friends list. Somehow, I stumbled upon the page of hardstyle producer A-Lusion; he had one song on his profile at the time: “Drummer Beat” – I already had a background in electronic music through my cousin who is also a DJ. He and his friends were into hard house and drum and bass; I remember visiting my aunt frequently when I was little and my brother and I used to like hanging out up in his room and watch them all spin records. So I already had an ear that was tuned to techno, and when I heard “Drummer Beat”, my mind was blown away. – Hardstyle at the time was incredibly slow (144 BPM), but the variations every few bars, and the hard, bouncy kicks somehow made a lasting impression on me.
What changes have you noticed in your local rave scene since you started?
Utah is a lot stranger to describe…in the early 2000’s, we used to have a much more underground, drum and bass oriented rave scene. We also had a more lively and unified community; there used to be an online forum called “Utah Raves” and when I was starting, this is how I found out about everything going on around the valley (raves, new local artists, outside get-togethers etc.). It was a really neat and useful tool, one I wish was still popular to use in the present day. Also, there was more than one event organization. The biggest at the time was Vandal Productions, owned and operated by DJ Quack Quack (famous for the Kandyland series of raves); he was the name responsible for our hardstyle, happy hardcore phase, and it was through this man that I got my start in performing live. Fast forwarding to today, we only have one event organization, with a few people attempting to start their own (only to get stomped out by the monopoly) and virtually none of our local DJs play any form of hard dance (with the exception of what seems to be a drum and bass resurgence happening). That is why I started the ‘Utah Hardcore Syndicate’, that way I can gather up all the locals that do spin and enjoy hard dance music and we can retaliate and devastate our currently stale “rave” scene; although I will say I do appreciate the amount of drum and bass we are getting. We also had Technoboy and Lady Faith in town recently, however, but that was the first time we had hardstyle in town since the Nightsneak organization left Utah in 2013. All in all, it’s a stale, commercialized scene that is so suppressed and monopolized, it’s hard to combat, but its Utah, the stigma is real.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
2016 has left me with a very positive outlook on the growth and development of our own scene, although it is more confined to specific parts of the nation, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering how dedicated I am that I’m willing to travel to attend these harder parties.
Look out GodSquad! Daybreaker is going to be bringing the Crossbreed with an uptempo fury!
Plus, we are seeing spillovers into other states (finally) and more American producers are rising up, fast! But, as we Americans do best, we still have egos and drama and internal oppression that’s hindering our progress and until money is focused on less, and our local artists start supporting each other, including the shows, we aren’t going to see the peak that everyone seems to be so nostalgic about. But as I said, this year we have probably seen the best surge for our scene in recent years, and I feel like this is exactly the kind of push we’ve needed to at least thrive within this now over-saturated market. Now all we need to do is unify.
Is there anything in particular you find yourself wanting to communicate to the audience?
I’m not trying to convey any specific message to the audience other than a sound that represents me as a person outside of my alias. A lot of my themes are based around horror movies and culture including the concept mixes that I do from time to time, which are even more detailed and obvious to that notion. I feel that my specific type of sound (hardcore drum and bass) really helps vary the typical 4×4 beats we hear in hardcore and changes up the dance floors a little bit, if only for a bar or two (laughs)!
Do you have anything special planned for the event?
I’m hoping to do some three-deck mixing to add more complexity to the set. I’ll still be bringing that Crossbreed flavor to Gabberfest that will start out groovy, and end on a “faster” note. You’ll see! Lots and lots of BPM variation!
I got into Hardcore mainly through Oliver Chesler who was a big part of Industrial Strength (as Temper Tantrum) who currently uses the name The Horrorist. I went to college and became friends with his younger brother. I graduated in 96 so after school that meant in 97-98 his brother was playing me a lot of early Industrial Strength stuff like Disciples of Annihilation and Temper Tantrum (which Oliver was a part of) as well as the DJ Skinhead stuff. At the time I was playing in a lot of bands, doing a lot of work with the Akai MPC, tape loops, guitars, drums, and just doing a lot of experimental music in general. When Alex (the brother) introduced me to Oliver, who at the time had started Things To Come Records, because of the music stuff I was doing he asked me to play live with him and then after that I started to do production and got very into that kind of music – the Things to Come sound. Then as we started to play out live in Europe I began to see some of the shows that were going on there, like Mysteryland, the Thunderdome stuff, some of these giant parties in Europe. I actually saw Lenny Dee play there and then I met Lenny Dee and even though he lived in Brooklyn like I did, I think I got to know him first in Italy. I saw him play with Jappo who’s now Unexist at the Number One Club back in the day and at Club Florida and then I saw Lenny Dee play at Club Cocorico. It’s over in Rimini Italy. It’s was a pretty amazing show and it was unbelievable the way the club responded to Lenny DJing. And on the spot I said wow, this is pretty cool. I would love to be able to do something like this. And he basically told me, “Yeah, when you come back to New York, we’ll hook up and I’ll teach you how to DJ the way I learned and I’ll show you what my method is.” And then he taught me how to d.j, and that’s how I got into DJing. I started to be drawn to the harder sounds at that point. It reminded me a lot of what I grew up with, loving punk rock and early Industrial (EBM) and that sort of thing. And from there Lenny and Oliver really encouraged me with my production and that’s how I got into the production and DJing and into Gabber, Hardcore techno and that sort of stuff.
I heard you brought Hardcore to Colombia, can you tell us about that?
Yeah, it’s true as far as I know. I mean – I can’t say I “brought” it there. I was just one of the first foreign artists to play hardcore there. So the story is: Luis aka DJ Sonico who’s from Bogota – Sonico is his name for hard techno, and Sonicore is his name for Hardcore. He’s a big DJ in Colombia, pretty legendary. Anybody in Colombia will know who this guy is. He’s an amazing DJ. He is responsible for introducing a lot of sounds into Colombia. What he told me was he was in Europe and he was asking about some more underground sounds – records that they had there. Midtown Records gave him a copy of one of my first albums, which was Satronica on Apocalypse Recordings. And apparently he took that back to Colombia and started playing it and getting a good response. So then later he got in touch with me and we started talking. And eventually I did a remix for one of his tracks. And then eventually he booked me to play down there. And when I went down I played half hard techno and half Hardcore. I don’t think the people were necessarily used to Hardcore, but they got into it. It was funny, they weren’t into the anthem-y hardcore stuff but they loved the hard techno. Since they loved hard techno that’s why I started with that and then I went into the Hardcore and I think they were very much more into the Industrial Hardcore stuff over any Mainstyle tracks. At that time (2007) a lot of people were playing hard techno along with the Industrial Hardcore. At the time Waldhaus, Tymon, and Stormtrooper were collaborating a bunch on mashups of those different sounds. Anyway, then I was booked there again. I played by myself. And the next year I was booked and came with Lenny Dee. And then the next year was booked with Lenny Dee and Jappo (Unexist). And then year after that eventually did a show with Lenny Dee, Unexist and Sickest Squad and I think from there they started to see that Hardcore could do quite well there and then you started to see artists like Art of Fighters to Angerfist to Lady K8 and these types of people playing down in Colombia. I was the first artist as far as I know, from abroad to get booked in Colombia for Hardcore though and then it took off from there. Colombia is amazing. I can’t even begin to tell you the stories from some of those shows – way too surreal.
What kind of music inspires you?
I grew up liking diverse kinds of music. I listen to anything from early Industrial (EBM) kind of stuff like Front 242, Ministry, the different kind of music that was coming out on Wax Trax, X Marks the Pedwalk, all of these kinds of bands along with the Misfits, the Ramones, etc. And I think that’s why I got into Hardcore in the first place was because of all of that early punk rock kind of stuff I had been into. And when I was growing up, when I was much younger, I don’t know – people were not as cliquish about music. There was this one nice moment then that you didn’t necessarily have to be a punk or a skater or just a Goth or just a this, or just a that. People would listen to all these things at the same time. You’d have one mix tape and it might have Front 242, and it might have Bad Brains on it at the same time. It might have Dead Kennedys along with Skinny Puppy and that sort of thing. Along with like Depeche Mode. I wasn’t really a Raver in the beginning so a lot of people came at this stuff from some of the Techno things that were going on that they had heard coming out of Detroit or some of the House music coming out of Chicago and that sort of stuff. When I heard Hardcore though, it reminded me a lot of early really dirty Industrial (EBM), it had the spirit of Punk Rock where you could really take music from any other genre and kinda bastardize it into the Hardcore sound. I think that’s what inspired me then led me towards Hardcore and Gabber and any kind of music that has some sort of soul to it, or has some sort of emotion to it, or is raw. Anything from like Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson to all of the bands I previously named, Indie bands like Pavement or a wide variety of bands that I love or inspired me that kind of brought me to the place that I am at now which is producing some of this rawer more Industrial Hardcore, or to the new label that I’ve been working on which is slightly more accessible Hard Dance.
What are the five Hardcore songs that have really inspired you?
The Mover “Over Land and Sea.” Hard Creation, “I Will Have That Power.” Claudio Lancinhouse and The Stunned Guys “Atmosfera.” Euromasters “Alles Naar Klote” is one of the tracks that inspired a lot of the Hardcore and Speedcore that came out of New York, which inspired DJ Skinhead “Extreme Terror” which would be another song that has changed my life. And if there was a sixth one it would be Art of Fighters “Hardcore Makes The World Move.” And if you want my main Hardcore influences after that it’s obviously Lenny Dee, Horrorist, Tymon, Unexist and the entire Industrial Strength catalog. I could literally name a million more artists and DJ’s who created the hardcore scene – Manu le Malin, Marc Acardipane, DJ Delirium, 3 Steps Ahead. If only there was enough time to name them all!
Also want to talk a bit about the future and the USA scene in general and what inspires me now. The Europeans are obviously masters of the hardcore sound but I’m inspired that DJ Treachery, CIK, and Cap, to name a few, are starting to make a name for themselves in the US scene. Having artists produce hardcore in the USA is something we sorely need more of!
What are some of your favorite places to play?
Of course I love to play Scotland, the energy there is amazing. The Arches Club there, it was a great experience. I love playing Colombia. It’s great energy there as well. Italy of course and I’ll never forget playing Sala Due at The Number One Club. That was an amazing experience. Then of course playing in Holland is amazing for the crowds there who come from all over the world for festivals like Dominator. Dominator especially, is an amazing experience. I feel blessed to have been able to play there. And the list goes on. I love all of the places I’ve been to, Spain obviously too. Those are the ones that really stick out in my memory. And of course Minneapolis (Yeah Jared Hanson!)
What was the scene like in New York in the beginning and again now?
I think the scene in New York is changing. Hardcore now is becoming acceptable for the younger kids through Hardstyle. I think the Hardstyle scene is really taking off in New York. Some of the E.D.M. music is becoming a little bit more raw, more hard. I think people here are starting to understand the differences between electronic music and that it’s not all just the same thing called techno, just like rock people understand that bands play everything from Folk to Heavy Metal, people are now starting to understand the differences between Hard Techno, Hardcore, Dubstep, etc. versus some of the slower varieties, more accessible varieties. And things are starting to pick up again, because of the impact of Hardstyle. Now people are starting to gravitate to some of the harder stuff. I think that there was definitely a lull for awhile in New York for Hardcore. I don’t think that the Industrial Hardcore or Speedcore that’s popular in Europe is very popular at all in New York City. I think it has to be the more anthemic mainstyle stuff for the people here to really get into it. And I guess it’s changed from the beginning of Hardcore here when there were some larger parties in New York in the late 90’s, early 2000’s where you would hear the more Gabber sound, you’d hear The Horrorist, the Lenny Dee stuff. You’d hear the Rob Gee stuff. The early Delta 9 stuff. I think one of the good things is that the drugs have changed. In the early New York scene there was a lot of dust. You’d be smelling it at a lot of events and that made people a little bit crazy. And people got a little violent. And I think that for the most part venue owners decided that they didn’t want to deal with it. It became very hard to find venues at a certain point that would actually allow Hardcore Techno to be played. They really didn’t accept the concept of electronic music that was that fast with people moshing to it, it didn’t make sense to them. The early vitality in the mid/late 90’s started to die because of the things that I’ve mentioned, but I see it picking up again through the younger kids getting into Hardstyle and into the more anthemic mainstyle Hardcore.
How’d you come up with the name Satronica?
It’s a combination of Satanic I guess and Electronica. It’s because when I was younger I was obviously into Metal and have those sort of metal satanic tattoos etc and it just sounded like a cool combination of words and I actually used it for my aol messnger screen name on my computer to be honest. Then when I started to produce, I went to think up a name to use and just couldn’t think of anything better so, I just decided to use that and stuck with it.
Okay, now what are you planning next?
I’ve been working on a label called Kontaminated Recordings (Click here for link.) with Jeremy Malvasia also known as DJ Delirium. It’s a sublabel of Industrial Strength. And what we are trying to do is make make music that is hard E.D.M., has the spirit of the some of the Hardcore and Hardstyle, but has a little bit different tempo. It’s 128 to 130 b.p.m. but with the spirit of Hardcore It’s slightly more accessible for some of the kids in the United States than Hardcore is and so we are pushing that a bunch. We have releases out already and the next release will be myself and Jeremy which we’re really excited about. Also I’ve been doing a lot of collaborations with some European hardcore artists so soon you’re gonna hear a collaboration with me and Unexist, then another with Unexist, Art of Fighters and myself coming up soon. Then with Unexist and Noize Suppressor and myself which is coming out soon. And I think a little further out soon you’ll hear one with Unexist and Crypsis and myself. So as far as hardcore I’m currently just working on collab’s, and doing a bunch of vocals for European Hardcore artists. In the works though, are a bunch of work with American Hardcore artists. I’m 100% behind trying to push the sound now in the United States. So look out for a few surprises with the up and comers in the US scene!
D-Ceptor is one of the biggest names to represent Germany in the world of hardcore, and now, by the grace of the White Ape, he will be visiting and performing in America for the first time at GABBERFEST: America’s Hardest, day one of the festival! This is one of the most crucial interviews for the event as D-Ceptor offers some very interesting insight into the realm of hardcore and into the American scene itself. Hang on tight and enjoy the ride!
Dustin Leinesser aka D-Ceptor will be headlining this year’s edition of America’s hardest, GABBERFEST!
Will this be your first time in America? First time playing, if you have already visited?
This will be the first time visiting America for me, and so of course the first time playing there as well!
How did you get your start in hardcore music?
I started listening to hardcore music when I entered high school in 1998 through some friends who were already into it. This music style was new to me and from that moment on I was hooked by the sound. When I was 15 I visited my first hardcore event in a Belgian club. While listening and watching carefully how the artists performed, I knew that I wanted to become a DJ someday. I started practicing the art of mixing with vinyls and kept improving my skills on the turntables. A few years later, after sending many demo tapes to event promoters, my first gig was arranged in 2006 and my journey began.
What’s the hard dance scene like in Germany?
The Dutch hard dance scene has a lot of influence in Germany. Especially in west Germany where the scene is focused, because it is closer to the Dutch border. It is confusing to me that there are many hardcore artists in Germany (maybe the biggest scene after The Netherlands) but no big label, leading agency or international famous headliner. The Dutch and also the Italians are ahead to the Germans. I would even see Spain as the European country having now better prospects and talents as we have. Same story with large events. We have two big promoters here for hardcore festivals: I-Motion and A.L.E.X. events but I-Motion is cooperating with Dutch promoter Art of Dance bringing big pure hardcore concepts like Syndicate or brand new EXODUS to Germany. If you take a look on these line ups, you will see a lot of Dutch and Italian names and ask yourself: “Wtf!? This is a hardcore event in Germany, so where the hell are all those German artists?” So what I miss in this country are good producers. We have many internationally known artists for uptempo/terror/speedcore/industrial but just a few names who bring good quality in main style hardcore. For example Thorax is Germany’s new hope and biggest talent around here. His productions are brilliant and high quality, that’s why he got signed by MostWantedDJ agency (Masters of Hardcore) as the only German standing for HARDCORE. So all in all we have a huge hardcore scene here which is very enthusiastic with many crazy party animals who want to attend club parties and big events but what we miss are professional artists/producers and with it a professional agency and music label.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
I see many legendary names from the US who had their career highlight in the 90s-00s like Rob Gee, DJ Delirium, Lenny Dee with Industrial Strength or Omar Santana with H2OH Records. These artists were not very present from 2005 – 2015 in the scene from an European/German point of view but it’s nice to see that for example Rob Gee and now also Lenny Dee celebrating successful comebacks! But I miss one or maybe two generations of new American hardcore artists. In the current state of harder styles in America I see a lot of potential for young artists. Go and use the current EDM-hype for infecting more people with your style of hard electronic dance music! Don’t make the same mistake as we did, move your ass to the studio and produce the music that you love. This is really my main advice to every artist who wants to maintain in the scene for long time and above national borders. Am I wrong with this evaluation about the American scene? Come and correct me over a beer at Gabberfest!
What are you trying to convey through your music? Are there any themes or ideas that are important to you? Is there anything in particular you find yourself wanting to communicate to the audience?
In my opinion it is pretty hard to convey a profound message in hardcore music. In other music genres it is much easier because you can express it in many words. Of course you can also choose your vocals very well in your productions or pick an MC for recording your own lyrics but techno music in general is
D-Ceptor will be visiting the US for the first time and can’t wait to get a taste of the American lifestyle!
about kick drums, beats and synths. My music is dance music so people want to go mad on it, it’s not that important to communicate a certain message, but a feeling. When I produce music I think of what I would like to hear when I am in a club or a big festival. Am I in a mood of a straight punchy stomper tracks, working with drive and rhythm, or do I want to dive into nice spheres, with an epic melody that makes me raise my hands up in the air? For me it’s not important to say that I love science, don’t believe in god, or wanna fuck the system, the main message is always the same: You are hardcore, so you are a rebel.
Do you have anything special planned for the event?
I hope to present some new unreleased tracks at Gabberfest and of course I will bring some gifts to my American supporters.
Will you be attending EDC this year as well?
If I can spontaneously get a hold of a ticket for a day, yes!
Which artists are you most looking forward to seeing?
Angerfist and Rob Gee of course! Full hardcore support! But also Knife Party, Pendulum, and Zedd would be interesting to me. The rest… I am really not a big fan of EDM and hardstyle. It bores me over time and I can also see many of these DJs in Europe. It is more interesting to me seeing the party people there and feeling the vibes this event transports, hopefully.
How did you land the Gabberfest gig?
Well, that is a question a lot of people around here have asked too. The answer is simple: I still send demos worldwide! Back in the days these were my mix tapes and nowadays my new releases. So I got in contact with some American artists and later on to the promoter of Gabberfest and we arranged everything. That’s it!
Anything that you’re looking forward to most on your trip (that’s not music related)?
Everything! I’ll be staying for 3 weeks in your country, arriving in Los Angeles, heading over to Vegas for Gabberfest, and going further to San Francisco! USA represents the western lifestyle; the life I live here. American economy, technology, movies, music, lifestyle, almost everything from your country influences the way of living and the society here in Germany. I am curious to make my own experiences and my own opinion about the US because I just know it from TV, internet and pictures. I am looking forward to my long road trips, to people I will meet, to beautiful nature and culture I can see. I am interested in the huge cities, skyscrapers, national parks, landscapes, the desert, the sea. A taste of how America feels is what I want!
Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?
The gig at Gabberfest was the trigger for me to participate in Rob Gee’s remix contest. There is no final decision made yet but I hope to present my remix to you guys soon, doesn’t matter if I win or not. However I will play this one for sure in Vegas. Besides that I am working on new solo projects and also collaborations with my friends Quitara and Tritone are planned in the future.
Kore Hunter is a sappy love story between two already established DJs/producers Richard Riley (KORE) of Arizona and Megan Hunter (HK) of Colorado. Through the unifying powers of hardcore techno, these two found each other and are now combining their forces to further push the boundaries of hardcore and are hoping that they can take this scene (and their love) to new heights! Two is always better than one with this 2 for 1 interview with “hunters” of the “kore”!
Hunter: When Richard and I started dating, DJ Delirium and CIK were making jokes and throwing around names for what our future children would be named and Delirium threw out KoreHunter. Richard told me about their joke and we both decided that was better than our original duo name, HKORE.
How did you start producing/DJ’ing?:
Kore: I started producing in 1995, shortly after my first show. I was introduced to Hardcore from DJ Cetra back in the mid 90’s from the old IRC channel days. I went to Opium in San Bernadino to see The Stunned Guys and just fell in love. I went home, researched the music, found out how to use trackers and started teaching myself. When I turned 18, I took out a small loan to buy two tables, a mixer, and twelve hardcore records and just practiced every day. All I wanted to do was immerse myself in the new sound I had fallen in love with.
Hunter: I started DJ’ing back in early 2009. I used to travel for anime and gaming conventions and my friend, Mark Pieterick, DJ’ed the nighttime dance events they hosted. He would let me drunkenly mix a few songs here and there and then in 2010 I decided it was something I wanted to take more seriously. I received a set-up for Christmas that year and went crazy.
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
Kore: Growing up in Southern California, punk, rock, and metal were my main musical preferences until my uncle bought me an old 90s trance tape from Germany. It was completely different, but I was intrigued by the electronic sounds. During this time I was chatting in IRC channels all the time. So I found the channel #rave on efnet IRC (shout-outs to the old fucks that remember that!). One day DJ Cetra was streaming himself mixing on a Shoutcast I tuned into and remember hearing D.O.A. tracks. For someone that came from the harder styles of music, like metal and punk, it was easy for me to listen to it. It took all the aggressive elements I already loved growing up and took it further with unlimited possibilities.
Hunter: I went to an anime convention back in late 2007 and met a friend that wound up introducing me to happy hardcore. So that was the hardest music I listened to for a long time since my main squeeze back then was electro house. I eventually pulled myself away from mainstream electronic music and only listened to happy hardcore and that wound up being where my DJ career started. There was only one gabber DJ in the community that was playing out at mainstream shows in Colorado, and when I became friends with him he showed me an entirely new depth to this genre I already loved. Frenchcore, gabber, crossbreed, all the goodies. I was pretty floored and amazed at how large of a genre hardcore is. As a HHC DJ, I tried my best to stay away from overly euphoric songs and found myself attracted to the more quirky, harder side. It got to a point where it was a struggle to keep up because I couldn’t find music that fit my expectations and would only be able to add maybe 6 songs to my roster every few months. So about a year and a half into DJing, I decided to make the switch because gabber had what I was looking for in terms of aggression, musical depth, and community.
What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?
Kore: Well I grew up in California and moved to AZ back in 1998 so it’s a little different for me than it may be for most. In the mid 90’s the LA scene was huge and felt like a big family. Sure we all had our crews and whatnot, but it was about the music. When I moved to AZ it felt very similar but the scene was smaller. All the kids knew the songs and understood the strength of coming together. When I met up with CIK back then, we worked our asses off to keep pushing and growing the hardcore scene and now AZ has one of the bigger scenes in the states. Not trying to take credit of anything, so don’t get me wrong, but I would like to feel we had a part in it. We just made sure to never segregate another scene or another state. We wanted to keep that concept of family and unity
With Kore Hunter, you are literally getting the best of each end of the hardcore spectrum!
intact. Outside of the hardware differences (vinyl, to CDs, to Serato, to USBs) the music and the party itself has evolved a lot. Even though Hardcore is still a minority in the U.S.A., it has gotten its fair share of mainstream attention that even kids who don’t listen to Hardcore, still know a good number of the songs. Now with the rise of Rawstyle and Hardstyle still proving it’s a force that cannot be stopped, the scene is now growing to the point where I think soon we can pass the mid 90’s again. Unfortunately, we are also getting the attention of some people that are toxic and maybe a little money hungry, but if we can all remember to unite, then maybe this time we can keep this growth going.
For the music itself, the quality has gotten so much better, and again I think we have the access to all the information to help that. It also feels like the old guys (producers, DJs, and promoters) are back to becoming a family again and are now sharing all the experience they have acquired and are passing it on. This in turns helps, not just the new kids, but us old folks as well. Respect goes both ways, not just one.
Hunter: I started out in Colorado in ’08 where the hard dance scene was gaining some traction and then burnt out while the mainstream scene started to blow up. For a few years, there were only a few hard genre DJs playing out into the scene, the rest of us stuck to a radio show to cater to a larger audience. All of the hard dance DJs stayed really dedicated and through persistence, hardstyle and hardcore have been spreading at a fairly quick pace in the mainstream scene. As for the rave scene as a whole, I think everyone has taken notice of how quickly the scene has grown and how it’s no longer an underground ordeal. I’ve seen performance mediums evolve, DJs and producers come and go, trends rise and fall, and new concepts create new sounds while some concepts and genres die. With how many people are involved in the scene, I think the scene will continue to change at a rapid pace for a while.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
Kore: I think it’s really starting to grow again with the rise of rawstyle, the reliable and consistent scene of hardstyle, and now the growth of hardcore again. The comeback of the harder styles is bringing all kinds of kids back and new ones are showing up. I feel like the hard styles reach to people in a different emotional way than some of the more mainstream options and this allows us to connect on a different level. All of us have experienced this one time or another where you hear that one track and your whole body just gets taken over with emotion. I feel like hardcore and the harder styles in general bring that feeling out in a lot of people and the more exposure we get the more we can connect, which is happening now and we are growing. As long as we can keep raising the bar on the quality of the music (production and performance) then it will continue to grow.
Hunter: I think the American hard scene is still in a smaller state. We’re starting to see many new producers and DJs that want to contribute to the genre as well and we’re starting to see more and more people support the music. I feel like we’re at a slight disadvantage right now compared to mainstream genres, though. As a producer for something like electro house, you can go to YouTube, type in what you need help with and the production program you’re using, and BAM, you have tons of videos to help you get better and learn. With hard genres, there aren’t as many so you’re kind of cornered into what you can learn without being self-taught (nothing wrong with that) and I feel that holds us back from creating new material as a genre. So if you’re an experienced producer with time on your hands and you get a lot of questions on how to do something, I highly encourage you to create video tutorials. Places like YouTube and Lynda.com have the potential to pay so it’s not like you have anything to lose in doing it, but there’s plenty for the scene to gain by you spreading your knowledge to others eager to learn but don’t know where to start. Outside of that though, I think the scene we currently have is more of a family than anything. We have a great understanding of unity through the music and I’m proud to be able to contribute to something so wonderful.
What are you guys trying to convey through your music?
Kore: Everyone has stress, trauma or some type of emotional event happening in their life and I want to help either remove that, even if it’s for a few hours, or heighten the good feeling you’re experiencing. I myself have had a roller coaster ride of events and I can say that this music has been the best cure. The general message is to enhance the best parts of life and take out your aggression on the worst parts and just say, “Eff it! This is my time to shine!”.
Hunter: For me, music has always been a form of expression. I’ve been playing instruments since I was 11 years old and it was always the best outlet for emotions. As a young adult, figuring out who you are, what you want to do, and trying to simply navigate through life is really hard at times. So Hardcore for me has always felt like a way to safely let out anger or sadness without emotionally hurting others and has felt like the slightly rebellious genre where you can jam out and give the finger to whatever stressful, shitty, or hurtful experience you’re going through. When I play, I hope that hardcore can be the same therapy for others as it has been to me.
Do you have anything special planned for the event?
Kore: For Gabberfest you will hear some original music, mainstream hardcore, and some uptempo music, we want to really ramp up the level of energy. This is a gathering of hardcore and hard genre addicts, so we are going to make sure to take the sound and ramp it up! We want to see everyone lose their fucking minds with us!
Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?
Kore: We have a really big project that is the planning phases right now. I don’t want to give out too much information, but the concept really touches on an earlier question. We want to bridge a gap in respect by working with multiple genres and producers to bring out this massive release which will showcase each as an individual, and then everyone as a family. Keep your eyes and ears open for more information soon! We also have the AZ Hardcore Junkies 20 year celebration party September 9th! Come help us celebrate 20 years of Hardcore with The Outside Agency, Fiend, Delta 9 and more! You can find tickets and full event information on the Arizona Hardcore Junkies Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/arizonahardcore/
I want to give a special thanks and shout-out to everyone in the Hardcore scene in LA and AZ. Honestly without you all I have no idea where I would be and because of you all I keep pushing and wanting to not only better myself, but everyone around me. Respect and love to you all!
Hunter: I want to tell people that are currently in the hard dance scene and people that want to get into it to just go for it. I feel like people get so caught up in the “what ifs” that they miss opportunities to create and to have fun. If people want to talk shit on you, understand that that’s a reflection of their poor dedication and discipline and their attempt to be complacent in not succeeding or progressing by making you feel bad. You’re gonna make mistakes, get hurt, be embarrassed, and fail. A lot. Instead of taking those experiences as bad, look at them from another angle and find out what you can learn from each one. That combined with discipline (NOT motivation) is the only way you will ever get better.
Shout-outs to everyone that has supported me over the years. All of you mean a lot to me and I definitely wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your encouraging words and enthusiasm for what I do.
Each one of these artists have their own networking pages but you can follow the work of the duo here:
Hard work, dedication, agility, persistence, potency, or in other words, VIGOR! He is a native of Los Angeles whose history in the early 90’s shines through in his productions; towering rawstyle combined with jumpstyle and US hard house influences present a new sound and experience that is making this artist’s rise through the hard dance scene a swift one!
Representing Los Angeles, CA, and his new home on Nutty Traxx UK, this is our very own, VIGOR!
Vigor will be bringing his own Rawstyle flavor to Gabberfest 2016!
How did you decide on your stage name? I first started out by the name of DJ Intense. During the early 90s, I was a pioneer in the jumpstyle and US hard house scene. But it was in the late 2000’s, I discovered rawstyle and decided that’s the direction I wanted to take my music, so it was time to be reborn. My sound is vigorous and full of energy, that’s why I decided to change my name to Vigor, to combine my previous sound with today’s modern energy standard.
How did you start producing/DJ’ing? I used to have a friend back in the days whose brother was a DJ, and from there I just ran with the passion. I wanted to start working right away to save money for my own setup! I started doing work for some audio rental companies, hooking up their systems for events and such. Eventually, it lead to my partnership investing in an event organization called Highlight Entertainment. That’s when I started playing on massive stages at big name venues such as Florentine Gardens. From there, I decided the next step was making my own music. I bought my first studio setup and was introduced to a producer name Mr. Goodbar who was on Up and Down Records. That landed me a release on the local record label Fuze Records based out of Montebello.
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
It started when I first heard the classic Zany sound in 2003. Ever since then, it has grown and mutated and has become more aggressive and I love the infection! I love that this music is challenging compared to other genres; it’s something that takes dedication and passion just to do the simplest things!
What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started? I can honestly say the changes in my local rave scene seem to be about isolation. A lot of producers in America are very isolated; we need to work as a group so our scene can grow and if companies were to partner up (instead of working against each other, we could have bigger organizations/artists possibly visit our country. A lot has changed from the beginning routes in my opinion but the scene is growing every year so I’m hopeful, still!
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America? You have different levels and quality: some people have a certain format that they prefer over others and some of that creativity has been lost because of “industry” standards, being told what is good and what is not what; happened to the days when people would put on a track and it would be very different and fresh? I think it was like that during early times because there was no pressure. You can’t even put a track out without some type of criticism, where’s the love of the music? Production quality is a big factor but I think the music and the story is more important. So I think that people should go back to being able to make music for a more party feel then just a generic sound. It’s all about pushing boundaries and I think that’s the reason why some people that attend events have lost interest including some top artists who have switched over onto a different path, they didn’t feel that spark anymore this happens because cookie cutter tracks are not cutting it. Originality and unique styles are overlooked; everybody wants to sound like another person instead of just creating their own vision. Get back to the originality, try something new and different. Stand out!
Is there a message behind your music? I’m just trying to make music for people to have a good time to. I’m just trying to be different and unique, not following the cookie-cutter ways the industry standard. If it makes my head bob while I’m in the studio, more than likely that will also occur at a live performance. From my past experience, I’m trying to combine some of those elements into my sound for today, trying to keep my roots true. The learning curve is my drive; it’s what keeps me interested and motivated because it is not easy to be a part of this musical revolution unless you have dedication and passion and that’s what I’m all about. Proving to all of those that hard work really does pay off.
What can we expect to hear from Vigor this year at Gabberfest? I’m planning on a lot of fresh tracks from artists all over the world including collaboration tracks that will be released soon. My goal this year is to push boundaries and hope that everyone enjoys my vision of hardstyle.
Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?
I’ve been waiting to announce this for a while now,
Nutty Traxx UK is the new home for Vigor!
and I figured the Hard Data would be the best way of letting you all know that I just recently got signed to a new record label! I will be releasing music under Nutty Traxx Records based out of the UK. I will also be participating in a label tour that will be hitting the states soon! It’s called the DECADE OF DARKNESS TOUR, celebrating ten years of Nutty Traxx Records! Featuring Vigor and other artists signed to the label. I’m also doing collabs with artists Dishonored, Nutty T, Next level, Adroit, JACKO, Hybrid Code, and previews of these tracks will be online soon!
