Gxnnxr’s has helped keep the hard dance vibe alive on the East Coast for a few years now. But how many of you know anything about him other than standing in the middle of one of his ripping sets? We got his head out of range of the near-field monitors for a second to get a little background for the THD faithful!
Where are you from?
I’m from Harrisburg, PA, but you can usually find me at events in Philly, DC, and Baltimore because there isn’t a scene in Harrisburg. I think the biggest way that those areas have influenced me is to be more open minded about all genres. The scenes are pretty eclectic and the parties will have a huge variety of music. I think that reflects in my music because I sometimes include different styles and samples that wouldn’t be considered techno by some traditional techno lovers.
What’s the story behind your DJ Name?
My real name is Gunnar. When I started my solo project, I wanted a name which was more similar to my own name. X’s looked better than vowels, so I just ran with it.
Gxnnxr is playing at Hard Electronic Spetember 8, 2017.
Who or what events in your life are responsible for you being the artist you are today?
I think the biggest influence on me has been my experience running East Coast Hard Dance and Audio Havok with Eugene and the rest of the crew. All the traveling, meeting new people, and exchanging ideas have help shape me as a person, not just an artist.
There’s a theory that says experiencing new things helps connect neurons in the brain, which unleashes creativity because you see the world in a slightly different way. My experience in ECHD has for sure made me a believer. I’ve seen my musical creativity explode since we’ve been having all these new experiences traveling and running events.
What moment so far in your career do you cherish the most?
The best moment for me was the first big party that I ever played. Epic Adventure 2 in DC back in 2012. That was back when I was playing Hardstyle with my DJ partner Derick as The Qontrollers.
I remember the max capacity of the club was about 1,500 people, but 3,000 showed up. Most of the people crammed in to the room that we were playing in never heard Hardstyle before. It must’ve been over 120 degrees, you couldn’t breathe, and everyone was dressed in Adventure Time costumes, but the place was just bouncing. Anyone who was there still talks about that party. We went on to play bigger and crazier parties, but no party has been able to match the incredible vibe.
What’s the idea behind your music?
My music is meant to be fun for the crowd. I see a lot of artists who make music that is super technical and is hard to appreciate if you’re not a producer. That kind of stuff is great to listen to at home, but doesn’t always translate to a crowd. I just try to create something that is dancefloor ready and makes people want to move. That’s what dance music is all about for me.
What specifically are you planning to give to the audience at Hard Electronic?
I’m going to be warming up the techno stage, so I’ll be bringing some darker and some harder techno. Come out to Hard Electronic this weekend and have a good time with us!
The hardcore poet is back again gracing the interwebs of THD. About to jump the stage at Hard Electronic this weekend, we figured we’d get a little more info about what’s driving the man behind the mic…
So for new readers, let’s cover the basics…
I live in NYC, which influenced my music as I was able to get a lot of help from artists like Lenny Dee and The Horrorist early in my career. I think in NYC you have the ability to be very experimental in your approach – and this is probably also an influence.
What’s the story behind your DJ Name?
It was just my original Instant Messenger name 🙂 I think I thought it sounded like a combination of satan and electronica. I have no idea why I chose that but could never think of anything that sounded better when I decided to focus on an electronic music project.
Who or what events were responsible for making the Satronica we know today?
Mom making me take piano lessons. Being in junior high and high school band. Being in a high school punk band. Being in a college math rock band. Meeting Alex Chesler in college – the brother of the Horrorist and starting to work on electronic music with him in a project called Acrosome.
What’s the crux of your musical message now?
Obviously politics but more and more these days the ability to escape from the never ending barrage of hate and stupidity we see on the news every day.
What moment do you cherish the most so far in your career?
First time playing at Dominator. Putting out my first vinyl release on Industrial Strength. Playing at the legendary CBGB’s where I was on same stage as Ramones, Dictators, Wayne County, Blondie, and countless other legendary and not so legendary acts that had played there before.
Satronica appears at Hard Electronic Sept. 8 and 9, 2017
What specifically are you planning to give to the audience at Hard Electronic?
Lots of new hard tracks from my label with Delirium – Kontaminated Recordings. Tracks from new project called Doom Mekanik coming out soon on Hard Electronic. Lots of my vocal tracks! 😊
What is something you really want to tell the public that we might not have asked about?
The Hard Data rocks – so happy someone is taking an interest in and writing about this scene.
Thanks Matt, we’ll bribe you with some Musicoin for saying nice things about us after the party this week! 😀
Lenny Dee, the man who’s been coordinating the Hard Electronic madness and many would say the first hardcore techno DJ, took the time to give us a few tidbits and hints on what we’re going to be hearing at the Hard Electronic parties coming up September 8 and 9. In true THD fashion we managed to get a little extra info for you to chew on too. Here’s what went down:
You’re from Brooklyn, NY, how did growing up in New York City influence your music?
A great deal, in fact. There was great DJ scene in New York back in the day, loads of record shops. So,finding music was quite easy and exciting when I started and going to Manhattan shops was essential for me. As time went on and I start to produce it gave me more freedom to create new things. There was nothing other than House music kicking off at that time, so it gave me a creative boost to do something different.
What’s the story behind your DJ Name?
My last name is very long, so my teachers and friends called me ‘Lenny D’.
Who or what events in your life are responsible for you being the artist you are today?
I guess I can go back to Mayday 2 in Germany. There were many prior, but Mayday 2 was the pivot point where I pushed the hard electronic music all over the world and dropped IS 001 – We Have Arrived’ : Mescalinium United. I was a leading international DJ at that point, not many guys were playing in different countries at that time. So, it all went through the roof after that party.
What are you trying to convey with your music?
Just an exciting performance. When I play – I hope to take the listener on a journey through sounds and styles.
What are you giving to the crowd that listens to you?
A headache.
What moment do you cherish the most so far in your career as a DJ?
When I played on the Guru Josh Tour. I was down to my underwear and started playing like a mad man that was a moment I won’t forget. The Janes’ Addiction Reunion gig in NY was pretty awesome, too.
What are you planning to give to the audience at Hard Electronic?
The message for the party is a diverse selection of DJ’s and music and to give the USA a new way to listen to harder music. We do lean more towards hardcore and techno, though, which was the way it was when I started playing raves. I want to bring back some of that feeling.
What is something you really want to tell the public that we might not have asked about?
Hard Electronic addicts in the USA are in for a treat this month, as Malke brings his musical artistry to New York and Los Angeles. For those of you not familiar with him yet, we were able to get a few words out of him while he was preparing for the shows.
Ok Malke, tell us the basics…
I’m from Campo Grande, Brazil. There I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy dance music at clubs at early age, which instilled a passion for the music right away.
What’s the story behind your DJ Name?
Well, Malke is actually one of my surnames, so that was kind of easy to come up with.
What are you trying to convey with your music?
Energy and excitement are the two words that best describe what I want to deliver to the audience. I love to blend the chaos of metal music concerts with the danceable mood of the clubs and festivals. Sometimes the lyrics on my tracks have deeper messages related with politics and society but some others I’ve only looked for cool sounding words and that’s it.
Malke killing the drums!
What moments do you cherish the most so far in your career as an artist?
If I had to pick just a few I’d definitely pick my first international gig in Venezuela and my moving to Europe was another really important step up in my career. Playing at Nature One this year was definitely out of the chain but also my debut album on Industrial Strength Records is something I am really proud of.
What can the audience expect from you at Hard Electronic?
I brought all my collection, from Techno to extreme Hardcore, so I have the freedom, within my style, to follow what I feel the crowd is wanting to hear at each moment.
Anything extra you want to say before signing off?
Thank you to all hard electronic music supporters out there, you really rock!
This is what Malke looks like when the party gets pumping!
Hard Kryptic Records is a U.S. based hardcore techno label formed by founders Howard “How Hard” Grene and Jimmy “Jimmy X” Navarro. The label celebrated its first decade releasing music in September 2016 with an explosive remix project entitled “Return To The Pit”.
I sat down with How Hard to get a deeper look into him and the label more.
Well, there’s no better place to begin then when it all started. When was Hard Kryptic Records formed?
The label itself came into existence officially in 2006, although there was a year leading up to the first album’s release. Jimmy X and I were working together on music, and I was helping him on some of the more business side of music for his own work.
All good ideas usually spawn from a moment of inspiration or idea, right? So, what was the driving force or reason why the label was founded?
The label came to fruition by circumstance. It wasn’t something we originally planned for. Simply put, I had two friends—a married couple—that wanted to put together a vinyl record for fun. They asked me to take one side, and they’d take the other side, and we’d split the cost. Jimmy and I had finished up a song of mine called “The Pit” a little before that, and I decided that’s what I wanted to use on the record. Long story short, my friends ended up dropping out of the project, but Jimmy and I already were still ready to go. So, we threw on a DJ Delirium remix of “The Pit” as well as had another original track, and the next thing we knew, we had boxes of vinyl sitting in my house!
Hard Kryptic founders How Hard and Jimmy X in Canada.
How did you come up with the name “Hard Kryptic Records”?
Jimmy was releasing DJ podcasts under the name Kryptic Music, and I had been releasing my band’s demos under an unofficial How Hard Records name—basically keeping the name around in the hopes of eventually launching it for real when the time presented itself. As to represent the both of us, we combined the two named into one entity. We did the same thing with our main company that houses HKR—Hard X Music—which combines How Hard and Jimmy X.
Were there any other label creators or artists that helped you out in the beginning of the company, or gave you inspiration/motivation/ideas for Hard Kryptic Records?
DJ Delirium was a great help in the beginning. He was happy to lend his thoughts and connections to get the first release out there and get the second release “Blazin’ Out Your Speaker” put together. Lenny Dee and I had some discussions in the early years as well. He was someone who was happy to give his advice. I mean, when Lenny speaks, you listen! Plus, because I was already working for some labels, I was taking a lot of knowledge from that experience.
The Pit record release party, NYC, 2006.
I can’t imagine just anyone being able to start a record label. Are there any particular skills or education would you say aided you the most in managing one?
I was fortunate to have already been working in the music industry for a few years at that point. I think doing your best to understand how all the moving parts work is beneficial. I often find that people who want to start a label are focused on getting the music out but have little-to-no understanding of how usage rights work. I’ve seen quite a few artists and label owners get upset because music of theirs gets taken down by copyright strikes on SoundCloud or YouTube because of a blatant sample, or releasing bootleg remixes. I find more often than not artists who haven’t given any thought to publishing, which is an important piece that gets overlooked.
What was the first official release on Hard Kryptic Records? And looking back on it, what are your thoughts on how it felt when that release first went out? Was it exciting to finally have something concrete to say, “Here’s something brought to you in part by HKR”?
Our first release was the 12″ of “The Pit” by How Hard & Jimmy X. It was exciting, for sure. It really all went fast too! Once the product was in my house, we already were sending it out to DJs. We sent a whole box to the Netherlands to be distributed to shops. We threw a record release party. Soon after, some labels were contacting me about licensing, and artist demos were coming in. It was one thing after another!
HKR001: How Hard & Jimmy X – The Pit
Who were the first artists you signed to your label?
DJ Delirium was the first artist we signed for two records. After that we signed Triax, who has put out some big releases in his career. Sadly, even though we looked to do more work together, he only did one record with us. After that, we starting to pick up talent in the U.S. and overseas: Delta 9, Angry Tolerance, Forsaken Is Dead, CAP, and so many many more in those first few years.
In the beginning, it couldn’t have been easy. What kept you going with Hard Kryptic Records that first year?
Fortunately, the first year was only “The Pit” and slowly putting together “Blazin’ Out Your Speaker”. We didn’t intend to go out and make this a full-time label, but DJ Delirium remix generated some attention, so we figured we’d go for round two. Obviously, we didn’t expect “Blazin’” to really throw us into high gear, but when it did, it did!
Would you describe managing a label as being very difficult? What are the hardest parts? Do you manage every aspect of the business on your own, or do you work with a team?
I find running the label more time consuming than difficult. The hardest parts I would say are trying to get all of the back-end pieces done. I’m fortunate that 99% of the artists we’ve had on the label have been amazing to work with, so ego hasn’t been too much of a problem.
I manage the label as a whole but I have some amazing help, too. This includes Stefan—my promo manager for the last year and a half—has been my sidekick. Our artist Komarovski was a big part of helping with the label for a few years in different areas. My brother Jonathan, works with me on the financials and business affairs-type decisions. Plus, interns who have tediously sat and inputted lines upon lines of data into different websites for their 3 college credits. And you [Jai] have also helped in the past with licensing and income tracking.
Would you have any advice out there for people who may be considering founding their own labels?
I would say get your ducks in a row. Learn as much as you can about the ins and outs about how a label operates. I always try to take my time to help friends looking to launch labels or help them gain a better understanding of things from the artist side. There are countless labels putting out product. A lot of it is excellent music, but things get lost in the mix. Make sure what you have stands out, and you’ll have an arsenal of music ready to go so your name doesn’t get forgotten. Also, network! Know the other labels who do similar music as you, and maybe even those which don’t. Speak to DJs who will support your music. Oh, and don’t be a jerk. That’s one way for me and so many others to never want to work with you.
What are some characteristics that stick out about Hard Kryptic?
I think that we are very open about style. A lot of labels—big and small—have a particular “sound”, and the artists on their rosters perfect those sounds. For us, our sound is eclectic. I enjoy having a release that is heavily melody-driven and then another release that is dark and a bit noisy. Overall, I enjoy releasing interesting music by talented artists. Another thing that I try to push to artists is DIY.
In this style of music, sampling is prominent, and there’s lots of chances for similar-sounding results. I prefer to find someone to create something new that’s unique to that track. I’ve recorded or hired others to perform on drums and guitars, to sing, do voice work—even foley effects. With vocals, we can change words around, play with style an phrasing. Another part that I’ve been happy to see is our artists moving on to bigger parts of their careers after working with us.
How Hard, Jimmy X, Integrity, DJ Choke
What are some of your personal favorite releases?
It’s hard to say. I mean, how do you choose your favorite child? “The Pit” launched it all. “Blazin’” made us take the label seriously. So, those two really stick out in the beginning. My collab with Braincrushers and E-RAYzor—“Worldwide Movement”—was a big track for me. It’s one of those songs that even if I wasn’t a part of the song, I’d play it for years to come. When I play that track live, I get this big jolt of energy. I must look like a maniac behind the decks screaming my head off! What else? Oh! My release with CAP called “American Rebels” was a fun release to do. I flew to Arizona for a week and worked on that in CAP’s studio. I love writing tracks which represent hardcore, so this was my track celebrating American hardcore with two American artists from different parts of the country. Sh*t, Komarovski’s first release on HKR “The Melody Within Me” was great. Love those melodies! Same with Hard-Tex’s first release “Defined By The Melody”. Both are masters of melody; so much so I made sure their album titles pointed that out! The first Scathatch EP is something I still play out. The title track is great and the Braincrushers remix of “Time” is forever a go-to track for me. But, all in all, I can’t believe how many great tracks and releases we’ve put out.
Do you have any particular artists that you enjoy working with the most as an artist as well as on the label side?
It’s a different experience working with different artists. J Root and I have been working together in the studio for years. Usually I head down to his studio for several days and hang out. He and I have a great work method which boils down to trying not to kill each other by day two. But in the end, we both come out excited for what we’ve done. He’s an overall great guy, and I like to find projects to work on with him—partially as an excuse to drive a few hours to his place to chill. D-Version/Section IX has been a recent collaborator with me musically. It’s a bit harder to collab from a distance since he’s in the Netherland, but we’re both trusting of each other’s contributions we pass back and forth. I wish CAP lived closer. We had a blast working side by side when I was out there. Broadly, I’ve done vocals on a bit of projects both on HKR and other labels, so I enjoy that ability to add something to someone else’s tracks. I’m a hands-on person, so I enjoy artists who allow me to be a part of the final production of the song.
On the label side, Komarovski was a great guy to have a part of the team. Simply talented in the studio and put in a lot of his time to help me out in many ways. Hard-Tex is great too—another one who I know will go far. Mr. Madness is a cool dude and putting out some great work on Industrial Strength these days. Scathatch, CAP, and Braincrushers are the super easy artists to work with—I’ll wake up with demos in my inbox and pass back some notes. Next thing I know, I have releases ready to go, awaiting mastering and artwork. Can’t ask for a smoother process. Vi Ta Lee and Kostia from Angry Tolerance/The Illuminati/Apex Mind are awesome at getting me awesome music both as a team and solo tracks. They also manage the sublabel Dark Like Hell so they are very much ingrained in the company. I like being a springboard for artists. We’ve had some great talent go come through us early on and move onto bigger labels. That’s really exciting.
In September 2016 you released the 10-year anniversary release “Return To The Pit”.What work went into it?
For the anniversary release, I wanted to bring in some remixers that would take the original and have some fun with it. I started my own remix first: recorded new vocals, recorded a guitar melody that I heard in my head with my man Spikey Jay. I called up J Root to see if he wanted in on the new remix. He took the elements I had, and we brainstormed a bit. As we worked, I realized that this was more than a remix, but a whole new take on the song! I remember getting a text from him with a link to our Dropbox with the updates he made, and I was so blown away at what it turned into.
From there, I reached out to guys on the label. First pick was Braincrushers—they’re the top breed on the roster and such mainstays for years that I couldn’t NOT have them on this! The same thing with Vi Ta Lee who I knew would go in a totally different direction than anyone else on the project. Section IX had just came back to the label looking to do rawstyle which I thought was cool to add into the release. Then Silent Humanity who was releasing on the Dark Like Hell sublabel and starting to work on HKR was excited to be a part of the mix too. The biggest coup of them all was having Ophidian come in on a remix. I can’t tell you how honored I was to attach his name to the project. His remix is simply untouchable. I got the first draft of it and I was so blown away! I passed back some ideas and the guy took it a thousand levels farther. Then, because “No Clownin’” was on the original vinyl, I had Scathatch come in on a remix. We remastered DJ Delirium’s remix of “The Pit” and included previously released remixes of my tracks “Suck A F*ck” and “Revenge”. Alina at Second Idea Design did a kickass job on the cover too. If this was my last release as an artist or a label, I’d be okay with it. Just an overall rad release!
HKD074 – How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit
Have any releases come since “Return To The Pit”?
Oh yeah, totally! J Root did a cool solo release “Project Disclosure”. Can I say how unique J’s style is? He’s another one whose melodies stick out and production is so his own! CAP did two releases back to back “I Have No Friends” that included a remix by [crisis] who has done work on HKR as Deotys and then “Machine Music” which has a remix by Nekrokick who I met earlier in the summer at Gabberfest. Both CAP releases showcase his different styles. The dude has grown so much since joining the label. Mash Manson did an aggressive techno release “The Bad Man“, Vi Ta Lee had a hardstyle single that was a collaboration with Marina Borodina and General Guyble titled “Blow Your Mind“. Section IX contributed vocals to that one. So, our most recent release, which came out end of July, is “Worldwide Movement: Remix Project” by Braincrushers, E-RAYzor, and myself. This is a big release for HKR and me. I’m so amped for this to be played everywhere!
What else can you tell us about “Worldwide Movement: Remix Project”?
The original theme of the song was hardcore being a musical uniter for artists and fans around the world. In 2014, we released the original with a music video that had clips of hardcore artists and events from different countries. This remix project took that idea to the next level. We enlisted remixes from on and outside the label—people we felt would represent their countries well. Similar direction like we did with “Return To The Pit”. I know Re-Style is the name that will stand out to many. His remix is right up there in that mainstage style. A headbanger for sure. Other remixes we have are Trinitite from Sweden, Dark Headz from Switzerland, SOTUI from Spain, Round Wave Crusher from Argentina, Hard Versions (the collaborative name I am using with D-Version), and Kortarow in Japan. Everyone came through with fantastic remixes—each one is so unique.
HKD078 – Braincrushers, E-RAYzor, How Hard – Worldwide Movement: Remix Project
What’s next, or what’s in the future of Hard Kryptic Records? Do you foresee it ever changing into something mainstream or radio-friendly? Where do you see yourself going with this? What changes or evolutions do you predict for yourself and the label?
To be honest, I’m not even sure. Sounds change and artists come and go. I hope we have longevity and we continue to represent underground hardcore techno. I have no problem releasing non-hard music, and we’ve done so on some of the Hard X labels. It’s not a direction I am trying to steer the ship towards completely, but overall I enjoy interesting music and want to help push talent. In the end, hardcore and harder music is my #1, and I look to continue to do that!
