It’s no secret that the East Coast rave and warehouse scene has been lacking the harder styles lately. As club nights fill with bombastic trap and pretentious deep house, hardcore shows like this years TRAUMA Tour have been far between and fans of hardcore have had fewer and fewer opportunities to throw on their UFOs and shuffle. Tim Shopp and Warsong Presents want to change this June 11 with Raging Hard at Bambou in Baltimore, Maryland.
Featuring hard dance legends like Darksiderz, Raging Hard boasts an eclectic lineup of hardcore favorites from all over the country. Across 3 different stages, ravers from all along the east coast will gather at Bambou in Baltimore to get down to a diverse mix of Hardstyle, Hardcore and UK Hardcore.
The main stage will be dedicated to hardstyle and hosted by New York native MC MastaChief. Headlining the hardstyle stage, Darksiderz will be playing his signature dark style with new favorites like Mekanikal from Rochester, NY and Markove from Washington, D.C. Joining them on the hardstyle stage are Dr Jer-Z bringing Jumpstyle from Monreale, Palermo, Italy and Virginia Beach favorite Zaki.
The Outdoor Hardcore stage will have a mix of Terror, Uptempo and pure old Hardcore, hosted by MC Mad Effort from New York City. Featuring uptempo sets from hardcore heros like Treachery and Warsong’s resident terror producer Tim Shopp. Alongside them will be New Jersey hardcore favorite Levenkahn and Dj Bizarre.
Warsong also added a third bonus stage devoted to UK Hardcore. Bringing you euphoric synths and hard kicks all night will be Arcada alongside master of melody and cheese Happy Daze. Philly’s own DSM resident Problem Unit will be opening the stage with a mix of UK Hardcore and breaks.
Tickets are on sale now starting at only $15 for presales or $20 at the door. The event is 18 and over, starting Saturday, June 11 at 8:00 PM at Bambou, 229 N. Franklintown Rd, Baltimore MD. Click Here to RSVP to the Facebook event or find out more details.
I am very happy to say that this interview is going to reveal a hidden gem for you all! One of the busiest minds in the American hardcore scene, with a most impressive Discogs page, an education from the Conservatory for Recording Arts & Sciences at the top of his class and a father of not one, but two [expecting] hellions. On the surface, Mr. Stephen Caparella looks like any ‘ol bronie to most, but deep down, this man is THE unsung hero of American hardcore and is deserving of your utmost respect and attention.
CAP, representing Arizona at Gabberfest 2016! I mean, just look how beautiful he is.
CAP, industrial hardcore producer from Mesa, Arizona!
Affiliations:Arizona Hardcore Junkies, Industrial Strength Records, Important Corestyle, Hard Kryptic Records, Dark Like Hell Records, Six Feet Underground Records, No Sleep Till Bedtime
How did you decide on your stage name?
It’s my nickname from football. We had tape on our helmets with our last name and my last name is pretty long so they shortened it to CAP. Football was pretty much my life from about 10 to 20 years old.
How did you start producing/DJ’ing?
I started learning to DJ when I was 16 but my rigorous football, training, and school schedule kept me from fully pursuing it. It wasn’t until I stopped playing football that I decided to pick up DJ’ing again. I had the basic skills down but working with the [Arizona Hardcore] Junkies helped refine me as a DJ. Soon after learning the basic skills [of DJing], I figured producing was the next logical step. Why play everybody else’s tracks when you can make your own? I’ve been producing on and off since 2006 and right now is happily one of my more “on” times.
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
Ah, the glorious “how did you get into it” question. I HATED hardcore at first. I thought it was noisy garbage. I even watched CIK vs. KORE and Omar Santana at a show in ’03 or ’04 and walked away thinking “how does anybody dance to this?” Irony and hypocrisy is my middle name, always has been, always will be. Fast forward not that far to 2005 when I was in college. It was the first time I had high speed internet. It was a big deal. I could download tracks and mixes in a fraction of the time than when I was at home. I made a commitment to myself to listen to all forms of EDM and yes, even hardcore. At the time, I had one of those old brick iPods with plenty of space so I loaded it up with everything I downloaded. I forced myself to listen to hardcore and one of the first sets I listened to was CIK’s Nocturnal Wonderland 2004 mix. I listened to it again, and again, and again, and again. Something about it just caught my ear. I was into UK hard house at the time and this was a step above; harder, faster, louder, more intense. It grew on me after a while and pretty soon I was hooked: I was listening to mixes before practice to get amped up, and downloading and searching for more and more hardcore mixes. After that it was the hardcore record habit that cost me a pretty penny then the producing bug. The love has been catching steam ever since.
What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?
There’s been phases of the scene. When I first started, pretty much every show was illegal and underground. It was special if a show was actually licensed and bonded. Our illegal warehouse hookup disappeared so the nature of shows changed; more desert parties and more legal venues. I was out of the scene a while after that; work, more school, moved away for about a year. While I was gone, parties got bigger and eventually the EDM divide happened. I came back to a scene that had legal, small budget “underground” parties and large budget “EDM” events. It’s nice now to see more than one “hard” crew supporting the harder styles, despite it being more hardstyle, rawstyle, etc. focused.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
I have no idea where it truly stands, I can only assess it from my vantage point. From where I see it, SFX going under was a big blow because the huge shows under its umbrella hosted hardstyle. The good news is guys who have the main stage at current events are playing hardstyle in their sets, so there’s growth there. American hardstyle producers seem to be doing better than in the past but hardcore producer wise it seems to be down from where it once was. The good thing is hardcore has plenty of hype show wise and DJ wise. Aside from all that, I’m a big supporter of the idea that the US needs to cultivate and support its own artists to really grow into a new era that rivals the EU.
CAP putting in that work for hardcore techno
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?
My themes change from track to track. It’s as hard to pin down as asking a horror author to describe all their work in a single statement. Yeah, the genre is horror but every novel tells a different story. Most, if not all, my work is hardcore but each track has its own feel or style. There really isn’t any singular theme to my whole discography – although I probably need to do that with an alias – and every track pretty much speaks for itself. A lot of times I don’t even start with a theme. I just make a kick that I like and try to choose a direction from there. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s also a good amount of times I start out with a theme, typically a theme related to something that’s caught my attention lately. Recently, it’s been random stuff like movie trailers and video games. Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to let it in.
Do you have anything special planned for the event (b2b set, all vinyl, live PA, guest performers/dancers etc)? Original productions?
Well, it wouldn’t be special if I told you ahead of time! But… let’s say tons of new tracks for this year’s Gabberfest, and like every set I do, it’s 95-100% original production.
I have to ask before we part, are we potentially going to see the “return of the mask” this year?
Nah, that’s pretty much retired for a couple reasons, so you probably won’t see it this year. I initially did it as a mega-industrial gimmick but I have garbage vision so the combo of the mask and no glasses made it tough to DJ. Add to that, just about every hardcore act out there today has some kind of stupid gimmick whether it be vests, helmets, masks, fake blood, you name it. It’s not unique if everybody does it. Aside from that, I would rather have the stuff that matters – the music – be the driving force for people to remember me or have the desire to come see me.
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?
Don’t forget to support your locals! Thanks to the Hard Data for having me. Thanks to the Great American White Ape for continuing to put together Gabberfest year after year. Thanks to anybody who’s ever supported me on social media or bought one of my tracks. Thanks to the other producers out there for raising the bar as well as being down to earth enough to talk shop. Thanks to CIK and KORE for being my good friends, mentors, support, and colleagues for over 10 years. Last but not least: thanks to my wife for putting up with putting up with my noise as well as my persistent requests, demands, and deals for studio time.
CAP at Gabberfest 2015 (and was voted “best set of the day” by the Hard Data in issue #2).
Here we go guys! The countdown to Gabberfest 2016 (June 18th-19th, EDC Weekend) has officially commenced! Hardcore delegates from all over the country will converge on the Hard Hat Lounge in Las Vegas, Nevada to witness the grand spectral display of the American hard dance scene and the Hard Data will be bringing you face to face with the artists chosen to represent their home state(s) because you “can’t know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks”!
Tim Shopp, representing New Jersey at Gabberfest 2016!
First up, is 21 year old uptempo hardcore producer TIM SHOPP from Middletown, New Jersey.
How did you decide on your stage name?
When I first began I honestly had no idea what I was going to do for a name; the usual thing was to use some type of cool word or make something up, but I didn’t want that. I always wanted to be known for me, so I then decided (after a couple goofy names) that I was just going to be me (Tim Shopp)!
How did you start producing/DJ’ing?
When I was little for Christmas one year I actually got a cool little toy that you could hook your iPod to and scratch songs you played. Then eventually I turned to computer software, and continued the “upgrading” to where I am now. The learning is still not over, because recently I’ve decided CDJs can only allow so much so I’m actually learning “live performance” so I can do that in the future! As for producing: there was a point where I knew playing other people’s music was fun, but I knew I wanted to play MY own music. So I eventually picked up Ableton, and with some devoted time and effort, here I am!
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
It all started with listening to happy hardcore actually! My first obsession was DJ S3RL and from there I just kept digging deeper and deeper into the music until I found my true love for “Uptempo” hardcore and terror! Of course there is always my other obsession as well known as speedcore/extratone.
What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?
Well as for my home state (New Jersey) we truly don’t have any music scene left from what I see. My second home (New York City) will always have my heart, but recently not much has been going on. We went from constant shows every weekend to hardly ever anything going on. When we do have shows, the crowds are always promising and dedicated so the wait is well worth it. No place like home!
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
My bias opinion: Needs more hardcore! (laughs) As for the scene itself: it is truly amazing to see it evolving more and over the last couple of years! One thing I do have to say is I’ve noticed less support for the locals and more focus mainly on what European act is coming. A good headliner is always promising don’t get me wrong, but I believe that if we want to evolve the scene to what we all want, we need more support for the locals who have the ability to lead the next level of everything! I feel as if we just expect to get our own Defqon, Qlimax, MOH etc., but most won’t even go out on the weekend to see a show unless there’s some huge European name on the lineup. I just want to see more people invested because of the music, not just because there’s a Dutch act in town.
Tim Shopp artist logo.
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?
Chaos. Chaos, chaos and more chaos! Being a metal head and beat down fan, I try to bring those elements into my sets and music. There’s something about chaos and insanity I find very interesting.
Do you have anything special planned for the event (b2b set, all vinyl, live PA, guest performers/dancers etc)? Original productions?
Well me and the Gabberfest crew have been waiting for this day to come! I always said I would do something special my first time, and sure enough Gabberfest will have the first world premiere of “Extreme Team!” that I can guarantee will blow minds. For my solo set of course plenty of new music from me! B2b sets, well anything can happen at Gabberfest…
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?
2016 has already been a huge for me. So first and foremost I just have to thank everyone who’s been behind me since the start and especially recently! I will be playing all over the USA this summer on my mini tour, and I even have a show in The Netherlands! On top of all that, huge collaborations with some major artists as well. I will let that be a surprise for you all!
Be sure to follow TIM SHOPP on his social media and be up front and center to catch his solo set along with the debut of “Extreme Team!” in six weeks time at GABBERFEST 2016!
MC Sik-Wit-It is shaping up to become the future voice of American hardstyle. Having already done songs with international sensations Nightfall, Coone, The Pitcher, Mekanikal and Drone, being an MC isn’t just about the voice, it’s about the message that they can convey to us that we may not be able to convey ourselves. Sik-With-It was brought in to Vegas for the Apocalypto show and I had the honor of sitting down with him briefly before he had to rush on stage to work his magic during Frontliner’s set.
It’s great that we’re able to bring out so many hard artists in general for the American scene, but rarely do we get to actually focus on the MCs themselves. What brought you into MCing? What made you decide that this is your thing?
I used to work on hip hop a lot of my teenage years into my twenties. When I moved back out [to Los Angeles], I didn’t really know anybody to work on music with, so I dropped it for a little bit. My friends, Bass Breakers, they’re local to L.A. introduced me to hardstyle. I started doing it more and more and started to come up with vocals and stuff and they just put me on. After we parted our ways, I got in contact with The Pitcher. From there, it’s just been a gradual, if not a swift, build.
MC-Sik-Wit-It right before his performance at Apocalypto.
What makes an MC significant? What role are you playing in the hard dance scene?
At the risk of sounding corny, I like speaking to people. I’m a person with words. I feel that other people, whether sometimes when you’re drunk and you’re trying to tell your friend how much you love a song or how much you love an artist, you just can’t find the words. I feel like I try in my best way to find the words that people are trying to say, especially with the song I did with Coone. I wrote that when I first started listening to hardstyle because it gave me a feeling that no other music had. I was absolutely in love with hip hop. I heard hardstyle and once it got to my heart, it never left. It’s been a solid rock ever since. I really think that me doing what I can do, I can help others feel the same way or be able to express themselves in the same way.
How did you get your stage name?
I got it after my first time trying to glove! Afterwards the guy said, “That was sick with it.”, and it stuck. It was later that I adapted better spelling for it.
What is the best experience, what is the best show rather, that you have participated in so far?
The first two Apocalypto shows, and also Nocturnal because it was a huge crowd, and I had a huge amount of interaction. I love performing with Lady Faith. She’s such an amazing person, DJ, artist, everything. The first Apocalypto I performed with her [Lady Faith], The Pitcher, and Darksiderz. The second one was Adrenalize and Tuneboy. Me and Adrenalize did a sit down. It was my first sit down I’ve ever done as an MC. It went off without a hitch. It was so much fun. I’m actually glad to be performing here as well with Ravealation Black. It makes me feel so welcome. It is such a cool feeling to actually have a place where I know I can go back to and perform.
What do you feel is going on in the American scene right now that’s prevalent? Why are we significant in terms of the hard dance scene? What are the biggest things that you see in our scene right now that actually makes us recognizable, that makes us significant in the hard dance scene?
I think it’s the hunger and the drive, for the most part. Some artists, they do still have that European flavor, but they also bring a new flavor. There’s a lot of trap, there’s a lot of dubstep, house, hard house, what not. A lot of them incorporate that in it, whether it is the BPM or the sounds. We’re giving, in my opinion a brand new flavor to it all. It may not be acceptable to the world, but it’s our own for sure; we’re not trying to copy it, we’re trying to embrace it.
Being involved in the European scene and the American scene respectively, how do you feel that the American hard dance scene needs to progress themselves in order to become anywhere close to our counterparts? What are the differences that you see that needs to be taken care of for us to progress further in our scene?
Well, just like a good friend of mine, Leo Corson just said in an interview recently; he finally said something that I think literally everybody in America’s wanted to say, and it’s that we need to stop fighting and being little bitches about everything. I’ve wanted to say it for a long time and I’ve been known to be a shit talker myself. I try to hold back in certain situations so people don’t get easily offended, which everybody in the world is at this time. We all just need to actually be friends. You don’t even have to be friends. You just need to be cordial enough to understand that somebody enjoys something just as much as you do. It may not be the same type of something, but it’s still the same something. I’m guilty myself. I’ve talked plenty of shit throughout the past, even when I wasn’t making music. Being guilty of it, I finally see it as I get older. We need to stop complaining. To me, this is why other countries look at us like we’re spoiled little kids. Especially in California where I’m from, we get everything but we still cry and bitch about what we get. Supporting U.S. acts at this point is what’s more important. I do support foreign, but we need to support local acts just as much.
What’s next for MC Sik-Wit-It? Do you have any upcoming collaborations?
TNT did a little preview video with Zatox and the iPod, when he fell on his face (laughs), that’s the next track of mine coming out with them and Dave Revan.
Is there anything you want to say in your own words to the fans/readers?
Thank you so so much for all the love and support you all have given me. Hardstyle fans are such dedicated and energetic people and I can’t imagine anything that even comes close to performing for all of you. I’m where I’m at, not only because of the artists that have given me the chance, but also because of all of you. I’m forever grateful for every one of you. And be on the lookout for some huge collaborations and Sik-Wit-It merchandise in the not so distant future!
As if we needed any more evidence that hard dance music is taking over in 2016; Frontliner was set to headline Apocalypto this last Saturday at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the event SOLD OUT! “I couldn’t be happier to see hard dance thriving in Las Vegas!” says Matthew Levin, who gave all of his ambition in making sure of this outcome. What was most exciting was showing up about an hour before the show, absorbed by the empty room, witnessing the amount of prep that it takes up to the very last minute to make sure an event like this goes off without a hitch, then suddenly: show time! And watching that once empty room fill to the brim in a matter of minutes like a pilsner beer glass.
Kung Pow at Apocalypto, Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas, NV. Photos courtesy of Tone Martinez. Set the Tone Photography.
The night started off with local Vegas vets Joji (who spins a hard dance monthly at the Phoenix Bar to 100+[people]), Jack Spaidz – who is to psytrance what System Malfunction is to hardcore [in Vegas], and Kung Pow – my second favorite act of the night – a multi-genre DJ who can make anything sound incredible, together or separate. Arriving early is very important, because believe it or not, you’re missing out on a lot of pure talent, and since I’ve been witness to this it makes me feel that Vegas DJs are vastly overlooked.
Frontliner took the stage to a thunderous roar and conducted an interactive set filled with popular antics to interact with the crowd. It was a fun, uplifting set, and if you know this artist well, even his euphoric tracks have a certain roughness to them. As he moves from ‘Shivers’, to the Defqon.1 anthem ‘No Guts, No Glory’, Frontliner never dampens the energy he creates. But there is still one question that remains… who were those guys in the masks?
The debut of RVLTN Black at Apocalypto, Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas, NV. Photos courtesy of Tone Martinez. Set the Tone Photography
This night, we also witnessed the debut of a new Las Vegas tag team: RVLTN Black! Two insane, rowdy rough boys who unleashed rawstyle/uptempo hardcore to the crowd in a quickfire blitzkrieg. They even dropped American terrorcore producer Tim Shopp’s track “Terror Squad”, at which point the taller member of the duo grabbed the mic from the MC and yelled “when this track drops, someone fucking bleeds!” Of course, it was inevitable that a mosh pit was to ensue, and with an ear to ear grin, I couldn’t help but take part. What a show!
A huge thank you goes out to Matthew Levin and the entire Ravealation crew for making this event possible and for making the trip from Utah well worth it. Las Vegas has a seriously dedicated crowd to the harder styles so make sure that they stay well fed and nurtured.
