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Articles, Events, Reviews

My Hostile Takeover Experience by 3MiloE

The thing one has to realize about riddim and dubstep is that the crowd loves to get wild and aggressive, but due to the hard, raw nature of sounds of the genres, who can blame them for being so intense? Its hard to contain one’s self when these styles are blaring through enormous speakers accompanied by trippy visuals, lasers, and masked DJs. It truly makes you want to throw your fists in the air.

I bought my ticket for Hostile Takeover months in advance, so it was definitely time for the anticipation to end and for the experience of what Hostile Takeover really was to begin. I grabbed my EDC 2016 shirt and my bandana and headed from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles.  Hostile Takeover took place at the Union Nightclub, a very enjoyable venue. The bathrooms were clean, they served free water, and blasted hard, loud music that made everyone go insane and rage. As crazy as the crowd was, the venue was able to keep things under control—no easy task with this kind of music. I give the the club respect for keeping everyone safe while also letting people let loose and express themselves. Apart from an altercation between two women outside while I waited in line, everything was chill.

When I first entered the venue, I was hit with a  powerful energy… the energy of dubstep and riddim. As the night grew on, the energy got more and more intense until it peaked around 1:00 a.m.

Clowning Dubstep
This was my favorite DJ at the Loft stage, clowning the dubstep.

At one point, all of the DJs put on masks.  Some were in costumes, everyone started going twice as hard. Mosh pits were rough, but no one was punching or throwing elbows at each other. One raver fell while in the mosh pit, but myself and others picked him back up to his feet before he got trampled.

At the Riddim Stage
These guys killed it on stage.

I was drawn to lights all night. I actually found the person who was controlling the visuals for the stage, which included the lasers and background screen. For a few moments I observed him control the visuals as a DJ would a deck. He changed the visuals with the music, keeping them in sync as it played. I watched him use technique and skills that looked like it took years of training to learn. I always had thought light shows were automated,  and was surprised to discover that it actually took a person to control such amazing visuals.

Visuals Controller
This was the man behind the visuals

My favorite set of all night was Subtronics back-to-back with Svdden Death and Uber Dubstep. The skills of the DJs at Hostile Takeover rivaled some of the DJs that performed at Project Z! I went so hard I could barely stand the next day because my muscles were so sore from dancing. I entered the pit and came out a happier person after I did exaggerated body movements, fist pumps, and jumping up and down to get out my frustrations and aggression in a positive way.

Overall, I would say that Hostile Takeover was an incredible event, that will not long be forgotten. Quality riddim and dubstep, along with a good venue, is an experience that will not long be forgotten. I definitely had a great experience, and I plan on going to another Fresh event soon. I was impressed with the promoters because they know how to throw sick events. The music quality was phenomenal, the vibes were chill, and it allowed me to feel and explore the harder side of EDM. Thanks to everyone who went for making it an amazing time!

Articles, Reviews

Kryptic Corner 002: Hard KryPicks

Hardcore is a genre that has been a part of my life since I was a teenager. I’ve always loved hard and aggressive music and still listen to metal, punk, or whatever gets my adrenaline flowing on top of my daily hardcore headbanging. To be able to be a part of the history of this amazing genre is incredible. Here are five of my top picks from Hard Kryptic’s catalog.

1 . How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – “Return To The Pit: A Decade of Hard Kryptic Records” Hard Kryptic Records (HKD074)

  1. How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Original Mix)
  2. How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Ophidian Remix)
  3. How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Braincrushers Remix)
  4. How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Vi Ta Lee Remix)
  5. How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Section IX Remix)
  6. How Hard, J Root, Jimmy X – Return To The Pit (Silent Humanity Remix)
  7. How Hard & Jimmy X – The Pit (DJ Delirium Remix) [2016 Remaster]
  8. Jimmy X – No Clownin’ (Scathatch Remix)
  9. How Hard – Suck A Fuck (Neural Damage Remix)
  10. How Hard – Revenge (Neverlution Remix)

“The Pit” is the record that started it all for Hard Kryptic and the next step for me in my music career. I remember first writing the melody on “The Pit”. I had the kick drum and was playing the melody on loop. It was one of those melodies that I played out of thin air and that was it. It’s a simple and chromatic melody, but catchy. The overall theme of the song is fun, but when the melody and kick came together, it’s aggressive. Ten years after that album’s release, it was beyond exciting to re-create the song with my buddy J Root. The original mix of “Return To The Pit” is a complete re-imagining of the original track. I recorded new, original vocals and guitars with my buddy Spikey Jay. I’m still blown away by the magic we had on it. Then the remixes are beyond incredible! Ophidian took the melody and worked his magic. I can’t get enough of it! Braincrushers were the first guys I wanted to put their touch on the track and they didn’t disappoint, taking those guitars and making a headbanger! Vi Ta Lee came through with a unique, low tempo remix that bangs. Section IX dropped a strong rawstyle remix utilizing “less is more” when it comes to making a banger. Silent Humanity came through with a doomy, techy version that made a lot of use of the original Pit melody with the new vocals. Finally, we remastered the DJ Delirium remix from the vinyl record. There’s also a re-release of two remixes of two tracks that appeared on the original vinyl (“Suck A Fuck”) with a Neural Damage remix and a Neverlution remix of “Revenge” on the digital bonus edition.

Listen/Buy Return To The Pit

2. How Hard, J Root, Komarovski – “RMXD” Hard Kryptic Records (HKD029)

  1. Komarovski – We Don’t Give A Fuck (Hard Essence Remix)
  2. J Root & How Hard – Origin Unknown (Komarovski Remix)
  3. Komarovski – Viva La Revolution (How Hard Remix)
  4. How Hard & J Root – Listen! (Dither Remix)

It always exciting to see how an artist can interpret another artist’s work. You could simply rearrange channels, add a few elements to it, or go all out to create something completely new out of the original song’s elements. The idea of RMXD came about as a fun way to have artists remix another. First, I did a remix of Komarovski’s track “Viva La Revolution”, and in return, he did a remix of my track with J Root called “Origin Unknown”. Another remix, also with J Root, called “Listen!” was done by none other than Dither. I forget at what point Hard Essence came into the picture for this project,  but I’m glad it did! That didn’t leave my bag for who knows how long! Overall, this is a release where every track was constantly on my setlists. Even to this day, I’ll pull out Dither’s remix or Hard Essence’s remix with no second thought that it will rock the dancefloor.

Listen/Buy RMXD2

3. Hard-Tex – “Art of the Melody” Hard Kryptic Records (HKC007)

  1. Hard-Tex – Art Of The Melody
  2. Hard-Tex – The Sound (feat Alina)
  3. Hard-Tex – Opposites
  4. Hard-Tex – Save The Planet (feat Pyschoforce)
  5. Hard-Tex – Inflammatory (2016 Remix)
  6. Hard-Tex & Outrage – The Night Is Generous
  7. Hard-Tex – Trapped In Despair (feat How Hard)
  8. Hard-Tex – Beneath The Surface (Komarovski Remix)
  9. Hard-Tex – You Don’t Know Me
  10. Hard-Tex – Out Of The Ordinary
  11. Hard-Tex – Outraged (Neverlution Remix)
  12. Hard-Tex – Frozen Shiver (Embrionyc Remix)  
  13. Komarovski – I’m Dropping A Hit (Hard-Tex Remix)

“Defined By The Melody”, Hard-Tex’s first release with us, is an incredible EP, but his 2016 Art of the Melody album is what really makes him really shine. Hard-Tex is a melody machine, and this shows it! “Opposites”, “Trapped In Despair”, “Art Of The Melody”, and “Out Of The Ordinary” are stand-out tracks. When you look at the album as a whole, there isn’t one filler track on this release. There’s collaborations with people like Outrage, Psychoforce, and even li’l ol’ me, plus remixes by Embrionyc, Komarovski, and Neverlution. This album proves Hard-Tex has the talent that is in-line with the best out there.

Listen/Buy Art Of The Melody

4. Braincrushers, E-RAYzor, & How Hard – “Worldwide Movement” Hard Kryptic Records (HKD060)

  1. Braincrushers, E-RAYzor, & How Hard – Worldwide Movement
  2. Braincrushers – Awakening
  3. Braincrushers – Automatic Leg Spreader

The title track on “Worldwide Movement” is the one track that even if my name wasn’t on it, would still be a song that continue to be on my tracklists for years and years. It was an incredible project to be a part of with Braincrushers and E-RAYzor, and something with a positive message behind it. Hardcore and music in general bring people together. No matter who you are, someone in another part of the world could be listening to the same song as you and feeling that same inspiration. This track was our way to celebrate that. The music video that accompanied the project had footage of hardcore events from different parts of the world. The rest of the release with the two Braincrusher solo tracks is also great. “Awakening” has a dark, trancey melody that I love and reminds me a bit of Miss Hysteria—who I’m a big fan of. “Automatic Leg Spreader” is a slower but bouncing track that is a great set starter. With the recent release of “Worldwide Movement: Remix Project”, we took this already amazing track and added some incredible remixes by artists like Re-Style, Dark Headz, Trinitite, and more.

Listen/Buy Worldwide Movement

5. Komarovski – “The Melody Within Me” Hard Kryptic Records (HKD019)

  1. Komarovski – We Don’t Give A Fuck (Original Mix)
  2. Komarovski – We Don’t Give A Fuck (Braincrushers Remix)
  3. Komarovski – I’m Dropping A Hit
  4. Komarovski – Viva La Revolution

Komarovski’s first release with HKR “The Melody Within Me” really blew me away—right from the moment I was first given the demos. I always loved the marriage between hard and melodic, and Komarovski is a master at this. Like Hard-Tex, Komarovski is a pro at uplifting melodies on top of aggressive kick drums. Before Hard Essence did their remix of “We Don’t Give A Fuck” on RMXD, the Braincrushers boys remix was in heavy rotation when I played out. Even if you weren’t a fan of hardcore, this EP would still make your ears perk up. All of Komarovski’s tracks have been great, but when I look back at releases that made me stop in my tracks, this was one of them. Can’t recommend this one enough when talking about the history of the label.

Listen/Buy The Melody Within Me  

About the author: How Hard is a hardcore DJ/producer from NYC who co-founded the hardcore label Hard Kryptic Records and its parent company Hard X Music in 2006. He enjoys long walks on the beach and is totally not afraid of flutes despite what you might have heard. It’s called aulophobia, and it’s a real thing. 

Articles, Events, Reviews

Blips and Chitz feat. Dougal 8/25/17

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Growing up to the sounds of hardcore and hearing that one of your hardcore super heroes is dropping by your home town city to spin a set is simply early Christmas. Earlier in the week Dougal posted on social media that he was treated for what I believe was a kidney stone and I thought I would experience my first time in my years of raving, a Dj playing from a wheelchair. I know that’s not how I would love to see Dougal again but knowing he was actually going to make it and not miss the gig made me so proud and excited.

Working late night Friday and having to be up at 5am Saturday didn’t stop me from dropping by to see Dj Dougal. I arrived to the event at 11:00 pm and couldn’t believe that the legend himself, Dougal, was going to be playing only minutes from my home. I walked into a music store/studio and immediately got the happy vibes. The walls were shaking, the 4/4 beats and piano riffs made my ears wiggle. All of a sudden I heard the unique and talented scrubbing (scratching) and without looking at the time slots I knew it had to be Flap Jack on the decks. I made my way to the main room and there he was, Flap Jack dropping Set you free by N-Trance. The room had pictures of portal dimensions and there was a projector spitting images of Rick and Morty. There was an actual stage surrounded by speakers. It was hot, it was steamy, it was old school. The vibes in that room were those of the early 2000’s where everyone was dancing and chanting the lyrics.

Dj Flap Jack dropping Set you free by N-Trance Photo by Kari Shirai
Dj Flap Jack dropping Set you free by N-Trance Photo by Kari Shirai

I made my way to the lounge area of the venue where there were sofas and resting areas with a couple of game counsels for the party goers to enjoy. As I made my way to the outside patio to cool down, I noticed goers coming out from a room deep in the patio with thumping music and lasers. I started walking towards the room and I could hear a deep and dark kick, snares and hi-hats. The beats were banging, the crowd was grooving and on the decks was one of LA’s old school underground techno Dj’s, Alexander. Felt as if I was at an early underground techno party.

I started to make my way back to the “sweatbox”, as some of us call it, to catch the last of Flap Jack’s set and prepared for Dougal. Dj Dougal walked into the room and made his way to the back room to prepare himself. The room started to get more crowded, the goers screamed with excitement, everyone was smiling and greeting each other. Dj Dougal comes on the stage, opens up with You and I by Darren Styles and Gammer. The crowd goes bonkers! Dougal was pumped and Dougal was standing, he delivered us one heck of a set. The crowd was chanting every song and all of a sudden I lost my mind when one of my favorite tunes was dropped, Luv u more by Paul Elstak.

Dj Dougal Playing Luv u more by Paul Elstak, Photo by Kari Shirai
Dj Dougal Playing Luv u more by Paul Elstak, Photo by Kari Shirai

I sang, I danced and I felt loved. Happy Hardcore will always hold a special place in my heart. The party was epic and I am so thankful with everyone at Project Phantasy and SCC for putting such hard work and dedication to this event. Thank you guys for keeping hardcore alive and always having such epic events in the surrounding cities where I grew up listening to happy hardcore, promoting and preaching the same message as you, HTID!

Announcements, Articles, Deadly Buda

La Primera mezcla que pagara a cada artista, fue lanzada a travez de Musicoin gracias a Deadly Buda

Cada vez que alguien escucha la mezcla de DJ Deadly Buda “Rock the Blockchain” en Musicoin.org, quince pistas de música electrónica y sus artistas se pagan automáticamente, en cuestión de segundos.

Esta hazaña se realizó alrededor de las 2:00 de la mañana del 13 de agosto de 2017, después de que Deadly Buda finalizó la integración de 19 “contratos inteligentes” en Musicoin y los conectó a su mezcla. “Básicamente, es un cambio de juego para cualquier tipo de música como EDM, Disco, House o Hip-Hop y más”, dijo DJ Deadly Buda.

DJ Deadly Buda
DJ Deadly Buda

Puedes escuchar la mezcla “Rock the Blockchain” AQUI

 La mezcla contiene 15 pistas EDM de varios géneros, Hard Electronic, Dubstep, Hardstyle, Hard Bass, Selva, Tambor y Bajo, Hardcore Techno, Shamancore, Tekno y Ambient, de los artistas Counterstrike, Satroniq y DJ Delirium, Teknoaidi, Subterranean, Cap , M27, Harhor y Deadly Buda.

Desde que las mezclas, se hicieron populares en los años 70, ha estado sobre todo en un estado cuasi-legal. Ya que la mezcla son varias canciones o “pistas” separadas, requiere numerosos permisos, papeleo y licencias para ser legalmente compatible. En el momento en que el papeleo se hace, el público en general, considera la música fuera de moda, y otros temas se han hecho populares. En consecuencia, la mayoría de los DJs no se han molestado en obtener los permisos, y han lanzado las mezclas “ilegalmente” en cassettes, CDs y ahora, Soundcloud y Youtube. Por lo general, los artistas de estas mezclas no están recibiendo ningún dinero por su música y muchas veces no se acreditan como parte de la mezcla. Los DJs a menudo no proporcionan listas de reproducción, ya sea para evitar el escrutinio, las limitaciones de tiempo, o en el peor de los casos, sólo quieren toda la atención para sí mismos.

High Voltage, Pittsburgh PA, 1993
High Voltage, Pittsburgh PA, 1993

Irónicamente, los productores de música electrónica hacen su música específicamente para que pueda ser mezclada por Djs y desean que Djs populares usen sus canciones. Las mezclas de DJ, aunque a menudo técnicamente ilegales, son el canal principal de publicidad para el nuevo talento, o los nombres no tan reconocidos. Por lo tanto, durante las últimas décadas, la industria de la música por lo general no ha forzado los derechos de autor contra mezclas de DJ, pero han conservando su derecho a hacerlo. En consecuencia, los DJs, que aún temen una potencial incriminación, rara vez pueden publicitar sus mezclas a gran escala o obtener mucho más ingresos que el costo de los discos o Mp3 que usan en la mezcla. El efecto acumulativo de esta cuasi-legalidad ha sido que las mezclas de Dj todavía se consideran “underground ” a pesar de que es la manera preferida del público que escucha música electrónica.

“Cuanto más entendía acerca de la tecnología blockchain, más me di cuenta de que los problemas legales con la mezclas, estaban a punto de ser una cosa del pasado”, dijo DJ Deadly Buda, “todos los permisos, papeleo y pagos se podría hacer en un instante.”

* Musicoin es una criptografía centrada en la música con capacidad de contrato inteligente. *

La tecnología Blockchain es básicamente un sistema de libro mayor descentralizado mantenido por múltiples computadoras. La cadena más popular en el mundo es Bitcoin, y ha inspirado otros blockchains para dirigirse a áreas específicas de la economía mundial. Musicoin, como su nombre indica, está orientado hacia la música, los músicos y los aficionados. Cuando un usuario escucha una canción en musicoin.org el artista de la canción recibe un Musicoin (vale alrededor de $ 0.01-0.02 USD), generalmente en cuestión de segundos.

El sistema de Musicoin permite a un artista subir una canción y adjuntar lo que se denomina un “contrato inteligente” que puede distribuir pagos a múltiples partes si es necesario. Por ejemplo, el contrato inteligente podría ser programado para que cada vez que se reproduce la canción, el baterista, cantante, guitarrista y bajista de una banda reciben y dividan el pago.

“Cuando me di cuenta de que cada canción en el sistema Musicoin tenía su propia dirección de pago, hablé con todos mis conocidos que producen música, y los invité a subirla a la plataforma, y les pedí permiso de usar sus temas en mi mezcla”, reveló Deadly Buda. Después de charlar con algunos de los artistas, decidió la siguiente fórmula: el 40% de los ingresos de la mezcla va para el DJ, y el 60% se divide uniformemente entre las canciones de la mezcla. “Un Dj pasa mucho tiempo explorando una gran cantidad de mala música para encontrar las joyas que él o ella tocará para el público, así que quería honrar ese gasto de tiempo y dinero, mientras que al mismo tiempo dejar una buena cantidad de espacio para Cada canción para ganar dinero también. ”

DJ Deadly Buda lanzó la primera mezcla de DJs “legal” del mundo. En la que todos los artistas recibirán crédito, y paga por su música.

Un nuevo paradigma de cómo se pueden hacer y pagar las mezclas, oficialmente funcionando gracias a DJ Deadly Buda y Musicoin, pero todavía hay trabajo por hacer dice Deadly Buda, “En un futuro muy cercano, probablemente habrá sólo una casilla de verificación que le dará el derecho de mezclar su música siempre y cuando se les paga a través de un contrato inteligente. Tan pronto como eso suceda, el sistema será imparable y beneficiará a la industria de la música establecida y a los nuevos artistas por igual “.

Puedes inscribirte para Musicoin aquí.

Articles, Events, Reviews

American Gabberfest Retrospective 2017

Thousands of miles separate the concrete jungle from the sweltering west coast heat. Gathered under the high noon of the Las Vegas summer sun, delegates from all over the globe gathered to celebrate hard music as one. Representatives spanning many time zones, countries and genres delivered performances proving that the heart and soul of hardcore is alive in a powerful way. The diversity from style to style and coast to coast did not seem to interrupt the core message that hardcore has captured hearts around the globe. Disciples left their souls on the dance floor of American Gabberfest in the sizzling Las Vegas summer heat—under one love and one very blistering sun.

Despite the sizzling conditions the diverse assemblage delivered heart-stopping sets across the board. Day one included declarations from Australian representatives, DJ Phoenix, Epidemic, and Rohdan. American Gabber Legend Rob Gee also addressed the congress that afternoon on the outdoor main stage, followed by delegates from New York including the Pied Piper of Hard Core, How Hard. Outstanding performances from the Hard Data DJ Team of Deadly Buda, Lostboy and Mindcontroller, CAP, Arcid, Cik, KORE, Inspektor Gadget, Delusion, and so many others to rounded out scorching day one. It was also a proud experience to be invited to represent with some New York City Rawstyle!

Official Timetable American Gabberfest 2017: Congress of the Kickdrum

Day two also proved to be an intense declaration of hard bass including addresses from Flapjack, Acid Enema, System Malfunction, En3rgy, Seppuku, Nekrokick, and Drencrom—among many other dedicated artists.

Aside from the awesome performances, it was an amazing gathering of old school and new school— meeting of the minds  from so many different styles, and walks of life. New friends and old friends intermingling and sharing their passions and talents  was a testament to the music, empowering us to think, connect, share, and learn. This year’s American Gabberfest not only left all the hardcore warriors with memories of an amazing weekend, but was an amazing manifestation of our music as a unified heart beating at a very fast tempo.