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Reviews

Mindcontroller Track Reviews

Cover - noizeNoize Suppressor Ft. Angerfist – Back with the Hard Street Sh*t

This is an absolute smasher!! What else can you expect from two of the biggest players in the Hardcore scene… This track is all of what good in hardcore.  In my opinion this is the top track on the Legacy of Noize album CD 1, followed by Appetite for destruction and The Outside Agency remix of The return of Bikes drum.  CD 2 is filled with all the classics including Pole postion, Nobody likes, and Bassdrum B*tch to name a few.  SO TELL ME HOW THE F*CK DO WE FEEL… TO GET HIT WITH THE MUTHA F*CKING REAL!!

Purchase track here

Cover, mdLinkin Park – One Step Closer (DJ Mad Dog Bootleg)

I thought this review would be fitting giving the recent death of Chester Charles Bennington.  Despite your thoughts on the incident you should enjoy the musical legacy which Chester is leaving behind… One Step Closer is no exception and when you throw in DJ Mad Dog the combination is nothing short of magical. This has gone off every time I’ve dropped it and sadly will even more so now with Chester’s passing.

Purchase track here

Cover - JBJavi Boss – Get F*cked

The newest EP titled Impact available now on the Masters of Hardcore label.  My favorite of the two is Get Fu*ked.  It’s a hard hitting track with a great melody and catchy samples… Simply what you come to expect from Javi Boss. The second track titled God of War features MC Diesel and is full of energy…. definitely worth checking out.

Purchase track here

Cover - thorThorax – Policy of Evil

Dark melodies, female choir vocals, dark male voice overs, and hard hitting distorted kicks!  All the good stuff we’ve come to expect from Thorax.  This is Thorax’s first release on the Master’s of Hardcore label.  His previous label Thorax Productions was barely on its third installment before getting picked up by MOH.,. That’s a massive accomplishment!  I honestly cannot get enough of Thorax’s style.  WELCOME TO HELL!!

Purchase track here

Cover - fightMindcontroller – Fight!

Free release by yours truly!  This song was inspired by what is being dubbed as the fight of the century.  I was watching the press conference and thought to myself, wow! This would be great to sample and use for a Hardcore track!  Doesn’t matter if you’re on Mayweather’s or McGregor’s team I think you will enjoy this track.  Check it out!

Download here

Cover -thrThe Stunned Guys and DJ Paul – Thrillseeka (Wild Motherfuckers remix)

Technically this is a Rawstyle remix of a classic Hardcore track, but if you like building up a Hardcore set as I do this will flow perfectly into the mix.  There’s not much to say other than this is a wicked update of a classic.  Get while it’s hot, you won’t regret it.  Thrillseeka!… put your hands against the Godd*mned speaker!!!

Purchase track here

Thorax – Doom of Humanity

I was so excited when I saw an email in my inbox from Mr. Julian, Thorax himself!!  He had graced me with a copy of his latest and greatest!  In true Thorax fashion this track is a hard hitting dark and aggressive track!  A must for your collection and number four on Thorax Productions.  ANYONE ELSE WANT SOME?

Purchase track here

Cover - CryoCryogenic – First Rebirth

This was kindly shared with me by the homie CIK… Although this is an older track I feel it deserves the exposure.  This is a killer rework of the 1993 classic by Jones & Stephenson.  This track is truly ageless… I remember dropping the original on my debut mix tape release on Biohazard “Hyperdelic”.  There has been other awesome renditions throughout the years and this is no exception.  I got to say this the fastest one yet… but it works.  Make sure to check out this 200 BPM monster!!

Download here

Basscon presents: Max Enforcer and Dr. Rude

The night started in a parking garage in Los Angeles just around the corner from the venue. We had gotten there early and began tailgating before eventually deciding to hit a bar for drinks (and even some pizza!). This was the first event we had been to since EDC and my friends and I speculated what the night ahead would be like. The show brought hardstyle legend Max Enforcer back to Los Angeles, as well as introduced Dr. Rude for his first US appearance and we were excited!

Upon entering the venue we decided to scope out the venue for friends, and check out both the upstairs Mainstage and the downstairs “Basement” which would be taken over by PLUR Eventz
for the evening. On the Mainstage, Crime Family was warming up the crowd with a hardstyle set, playing a fun selection of tracks I wasn’t expecting like Shot of TequilaCaramba! and WINMY. Though it was still early people were taking advantage of the open space on the dancefloor and already shuffling in the crowd.

Downstairs I was excited to see what the PLUR Eventz stage had to offer, as PLUR Eventz were some of my favorite shows with my friends when I was in my earlier rave days. As we walked in, we caught the end of Shark Bait’s set while we grabbed a drink at the bar. It was then that the hardcore gods smiled down upon us and HYN began to play, completely catching me completely off guard with a hardcore set! As The Pearly Gates and The Torment Of Triton pounded over the speakers I couldn’t help but crack a smile and haaken with the small crowd that had assembled, also spellbound by the hardcore. At the end of his set I gave HYN two thumbs up and made my way upstairs for some hardstyle.

I walked into the now packed mainstage to see Max Enforcer and E-Life playing, and it was nothing but bangers from the beginning of his set to the end. He dropped some epic dancefloor bangers including Runaway (U & I Frontliner Remix), Lost in Paradise, Mellow, Mosh Pit (Headhunterz Remix), Rocked Up, Imaginary, and even FTS! In addition to these, he made sure to drop some fresh tracks that are exploding in today’s hardstyle scene, like Armin Van Buuren vs Vini Vici Feat. Hilight Tribe – Great Spirit (Wildstylez remix), D-Block & S-te-Fan – Angels & Demons, and he even played an exclusive remix of Art of Fighters, Synthax & Xcite – Creatures of the Night , which he later told me is unreleased and he only drops it during his sets. “I like to keep some tracks to myself instead of releasing them,” he said, “it makes it a special moment that you can only experience by seeing me play.” I also mentioned to him that one of the reasons I really enjoyed his set was because it was a great mix of the whole spectrum of hardstyle, to which he replied “I don’t tend to follow the trends of ‘euphoric’ or ‘raw’… I just like to play the music that I like and it gives the set my personal

Max Enforcer and E-Life brought amazing hardstyle energy to Los Angeles

style.” Spoken like a true legend, he played what he wanted and the result was unbeatable. I hope to see him again very soon and I hope this message reaches other aspiring DJs out there to not follow the trend of the scene, but to be true to yourself!

While I caught up with Max Enforcer and E-Life, we witnessed Dr. Rude’s first US appearance unfolding on the stage beside us. Dr. Rude’s style is very unique in that he too plays the spectrum of hard dance music, but with a bit of a freestyle flair with tracks like Gaan Met Die Banaan,  Welcome To The Zoo, and Ghettoblaster. It was when he played Kalavela Shot me Down that I was reminded of the first time Dr. Rude grabbed my attention on a Hard With Style podcast.

Dr. Rude’s first US appearance

Other tracks that stood out to me from his set included Zatox & Le Shuuk – Basswall, and what night of Hardstyle would be complete without Digital Nation or the Darude – Sandstorm (Sub Sonik Remix)?! For his first US appearance I can tell that Dr. Rude will definitely be back. The energy that he brought kept the crowd dancing from beginning to end.

All around it was a very fun night, I got my dose of hardcore at the PLUR Eventz stage, and I got to listen to some great Hardstyle artists. Stay tuned for more Basscon events coming up, including TNT at Monarch Theater in Pheonix AZ on July 13, Lizard Lounge Dallas TX on July 14, and at The Circle in Huntington Beach, CA on July 15, Darren Styles at Bassmnt July 21 in San Diego, CA and the second installment of Project Z returns to San Bernardino, CA on August 12.

EDC BASSCON 2017 – The THD Diaries

The EDC Wasteland 2017 Line-Up
The EDC Wasteland 2017 Line-Up

It was once again that time of year to head into the desert for America’s largest rave, and most importantly for The Hard Data crew, the largest hard dance lineup of the year in one place. EDC 2017 seemed this year to be “by ravers, for ravers.” Though the attendance this year was not as big as last year’s, it frankly was just the right amount of people to have a really good time for all the money that one might spend going to EDC. The line-ups on all the stages were solid and one was constantly confronted with the dilemma of “who do I want to see more?” as there were great acts constantly. The Basscon lineup, however, was stacked with some of the largest names in the hard dance business and featured something for everyone. Euphoric DJs like Wasted Penguinz and Da Tweekaz, to legendary names like Isaac, Brannan Heart and D-Block & S-Te-Fan, to rawstyle pioneers like Radical Redemption and Gunz For Hire. Plus! Hardcore every night by masters Angerfist, Mad Dog and AniMe, and Miss K8!

DAY 1, June 16, 2017 A.D.

Basscon Wasteland 2017
EDC – Basscon Wasteland 2017

This EDC may have been the hottest one on record, with temperatures remaining in the 90 degrees plus range even at the blackest of night. Fortunately, there was no shortage of free, filtered water to take the edge off the heat. We knew we would spend the majority of our weekend at Basscon, but being that there is so many things to see and do at EDC we agreed that we would explore the rest of the fest that weekend as well. Walking into the festival on Friday night, however, our excitement overshadowed the extreme heat and we were untroubled as we made our way through the grounds to get our first peek at the Basscon Wasteland stage. We were immediately greeted with the pulsing vibrations of Hardstyle basslines hitting our bodies and it was as though the speakers surrounded us and the music enveloped our bodies. The stage was set to resemble ancient Egyptian ruins, and its centerpiece featured a massive scarab beetle or an Egyptian-bird of some sort that generated all sort of hieroglyphs, but it was in the “Wasteland.” Like, somehow in the dystopian future there is a resurgence of Ancient Egypt. The stage stood over the crowd with its wings outstretched and was packed with pyrotechnics, lasers and LED screens flashing colorful lightshows at the audience.

Upon our arrival, TNT (aka Technoboy ‘N’ Tuneboy) had just wrapped up their set of their signature Italian hardstyle, complete with anthemic melodies and reverse-bass basslines, and it was then Atmozfears’ timeslot. While we have had the chance to see Atmozfears in the past, this weekend we wanted to make sure to make his set a priority. Atmozfears’ music career has been on the fast lane in recent years and so it was no surprise that his set delivered a diverse and entertaining mix of some of hardstyle’s biggest tracks including Noisecontrollers new track Spirit of Hardstyle and his iconic track with Code Black, Accelerate. Towards the end of his set, it was time for a water refill and explore other parts of the festival before D-Block and S-Te-Fan came on.

EDC 2017 Main stage - Kinetic Field
EDC 2017 Main stage – Kinetic Field

We elected to check out Astrix at the Dreamstate’s Quantum Valley stage for some psytrance. Trance has a history with Hardstyle music and it was fun to experience a different perspective of the ravers and to groove to their music. We then circled back through Kinetic Field and gawked at the incredible mainstage, featuring a goddess with her arms outstretched and two giant owls on either side of her. It was incredible to see the amazing artistry and meaning Insomniac had put into this concept and it translated well.

Quantum Valley blasted out the sick lasers all weekend.
Quantum Valley blasted out the sick lasers all weekend.

We then made our way back to the Basscon stage and Atmozfears wrapped up his set and it was time for D-Block and S-Te-Fan. Brandon’s bud from Boston, Matt had never seen D-Block and S-Te-Fan and he was very excited, and for good reason… that set was packed with incredible tracks from beginning to end! One of their favorite tracks (that was unfortunately was absent from their set, however) was Sound of the Thunder. Hopefully we will get the chance to hear them play it at a future show. In addition, it was during their set, that the main firework show enveloped the festival grounds. The fireworks and the classic tracks D-Block and S-Te-Fan were playing reminded us of the reason we fell in love with Hardstyle in the first place. As D-Block and S-Te-Fan finished their set we agreed that it was time for more water and to explore more of the festival before coming back to Basscon for the end of Code Black, and of course then… Angerfist!

Darkness descends on the Wasteland as Angerfist takes the stage.
Darkness descends on the Wasteland as Angerfist takes the stage.

We made our way through the thick crowd getting down to Zomboy at Basspod. Then, decided to check out the harder side of techno at the Neon Garden, where we caught Nicole Moudaber b2b with Chris Liebing, since recently Brandon has been getting into techno to supplement his hardcore addiction. While their set was not quite as hard as schrantz, the dark techno sound was a nice change of pace from what we are used to hearing. After that short break we made it back to Basscon in time to watch the end of Code Black’s set, and then it was time for Angerfist! It was at the moment the hardcore started that  we saw something INCREDIBLE happen – the crowd poured into the Basscon stage.

Angerfist - EDC 2017
Angerfist – EDC 2017

It was packed from shoulder to shoulder for hardcore! In classic Angerfist fashion, he started the crowd up with chant and repeat “when I say ANGER you say FIST…” and from there, the surprises kept coming. Miss K8 joined Angerfist on stage briefly as they played Masters of Hardcore and Dominator anthems. Then, unexpectedly, MC Villain got on the mic and reminded everyone that we were witnessing the number one hardcore DJ in the world. EDC night 1 closed with an explosion of adrenaline and at the end of Angerfist’s set we headed back to our hotel to recharge our batteries for the day we had ahead of us.

DAY 2, June 17, 2017 A.D.

It was buffets like this that put us into digestion shock, finally getting some well needed sleep.
It was buffets like this that put us into digestion shock, finally getting some well needed sleep.

Saturday we woke up with a hunger that needed tamed. Matt and Brandon elected to meet with their friend Miguel at the hotel buffet and fuel our bodies for the day ahead. From the buffet we left to Gabberfest, a hardcore festival off the strip that is held every year during EDC weekend. DJ Deadly Buda, Mindcontroller and Lost Boy were scheduled to play at Gabberfest as The Hard Data DJ team, so we went to rock out in the 100+ degree weather. Then, we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for EDC night 2.

Our ride fell through for Day 2, so we began weighing our options between the Park and Ride, or taking an Uber as we walked back into the hotel to get changed. It was at this time that an EDC miracle happened for us.

If you're Uber doesn't look like this, don't take it!
If you’re Uber doesn’t look like this, don’t take it!

We were walking through the hotel lobby and we bumped into a young couple who were dressed in war paint and rave gear, they were clearly on their way to EDC as well. After a short conversation with them we mentioned our predicament and they didn’t even hesitate to offer us a ride with them. Our ride with Caesar and Sarah was pleasant and it reminded me what raving is all about: taking care of one another, a core principle that tends to get lost in today’s scene. It was nice to meet and bond with likeminded individuals and we will forever be grateful to their generosity.

We thanked our new friends and walked into Night 2 of EDC. We made it to the Basscon stage just in time to catch Italian rebel, Zatox, throw down some bangers, along with his friend and MC Dave Revan before it was time for the legend, DJ Isaac, to take the stage. As I enjoyed the show, Matt and I met up with some other friends of ours in the crowd, Dan and Sandy, and we came came up with a game-plan on how to explore some other parts of the festival. We had all seen Isaac and Frontliner multiple times and decided that we would go to Cosmic Meadow to check out Porter Robinson, and come back to Basscon for the end of Frontliner’s set before Gunz For Hire. As we walked towards Cosmic Meadow the crowd got thick with people, it was clear that Porter Robinson was “the place to be” and we decided to head to the top of the bleachers for his set.

Cosmic Meadow - EDC 2017
Cosmic Meadow – EDC 2017

From the front of the stage, to the top of the bleachers thousands of people had gathered for the amazing production of anime-themed and static Technicolor visuals of the stage, and Porter’s melodic electro pop house music. It reminded us of the size of the crowds I’ve experienced at European festivals and it made us wonder if there would ever be a following like this for hardstyle and hardcore, or if the music we loved would remain so separated from the mainstream to ever be accessable to the American audience.

Was this the new security at EDC this year? No! It was a traveling glitch music car!
Was this the new security at EDC this year? No! It was a traveling glitch music car!

We wrapped up our rest break and made our way back to Basscon for the end of Frontliner’s set before it was time for DJ Ran-D and Adaro’s live act, Gunz For Hire where they unleashed their new performance on the crowd – codename: Armed and Dangerous. Their set included several classic Gunz For Hire tracks like Kings of the Underground, Executioner Style, No Mercy, and Bolivia, and even treated us to some new music like Welcome to Deathrow and Pussy Lover. Gunz For Hire closed out their set and the onslaught of rawstyle continued with Radical Redemption. Radical’s set was probably my favorite Hardstyle set of the weekend, featuring rough rawstyle and he even ended his set with a blistering hardcore section to a manic crowd, including his track with Destructive TendenciesBring us Some. By the end of Radical’s set we were ready for another break and decided to check out Oliver Heldens at Circuit Grounds, the last stage we hadn’t been to yet for the weekend.

Circuit Grounds - EDC 2017
Circuit Grounds – EDC 2017

We sat off to the side of the stage and even laid back to rest, along with a dozen or so other tired ravers. EDC has had its share of casualties from the extreme heat over the years and it was reassuring to see security and Ground Control personnel come up to us to make sure that we were ok, and even offered us bottles of water. With as many people that were there it proved to me that they genuinely do their best to make sure everyone has a good time while trying to keep everyone there safe.

EDC 2017's Chill-Out area
EDC 2017’s Chill-Out area

We left our rest area and made our way back to Basscon through the chill-out area by all the vendors. We made it back in time to catch the end of Toneshifterz before closing out night 2 with Dj Mad Dog b2b with DJ AniMe. Their set showcased their unique Hardcore Italia sound and featured some of their signature tracks including Dog Fight and Cracks – the crowd was loving it! After discussing with amongst ourselves we came to the conclusion that Basscon Area has the hottest babes at EDC hands down. Our friend Matt even went as far as to say that some of those ladies could out-hakken himself and even the dexterous and limber writing crew at THD. We left the festival at sunrise and made our way back to the hotel to rest up for Day 2 of Gabberfest and Night 3 of EDC.

DAY 3, June 18, 2017 A.D.

Sunday afternoon we spend another day in the 100+ degree weather at Gabberfest and decided to hit the buffet again to fuel up. Apparently, we hit the buffet a little too hard and fell deep into a food-coma in the hotel room. By the time we woke up it was time to head to EDC and we got there around midnight where it was a toasty 90 degrees. We arrived at the Basscon stage to see the end of Noisecontrollers’ set and just in time for Da Tweekaz with MC D on the mic. Their unique style of goofy melodies was refreshing and even saw Villain in the crowd enjoying himself. During their set, Da Tweekaz even gave a special preview of their new happy-hardcore-influenced “Tweekacore” sound, which they would play at Defqon 1 the following weekend.

The last hurrah for the Basspod? Bassrush Massive was off the hook this year.
The last hurrah for the Basspod? Bassrush Massive was off the hook this year.

Following Da Tweekaz, it was time to a break and grab a cocktail. As we picked up our spiked Electric Lemonade we decided to watch Basscon from a different perspective headed to the chillout area to watch Brennan Heart’s set livestreamed on the LED TV screens. Brennan Heart had the crowd bumping non-stop, and it was only from the perspective of overhead cameras that we could truly appreciate as a whole the bouncing crowd from end to end of the area. While watching we made conversation with others who gathered by the LED TV screen and met a man, Steve, who had traveled all the way from Scotland. We have visited EDC many times before so it was refreshing to get the perspective of someone who had travel internationally. While we talked we “somehow” got on the subject of hardcore. Apparently, there is a big hardcore scene in Scotland. One of Brandon’s pals, Bass Destruction, plays hardcore in Scotland and Steve said he had been to some of the Twisted Darkside  parties he had played at! Apparently, it’s a very a small world and I made a mental note that I would have to visit sometime and party with them both.

Deadly Buda shows off the mega-Kandi Ryan Payne PLURRED him in the middle the Wasteland arena. We made him promise to keep it on "stun" all weekend.
Deadly Buda shows off the mega-Kandi Ryan Payne PLURRED him in the middle of the Wasteland arena. We made Buda promise to keep it on “stun” all weekend.

We said our farewells to Steve and made our way back to Basscon for Wildstylez and MC Villain. Wildstylez’s set was loaded with a lot of classic tracks and it was a trip down Hardstyle-memory-lane all over again. Lastly, Villain reminded us that Wildstylez was half of Project One (Headhunterz and Wildstylez) and it gave me hope that one day we would be able to witness Project one for ourselves here in the US. After we made some noise “for the very, very, very last time”, (as urged by Villain) for Wildstylez, we closed out the weekend with the goddess of hardcore herself, Miss K8, who showed no mercy. Her track selection proved to be particularly brutal for a crowd of people who had been raving for 3 days straight in the desert heat. This did not stop anyone from making the most of their final moments of the festival and we witnessed the people dancing themselves to exhaustion at sunrise in 95 degree heat!

More scenes from the Wasteland. EDC Basscon 2017
More scenes from the Wasteland. EDC Basscon 2017

Our weekend consisted of exploring the amazing sights and sounds of the festival, and while we spent most of our time at the Basscon stage, of course, the weekend was nothing short of incredible! The lineup consisted of some of the biggest names in the business and there was more hardcore at EDC this year than any of recent memory, the faithful being treated to Angerfist, Miss K8, Mad Dog and AniMe. Insomniac’s continued dedication to grow the Basscon scene is leading to higher quality production and larger crowds that ever before, and we look forward to what the future has in store for us!

By Brandon “CabZ” Caballero, Joel “Deadly Buda” Bevacqua, Alvaro “Seppuku” Manjarrez, and Matt “Matty Muscles” from Mass.

Basscon: Wasteland – Event Review

April 28-29 marked the return of Basscon: Wasteland to Southern California. Hard dance enthusiasts had traveled from far and wide for this show; I personally knew people coming from as far as New York, New Jersey and Arizona.
Tales of the ancient ruins being uncovered to reveal a hard dance paradise had spread and all were out to claim their part of this treasure. My caravan and I began our journey through the deserts of San Bernardino in search of any signs of civilized life, and in our search we encountered a surge of ravers who were ready to party. I began my weekend sitting down with the esteemed hard dance aficionado, The Qollector. The Qollector is an archaeologist of hard dance artifacts dating as far back as the 20th century and it truly was remarkable seeing some of these curios and artifacts up close! He had booklets, flyers, CDs and more from In Qoltrol, HardBass, Qlimax, Defqon 1, and Decibel just to name a few. Check out our interview here

The next stop along our route to the Wasteland took a bizarre twist as we met with America’s Only Hardcore Terror DJ Team: Extreme Team. These poor lads must have spent too much time in the hot sun which had apparently impaired their cognitive function. They appeared incoherent and I knew it was my duty as a fellow raver to take them back to my hotel room and provide them nourishment by way of more vodka. We talked about some of their inspirations as artist, about some of their upcoming releases, and about their show at the Hardroadz after party: Arcadia The Promise Land. We have documented the encounter with Extreme Team on Facebook live that can be viewed here. As you may be able to tell, they were beyond our help and we had to release them back into the desert to fend for themselves.

We took a moment to fuel our bodies with refreshments and food before the show and then it was time to go. Our chief navigator from Uber had received coordinates of where Wasteland could be found and he arrived at our basecamp to take us there! Upon our arrival inside the festival it was clear that we were not alone, thousands of hard dance fans had descended upon Wasteland and were ready to party! The landscape consisted of one outdoor oasis with a two stages and refreshments, and large ancient temple of massive pyramids, golden sphinxes, hundreds of lasers, confetti, CO2 cannons and even glistening disco balls… it was spectacular to behold this treasure with my own eyes! The gods themselves took to the main stage and descended down upon the ravers with a relentless pounding of hardstyle and hardcore beats!

Night 1 moments that stood out to me were seeing the crowd’s reaction to Audiofreq playing Sandstorm (Sub Sonik Remix), LNY TNZ playing Paul Elstak’s hardcore remix
of Ravelord and, of course, the return of Wildstylez to California after nearly 3 years! Wildstylez’s set consisted of tracks such as Project 1 – Luminosity, which was played at Qlimax for the first time with none other than the infamous Headhunterz. He also returned to the classic tracks he is known for including What It’s LikeNumbers, and Year of Summer.

I decided to get some refreshments and walked past the outdoor stage where I watched Zany end his set with Lose My Mind. Following Zany, DJ Stephanie took to the stage. While talking to some friends, I was listening to Stephanie in the background and she immediately caught my attention in an unexpected way. She started playing one of my favorite hardcore tracks, Let’s Get It On by Art of Fighters and Endymion. I knew I needed to make it to the front of the crowd during this track as she continued to play hardcore until the end of her set! Stephanie earned the title of most unexpected stand out set of the night. I finished Basscon Night 1 with Angerfist at the mainstage. A few of the tracks he dropped were Why So Serious by Tha Playah, Fist in your Face, Just Like Me, and Raise and Revolt.

After exploring Basscon Wasteland, we made our way to the Hardroadz: Arcadia The Promise Land after party to see the Extreme Team perform. Their set began with exclusive solo set by Tim Shopp and was immediately followed by typical Extreme Team madness! The small but passionate crowd was loving the terror. By the end of their set it was time to venture back to basecamp to let our bodies recover before Day 2.

Day 2 began with a buffet of food to fuel our injured bodies, followed by a trip to the hotel’s jacuzzi to massage our sore muscles. We then prepared our caravan to go to the show once more. Unfortunately, 2 of our fellow party goers succumbed to Wasteland’s wrath and were left behind to pray to the porcelain gods in the hotel room. RIP

We walked into the
Wasteland to find Toneshifterz finishing up his set, followed by Ran-D who awakened the ancient gods with his wicked rawstyle! His set expertly blended his own tracks, as well as Gunz for Hire tracks including No Guts No Glory, FCK EDM, Firestarter, Plata o Plomo, Zombie, Executioner Style, and No Mercy. He brought so much energy to his set and the crowd loved it!

Following Ran-D was the highly anticipated and long awaited return of Italian master Zatox, who was joined on stage with his friend and MC Dave Revan! Zatox’s set included his top hits including Back To The Oldschool, Back In The Days, Rumble In The Jungle, Warning, Fight The Resistance, Eat Sleep Rave Repeat, God Complex, Kalavela Shot Me Down, and Zombivilization.

At the outdoor stage, I caught the end of Ruthless dropping a awesome freestyle set. His track selection ranged from tek to euphoric, to raw hardstyle and even some hardcore. Some of the tracks he played included Wolfpack, Reawakening, The Project and Lost In Paradise. At one point, he even had the entire crowd chanting Gaan met die Bannan (with a little help from myself and the Extreme Team to get it going 😜). At the main stage, DJ Isaac was keeping the good vibes going. Isaac played the crowd with Last Night Ever, Till The Sky Falls Down, but then unexpectedly Ruthless jumped onto Isaac’s set and played Gaan Met Die Bannan again!

The final hardstyle act for Night 2 at the main stage was the legendary Noisecontrollers who didn’t fail to impress! He dropped Get Loose, World Of Madness, Rocked Up, Defqon 1 2016 anthem Dragonblood, Down Down, Solar, and Source Code Of Creation. To close his set, he played D-Block & S-Te-FanFuck the Noisecontrollers to prep the crowd for some hardcore. With the crowd now warmed up to some higher bpms, the final set of the weekend ended in mayhem with hardcore goddess Miss K8 who went harder than Basscon has ever seen before. Highlights from her set include Raiders of Rampage, Metropolis of Massacre and Radium Rockin Fire.

This expedition into the dessert to experience Basscon: Wasteland was unforgettable. It was remarkable to see how large of a crowd showed up for a weekend of hard dance, how many people traveled from out of state to participate, and how much energy and enthusiasm all the ravers brought to the show! I sincerely hope Basscon will continue to pursue bigger and bigger shows and I look forward to them with great anticipation. Up next for Basscon, catch them at the Basscon Pool Party EDC weekend at the Stratosphere, at the Basscon Wasteland stage at EDC Las Vegas, and at the highly anticipated second edition of Project Z!

Dyprax & Norphine – Don’t Fear Death [MOHDIGI190]

In the current hardcore world of 4 track releases, remixes from just about everybody who can operate a DAW, and huge compilation releases on a regular basis from various labels, the release of a single track is a seriously bold statement. The label is basically saying “yeah, it’s that good” – and Masters of Hardcore follows through with a seriously banging, one track, mainstream release from Dyprax and Norphine titled “Don’t Fear Death”. The kick has an absolutely wonderful texture of a hard nose coupled with cymbals and a fat bass tail with thick distortion without being too over the top in the mids and highs. I for sure caught myself head-nodding to the flow of the kick. To sum it up, it just sounds and feels right. The break is ethereal and pad heavy which supports the “death is a saint” vocal sample but doesn’t feel over done and drawn out. It gets to the point and comes back to the track with synths filtering in and a short build. The melody is definitely catchy and drives the rest of the track, again without being overly long and drawn out, to give way to pads which fill the musical spectrum the rest of the way – well done in my opinion. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were to find this track in any of my sets or mixes and I’d seriously consider giving it a purchase if you’re more into mainstream hardcore. I wasn’t able to find it on Juno Download but you can find it at Hard Tunes.

-CAP