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Meanwhile in Qanada – Blackout Festival AB

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It was a very exciting weekend in Alberta for the Hardstyle family! The return of Blackout festival by Boodang shocked fans with a star studded lineup, performing in two cities back to back. Union hall in Edmonton and Flames Central in Calgary dressed up in all black (and a little orange) to welcome some truly legendary names and celebrate the harder styles.

Friday night at Union Hall started off showcasing some local talent, with Pandamonium warming up the decks for what was gonna be one of the most heated nights I can remember. First headliner hitting the stage was Lady Faith. The sexy Hardstyle diva herself delivered a high energy hour full of bangers, setting the tone for what was coming up. I couldn’t help but fan girl a little bit, she’s much more gorgeous in person, and such a sweetheart!

When Audiofreq took the stage, I was expecting to hear a lot of tracks from his new album, Audiology. And THANK SAM he didn’t disappoint. His set was loaded with classics and new beats, featuring a lot of his new tracks and closing his performance with Audio God (my personal favourite from his album). It was an earth-shattering brutal hardcore banger that left me wired up and soooooooo ready for the final act of that night.

Celebrating 15 years of being True Hardstyle Legends, Tuneboy and Technoboy, “TNT” were ready to bring the house down. And DID THEY EVER! Listening to their repertoire makes you realize how much these men have contributed-and still do, to the rich history of our scene. The crowd couldn’t stop singing along to every track, and the energy continued to build up throughout the show. Nobody wanted to go home! I had the privilege of standing behind them through their set, and got to appreciate their old school style of mixing with CDs. No pre recorded bullshit for the kings of Hardstyle! Watching them flip through their folders looking for the next track was so fun and exciting. The way they feed of each other’s energy on stage, joking around and kicking each other’s butt between songs, shows how unique and timeless their friendship and partnership is. May they continue to bless us with their talent and banging beats for as long as they shall live, PLEASE!

Photo Credit – CYK Media

After the night was done, all four of the headliners were happy to stay and meet fans, take a million pictures and sign a million flags. Always with a big smile and showing appreciation for everyone that was there to celebrate them. Which, as a fan, always means the world to me. So once again THANK YOU for taking the time to show us how much we mean to you.

A Hardstyle fan once said, if you’re not hurting the next day, you didn’t go hard enough. But we couldn’t afford the luxury of a recovery day, because we had to be up for the drive to Calgary for the biggest show of the year. Another triple headliner, this time Atmozfears, Brennan Heart, and Coone. That’s any Hardstyle lovers wet dream right there, and it was happening Saturday night at Flames Central; or as Brennan Heart called it “The theatre of Hardstyle”  

Brennan Heart, hardstyle, iamhardstyle
Photo Credit – Brennan Heart’s Facebook

It was my first time at that venue, so I was very impressed when I saw the size of it, and being a sold out show, it was expected to get rowdy. With Atmozfears euphoric style, it wasn’t long until we were all sweating, bearing huge smiles on our faces. Even though he played for an hour and ten minutes, it felt like five minutes to me. Maybe because I was so excited to finally see him again, time flies when you’re having fun. And that we did!

The highlight of the night, for me, was Brennan Heart. The IAMHARDSTYLE king never lets me down. Absolutely incredible set, all our favourite sing alongs, new music, collabs with everyone, different styles, and incredible energy. The man knows how to make the crowd lose their shit every five minutes, and he’s not afraid to do it. I will for ever front row every one of his shows anytime he’s here, because no one delivers a high energy experience more than he does.

hardstyle, iamhardstyle, brennan heart, Flames Central, Qanada
Brennan Heart at Flames Central – Photo Credit: Shane Moseley

Just when you thought you couldn’t keep going any harder, Coone came out, celebrating Ten years with Dirty Workz, and utterly destroyed Flames. The crowd went insane track after track. I saw a few people crying when he told us he wanted to play us a song about his daughter, and everyone was singing along to Faye. It was a very emotional end to a weekend every Hardstyle fan in Alberta will remember for ever.

Coone at Flames Central – Photo Credit Josh Murray photography

The drive home back to Edmonton was pretty quiet, and two days later we’re still hurting. Couldn’t be happier to say, we gave this weekend our all and we can’t wait to do it again.

Leti Lopez.

Articles, Events, Reviews

Event Review: Basscon Presents 15yrs of TNT

Saturday January 21 was Basscon’s return to the Belasco theater in Los Angeles. The show was a 15yr celebration of Italian heavyweight duo TNT aka Technoboy ‘N’ Tuneboy, with support from opening act Crime Family, rising America hardstyle artist Mekanikal, and the energetic Audiofreq. The night promised a flashback into some of the classic tracks that brought TNT to such notoriety, as well as a selection of the current top tracks on the dance floors. There was another prospect for the night, the hybridization of psytrance and hardstyle. The internet had been buzzing about this combination of the two styles lately, and Mekanikal, Audiofreq and TNT all promised to play their take on “psystyle” that night! Psystyle- you heard it here first!

My friends and I arrived at the show and grabbed a drink around the beginning of Mekanikal’s set. I looked around and noticed something different about the crowd- it was a very young, enthusiastic crowd who were already getting wild!

“This is her first show, we can’t wait for TNT!” I heard someone talking to their friends say. It reminded me of the enthusiasm I felt when it was raving was new to me too. The reverse bass from Mekanikal’s set echoed through the Belasco, and I expected the night would be full of it. He played his new track with Reactor and MC Sik-Wit-It, Hardstyle Made Me Do It, and we even heard his new psystyle track PSYchedelica.

Following Mekanikal’s set was the versatile Audiofreq. Audiofreq is well known for the energy he brings while performing, but he is also well know for pushing beyond the boundaries of what has been done before and creating new and exciting sounds. His set included bangers Screwdriver, Warcry, and Sandstorm Sub Sonik remix. He also gave a subtle  nod to his Australian roots with tracks like You Got the Love and Dragonblood (Defqon.1 Australia 2016 Anthem) and even showed us his take on psystyle with a TBA track.

Last up for the night was the main event- 15yrs of TNT with a 2hr set! They pulled out all the stops and filled their set with classics like Tritolo, First Match 2011, Bitches,  Next Dimensional World (Qlimax 2008 anthem),  Internet Friends (Organ Donors Psycho Bitch rewoek), and FTS (Organ Donors “live4pillz” REMIX). They also included modern classics in their set such as It’s My Style, Mellow, CTRL, Devotion, and of course their new psystyle track Psylent Hill.

15yrs of TNT was a memorable night filled with classic hardstyle tracks that brought the genre into the spotlight where it is today, and it may have given us a glimpse of what the future has in store. Up next, Basscon returns to the Belasco on February 24 for Atmosfears LA stop of his North America GVTE tour, featuring Atmosfears, Code Black and a Tuneboy Classics set. Get your tickets here.

Articles, Digitracks, Reviews

Sadistic – Another 30 Minutes Of Sonic Power [CSRDIGI010] – track review

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2017 starts out nicely as Sadistic’s digital EP Another 30 Minutes Of Sonic Power is released on Canadian Speedcore Resistance! It’s a sequel to his 25 Minutes of Sonic Power, which came out on CSR 2 years earlier. Sadistic’s previous works, as well as CSR’s latest releases, have gone by unnoticed for me so far and coming across this EP was a very pleasant surprise. His music is an interesting development in the primarily underground psychedelic hardcore, which has been evolving into many directions since early PCP releases. The EP consists of 4 tracks with cosmic themes and sounds expressing the intensity and mysteries of the universe in the form of hardcore. Sadistic is filling the gap between subgenres such as flashcore, crossbreed and UK hardcore techno (i.e. Deathchant etc.) as they are merged together into a unique fusion of space hardcore clocking in at around 210-217 bpm. Track elements include smashing and rolling bassdrums with a twist of higher laser frequencies, crossbreed snares, aethereal soundscapes and melodies as well as ASMR tingles inducing effects. Although the tracks are more easily digestible and dancefloor friendly than many of the more experimental flashcore releases, they don’t succumb into typical buildup and drop boredom either. There is enough variation to keep things interesting and everything flows smoothly. Soundtrack for inner space travel and cosmic dancefloors!

Track previews:

The EP can be bought on Hardtunes.

[UPDATE: Sadistic’s interview published!]

Articles, Events, Reviews

Basscon presents Angerfist, Radical Redemption, Minus Militia and The Hard Data Ballroom Takeover Event Review

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December 23 was the return of Basscon to the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Unlike previous Basscon shows however, this promised to be very different. Insomniac managed to bring out a very special lineup featuring exclusively raw hardstyle and hardcore acts, a first for Basscon! In the main room, Basscon featured Angerfist, Radical Redemption solo set, and the US premiere of  Minus Militia. In the Ballroom was The Hard Data’s very own Ballroom Takeover, featuring The Hard Data DJ Team – DJ Deadly Buda, Mindcontroller and Lost Boy. The hype for the US debut of Minus Militia, along with the return of Angerfist, brought a larger than life crowd, even selling out the show in the last few days of ticket sales. It was raining hard when many of the partygoers arrived at Belasco and many were getting drenched while waiting for security, but as I watched people get checked in, the excitement on their faces was palpable. Everyone knew they were in for a good night!

Belasco’s two separate rooms allowed the crowd to wander around the venue between the two stages easily and get a little taste of all the artists playing that night. I was reminded of many fond memories from previous shows at this venue as I walked in hearing Darksiderz playing one my favorite hardstyle tracks, TNT & Audiofreq – Screwdriver, as I made my way to the Ballroom.

The Ballroom was packed full of loyal hardcore heads for The Hard Data DJ Team and I felt like I was immediately surrounded by friends from all over coming up to say hi. Mindcontroller was on the decks when we walked in, and we made our way over to see The Hard Santa. My friends and I told him to check his list, and he said despite us being very naughty this year, he still had a present for us – The Hard Data Ballroom Blitz CD – a special CD mixed with everything from raw hardstyle to happy hardcore to hardcore and uptempo. I always love receiving CD’s at shows and I knew we would be listening to this on the drive home!

The Hard Santa passing out The Hard Data DJ Team Ballroom Blitz CDs

We bid Santa farewell and did a time check; there was just enough time to grab a drink at the bar and make our way to the dancefloor before Radical Redemption. As we walked to our ususal spot we had the pleasure of running into Chain Reaction and Crypsis! I had a short conversation with them and Chain Reaction told me that he was very excited to play for the US crowd for the first time. Crypsis added that it was exciting for them all to finally bring Minus Militia to the US.

I looked around the room and it was packed as Darksiderz finished his set. The anticipation for Radical Redemption to begin had built an immense amount of excitement from the crowd. When Radical took to the stage his powerful baselines and melodies echoed throughout The Belasco! Radical’s set was a whirlwind of raw hardstyle and his set included a great mix of some of his popular tracks, including Smack Bitches, HardBass Tribute, Suicide Baseline, and a collection of his iconic Brutal tracks including: Brutal 3.0, as well as crowd favorites Brutal 5.0 and his brand new Brutal 6.0.

As Radical Redemption finished his set it was time for a short intermission while Joey (Radical) ran to get his wardrobe changed for the Minus Militia set. In the meantime while the crowd waited, a live vocal female singer alongside Darksiderz kept the corwd entertained. As we waited, I looked over to the bar and I noticed Angerfist standing nearby. I went to go talk with him and he also mentioned to me that he was excited to play. He said that it was amazing to see so many people come out for the night and he couldn’t wait to play some hardcore for us! It was at this time I saw Crypsis, Chain Reaction and Radical Redemption take their place crouched behind the decks in their flack jackets and preparing for their US assault. Finally, it was time for the US debut of Minus Militia!
What happened next is hard to put into words. The lasers created a web of light over the crowd and powerful kick rolls and screeches brought so much energy to the crowd, I thought the barricade fence at the front of the stage was going to fall over from the force of the crowd that raged behind it! Their set included Obey and Arise (Official Militant Mayhem 2016 Anthem), Cracking Your Ribs, The Genesis (Supremacy 2014 Anthem). To complete the Minus Militia experience, Chain Reaction stood at the edge of the stage waving the large red minus Militia flag over the crowd before finally throwing it out to one very lucky fan.

Last but certainly not least, it was time for Angerfist to unleash hardcore upon the crowd. The mosh pit that had formed for Minus Militia grew as people dug deep to finish the night with hardcore. Angerfist pounded the crowd with his track selection, including classic tracks like Incoming, The Depths of Despair, Streetfighter, The Voice of Mayham, Strange Man In Mask and Just Like Me. I was also very excited to hear (and from the cheers of the crowd so were they) when Angerfist crossed over into dropping several frenchcore tracks, including The Sickest Squad ft. Lenny Dee -Minimal is Criminal, Radium – Rocking Fire, and his collabs with Dr. Peacock – Caveman and Inframan.

Overall I thought that the night was a blast and I hope that this show opens the door for Basscon to throw more exclusively raw hardstyle and hardcore events! Relive the night and check out some of our photos here. Up next for Basscon – Check out 15 Years of TNT featuring TNT aka Technoboy and Tuneboy, Audiofreq and Mekanikal on January 21, and Atmosfears’ North American GATE Tour featuring Atmosfears, Code Black and Tuneboy with a ‘Classics’ set on February 24th.

In closing, I would just like to take an opportunity to say a very special thank you to my friend Elise Valiquette aka DJ unicorns for her help with this article and for the continued adventures we have together, Joel Bevacqua and The Hard Data for continuing to allow me to contribute, and thank you to all my friends (too many of you all to name) who continue to come out to shows and create such great memories with me! 2016 was epic, have a safe and happy New Year and I hope to see you all in 2017!

– CabZ

Articles, Events, Reviews

Winterfresh Music Festival 2016 Event Review

Saturday, December 3 was the return of Fresh Entertainment’s winter-themed festival to Los Angeles – Winterfresh Music Festival. The night promised to host a variety of styles in separate rooms throughout the venue, from hard dance, house, trance, dubstep and drum and bass -all of which I fully intended to check out at the beginning of the night- but, like a Siren luring unexpecting sailors to their doom, the Hardstyle Arena stage sucked me in at the be-ginning of the night and I remained until the end of the show.

The day had been marked on my calendar since the announcement of Partyraiser’s return to LA and DJ Thera’s US debut at the end of Hardstyle Arena: Raw and Disorder, and my Facebook timeline seemed to be teasing me and building my anticipation for this show. The complete lineup for the Hardstyle Arena stage featured
artists Non Toxic, Eni, Alex Kidd (who unfortunately was unable to perform due to visa issues), DJ Thera, Partyraiser, Lady Dammage, and was to be hosted by the legendary MC Ruffian. I was excited for potential of the night ahead – 2 US premier arists and especially uptempo hardcore!

I walked into the venue and I caught up with some friends from AZ I hadn’t seen in awhile, grabbed a drink at the bar, and then proceeded to the Hardstyle Arena stage where I caught the end of Non Toxic’s set. I looked around and noticed the room had been converted into a winter wonderland to enhance the winter theme of the night. There were snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, large snow covered trees on the stage, Christmas lights, and Fresh had even thought to add a custom Winterfresh Snapchat filter! When Non Toxic finished with their final track my friend DJ Eni took to the decks. I had just interviewed Eni before the show, so I was excited for his performance and was really entertained by his track selection of reverse bass and oldschool to get the crowd warmed up! Approximately halfway through his set, Eni brought up a special guest, DJ Hauyon, and together they premiered their DJ team, the Druglordz, and even premiered their first collab – Dominator (Druglordz Reverse Bass remix).

Following Eni/Druglordz’s performance, MC Ruffian stepped up to the crowd and introduced DJ Thera for his US debut. Chances are if you’ve been a fan of hardstyle or hardcore for awhile you have heard Ruffian’s voice; he was the legendary voice of Qlimax until 2015 and can be heard in countless aftermovies and livesets from shows overseas. Ruffian’s familiar tone of voice paired with the cadence of his speech were instantly recognizable and I was exciting to hear him right in my hometown. Before Thera could perform his first track however, there was a special pause in the action- a marriage proposal! One of the dancers was called to the front of the stage, and the crowd created an opening. Her boyfriend stepped up to her and a banner unfolded behind him asking if she would marry him, she said yes! It was a very special moment in their lives and it was touching to be apart of it.

It was then time for DJ Thera to take the spotlight. Anyone familiar with DJ Thera’s music, or his Theracords label knew that his set would feature a variety of classics as well as raw hardstyle. It was exciting to see him perform and I thought he represented himself and his style well for his US premiere. A few of the tracks that he performed included MYST – Man Bear Pig, The Sexual Thrill, and of course the Winterfresh Anthem ft. MC Ruffian.

By the end of Thera’s set people getting wild, the laser production was on point, drinks were flowing, and looking around I could tell people were having a great time. I also had a feeling that everyone there had prepared themselves to go harder for DJ Partyraiser, and I knew moshpits were inevitable. Partyraiser’s high energy DJ style took the crowd to the next level, and his set include one of his most acclaimed tracks – Sound Becomes One with Destructive Tendencies, as well as his new track with F. Noise under their alias Scaphase – Enter the Snakepit (Snakepit 2016 anthem), but one of the most unique reactions from the crowd that I got to witness during his set was when he dropped F*ck It by Lunakorpz and American uptempo/terror DJ Tim Shopp. I was so proud of not only the recognition of the crowd to Tim’s track, but at the conscious effort of Partyraiser to play it and give a subtle nod to American hardcore during is set.

Finally to end the night, it was the US Premier of Lady Dammage, and I will say I don’t think anyone was prepared for what she had in store for us! Hardcore, uptempo and terror were all the menu and Lady Dammage serve it up relentlessly! I never thought I would get to see Lady Dammage perform, much less in the US! I don’t know if some partygoers even knew what hit them, and for anyone who may have missed it, check out her track with Broken Minds Thunder God (240bpm edit!!), and Fear Me Bitches that she played that night.

In closing, I would just like to say that this night was incredible! Fresh’s attention to detail and the quality of their events should put Fresh events on anyone’s “must attend” wishlist. Ruffian added an element to the party by interacting with the crowd’s energy, and along with the lasers, sound quality, and the banging lineup, I know Thera, Partyraiser and Lady Dammage will confirm that California knows how to party! I really enjoyed myself very much and I look forward to their next event, which will be sooner than you think- Fresh has just announced of the resurrection of another one their retired themes, Fresh Days… stay tuned for more info to come!