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People from all over the country ring in the new year in a variety of different ways. From lighting off fireworks and banging pots and pans to shaking clackers and blowing horns; but this year, I was able to ring in the new year with Hardcore kick drums, uplifting Trance melodies and energetic Drum & Bass rhythms while being surrounded by my friends that reside all over the west coast. I don’t think there is any better way to celebrate than to do it harder, louder and more extreme than the rest of the nation!
Fresh NYE took place at the Seaport Marina Hotel and Events Center. I found the venue to be a very positive and refreshing way to deal with masses. Even if it may have been a little tacky and haphazard to some, it was so nice to be able to go from the event to your room in just a short distance- that way you can go as hard as possible while still being safe about it. There was a plethora of sounds to choose from: a Trance stage, a Drum & Bass stage, and a Hard Dance stage; although if you were there, you could easily tell what everyone was there for. Suffice it to say that the Hard Dance stage was consistently packed.
Early on in the night I experienced Driftmoon, an Uplifting Trance artist who would’ve been more suited for the midnight hour; very melodic and emotional. What an opportunity to have seen him on New Year’s Eve of all days (a sentimental holiday for myself). We got the soft stuff out the way early and I immediately picked up the pace of the night by making sure I was front and center for Machete, one of the heavy hitters for the American Drum & Bass/Junglist scene. He played very funky, mostly jungle influenced DnB which was exactly what I’ve been waiting to hear. We do not get men like him coming through Utah, EVER, despite our once prominent, seemingly lingering
DnB scene. There was very little time to breathe after Machete- we only had 15 minutes to run upstairs to the Hard Dance stage to bring in the New Year with Mr. Audiofreq! Although the majority of the Hardstyle artists, including Audiofreq, were more mainstream and climactic, I was extremely impressed by his set ( when he dropped ‘Release’ by Atmozfears was that tipping point). I’m sure the majority who have seen him perform are aware that he is one great big ball of energy that continuously keeps the momentum of the crowd going; even the people outside on the deck were dancing and screaming to nearly every track that was dropped by him. He was the perfect opener for one the most respected names in the Hardcore scene to date; his rise to fame has been faster than anyone I can recall during my time: DJ MAD DOG! It is literally impossible to describe the amount of ferocity and aggression that was felt during the length of MD’s set. He played all of his own tracks (which I personally preferred because the only other time I’ve seen him
was at Dominator back in 2013 and he played many other Italian Hardcore artists’ tracks) and there were so little breaks in his mixing that there was hardly any time to catch your breath! There was a pretty disruptive mosh pit going on the for the majority of the time, which to a lot of people was upsetting because many of them would rather have been hakken-ing, but thankfully it didn’t lead to anything more violent. During the last half hour Mad Dog brought up a surprise guest: AniMe. She closed the night with tracks that she and Mad Dog did together pitched to a higher tempo. The entire night was topped off with a bow and a stage dive from Audiofreq. Wow!
At the end of the night, it was satisfying to be able to walk a few feet to my hotel room and recover from all the alcohol and adrenaline so I could immediately start heading back home in the morning (what I do for this music, eh?). Fresh Entertainment gets a huge plus for not just bringing out one of the most top notch producers in the Hardcore scene at the moment, but having three stages, dedicated to three sounds, stacked with the most powerful members of their respected scenes. I cannot wait to see what 2016 will bring us not just from Fresh, but from the American Hard Dance scene as a whole, and already, there is so much promise when ringing in the New Year with a “Fresh” start.
Daybreaker
If you care about the West Coast Hardcore scene, then you already know exactly who this man is and if you don’t then it’s time to start paying attention to him. Ron D Core is a 25 year vinyl veteran spinning since 1986 and is the owner and creator of the last record store standing: Dr. Freecloud’s! I caught up with Ron after the madness of TR-99’s Trauma that took place on the 15th of August to hear his thoughts on the turn out and what will be next for LA and the Hardcore scene. 100% vinyl, 100% Hardcore!
How did you feel about the turnout of Trauma last night?
R: Actually, better than I expected. It was a good reassurance that the Hardcore scene has a chance to come back. It was definitely a big gamble going into this party. I give Kari a lot of credit for taking that risk and putting the show on. It’s not easy; it’s not cheap, especially for Hardcore. It’s an ageing crowd but it takes a lot to get everybody out and actually attract some amount of people. It was nice to see.
Do you feel like the scene needs to go through a revival or do you think it’s already there?
R: I think it does need a revival because the younger crowd is always going to be there regardless, but with the older crowd, the problem is that not everyone can get out. Because they’re busy with their career, kids, no time…. You have to appeal to a younger crowd. It needs that evolution, and it needs some new blood either way. I think last night did that. There were a lot of older people and we did see a lot of younger people as well. It looks promising knowing that they were there. Hopefully what they saw they liked. I’m hoping that they weren’t scared away. Some of the crowd might have been all PLUR and they think Hardcore might be too aggressive… but I think there’s a certain element there that probably appreciated it. With all hopes, they were impressed enough where they’ll come back and plant the seeds for the next generation.
Do you feel like there are enough supporters in terms of artists, production crews, and people? What do you feel is the most significant aspect of the LA Hardcore scene right now?
R: It boils down to the artists themselves. DJs, the producers; the DJs are actually making the music. That’s really the starting point; the production, the producers, the promoters, they’ve come and gone. We’ve had really high turnover, so to speak, in that respect. There are a lot of us that used to do parties, us included, but they didn’t continue to do parties, the main reason being you don’t make enough money to roll over to the second party. It’s done at such a small scale, in a club or bar, or the risk is low so it’s easier to do those kinds of shows. Even though it remained, Hardcore stayed small in that respect because of the fact that it was more affordable-easier to do. Unlike last night, which is kind of like a fluke to see a lot of money get poured in. For us it’s like a Holy Grail fell in our lap to get someone what was willing to put that kind of money into a party. The last 10 years or so the hardcore scene’s been very stagnant because of that. If we’re all realistic we would realize that we could do one show where 3 or 4 of us put it on together and each chip in a few hundred dollars, we can all DJ for free. We got our DJs lined up; all we just need now is a sound guy and lighting guy. We’ve kept it on the cheap for so many years, and that, in a sense, has kept it down. With all that said, it is really all about the producers, the DJs. As long as they’re still producing music and putting it out, that’s going to be the most important key. Without the newer music coming out, you can only go so far with playing classics and doing revival parties. The new sounds have to be there with the emphasis of Hardcore. As long as that’s moving forward, that will be good help for the future of the scene.
What do you think is going to be the hardest aspect of getting the younger generation involved? Do you feel parties like last night could be a good history lesson for them?
R: Last night was a history lesson. It’s funny because the newer crowd that is into Hardcore, or think they’re into hardcore, they assume Hardstyle is Hardcore. Without knowing the history of where it all came from they don’t realize that almost all the new Hardstyle you’re hearing, over half of it’s been made by Hardcore guys that strictly made Hardcore in the past, or are still making Hardcore as well. Most of these guys are Hardcore guys. All that Hardstyle and slower BPM [Hard] stuff, that’s all they know, so last night gave them a good little rewind. They may realize this is music from the past that evolved and turned into Hardstyle. At the end of the day they’re going to realize that Hardcore has come from much deeper roots. All the way back to 1994, in my opinion, was the start of the entire Hardcore scene. That’s going to help because I’ve seen people fall in love with Hardcore for many reasons. It appeals to a lot of people.
What do you think is going to be next for the Hardcore scene in general?
R: I’ve already seen the pattern. Hardcore has a very predictable pattern. The Hardstyle today, we used to call it Nu-style. The first time the scene crashed when everything got so fast, the Dutch guys made everything slow down. They were calling it Nu-style. Nu-style, Hardstyle, it’s all the same thing. As they get tired and start to run out of ideas, they’re going to want to hear their stuff pick up speed. It’s going to get more aggressive and a lot faster. So, in a sense, Hardstyle is like the beginning of getting things back to where it should be. That crowd will eventually catch up to where we’ve always been.
Are there any big plans coming up? Do you guys have any ideas just as big as Trauma?
R: I know Kari’s already offered to do our next party. He wants to get this scene in a big way. Before his party was even done, he’d already approached us about other ones. If we get that going, I wouldn’t mind reviving some of old hardcore shows we did. Maybe bring back our old MegaBlast or our 13 parties we did.
Dr. Freecloud’s is located on 18960 Brookhurst St in Fountain Valley, CA.
Ron D. Core on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ron-D-Core-127421727272048/?fref=ts
Dr. Freecloud’s on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drfreecloudsrecordshoppe/
Featured Image Photo by Peter Vincent
Chosen Few is best known for his key role in the creation of Mokum Records. Ever since 1993 this man has been at the forefront of the origins of Hardcore playing every major event such as Thunderdome, May Day, Nightmare in Rotterdam etc. This interview will help you understand the importance of this man and the importance that the Early Hardcore sound still has on the scene today.
What were your thoughts on last night? How did it go for you?
CF: Last night was pure energy. Most of it came straight from the crowd… it was epic.
Are you familiar with the American Hardcore scene? Do you think that we have potential?
CF: Yeah, of course. I don’t know how it works to hire a venue out here, but I think that’s your big problem at the moment- the ages, if it [the venue] has a bar or not, if it’s 21+ or 16+, since the drinking age is higher. Because [in Holland] we have everything, we don’t have many rules. They say it’s zero tolerance, no drugs, but there are so many drugs in the parties. I think people are more responsible in Holland because you can get it everywhere. People know how to use it. There are always people around saying, “Hey, you’ve had enough now.”
What do you think we can do to make our scene better?
CF: Keep doing parties. In the end it will be bigger, bigger, bigger. People going to the venues hear it and they tell their friends. It’s fucking great-the atmosphere, everything. The music is something else. They hated all others, you know, but, like yesterday, the vibe was so great. The people were so friendly and hyped. In Holland you have big parties and people fly from across the whole world for them. I think if they go on and it grows bigger, eventually the people are going to say, “Oh! I’m saving money to go to America for a party.”
Maybe one day we’ll have festival season out here, and people will start coming here for shows!
CF: Yeah and you take a holiday and the parties with it. I hope that will be happening out here. Go [to America] for holiday, go to the parties. Why not?!
Talk again about your origins when you first started playing.
CF: I started when I was about 14. I was in a small club for after school stuff; you could play pool or play darts or whatever, and there were turntables. I saw DJs playing records and then press stop to play the next record. I was like, “Okay, if I play this record, why not play another record in the one that is already playing… maybe if you play it together it sounds better.”, without even knowing there were real DJs mixing from the USA- that’s where the DJs started.
How did you get your start in Hardcore?
CF: This guy from Mokum records called me. I sent him a demo tape and it’s not working- I never get any record out. Then I get a call asking me to make a record that had to beat Rotterdam. I was like, “Wow, this guy’s asking ME to make a harder record”! Rotterdam Records was already big at the time. “Let’s start a new label called Mokum Records”, he said. Mokum is a Yiddish word for Amsterdam. I said, “Yeah, of course.” I made a record and it was harder than Rotterdam records. I got my first record deal on my birthday in 1993. That was funny; I was so proud. I showed it to my parents. “It’s a record deal!”, then I kept making music. Then I got a copy of a mix of Holland’s top 40 and I was number 23. I was like, “What?! With a gabber record?!” Then Rotterdam Records was like, “What the fuck?” They responded, making harder records, because it’s Neophyte you know. Then fuck it, I couldn’t make a harder record, it was too fast. But I think I’ve done some contribution for the layering for Hardcore to get over the Neophyte sound. Rotterdam and Amsterdam; it was like a big fight. I think this battle was good to get the Hardcore where it is now- the speed, the hardness, the layers…
How does it feel to know that the early sounds are still alive and well?
CF: I think it’s good, because it’s still the best time in Hardcore; it’s the best period. The sounds are original and for the young kids they are going to listen and hear a lot of the first sounds and how it’s built. It’s really difficult music to make; if you listen to it you’ll hear how difficult it is. The new stuff is a completely different story. The quality is so high on the sequencers. In the early days it was just one channel and you put everything up- the gain, the distortion, and you had a kick. But with the sound quality now you have to build your kick with eight, nine layers, all effects on every layer.
With these early stages showing up at Dominator, and Decibel, the early styles have their own stage; do you think it’s important for the new kids to learn about this sound?
CF: Yes, of course. If they don’t know the sounds then they get to know them. They love it anyway. You had the early hardcore but later on it was getting a little bit slower. From that came these crazy guys making a track that people called Hardstyle.
But it leads in the same direction.
CF: Yeah. Hardstyle is all the styles, it’s slower, it’s made with the same intention, but for a different crowd, maybe older people [laughs]. And now it’s young and old people, they love Hardstyle. I know I like my Early Hardcore. I like newer mainstream. I like all artists’ styles. It’s very difficult. If I make a record now it’s still influenced from the 90s. It becomes your signature.
It’s cool to actually have that. To see how you guys haven’t forgotten about the early ages. You guys don’t let that go away.
CF: It’s what makes Holland; it’s what put us on the map.
What’s behind the name Bass Modulators?
That’s a very short story. We had two tracks ready for release but the label needed a name. We were checking our keyboards, and there was modulation key and I was like, “Okay, modulation, what should we modulate? Oh, Bass. Bass Modulators.” We were actually not planning on using this name forever, but it just worked.
What label was your first release on?
DJ’s United Records from Italy
What came first producing or DJing?
Well, Roland was already a DJ, and I started with producing, and then became a DJ. I think that’s a pretty good thing, if you start with both, you know how to produce tracks for DJs, and you also know how to play those tracks live.
How did you get into the rave scene? What year?
Back in the 90s, we got into clubhouse and after that it just evolved with harder music. We really got into Hardstyle back in 2001, 2002 but only attended Raves. We started to produce in 2005 and it evolved from there.
What was your first DJ gig as Bass Modulators?
Matrix. We had gigs before, but those were not paid, or just for fun. Matrix was a club in Holland, like 2,000 people would attend. I didn’t really know how to DJ back then … Roland handled most of the set. The funny thing is we only knew how to play on vinyl back then, so it was the first time for us playing on CDJ’s. I didn’t even use the cue button, I was on vinyl mode the entire time.
Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
Noisecontrollers, Past and present. For us it was a pretty big surprise like a year or two ago, that he wanted to make tracks with us, and now he’s one of our best friends too. It’s really cool. We learned a lot from him.
First record you ever purchased?
(Roland) When I was like eleven, twelve, I bought some singles from Cher. The first clubhouse track was probably Northern Lights by Justin K. It was the first vinyl I bought, blue see-through vinyl. It was really cool.
Rick, Did you collect vinyl as well?
Actually I can’t remember the first single, but I remember a happy hardcore compilation CD from Charly Lownoise and Mental Theo… I played it until it broke.
Funniest moment during a performance?
We played in Denmark like six years ago, and they had a fully stocked bar for us. We were drinking like crazy. The DJ before us had to stop because he fucked up big time, the boss of the club kicked him off and asked us to play.” We were like, “Oh, we have to play.” We were drunk, we had to play for three hours straight. We ended up playing the same record twice. The DJ booth was suspended on cables to prevent the records from skipping, and then somebody from the audience wanted to shake Rick’s hand, Rick leaned forward and scratched the record with his belly … It was the most awkward moment, and the last time we were drunk on stage.
Any future projects that you guys are excited about, maybe something you guys have been working on, or a gig that’s coming up that you’re excited about?
We are working on some new tracks together with Noisecontrollers, A couple solo projects, and a lot of cool gigs coming up including Qlimax.
Any advice for aspiring producers?
(Roland) Keep it real. Don’t try to be someone else on stage; don’t try doing all kinds of tricks/gimmicks. Just focus on what’s really important, the music. That’s your key. You can clown on stage, you can try to do cool stuff, you can promote on Facebook, but if your music’s shit, you can’t do anything. Stick to yourself, stick to your music.
(Rick) Just practice, practice, practice. It’s pretty much the key to everything. If you put in ten thousand hours, then you might be good enough to break through. You have to make choices in your life. If you want to be this big producer, then you have to sacrifice other things. It’s really important. Some people forget that, but it’s really the most important thing.
