Brutale | The HARD DATA

The story first started in 2000’s Italy, when three guys met: Jacopo Stevanato, Samuele Gozzo and Sirio Carino. It was an instant musical “love at first sight”, so they decided to team up and create the “Sick DJ Team”. Under that alias, they dropped their first hardcore tracks on G-Net Records. A couple years after, having musically matured, they decided to change their name to “The Sickest Squad”, keeping the adjective “sick”, it being their musical brand. Being big fans of Frenchcore, they started working with DJ Randy, the owner of R909. This helped them define their sound and come up with their own musical style called “Sickcore”, which is the hybrid child of hardcore and Frenchcore.

Influenced by various musical genres that range from dubstep to punk or even metal, The Sickest Squad’s music is energetic, dark and fast, and they are considered one of the most influent and unique Frenchcore groups out there.

Today, we will introduce you to 5 of The Sickest Squad’s most popular tracks. Be ready to listen to some SICK beats!

Ass, Bass N Bitches:

After listening to this, you will definitely be in the party mood! You can already imagine the neon lights, the shots and the head-banging party animals.

Minimal is Criminal:

We can all definitely imagine the beginning of this track being the background music of a hardcore fight scene in a blockbuster, or maybe being played while a group of hackers are taking down some shady government organization.

Swingbeat #TiH :

This track gives off some nice Electro Swing vibes at the beginning, and then turns into a pure Frenchcore track. A rollercoaster of genres that keeps you on your toes!

Opera Prima:

This 6 minutes track is worth the detour! It gives off spy movie/psychological thriller vibes. Mysterious and dark music, a husky feminine voice and a beat we can only call SICK are definitely a winning combination, and the proof is right here!

Boom Shakalaka:

Starting soft and ending strong, this track builds up its beats until they explode in what we can only call a purely ecstatic combination of sounds. Listening to this will make you ditch your table at a club and go hit the dance floor, drink in hand.

Now that the techno music scene has become a full part of what we can call “mainstream” music, The Sickest Squad is getting more popular by the day, and their music is gaining a huge fan base that is expanding every single day. Even after their third member, Sirio, left the group in 2006, they kept making quality music that pleased Frenchcore and Sickcore fans.

After performing in several events, such as their famous “The Sickest Squad Concert”, The Sickest Squad managed to establish themselves as one of the best groups in their musical genre.

For more information about The Sickest Squad, check out their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/thesickestsquad/

Name: Jose Sendra
Age: 30
City: Milan, Italy

The Meccano Twins project started out in 2003 from the idea of the two Art of Fighters members (Luca & Cristian), driven by the need to create a new breed of music: a blend of mainstream Hardcore together with Darkcore. Once Jose became the new producer and front man for the act, his arrival immediately opened up a new plane for all kinds of experimental Hardcore music. And now finally, America is about to witness the dark and twisted underworld of Hardcore and what a better tour guide to have than Mr. Jose Sendra: the Meccano Twins! You can see Meccano Twins on February 19th in Mesa, Arizona. February 20th in Denver, Colorado. February 26th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and February 27th in Brooklyn, New York.

Were you a DJ first, or a producer?
My career started as a DJ, under the name ‘Hardrebel’. It was when the ‘Art of Fighters’ became ‘Meccano Twins’ that I started producing tracks with the guidance of Cristian (one half of the Art of Fighters).

How did you get into the Hardcore scene?
I was already a big fan of Hardcore music. Later on, it wasn’t enough to just listen to it so I began my career as a DJ.

What was the first record you ever purchased?
It’s so hard to answer this question, but I think it was in the early 2000s. I’m sure it was an Enzyme EP because I was and still am a big Enzyme Records fan. And I still could never find the Enzyme K7-2 record!

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Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
Easy, just read my response above! For me a lot of Enzyme artists in the early 2000s, such as Ophidian, Nosferatu, and Endymion.

Would you describe your very first DJ gig?
I remember that day very well because my first gig was under ‘Meccano Twins’ at the Dominator Festival! I was so scared and excited because it was my first time playing in front of thousands of people. That was one of THE best days of my life!

What was your favorite party you’ve ever played? Why?
Difficult question because there are many factors to consider; a lot of big festivals are fun because of the scenery and the amount of people that attend, but for me the small parties leave something more because you have more contact with the public. For me that’s much more important.

Did you ever think you would be touring the United States? What do you think the Trauma Tour will be like?
Honestly, no! I’ve always hoped but I did not believe it would happen. When they informed me of the tour, I was very happy to know that I finally get to visit and play in the U.S.. I’m very curious to see the American [Hardcore] scene.

What is your favorite track that you have produced?
All of them! (Laughs) But really, each track is very important to me. Maybe ‘Combustion’ because it was produced during a very important period of my life.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming Hardcore producers?
Always be yourself! Of course, listening to advice, but never let them change your ideas.

Record label founded in 2014 by Meccano Twins and The Sickest Squad.

What are your top 3 favorite tracks of all time? Why?
My most favorite track ever is So Many Sacrifices by Ophidian!

What was your favorite track of 2015 (that wasn’t your own)?
In 2015, for me, wasn’t a great year for Hardcore; there weren’t a lot of beautiful tracks. But excluding my own tracks, my favorites were ‘Underground Existence’ by Unexist and ‘Crispy Bassdrum’ by N-Vitral.

Are there any exciting projects or gigs coming up you want our readers to know about?
Yes! This year I’m working hard with a lot of collaborations and a new Brutale EP!! This will be a year with many surprises so make sure that you stay tuned to my social media!

What artists would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t already?
I’m a big fan of Ophidian; it would be a dream come true to do a collaboration with him. And I would be curious to do some work with N-Vitral.

If there’s anything we haven’t asked, what else would you like to say to the readers of The Hard Data? What can they expect from you on this tour?
I hope to meet all the American fans! I want to see the same passion and love from them that I give for this music! See you soon USA and remember be “Brutale”!