Released last month as the 100th release for New York based hardcore record label Industrial Strength Records, industrial demon Tymon has put out what I consider so far as THE best hardcore release of 2016. Slow, eerie, crunchy, everything that the Aussie has become famous for is featured in this three-track release. ‘Crunch Time’ is the top track (you’ll notice right away), but both ‘Fade to Black’ and ‘Instakill’, which both feature a slower kick and a simpler sound design, are still produced and mastered with the upmost quality! And the fact that this is released as a “chapter 1”, I certainly hope this means that another release from this man is coming up in the near future, perhaps just as astounding.
There are only a handful of female hardcore producers in the game, but none more vicious and underrated than Day-Mar. Her latest release showcases the most recent experimentation of her sound with both ‘Luxury’ and ‘Sometimes’ running at 196 BPM. Of course, each track has their own feminine touch: the vocals of ‘Luxury’ being the thuggish ruggish chick, and ‘Sometimes’ being the soulful and sexy icon, but both still remain harder and edgier which gives this bad ass beauty her advantage.
Ophidian, as you all should know, is one the more technical Hardcore producers out there today; with his productions being so clean, and his mastering even more so. With his release of ‘Nightfall Angel VIP’, Ophidian takes us back to his older sounds with an incredible new design along with a millennium remaster of the original and a breakbeat kind of remix by IDrake (???). The tracks are best described as orchestral, cinematic and nostalgic. This release will take you back to the peak of Ophidian’s career, helping you gain an understanding as to how he’s become the most prominent name in Hardcore techno. Enjoy.
For the Industrial fans out there; this entire EP is filled with a wonderful sound design of orchestrated noise! But the track that stands out the most for me is the second track on the EP: ‘Invisible’ and it’s because of SM’s work with Tripped. Tripped has made kicks that have always had a very particular roughness to them that have made them addicting and his variations within this particular track keep your attention all the way through. Of course, I’m more prone to noisy sounds over structured melodies, and SM hits that spot on and still with plenty of drive and atmosphere, but if you like thick, distorted kicks, this track has them and hearing this one on the dance floor is more than likely to make the crowd move.
Dedicated to the harder sound of electronic dance music.
