No day is safe from the crossbreed onslaught of our man Daybreaker, denizen of the THD -ahem- “offices.” But Daybreaker is faced with perhaps his ultimate challenge: the oppressive Las Vegas summer sun, ever-present during American Gabberfest. Before this epic struggle commences, we figured it was paramount to question the “steed behind the crossbreed” and reckon his mission…
How did you decide on your stage name?
When I first started, I had a different name chosen, but I wasn’t particularly fond of it; I just had to pick something for the forums I was signing up for (Global Hard forums, for any of you that may remember that glorious website) and that remained my stage name until I decided to change it. When looking for a new name, I wanted to choose something that incorporated horror (I’m a really big fan of the genre). I was stuck on finding something worthwhile until a movie came out in January 2010 called “Daybreakers”. I thought the movie was really unique and original, so much so, that I dropped the “s” and behold, Daybreaker was discovered!
How did you start DJ’ing?
Shortly after discovering hardstyle and hardcore, I decided that I wanted to do exactly what these guys were doing in the aftermovies I used to watch over and over again. So, I got my first job, saved up some money to buy my cousins pair of Numark TTX’s and a mixer and it was a quick skyward launch into where I’m at now!
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
Hard dance music itself I discovered by accident in the basement of my dad’s house (2007). I was on Myspace at the time, browsing random music profiles by clicking on one, and then clicking on others from those artists’ friends list. Somehow, I stumbled upon the page of hardstyle producer A-Lusion; he had one song on his profile at the time: “Drummer Beat” – I already had a background in electronic music through my cousin who is also a DJ. He and his friends were into hard house and drum and bass; I remember visiting my aunt frequently when I was little and my brother and I used to like hanging out up in his room and watch them all spin records. So I already had an ear that was tuned to techno, and when I heard “Drummer Beat”, my mind was blown away. – Hardstyle at the time was incredibly slow (144 BPM), but the variations every few bars, and the hard, bouncy kicks somehow made a lasting impression on me.
What changes have you noticed in your local rave scene since you started?
Utah is a lot stranger to describe…in the early 2000’s, we used to have a much more underground, drum and bass oriented rave scene. We also had a more lively and unified community; there used to be an online forum called “Utah Raves” and when I was starting, this is how I found out about everything going on around the valley (raves, new local artists, outside get-togethers etc.). It was a really neat and useful tool, one I wish was still popular to use in the present day. Also, there was more than one event organization. The biggest at the time was Vandal Productions, owned and operated by DJ Quack Quack (famous for the Kandyland series of raves); he was the name responsible for our hardstyle, happy hardcore phase, and it was through this man that I got my start in performing live. Fast forwarding to today, we only have one event organization, with a few people attempting to start their own (only to get stomped out by the monopoly) and virtually none of our local DJs play any form of hard dance (with the exception of what seems to be a drum and bass resurgence happening). That is why I started the ‘Utah Hardcore Syndicate’, that way I can gather up all the locals that do spin and enjoy hard dance music and we can retaliate and devastate our currently stale “rave” scene; although I will say I do appreciate the amount of drum and bass we are getting. We also had Technoboy and Lady Faith in town recently, however, but that was the first time we had hardstyle in town since the Nightsneak organization left Utah in 2013. All in all, it’s a stale, commercialized scene that is so suppressed and monopolized, it’s hard to combat, but its Utah, the stigma is real.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
2016 has left me with a very positive outlook on the growth and development of our own scene, although it is more confined to specific parts of the nation, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering how dedicated I am that I’m willing to travel to attend these harder parties.
Look out GodSquad! Daybreaker is going to be bringing the Crossbreed with an uptempo fury!
Plus, we are seeing spillovers into other states (finally) and more American producers are rising up, fast! But, as we Americans do best, we still have egos and drama and internal oppression that’s hindering our progress and until money is focused on less, and our local artists start supporting each other, including the shows, we aren’t going to see the peak that everyone seems to be so nostalgic about. But as I said, this year we have probably seen the best surge for our scene in recent years, and I feel like this is exactly the kind of push we’ve needed to at least thrive within this now over-saturated market. Now all we need to do is unify.
Is there anything in particular you find yourself wanting to communicate to the audience?
I’m not trying to convey any specific message to the audience other than a sound that represents me as a person outside of my alias. A lot of my themes are based around horror movies and culture including the concept mixes that I do from time to time, which are even more detailed and obvious to that notion. I feel that my specific type of sound (hardcore drum and bass) really helps vary the typical 4×4 beats we hear in hardcore and changes up the dance floors a little bit, if only for a bar or two (laughs)!
Do you have anything special planned for the event?
I’m hoping to do some three-deck mixing to add more complexity to the set. I’ll still be bringing that Crossbreed flavor to Gabberfest that will start out groovy, and end on a “faster” note. You’ll see! Lots and lots of BPM variation!
D-Ceptor is one of the biggest names to represent Germany in the world of hardcore, and now, by the grace of the White Ape, he will be visiting and performing in America for the first time at GABBERFEST: America’s Hardest, day one of the festival! This is one of the most crucial interviews for the event as D-Ceptor offers some very interesting insight into the realm of hardcore and into the American scene itself. Hang on tight and enjoy the ride!
Dustin Leinesser aka D-Ceptor will be headlining this year’s edition of America’s hardest, GABBERFEST!
Will this be your first time in America? First time playing, if you have already visited?
This will be the first time visiting America for me, and so of course the first time playing there as well!
How did you get your start in hardcore music?
I started listening to hardcore music when I entered high school in 1998 through some friends who were already into it. This music style was new to me and from that moment on I was hooked by the sound. When I was 15 I visited my first hardcore event in a Belgian club. While listening and watching carefully how the artists performed, I knew that I wanted to become a DJ someday. I started practicing the art of mixing with vinyls and kept improving my skills on the turntables. A few years later, after sending many demo tapes to event promoters, my first gig was arranged in 2006 and my journey began.
What’s the hard dance scene like in Germany?
The Dutch hard dance scene has a lot of influence in Germany. Especially in west Germany where the scene is focused, because it is closer to the Dutch border. It is confusing to me that there are many hardcore artists in Germany (maybe the biggest scene after The Netherlands) but no big label, leading agency or international famous headliner. The Dutch and also the Italians are ahead to the Germans. I would even see Spain as the European country having now better prospects and talents as we have. Same story with large events. We have two big promoters here for hardcore festivals: I-Motion and A.L.E.X. events but I-Motion is cooperating with Dutch promoter Art of Dance bringing big pure hardcore concepts like Syndicate or brand new EXODUS to Germany. If you take a look on these line ups, you will see a lot of Dutch and Italian names and ask yourself: “Wtf!? This is a hardcore event in Germany, so where the hell are all those German artists?” So what I miss in this country are good producers. We have many internationally known artists for uptempo/terror/speedcore/industrial but just a few names who bring good quality in main style hardcore. For example Thorax is Germany’s new hope and biggest talent around here. His productions are brilliant and high quality, that’s why he got signed by MostWantedDJ agency (Masters of Hardcore) as the only German standing for HARDCORE. So all in all we have a huge hardcore scene here which is very enthusiastic with many crazy party animals who want to attend club parties and big events but what we miss are professional artists/producers and with it a professional agency and music label.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
I see many legendary names from the US who had their career highlight in the 90s-00s like Rob Gee, DJ Delirium, Lenny Dee with Industrial Strength or Omar Santana with H2OH Records. These artists were not very present from 2005 – 2015 in the scene from an European/German point of view but it’s nice to see that for example Rob Gee and now also Lenny Dee celebrating successful comebacks! But I miss one or maybe two generations of new American hardcore artists. In the current state of harder styles in America I see a lot of potential for young artists. Go and use the current EDM-hype for infecting more people with your style of hard electronic dance music! Don’t make the same mistake as we did, move your ass to the studio and produce the music that you love. This is really my main advice to every artist who wants to maintain in the scene for long time and above national borders. Am I wrong with this evaluation about the American scene? Come and correct me over a beer at Gabberfest!
What are you trying to convey through your music? Are there any themes or ideas that are important to you? Is there anything in particular you find yourself wanting to communicate to the audience?
In my opinion it is pretty hard to convey a profound message in hardcore music. In other music genres it is much easier because you can express it in many words. Of course you can also choose your vocals very well in your productions or pick an MC for recording your own lyrics but techno music in general is
D-Ceptor will be visiting the US for the first time and can’t wait to get a taste of the American lifestyle!
about kick drums, beats and synths. My music is dance music so people want to go mad on it, it’s not that important to communicate a certain message, but a feeling. When I produce music I think of what I would like to hear when I am in a club or a big festival. Am I in a mood of a straight punchy stomper tracks, working with drive and rhythm, or do I want to dive into nice spheres, with an epic melody that makes me raise my hands up in the air? For me it’s not important to say that I love science, don’t believe in god, or wanna fuck the system, the main message is always the same: You are hardcore, so you are a rebel.
Do you have anything special planned for the event?
I hope to present some new unreleased tracks at Gabberfest and of course I will bring some gifts to my American supporters.
Will you be attending EDC this year as well?
If I can spontaneously get a hold of a ticket for a day, yes!
Which artists are you most looking forward to seeing?
Angerfist and Rob Gee of course! Full hardcore support! But also Knife Party, Pendulum, and Zedd would be interesting to me. The rest… I am really not a big fan of EDM and hardstyle. It bores me over time and I can also see many of these DJs in Europe. It is more interesting to me seeing the party people there and feeling the vibes this event transports, hopefully.
How did you land the Gabberfest gig?
Well, that is a question a lot of people around here have asked too. The answer is simple: I still send demos worldwide! Back in the days these were my mix tapes and nowadays my new releases. So I got in contact with some American artists and later on to the promoter of Gabberfest and we arranged everything. That’s it!
Anything that you’re looking forward to most on your trip (that’s not music related)?
Everything! I’ll be staying for 3 weeks in your country, arriving in Los Angeles, heading over to Vegas for Gabberfest, and going further to San Francisco! USA represents the western lifestyle; the life I live here. American economy, technology, movies, music, lifestyle, almost everything from your country influences the way of living and the society here in Germany. I am curious to make my own experiences and my own opinion about the US because I just know it from TV, internet and pictures. I am looking forward to my long road trips, to people I will meet, to beautiful nature and culture I can see. I am interested in the huge cities, skyscrapers, national parks, landscapes, the desert, the sea. A taste of how America feels is what I want!
Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?
The gig at Gabberfest was the trigger for me to participate in Rob Gee’s remix contest. There is no final decision made yet but I hope to present my remix to you guys soon, doesn’t matter if I win or not. However I will play this one for sure in Vegas. Besides that I am working on new solo projects and also collaborations with my friends Quitara and Tritone are planned in the future.
Kore Hunter is a sappy love story between two already established DJs/producers Richard Riley (KORE) of Arizona and Megan Hunter (HK) of Colorado. Through the unifying powers of hardcore techno, these two found each other and are now combining their forces to further push the boundaries of hardcore and are hoping that they can take this scene (and their love) to new heights! Two is always better than one with this 2 for 1 interview with “hunters” of the “kore”!
Hunter: When Richard and I started dating, DJ Delirium and CIK were making jokes and throwing around names for what our future children would be named and Delirium threw out KoreHunter. Richard told me about their joke and we both decided that was better than our original duo name, HKORE.
How did you start producing/DJ’ing?:
Kore: I started producing in 1995, shortly after my first show. I was introduced to Hardcore from DJ Cetra back in the mid 90’s from the old IRC channel days. I went to Opium in San Bernadino to see The Stunned Guys and just fell in love. I went home, researched the music, found out how to use trackers and started teaching myself. When I turned 18, I took out a small loan to buy two tables, a mixer, and twelve hardcore records and just practiced every day. All I wanted to do was immerse myself in the new sound I had fallen in love with.
Hunter: I started DJ’ing back in early 2009. I used to travel for anime and gaming conventions and my friend, Mark Pieterick, DJ’ed the nighttime dance events they hosted. He would let me drunkenly mix a few songs here and there and then in 2010 I decided it was something I wanted to take more seriously. I received a set-up for Christmas that year and went crazy.
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
Kore: Growing up in Southern California, punk, rock, and metal were my main musical preferences until my uncle bought me an old 90s trance tape from Germany. It was completely different, but I was intrigued by the electronic sounds. During this time I was chatting in IRC channels all the time. So I found the channel #rave on efnet IRC (shout-outs to the old fucks that remember that!). One day DJ Cetra was streaming himself mixing on a Shoutcast I tuned into and remember hearing D.O.A. tracks. For someone that came from the harder styles of music, like metal and punk, it was easy for me to listen to it. It took all the aggressive elements I already loved growing up and took it further with unlimited possibilities.
Hunter: I went to an anime convention back in late 2007 and met a friend that wound up introducing me to happy hardcore. So that was the hardest music I listened to for a long time since my main squeeze back then was electro house. I eventually pulled myself away from mainstream electronic music and only listened to happy hardcore and that wound up being where my DJ career started. There was only one gabber DJ in the community that was playing out at mainstream shows in Colorado, and when I became friends with him he showed me an entirely new depth to this genre I already loved. Frenchcore, gabber, crossbreed, all the goodies. I was pretty floored and amazed at how large of a genre hardcore is. As a HHC DJ, I tried my best to stay away from overly euphoric songs and found myself attracted to the more quirky, harder side. It got to a point where it was a struggle to keep up because I couldn’t find music that fit my expectations and would only be able to add maybe 6 songs to my roster every few months. So about a year and a half into DJing, I decided to make the switch because gabber had what I was looking for in terms of aggression, musical depth, and community.
What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?
Kore: Well I grew up in California and moved to AZ back in 1998 so it’s a little different for me than it may be for most. In the mid 90’s the LA scene was huge and felt like a big family. Sure we all had our crews and whatnot, but it was about the music. When I moved to AZ it felt very similar but the scene was smaller. All the kids knew the songs and understood the strength of coming together. When I met up with CIK back then, we worked our asses off to keep pushing and growing the hardcore scene and now AZ has one of the bigger scenes in the states. Not trying to take credit of anything, so don’t get me wrong, but I would like to feel we had a part in it. We just made sure to never segregate another scene or another state. We wanted to keep that concept of family and unity
With Kore Hunter, you are literally getting the best of each end of the hardcore spectrum!
intact. Outside of the hardware differences (vinyl, to CDs, to Serato, to USBs) the music and the party itself has evolved a lot. Even though Hardcore is still a minority in the U.S.A., it has gotten its fair share of mainstream attention that even kids who don’t listen to Hardcore, still know a good number of the songs. Now with the rise of Rawstyle and Hardstyle still proving it’s a force that cannot be stopped, the scene is now growing to the point where I think soon we can pass the mid 90’s again. Unfortunately, we are also getting the attention of some people that are toxic and maybe a little money hungry, but if we can all remember to unite, then maybe this time we can keep this growth going.
For the music itself, the quality has gotten so much better, and again I think we have the access to all the information to help that. It also feels like the old guys (producers, DJs, and promoters) are back to becoming a family again and are now sharing all the experience they have acquired and are passing it on. This in turns helps, not just the new kids, but us old folks as well. Respect goes both ways, not just one.
Hunter: I started out in Colorado in ’08 where the hard dance scene was gaining some traction and then burnt out while the mainstream scene started to blow up. For a few years, there were only a few hard genre DJs playing out into the scene, the rest of us stuck to a radio show to cater to a larger audience. All of the hard dance DJs stayed really dedicated and through persistence, hardstyle and hardcore have been spreading at a fairly quick pace in the mainstream scene. As for the rave scene as a whole, I think everyone has taken notice of how quickly the scene has grown and how it’s no longer an underground ordeal. I’ve seen performance mediums evolve, DJs and producers come and go, trends rise and fall, and new concepts create new sounds while some concepts and genres die. With how many people are involved in the scene, I think the scene will continue to change at a rapid pace for a while.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
Kore: I think it’s really starting to grow again with the rise of rawstyle, the reliable and consistent scene of hardstyle, and now the growth of hardcore again. The comeback of the harder styles is bringing all kinds of kids back and new ones are showing up. I feel like the hard styles reach to people in a different emotional way than some of the more mainstream options and this allows us to connect on a different level. All of us have experienced this one time or another where you hear that one track and your whole body just gets taken over with emotion. I feel like hardcore and the harder styles in general bring that feeling out in a lot of people and the more exposure we get the more we can connect, which is happening now and we are growing. As long as we can keep raising the bar on the quality of the music (production and performance) then it will continue to grow.
Hunter: I think the American hard scene is still in a smaller state. We’re starting to see many new producers and DJs that want to contribute to the genre as well and we’re starting to see more and more people support the music. I feel like we’re at a slight disadvantage right now compared to mainstream genres, though. As a producer for something like electro house, you can go to YouTube, type in what you need help with and the production program you’re using, and BAM, you have tons of videos to help you get better and learn. With hard genres, there aren’t as many so you’re kind of cornered into what you can learn without being self-taught (nothing wrong with that) and I feel that holds us back from creating new material as a genre. So if you’re an experienced producer with time on your hands and you get a lot of questions on how to do something, I highly encourage you to create video tutorials. Places like YouTube and Lynda.com have the potential to pay so it’s not like you have anything to lose in doing it, but there’s plenty for the scene to gain by you spreading your knowledge to others eager to learn but don’t know where to start. Outside of that though, I think the scene we currently have is more of a family than anything. We have a great understanding of unity through the music and I’m proud to be able to contribute to something so wonderful.
What are you guys trying to convey through your music?
Kore: Everyone has stress, trauma or some type of emotional event happening in their life and I want to help either remove that, even if it’s for a few hours, or heighten the good feeling you’re experiencing. I myself have had a roller coaster ride of events and I can say that this music has been the best cure. The general message is to enhance the best parts of life and take out your aggression on the worst parts and just say, “Eff it! This is my time to shine!”.
Hunter: For me, music has always been a form of expression. I’ve been playing instruments since I was 11 years old and it was always the best outlet for emotions. As a young adult, figuring out who you are, what you want to do, and trying to simply navigate through life is really hard at times. So Hardcore for me has always felt like a way to safely let out anger or sadness without emotionally hurting others and has felt like the slightly rebellious genre where you can jam out and give the finger to whatever stressful, shitty, or hurtful experience you’re going through. When I play, I hope that hardcore can be the same therapy for others as it has been to me.
Do you have anything special planned for the event?
Kore: For Gabberfest you will hear some original music, mainstream hardcore, and some uptempo music, we want to really ramp up the level of energy. This is a gathering of hardcore and hard genre addicts, so we are going to make sure to take the sound and ramp it up! We want to see everyone lose their fucking minds with us!
Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?
Kore: We have a really big project that is the planning phases right now. I don’t want to give out too much information, but the concept really touches on an earlier question. We want to bridge a gap in respect by working with multiple genres and producers to bring out this massive release which will showcase each as an individual, and then everyone as a family. Keep your eyes and ears open for more information soon! We also have the AZ Hardcore Junkies 20 year celebration party September 9th! Come help us celebrate 20 years of Hardcore with The Outside Agency, Fiend, Delta 9 and more! You can find tickets and full event information on the Arizona Hardcore Junkies Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/arizonahardcore/
I want to give a special thanks and shout-out to everyone in the Hardcore scene in LA and AZ. Honestly without you all I have no idea where I would be and because of you all I keep pushing and wanting to not only better myself, but everyone around me. Respect and love to you all!
Hunter: I want to tell people that are currently in the hard dance scene and people that want to get into it to just go for it. I feel like people get so caught up in the “what ifs” that they miss opportunities to create and to have fun. If people want to talk shit on you, understand that that’s a reflection of their poor dedication and discipline and their attempt to be complacent in not succeeding or progressing by making you feel bad. You’re gonna make mistakes, get hurt, be embarrassed, and fail. A lot. Instead of taking those experiences as bad, look at them from another angle and find out what you can learn from each one. That combined with discipline (NOT motivation) is the only way you will ever get better.
Shout-outs to everyone that has supported me over the years. All of you mean a lot to me and I definitely wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your encouraging words and enthusiasm for what I do.
Each one of these artists have their own networking pages but you can follow the work of the duo here:
Hard work, dedication, agility, persistence, potency, or in other words, VIGOR! He is a native of Los Angeles whose history in the early 90’s shines through in his productions; towering rawstyle combined with jumpstyle and US hard house influences present a new sound and experience that is making this artist’s rise through the hard dance scene a swift one!
Representing Los Angeles, CA, and his new home on Nutty Traxx UK, this is our very own, VIGOR!
Vigor will be bringing his own Rawstyle flavor to Gabberfest 2016!
How did you decide on your stage name? I first started out by the name of DJ Intense. During the early 90s, I was a pioneer in the jumpstyle and US hard house scene. But it was in the late 2000’s, I discovered rawstyle and decided that’s the direction I wanted to take my music, so it was time to be reborn. My sound is vigorous and full of energy, that’s why I decided to change my name to Vigor, to combine my previous sound with today’s modern energy standard.
How did you start producing/DJ’ing? I used to have a friend back in the days whose brother was a DJ, and from there I just ran with the passion. I wanted to start working right away to save money for my own setup! I started doing work for some audio rental companies, hooking up their systems for events and such. Eventually, it lead to my partnership investing in an event organization called Highlight Entertainment. That’s when I started playing on massive stages at big name venues such as Florentine Gardens. From there, I decided the next step was making my own music. I bought my first studio setup and was introduced to a producer name Mr. Goodbar who was on Up and Down Records. That landed me a release on the local record label Fuze Records based out of Montebello.
How did you get interested in the harder styles?
It started when I first heard the classic Zany sound in 2003. Ever since then, it has grown and mutated and has become more aggressive and I love the infection! I love that this music is challenging compared to other genres; it’s something that takes dedication and passion just to do the simplest things!
What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started? I can honestly say the changes in my local rave scene seem to be about isolation. A lot of producers in America are very isolated; we need to work as a group so our scene can grow and if companies were to partner up (instead of working against each other, we could have bigger organizations/artists possibly visit our country. A lot has changed from the beginning routes in my opinion but the scene is growing every year so I’m hopeful, still!
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America? You have different levels and quality: some people have a certain format that they prefer over others and some of that creativity has been lost because of “industry” standards, being told what is good and what is not what; happened to the days when people would put on a track and it would be very different and fresh? I think it was like that during early times because there was no pressure. You can’t even put a track out without some type of criticism, where’s the love of the music? Production quality is a big factor but I think the music and the story is more important. So I think that people should go back to being able to make music for a more party feel then just a generic sound. It’s all about pushing boundaries and I think that’s the reason why some people that attend events have lost interest including some top artists who have switched over onto a different path, they didn’t feel that spark anymore this happens because cookie cutter tracks are not cutting it. Originality and unique styles are overlooked; everybody wants to sound like another person instead of just creating their own vision. Get back to the originality, try something new and different. Stand out!
Is there a message behind your music? I’m just trying to make music for people to have a good time to. I’m just trying to be different and unique, not following the cookie-cutter ways the industry standard. If it makes my head bob while I’m in the studio, more than likely that will also occur at a live performance. From my past experience, I’m trying to combine some of those elements into my sound for today, trying to keep my roots true. The learning curve is my drive; it’s what keeps me interested and motivated because it is not easy to be a part of this musical revolution unless you have dedication and passion and that’s what I’m all about. Proving to all of those that hard work really does pay off.
What can we expect to hear from Vigor this year at Gabberfest? I’m planning on a lot of fresh tracks from artists all over the world including collaboration tracks that will be released soon. My goal this year is to push boundaries and hope that everyone enjoys my vision of hardstyle.
Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?
I’ve been waiting to announce this for a while now,
Nutty Traxx UK is the new home for Vigor!
and I figured the Hard Data would be the best way of letting you all know that I just recently got signed to a new record label! I will be releasing music under Nutty Traxx Records based out of the UK. I will also be participating in a label tour that will be hitting the states soon! It’s called the DECADE OF DARKNESS TOUR, celebrating ten years of Nutty Traxx Records! Featuring Vigor and other artists signed to the label. I’m also doing collabs with artists Dishonored, Nutty T, Next level, Adroit, JACKO, Hybrid Code, and previews of these tracks will be online soon!
We are nearly two weeks away from one of THE biggest hardcore parties of the year! Next up on our #RoadtoGabbermania series of interviews is, in this writer’s opinion, the single most incredible spectacle (and very good friend) that American hardcore has ever been graced with. Providing us with one of the breakfast sets (potentially) at GABBERFEST this year is none other than Las Vegas native, and he hardly needs an introduction (we all know who this man is), SYSTEM MALFUNCTION!
System Malfunction: the rowdiest mother fucker in the American Hardcore game! You don’t want to miss his thrilling performance at Gabberfest!
How did you decide on your stage name?
Made it up one day.
How did you start producing/DJ’ing?
Experienced hard dance music for the first time in 2012 and I wanted to share the incredible feeling with others!
And how did that all come about?
Q-Dance had a stage at EDC 2012, I had never heard hardstyle (or hardcore) before that, and that was the best electronic music I had ever heard. I started in hardstyle, because what it offered (a harder, more abrasive sound) was enticing to me… then I found hardcore and it was game over.
What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?
A lot more people, and in my scene, not many ass-hats to deal with. The mainstream stuff has been overwhelmed with the exact people I, and others like me, absolutely despise.
What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?
Still too small, and no growth currently. Basscon has sold 5k tickets to the same venue, across multiple instances, for the last 18 months, very little improvement/increase (maybe 200-300 more tickets sold year over year). Apocalypto, same amount of tickets sold year after year… There’s just no growth. Something big has to happen, or it will stay about as big as it is, which is a shame, because these parties should be larger. My preference of course is hardcore, and for that, there is even a smaller target audience.
What is your goal with your music overall?
My goal is to entertain the audience while still playing music I enjoy. To be fully honest, my main goal in DJing, besides reaching people with music that can change their lives, is to build a scene large enough where I don’t have to be the one playing hardcore on the stage, but instead can be in the crowd enjoying myself.
What can we expect from you at Gabberfest this year?
I’m usually asked to open Gabberfest, and that time slot fits well for modern mainstream hardcore. I have a fetish for the Italian stuff, so expect a lot of Brutale, Hardcore Italia, and Next Cyclone.
Anything else you would like to say? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?
Shout out to everyone working in the hard dance scene. You could throw house/trap/generic parties and make a lot more money, but you do this for the love. Mad respect to that.
System Malfunction, part of RVLTN & SDK Events, on board for the third year of America’s Hardest!
Stay up to date with System Malfunction as he is literally EVERYWHERE hard dance music is throughout America on his Facebook page!
Dedicated to the harder sound of electronic dance music.
