I met Lenny Dee about 24 years ago on a flight from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee. We were going to play at Drop Bass Network’s “Genesis” party. I told Lenny it was the first time I’d ever been flown to play at a rave, and I remember him telling me, “And you know the best thing about it? After that, it never stops.” Decades later, I’ve chalked that up as yet another example of Lenny’s ability to glimpse into the future. I’m still flying to play raves in Milwaukee, and we’re all celebrating a quarter century of Industrial Strength Record’s commitment to hard electronic dance music.
The funny thing about it though, is that to me, it still feels like a beginning. When Lenny started Industrial Strength back in 1991, it was ahead of its time, and even today, with the release of this 64 track monster compilation, ISR is still introducing the world to new talent at a frenetic clip. “No Tears For The Dead” pretty much sums up the last 25 years because there hasn’t been time to even pause for much reflection as maximal effort has always been needed to push forward and simply survive.
So, other labels would generally repackage their “hits” after 25 years, but the closest we get to that here is the latest and greatest darlings of the hardcore techno world re-mixing classic tunes. For example, The Sickest Squad remixed “Extreme Terror” and Outside Agency got to remix “Fucking Hostile.”
I’m reminded of a conversation I butted into at the 1994 Winter Music Conference. I overheard a few people remarking about Lenny and his label, marveling about how he could release such hard music. I told them that Lenny was ahead of his time and that one day they would understand what he did… that almost everyone else at the conference was recycling the same stuff and Lenny was a visionary. And you know, my feeling about that hasn’t changed two and a half decades later, and this compilation just pushes the vision and sound even further into the future.
The compilation is available from the following online retailers:
For those of us bound to the sound of the hard electronic, there is still no time for tears. There is still so much work to be done for the future. There might be a few great, shiny compilations of repackaged hits cobbled together by the big festivals this year, but I doubt if any of them will match the intensity and cohesive vision of Industrial Strength Record’s No Tears for the Dead.
The compilation is available from the following online retailers:
In two weeks time three colossal talents of the international breakcore scene will begin winding their way across the United States on a whirlwind tour that’s somehow been crammed into the shortest month of the year.
The HARD DATA caught up with end.user to get the low down on what you can expect when the combined chaos of these mischief makers touches down near you….
Monsters of MashUp Tour Dates:
featuring end.user, Shitmat, and Bong-Ra:
Feb. 16th – Star Theater - Portland, OR
Feb. 17th – Wire - Berwyn, IL
Feb. 18th – The Black Box - Denver, CO
Feb. 19th – Rathskeller Restaurant - Indianapolis, IN
Feb. 22nd – Churchill's Pub - Miami, FL
Feb. 24th – Zeba Bar - Washington, DC
Feb. 25th – ION Night Club - Philadelphia, PA
featuring only end.user and Shitmat:
Feb. 26th – AS220 - Providence, RI
Monsters of Mashup!
Monsters of MashUp is a pretty crazy line-up. You and Bong-Ra have been label mates for years at Ad Noiseam, but how did Shitmat get into the mix?
Jason and I met in person during 2004 while I was staying in Berlin after my first Ad Noiseam release came out. It was around the time that breakcore generally started to get a lot of attention in Europe. Jason introduced me to Henry (Shitmat) and he came up with the idea for the first Monsters of MashUp tour. We ended up doing 10 or 11 shows in 18 days all over Europe. It was hectic to say the least – but we survived
What sort of madness does this all-star breakcore tour plan to unleash?
Well I think we have 8 shows in 10 days. They are also pretty far apart from each other geographically, so I think we have a lot of early mornings / long flights. I’d like to say we’ll try to be responsible and not have too much fun, and get a ton of sleep to show up fresh at each gig – but knowing us I’m going to say bullshit. We’ll do what we can to throw down as hard as possible each night and make sure we make it to the next gig. Besides surviving, I think some ‘breakcore bingo’ hosted by Shitmat was on the schedule. Oh, I should mention that we have a handler traveling with us to make sure we are where we need to be on time, and there is an ‘Anvil’ type documentary being made about all of this. Someone must have lost a bet and will be traveling with us documenting all of it.
end.user – Enter to Exit
Tell us about the new album, Enter to Exit.
It took way too long to finish, but in a way that’s good. I almost released it ahead of time, and in all honesty it wasn’t ready. I took an extra year pretty much and ditched a couple of tracks while letting a few others find themselves. In the end it’s a bit melancholy compared to some stuff, maybe more in line with Calling the Vultures, but it was something I went through and put out there, so I’m really glad I’m happy with the final result. I don’t feel like I put something out there that I’m not 100% about. It’s full of emotions I’d say; the good with the bad.
Are there any plans to refine and release the tracks you ditched, or have those been abandoned?
One of them was a vocal track which stuck out a bit too much from the rest, so I’m planning on finishing that & having a couple of remixes from other artists for an EP. The other tracks that were leftover will either find homes on compilations or free downloads, I’m sure… although sometimes I revisit things months / a year later and see them in a totally new way. So we’ll see.
Your early releases on Sonic Terror have popped up on Bandcamp recently. How does it feel to revisit that material after more than a decade?
It’s weird in a way to listen to that stuff these days, mainly because back then I really worked so fast that I didn’t have time to think too much on any element that was going into a tune. It was just like ‘oh shit, this is happening now,’ meanwhile an entirely new thought was being introduced. Lots of chaos, lots of not-giving-a-fuck. I think the older any musician gets, they sort of consider what they’re doing *while* they’re doing it – as opposed to looking at it after the fact. Sometimes I hear these old tracks and I’m really shocked that I put some of these elements together and they worked out in the end. I’m sort of inspired by it, in a way. Stop thinking too much and just do what feels right.
How did the Sonic Terror crew initially come together?
Sonic Terror has gone through a few iterations. It started around ’99 in Indianapolis, a year or so after I started doing the end.user shows. I was living with a guy in Indy – Adam/DJ Incubus and we used ithe name mostly for live gigs. Then, when I moved back to Cincinnati I met up with Scott (Line47) and we started putting out vinyl pretty much straight away. We would sleeve the records ourselves, and we ran it out of our houses. It was very DIY but we just did it because we loved it. It’s been years since then and now Carl (N.L.I.C.) have decided to pick it back up again and offer an outlet to our friends & people who are making weird/noisy breakbeats.
For a while it seemed like Milwaukee was a sort of nucleus for the Midwest breakcore scene that revolved around barn parties and the Addict and Distort labels. In a lot of ways Sonic Terror heralded the emergence of the post-Barn era. Was there a scene for what you were doing, or was it just a community of like-minded producers that drew inspiration from one another?
I was always a fan of what was going on up in Milwaukee. When i was in Indy I went to a few parties, and was super into Drop Bass Netowrk (Ghetto Safari) & Addict stuff. I met a few people in those days, but it wasn’t until Doormouse started to come through Cincy and Scott & I would host those parties that I got to really know those guys and feel like there was any sort of connection. That shit got pretty crazy. I remember one weekend alone I had Dan Doormouse, Aaron Funk, Baseck, Otto Von Schirach, and Chris c64 staying at my house. It may have even been the same time Knifehandchop & Belladonnakillz were there. We sort of had this breakcore stronghold in northern Kentucky that was situated between a Waffle House and a drive through liquor store. What could go wrong?
What are your indispensable tools for production, and what can people expect from your current live set?
I write everything in Renoise. I use pieces of hardware when I’m around them, but always bounce it to audio and cut that up in Renoise. I’ve always loved trackers as long as i can remember, and I hate writing music in anything else, although sometimes I’m forced to (and I do use Ableton for live shows) I will always prefer writing in a tracker.
As far as my live shows are looking now, it seems to be a mix of really old tracks mashed up with unfinished pieces & remixes from more vocal based tracks over the years. It’s always hard to mix tracks that were made 10-15 years apart because of the differences in sound quality – but as long as it’s loud, there’s enough low end and the highs don’t pierce your brain, I’m a happy guy.
About five months ago Dave Revan shared a video of this guy, playing “Ready to Rage” in a beautiful black piano, rocking a bandana and a defqon hat. Since then I’ve started my mornings scrolling my feed, anxiously waiting to see which classic The Pianist is going to tackle next. Seems like his music library and love for Hardstyle, are as big as his talent and improvisation skills. Jisk Lieftink, The Hardstyle Pianist, has been sky rocketing into the spotlight, after getting noticed and recognized by heavy names like Angerfist, Wildstylez, Ran-D, recently collaborating with Andy Svge on a track that is surely going to be a melodic master piece.
The versatility of his style and unique sound, transforms every melody into an instant classic. Ranging from Headhunterz Lessons of love to Gunz for Hire Plata o Plomo, Jisk isn’t afraid to cover the whole spectrum of the harder styles, adding his own spin to it all. Around Christmas time he recorded music video, for what he says was his favourite track from 2016, Wildstylez Encore; and enlisted the talented Judith Vander Klip to accompany him on her violin. The perfect chemistry between them, calm lighting and gorgeous set, makes you gain appreciation of the beautifully crafted melody, that sometimes may fall second to the power of the beat.
Growing up in the 80s, at the birth of electronic music, one thing we got tired of hearing was “it’s not even music, there’s no instruments”. Stripping the tracks of all the “computer sounds” (as my father would call it) and showcasing it with such grace while still displaying the strength behind it, it’s why I can’t get enough of his YouTube channel. His views count sky rocketed from 2 to 58k when Angerfirst shared his Mashup piano cover and requested him a track, which is coming very soon.
He was also a guest at the legendary Freqshow and managed to silence a sold out Ziggo dome to perform Audiotricz Inception, making grown men weep in the crowd. Kicking off the new year with Villain on stage of the biggest Hardstyle party of the NYE! His delivery of emotions through his beloved keys is so on point, I dare you to watch the video bellow and not get goosebumps more than once.
This was my way going into a new year, together with the Hardstyle Pianist 💣#TeamVillain for #Hardstyle
So what’s next for The Hardstyle pianist? He’s currently looking for management (so if you’re into gold mines, you’re welcome). And he has so much going on with offers coming from everywhere, he’s taking it one day at a time, planning his next steps. He is planning to perform at Defqon in June. And his goal is to create his own act for Dance events which would allow him to travel and perform at festivals around the globe. He’s also recording an album in the near future that will feature a lot of his, and crowd favourites, since he receives thousands of requests every day. As a fan, I’m very excited to see him grow while he continues to surprise me with new covers almost daily. If you follow his Facebook and YouTube channel he will become your new addiction, as he is already mine.
Sadistic is a hardcore artist, dj and organizer originally from Scotland. His recent releases are an interesting crossover between the psychedelic and more experimental flashcore aesthetics as well as more dancefloor friendly, yet underground, hardcore techno styles. He now lives in Thailand and has started organizing Darkside Thailand hardcore events in Bangkok. To report about these new musical developments and the latest expansion efforts of the hardcore scene to new areas, we’re here to bring you an interview with Sadistic!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your history. How long have you been active in the core scene as a dj, musician and organizer?
Hi Hard Data crew. First of all, I wanna say thanks for getting in touch with the interview and for the awesome write up on my EP’s on CSR. I would say that is quite an accurate description.
I have been a bedroom dj since 13, but really it all started at the age of 18, when I was legally able to attend clubs and events. I started a small event in Glasgow with a friend called Odyssey, putting on a variety of music styles at the event. This lasted for about 3 years, and also led me to meet some of my closest associates in the hardcore scene. Meanwhile I was bursting to get into producing music since the age of about 16, but never knew how. Finally around the time of running these events I came across some music production software and that was the entry.
About 5 years ago I stopped making core for a while. I wanted to experiment with different tempos, rhythms, sounds, styles, vibes, methods of production etc, just generally things which I wouldn’t do when making hardcore music.
(If you wanna hear any of that you can check out our Disasters In Shado Magic album we released on Miike Teknoist‘s Zombfree label). But from doing that I actually developed a lot of new production techniques and ways to use my synthesizers, and that all contributed to my style and developing as an artist. So when I started writing hardcore tunes again, I was coming at it with a different approach than before, and incorporating in all these different things I was doing with that other music. The EP I made around then was 25 Minutes Of Sonic Power, and now we have the sequel, Another 30 Minutes Of Sonic Power. Sadistic @ Ordinary2016
What are your musical influences and what inspires you as a musician?
My synthesizers inspire me. I just like to jam and go with the flow and see where it takes me. Once I hear something I think I can work with, that’s where it begins. Once I feel inspired by the sounds then I can start to think about it seriously and how to turn it into a track.
Also when you listen to music as a dj you hear it differently than when you listen to music as a producer. When you’re a dj and playing tunes, you’re feeling the energy, listening to the main elements of the track, listening out for places you can mix and cut it up, thinking about what tunes work well with it, thinking about what will make people dance. But when you listen to music as a producer you listening deep into the sounds, how the track evolves, what emotions are in the tune, what story it tells. For me, I’m much more influenced by the latter. I always listen to people’s music from a producer point of view. I get inspired by the sounds or vibes in tunes that are nothing like the stuff I’m making. I’ll go through phases of listening to a lot of music and at times listening to only one thing. I often get obsessed by someone’s music and try to get everything they have done and listen to it over and over until I get bored of it. Usually I like the vibe of their music, the place it puts me in, the way it makes me feel, or fascinated by their music in some way. Over the years some of the people that have done that for me are Amon Tobin, Venetian Snares, Dj Hidden, Richard D James, Xploding Plastix, Rubberoom, The Opus, People Under The Stairs, MOG (Glasgow rapper), and obviously various producers, labels, djs within the hardcore scene.
Ultimately though I get inspired all the time by people who are just doing something unique or different and doing their own thing.
Your recent releases have a unique style similar to flashcore while at the same time being dancefloor friendly. What’s your opinion on the current state of atmospheric and psychedelic core music (with a lack of better umbrella term) and flashcore?
That’s true! And not a coincidence either! But that’s a tough question to be honest. I don’t really listen to so much music these days as I don’t have the time. I’m not anywhere near as collective as I used be and being able to seek out music and following scenes. I just don’t have the time these days to find or listen to more of it with working full time, studying for a degree in Astronomy, seeing my girlfriend and trying to make my own music. I love stuff when I hear it, but I can’t comment on the current state.
What brought you to Thailand?
I came to Thailand quite a few years ago to travel and about a year after going back home I came back here to live. I was just looking for something new really, but it’s worked out and I’ve settled here.
You have recently started organizing hardcore parties in Bangkok as Darkside Thailand. Tell us a bit about this concept. Have there been any local core events or core being included in lineups before this?
Over the last couple of years I have played at a few parties in Bangkok. They weren’t hardcore dedicated parties, but more so experimental electronic events. I played my hardcore and it was well received. So since there were no dedicated core events on in the City, I decided to fill that gap and put something on.
I spoke to my close friend Al Twisted who runs the original Darkside events in Scotland, which have been going on for 18 years now. He thought it was a great idea too and suggested that I could use his brand name and I decided to start the franchise Darkside Thailand.
How did the first Darkside Thailand party go in your opinion?
The first event was a success. We held our event at a club called JAM in Bangkok.
Each of the dj’s played great sets and the party people brought an awesome atmosphere. Even the club owners became part of the party. The club is quite small and compact, which is perfect for what we are trying to do. The underground scene in Bangkok is vibrant, but it’s a scene with underground music on a whole, rather than being a scene in hardcore. So events aren’t packing out hundreds to thousands of people. Events are still fairly small numbered. My only criticism about the event was doing it on a Thursday. I think weekends will be much more suitable nights for the events. That is what we’ll do in future.
What are the possibilities and challenges of organizing events in Thailand?
Events here remind me of what the gabber scene was like in Scotland 10 years ago, but still even smaller than that. Small events of like-minded people with an open-mind for good underground music. As for anyone anywhere in a position like that I think the possibilities are massive and exciting, but also will be very challenging and a struggle at times. But the people who stick it out will usually achieve their goals.
How has the music been received by the locals, expats and travellers?
At the moment we’ve only had one event as the first event was cancelled due to the passing of the king. It’s a bit early really to comment on that. All the events I’ve been at with the music I’ve played and other similar styles, including our event, has all been well received. It’s a totally open-minded crowd that attend most of these events.
In some Asian countries people seem to get their first touch of hardcore techno listening to j-core coming from Japan rather than the sounds from European scenes. Have you noticed if this is also a thing in Thailand or are there any other specific subgenres of core that you would say are more exposed locally or that resonate well on the dancefloors?
Sadistic playing @ No Answer 2017 in Chiang Mai
Bangkok has a passionate underground scene for music and art. At some events I have attended, I have noticed that people listen to the music also as a form of art. And the style that many Thai artists play reflects this. When some of these events are organised they are intended for people to stand and listen and watch the performance.
There is also a quite a popular drum and bass scene, which is totally different where people do dance. I have heard a few breakcore sets in Bangkok, which is the closest style to hardcore I’ve heard. Sometimes these events are put on either of the two, or they are mixed. But exposure to the hardcore techno music and events in the hardcore scene is greatly unheard or unfollowed. So hopefully we can get more of the open-minded people here excited about the hardcore techno scene.
Any local artists/dj’s you would recommend for the readers to check out?
Space360 is one of the organisers that let me play a bunch of times. He produces IDM and Breakcore, and organises many underground events in Thailand. Top Guy!!
What future plans do you have for Sadistic and Darkside Thailand?
I have some really exciting plans for Sadistic, but can’t really say anything about them yet as there still in early stages. I’m doing some collaboration’s at the moment too with some guys I’ve never worked with, and I plan to do more over the next year or two. I want to be more involved in the scene this way, and bringing my new flavour to the table.
For Darkside Thailand the plans at the moment are to have a steady string of events every few months and build up the event. It’s a small event and we don’t have the budget to pay for international artists, so it’s a group contribution at the moment I guess you could say. When people are planning trips to Thailand we can sort out a date with them to organise events. That way we can afford to make these events happen and give artists the chance to play in this wonderful country that has largely unheard the sounds of core. But in general we hope for bigger and better things for Darkside Thailand.
