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.

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?

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.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of The Hard Data?

Yeah. If you wanna keep up to date with the news about the events in Thailand you can join our facebook group. Darkside Thailand – Hardcore techno parties.

And if you like my sounds too you can follow my artist page for updates on new music n such.

Cheers