Blaster is a name in our community that I’m surprised more people haven’t mentioned, but with his newest release, ‘Drop the Bomb’ out on New York’s Industrial Strength Records, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw this man roaming the states very soon. Right away, the title track is going to catch you off-guard with its groovy, all-over-the-map sound design, odd-numbered (161?!) BPM, and with a trap-like breakdown, and a hard re-entry, this track is far more atypical in this genre. The b-side, ‘You Don’t Like Me’, is much more typical of this artist (and hardcore in general), however again Blaster keeps things interesting by incorporating other styles of electronic music and keeping his sound design original and edgy regardless of the dated, overused vocal sample.
Decade of Early Hardcore: A Trip to the 90’s (10 March 2018)
When I think about the 90s in Holland and the early days of hardcore I picture never ending underground illegal warehouse parties with no sound limits filled with baldheaded boys, girls with half shaved half ponytail hair, colorful tracksuits, and Nike Air Maxes. Even though in the 90s I was a small child growing up in the New York suburbs, today being an active part of the American underground hardcore scene, I can’t help feeling a sense of nostalgia when I think about what the hardcore parties were like back then. So in pursuit of this; the perfect and obvious place to go would be to a Decade party!
On March 10th I made the epic trek (bike, train, bus, and lots of walking) from my house in Voorburg to the legendary Hemkade in Zaandam. I’ve lost count how many Decade parties I’ve been to at this point. I think it’s safe to say I’ve been at every single one since I moved here in August 2016. By 23:00 the place was already packed and the energy was through the roof. The first set of the night for me was Juliëx. It was my first time seeing her live and it was the perfect start to the party. She dropped this brutal remix of “Lip Gloss” which was AMAZING; talk about nostalgia. For those of you who that were not teenage girls in the early 2000s, go look it up!
Next up my time was split between Frantic Freak and Buzz Fuzz. Both rooms were packed and had me singing (and screaming) along to classic early tracks. I especially enjoyed dancing on one of the stages in the main room to the track by DJ Weirdo & Dr. Phil Omanski- Young Birds! Being part of a hardcore chorus of 1700 wild gabbers is always something special.
One of my favorite aspects of a Decade party is seeing the same people every time; it gives you the sentiment that we are all one big family regardless of where you are from. Although I miss my rave family back in the US (shout out to the Hardcore Hooliganz) I am so grateful to be a part of the Decade Family and to be part of a community of passionate, kind, welcoming individuals.
Another cool thing is that it’s not just the Dutch; people come from all over France, Belgium, Spain, and even Chile for Decade parties! During the party I had the opportunity to ask one of my Spanish friends, Pol, why he flew all the way from Barcelona to the Netherlands for this party. He simply said that it’s because the music is the best. Short and simple, the overall consensus from the party was that if you’re looking for an Early Hardcore party Decade is the move. One major takeaway from this party is that the words Early Hardcore and Decade are essentially synonymous.
During Promo’s set, seeing every person in the room going crazy from start to finish, I thought to myself is this the start of a 90’s revival or did it never die in the first place? In search of this answer and continuing my trip down memory lane, I asked some of the artists what they had to say about the party and the Early Hardcore scene.
First question, what were your thoughts about the party?
Arjuna: Decade was a blast! Especially the 180 Boiler Room. Hardcore to the max! I really love the concept to put the DJ on the same level as the crowd. You really have contact with the audience and with this crowd at Decade I didn’t have to hold back. I can play as hard and fast as I want. For me it was a wonderful night with all those great people from all over Europe. I really love the culture from the early scene.
Ruffneck: NOW, let me say this…DECADE…HOLY MOTHER OF whatever you can think of, fill in here. I don’t even know where to start here to be honest so let me just write down my thoughts as I type this. The doors of the room open….I was thinking…it will take half an hour or so for people to enter the room, see what’s going on and then decide to stay or move on…O….M…..G…I could NOT have been wrong more! It literally took 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds…I look up. BOOOOOM! The room completely filled within a blink of an eye. Never seen this before. This was friggin’ insane!!! Then I dropped the first record, people go nuts and within 10 minutes the entire room was steaming hot. NOW…here comes the most insane part…This vibe STAYED from the first second right up until the last record I spun! I don’t even know what to say but this vibe is rarely found and I am so incredibly grateful for the amount of love showed by the crowd. I mean…I only saw smiling faces, and a room dancing like animals, screaming people and interaction between myself the crowd AND the two contest winners like there was no tomorrow. THIS IS WHAT HARDCORE LOVE TRULY EMBODIES!
In my experience it didn’t even feel like I was the main attraction to be honest. It felt like ONE big family coming together and creating a party with an enthusiasm that can only be achieved by family resonating at the same frequency at the same time. In other words, we were ONE! People could truly see what I was doing and so there was great interaction between me, the DJ contest winners and the crowd as the booth was open and at a certain moment it wasn’t even clear anymore who was where behind the booth, on the sides of the booth etc. We did this TOGETHER and I can’t be more proud than to see what can be achieved when the love for music and the respect shown by my soldiers come together as one.
Oh DECADE, this party will go down in my memories as one of the best experiences in my career. As for me it really doesn’t matter whether I spin in front of 50.000 people or in an area where there is but a hundred. What I search for is the love for hardcore music at its core…and that is EXACTLY what happened last night in my special room. TOGETHER we achieved what I could have only dreamt of and I wish to say to each and all of you who attended the room last night. THANK you sooooooo much from the bottom of my heart. You once again showed my WHY my love for (Early) Hardcore is still burning like a raging fire. Your energy completely refueled my engine and I look forward to the next time we meet.
Predator: I was there pretty late, because I played from 4-5 so I only saw the last bit of the party, but the main room was crowded and the vibes were great. I dropped some of my classic tracks like Predator- Turbulence and Bio-Forge-No 1 S-Capes Us, Paradox-Guillotine, but also some of my uplifting tracks like Vanugenth the 5th– Here We Go Again and Diss Reaction-Jiiieehaaa.
Bass-D: The party was great. The atmosphere was perfect, people really came to party, backstage we (the artists and their friends) had a lot of fun, so yeah, I thought it was a really great party!
Decade is famous for representing Early Hardcore. All throughout Europe, especially Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, the U.K. and even in The States where I come from. They know Decade as the organization where they really honor Early Hardcore.
How do you feel that Decade asked you to play at this party? Destroyer: First of all I’m really glad to be recognized as an Early Hardcore artist since I have made releases starting from 1995 and I always worked up to keep my style Early Hardcore/Terror that is the style I like the most. And of course I’m honored to play at Decade for the second time.
Arjuna: It’s always a blast to play at Decade, good atmosphere, the audience is great, and the organization is always good. I really like those guys; they’re down to earth.
Predator: With my style and all my releases I guess it’s the right place for me to drop my tracks. I’ve played there before, and it’s good to be back.
Promo: Well clearly it’s an honor every time you get asked to play somewhere, but Decade is kinda special since it’s held in the location where I basically grew up. The Hemkade (back in the days known as The Fun Factory) was a place where I went almost every week to get my weekly dose on new music. It’s also the place where the guys form Q-dance sort of started their career, so for sure that makes this a true house temple.
Ruffneck: Decade and me go back a long way actually. I know they have heart for Early (Original) Hardcore and so do I obviously. We both help each other out where possible and as we are planning something bigger, this party and its special setting was inevitable. But as always I am very grateful to have been asked by not only Decade but also every organization out there that chooses me to be at their event. No matter how big I may be or appear to be for the outside world, I never forget my roots and think of every invite of something special.
Bass-D: It’s always an honor to be asked at any party, but Decade is very special to me. I’ve known one of the organizers for a long time now and I’ve gotten to know the other people behind it very well during the years. They’ve become great friends of mine so I feel closer to this party than lots of other parties and I always love to play for Decade, so I think it’s great that I’m a part of it almost every edition.
How has the hardcore scene changed since you first got into it?
Destroyer: I started to play around ’96/97 and at the time there were not all of the subgenres you have today, it was just all hardcore. Usually at the parties everything was played in one area, with a line-up ordered from slowest to the fastest. Later when the scene became bigger, in festivals and big events more areas with different styles became a part of the game. But actually I’m ok with this evolution, as long as I can find an Early Hardcore/Terror area at a party! 🙂
Arjuna: That’s a good question, I’ve been in the scene from the start when hardcore wasn’t even born yet, there was only this music we called house. One day a guy came to me at a party, and said: hey you’re also a gabber aren’t you? And I was like, what’s a gabber? You like the harder style of music? And I was like hell yeah! Well then you are a gabber! For me that was the day hardcore was born. And now 25 years later I’m still in to it, I always try to do the best I can, both producing and DJing
Predator: It moved from playing vinyl to mp3 when it comes to DJing, and from hardware to virtual instruments most when it comes to production. The hardcore/gabber crowd is more diverse now; it’s not only shaved heads and Australian training suites anymore.
Promo: I think the scene changed a lot, like all music genres have. Hardcore went through many developments and changed its sounds numerous times but in the end that is maybe why it is still here. Things like music technology and also the Internet had their influences on our music but every time it came back stronger or in a different form.
Bass-D: Yeah it has, it’s gotten a lot more professional and bigger. I’ve seen it grow from when it started in small clubs and big parties in warehouses with too much sound and not enough lights to one of the biggest house scenes around.
Ruffneck: First of let me correct the phrase, I did not “GET INTO IT”, as I CO-CREATED it, alongside a handful of people at that time. Most people know me as Ruffneck, but I started out as 80 AUM, dating way back to 1989. That’s right. Hardcore didn’t even exist at that time. I started with making house music somewhat rougher than it was made by the Chicago boys.
This was picked up again and made a bit rougher and so on and on. Hardcore was a progression of the house genre. People around that time who just like myself were busy with this evolution amongst others were: ME (as 80 Aum at that time), Marc Acardipane from Germany (PCP), Luca Pretolesi from Italy (Digital Boy), Patrick de Meyer & Olivier Abbeloos from Belgium, The Prodigy, Carl Cox etc from the UK, and Ritchie Hawtin & Lenny Dee from the USA. Lenny Dee however is ABSOLUTELY the oldest pioneer from this small selection (and there obviously where WAY more people starting around the same time) who, like myself, are still active IN THIS GENRE, as he WAS one of the guys who produced in the house sound of Chicago era dating way back to 1986. I know this as I was actually buying his music from that time BEFORE I started producing!
So with that fact set straight, lets move onto the question:
I can only speak from my point of view, as that is different for everyone else, so I don’t feel I can speak in absolutes here. It’s all perspective and my experience may be VASTLY different than someone else’s experience. SO MY PERSONAL view on this is this. In the beginning we just f**ked around having no clue or care what we where doing and therefore a LOT of variety was the outcome musically. There was NO social media and ghost producing was unheard of and even shunned. We had to have something special, skill wise. This meant a lot of different approaches to the genre resulting in a huge pallet of sounds and styles that actually blended in fine with each other because there was NO REAL STANDARD of how something should be made OR sound. The music and stage presence an artist showed WAS his only real way of showing the world what he or she was capable of. This meant that only people with a lot of heart and patience for the music truly went out of their way to bring their message to the masses. Nowadays, a lot of people that are on the top actually don’t produce their own music, have very little to nothing to contribute except a maybe a sexy picture (this can be either female AND male!) and/or poses while on stage playing music that caries their name, but is produced by someone else. They are worshipped for something they have never been or will be playing tunes they have no real connection with, (except for the cash and the fame they seek) by anaudience who isn’t even aware or doesn’t care about the mechanics of things. The music itself has production wise been “perfected” up until the point where it’s perfection to me is quite imperfect as the variety has been reduced to concepts that work because it’s been heard a million times and forced down peoples throat like an advertisement for some huge company. Most stuff that deviates from the proven path usually get blasted and seen as bad, until sometime in the future some big artist(s) does this and then everybody follows that one thing again. Now I know a lot of people will think that I do not like the hardcore from now when reading this, but that simply is not what I’m trying to say. It’s simply an observation from my side to create awareness. I wish to see hardcore become open to ALL sorts of styles in one set and party again. To show the beauty of variety that has somewhat lost along the way in order to attract more people to a music style that wasn’t really meant for a huge audience in the first place. (Which inevitably attracts people who are not really interested in the TRUE core of the art that is called Hardcore, but simply embrace what they see as a “thing of the moment” instead of a lifestyle )
With hardcore ever changing and a new generation of gabbers coming into the scene, how do Early Hardcore parties manage to hold on to that 90s feeling?
Destroyer: I think that the main part of the job is done by the crowd dancing. As soon as there is the passion for the music, the feeling will be automatically transferred from generation to generation.
Arjuna: The music will give you that 90’s feeling and also the aussies I think. But to get that real 90’s feeling is gonna be difficult, back in the days there were no limits. Most of the parties were illegal, there was no sound limit, and budgets were small. The best parties for me in that time was when the music was so loud your eardrum was about to pop out, and there was only smoke and stroboscopic light. That was the best 90’s feeling.
Predator: It’s the music, as long as the DJs keep on playing the original versions and not some mashed up new edit it will keep this real cool early vibe. Some promoters just know what DJs to book, and make sure they stay true to that old vibe.
Promo: The major appeal of that 90’s feel is the atmosphere. Somehow every time you play those classics people feel united again which result in outstanding nights. So mainly the music binds people and booking the right DJ’s bringing that music is an important ingredient to hold on to that feeling.
Ruffneck: Well, exactly BECAUSE mostly ONLY people who like the variety in sound deliberately CHOOSE to go to parties that spin the old style. I was actually quite surprised to see AND learn from the people I have spoken at those parties that they actually like the old style better than the new simply because of the sound AND vibe that is to be found. I have seen a LOT of young people at these parties that were literally babies when it was created. They stand united next to the older generation at the parties and love it just as much and are even proud as f**k to wear the old colors. In the beginning I was really surprised by this but now I understand it and see it as something that simply IS. The vibe is basically almost ALWAYS great and that’s why I love to spin Early sets as well very much.
Bass-D: I think that the new early hardcore crowd wants to relive what happened in the 90’s with early hardcore music. The togetherness and that sense of family and brotherhood is really coming forward in the early hardcore scene, I like that a lot. The people really love the tracks + it was the genre that built hardcore and made it really big even before all the other genres came along.
If you could take one track from the early days and show it to introduce someone new to the hardcore scene which track would it be?
Destroyer: Surely one track from the early days that brings me on the hardcore feeling is a track from 1994, Darrien Kelly & Scott Brown: Geleihoofd. But that was just one, there are really a lot out there.
Arjuna: That’s a bit of a trick question, because there are many good songs and also many different styles, but I think Jappo vs Lancinhouse Exlaxl is the best song, multiple bass drums, good sample, good arrangement and a very good climax!
Predator: For an old track I think I would play them Predator – Turbulence and for a more recent track Predator & Angerfist – Legend.
Promo: I would always go for something dark and industrial I think. It probably has to be something by Marc Acardipane / PCP. What he did back in the day is just (still) next level. Bringing so many atmospheres is just incredible.
Ruffneck: That would not do any respect to the many brilliant tunes made by so many of my colleagues OR myself. Early hardcore as a genre IS the eternal tune that should be heard, not just a snippet of 1 second of an overall tune which lasts for 365 days so to speak…
Bass-D: Haha, I always mention my own track: Highlander – Hold Me Now to people who don’t know our scene because somehow everybody loves that track, it’s not too hard and still has a great vibe around it.
The relationship between the DJ and the audience is everything during a set. Having been in the scene for a long time, you obviously have a large repertoire of tracks. How do you find a balance between giving the crowd what they want and introducing them to something new?
Destroyer: Since most of the time I play live with the keyboard I have the possibility to choose to play the old and the new tracks, and that makes me experimenting new things every time.
Arjuna: When I play my set I always keep an eye on the audience; if the crowd is not moving or dancing I play another song. Sometimes it has to be louder or slower it depends of what people want at a party. I always play my set freestyle, not pre-arranged, so I can easily change to another style or tempo.
Predator: It’s always cool to play new stuff, but not just because it’s new, I only play tracks I like, and would never play anything I don’t like. Styles and taste can change. I made some dark tracks, some happy tracks some more experimental tracks so I guess I can go any direction.
Promo: For me that is pretty easy because I like both melodic hardcore and dark industrial tracks. So mixing them up is kind of what my sets have always been about. My productions reflect the same vibe as well, so I can even play just my own songs and still bring something the crowd knows and something I can surprise them with.
Ruffneck: I don’t. I spin what I feel I want to enrich them with. Not the other way around. If they enjoy it, great. If they don’t ..well so be it. As KRS -ONE once said “A DJ is not a jukebox – F**k your request” J
Bass-D: Just by doing it, there’s no specific way to do it. I just play what I know they want to hear and mix it up with stuff I think they would like.
What is the craziest thing you have ever seen at a party?
Destroyer: I believe that the craziest thing I’ve seen at a party was a guy drinking a grey liquid straight from a shoe!!! The cool thing was that this happened at “THE DESTROYER solo” party.
Arjuna: The craziest is also the scariest thing I have seen, and that was the girl that climbed on the stage of Harmony of Hardcore 2016. I really thought we all were gonna see that girl fall to her death. Not cool at all.
Ruffneck: People standing still, filming the entire set and later on posting how great of a time they had….
Promo: I have seen some crazy things but often they are not the most positive things. To mention a positive moment I will never forget are the human pyramids they used to do in a club called Number One in Italy. When you played certain tracks there back in the days the crowd would form a pile of people with the goal to reach the roof of the club. Sometimes they succeeded, sometimes they miserably failed. But that determination to make it time after time was always really impressive.
Bass-D: There are so many hahahaha, from people having sex to artists doing stage dives where everybody steps aside or where they return without their t-shirt or even their shoes, hahaha. I remember one time in Moscow though where Angerfist did a stage dive and the crowd tried to rip his mask off his face. He climbed back on stage holding is mask in front of his face while the mask was ripped in two by the crowd. Crazy shit!!!
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Well there you have it! In conclusion, the lesson from my story is go to a Decade party! A huge thank you to Decade Events especially Tommy, Robin, and all of the artists who contributed to this article.
This interview was conducted by 3MiloE, in DJ Nightstalker’s trailer, at Insomniac Events’, Escape: Psycho Circus.
3MiloE: Well, my name is Milo.
DJ Nightstalker: Nice to meet you, Milo.
3MiloE: I’m representing the Hard Data Magazine today.
DJ Nightstalker: Nice.
3MiloE: And I just wanted to ask you some questions.
DJ Nightstalker : Sure.
3MiloE: So where are you from?
Nightstalker : I grew up in Colorado, but came out to L.A. years and year ago, so it’s got to be like 20 years by now, yeah.
Milo: 20 years?
DJ Nightstalker : Yeah, yeah.
3MiloE: What was the music scene like?
DJ Nightstalker : It was just starting at that time. It was sort of warehouse raves, backyard party. It was kind of emerging out of the party vibe, like backyard party, ditch party, underground, like you break into a warehouse, into legit parties, and stuff like that, too. So it was pretty cool.
3MiloE: Awesome. So how did you come up with your D.J. name?
DJ Nightstalker : D.J. name? I think I was probably like thinking of … It was the ’90s, German base, and general, and the hardcore was dark, and I was skinnier (laughs) at that time. So I probably looked a little more like Richard Ramirez . But it had a good vibe like L.A. style, where we were kind of creeping around at night, kind of like breaking in and playing music and renegade parties and stuff like that. Did a lot of desert renegade parties and other cool stuff.
3MiloE: That’s awesome.
DJ Nightstalker : Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was kind of weird, acid, mushroom kind of vibe, you know what I mean?
3MiloE: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I have the L.A. Underground scene, so I there’s a lot of that. Okay. What animal best personifies your music?
DJ Nightstalker : Personifies the music? It would probably be well, some kind of mythic creature probably, like a phoenix or something. I don’t know. Like the claw, I get known for the claw, so something that kind of rises out of the ashes, and then just like bites you, kind of after you’ve been in the trance. So that or maybe some kind of snake or something, who knows?
3MiloE: That’d be cool.
DJ Nightstalker : Yeah, yeah.
3MiloE: Awesome, awesome. What are you trying to convey with your music?
DJ Nightstalker : Really, for me it’s the whole idea of taking people on a journey is a cliché and stuff, but for me it really is … it comes from a spiritual place, so this is where we build community, through music. It’s also a space where we come together, and I kind of want to push the boundaries a little bit, so people almost feel like they’re in a dream and then they break out of that dream. You know what I mean? Instead of just like kind of hitting them hard the whole time, it’s like kind of building them to that sort of breaking point. That’s what I’m doing, yeah.
3MiloE: Can you describe the feeling you get when you’re on stage?
DJ Nightstalker : Before you’re on, you’re always like … it’s anxious or, What’s going to happen? Do I have everything? I can’t quite see past maybe the first few tunes or something like that, but then when you’re in it, it’s like you’re just sort of lost almost, like sort of merge with the crowd. And then you get spit out the other side, and you’re like, “Oh, shit. I don’t even really kind of remember what just happened.” It’s kind of weird. I wish I could be more present, but it’s like I’m just so caught up in the music and stuff that yeah, it just kind of flies by like a blur, but it’s almost like an out-of-body experience or something.
3MiloE: Yeah. Trippy.
DJ Nightstalker : Yeah, yeah.
3MiloE: Okay. What moment do you cherish most of all in your career so far?
DJ Nightstalker : So far? There’s been a lot. I have really sort of pivotal moments more recently, doing a lot of EDCs and the big festivals and stuff, but I would say it being way back to when I was still spinning vinyl, when there was still a vinyl scene, and I got asked to support Goldie in Japan. So I went to Japan, and did like three dates in Japan, two dates with him. But yeah, it was just like all music, and taking me to these crazy places, see different people, different cultures, and like, “It’s 4 a.m., and these people are still here just for me,” kind of thing. It was pretty trippy. It was part of a moment that I still cherish.
3MiloE: Awesome. What are your major influences?
DJ Nightstalker : Influences would be … early, classic-era drum and base, like folk-tech, maybe any sort of even like left-field, Electronica, hardcore. I was really heavy into hardcore coming up. But also, I used to go to after-hours, when I didn’t even know genres and it’d be like house music and I was just like, “I don’t know what the hell this is,” but I’m just like lost in the beats all night until the sun comes up kind of thing. But I grew up, my dad had a huge record collection that I’ve inherited now. So we used to listen to Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. He’d put on albums and we’d just sit there and listen to music. I’d say that’s really where it began, just this of love of … He collected everything from funk to Kenny Rogers to soul and all that stuff. So, I’d say that’s kind of where the roots began.
3MiloE: Where do you see yourself a year from now?
DJ Nightstalker : A year from now? This is probably a good transition year where I’m finally taking the production seriously so hopefully that’s going to elevate the game. I’m in a really good spot in terms of coming up as a name, or coming back up, because I was an old-school DJ, and sort of faded away for a while and then coming back, kind of resurgence.
But yeah, like Ableton, I’m getting into Ableton and stuff. What people don’t realize is …I’m also like, my other life is, I’m a professor. So I teach.
3MiloE: Oh, wow. I’m in my master’s program in psychology. Yeah.
DJ Nightstalker : Nice. So I got a PhD and I teach at University. Sometimes my students find out what my other life is, but that’s really my career, and so I sort of feel like I’m behind in that way, I can’t devote 100% of my time towards making music, because in my free time I have I’m writing, writing articles that that sort of thing.
3MiloE: May I ask you what you teach?
DJ Nightstalker : So, Chicano studies and then it’s like rhetoric, and critical thinking kind of thing, and also writing.
3MiloE: That’s great.
DJ Nightstalker : Yeah, yeah.
3MiloE: That’s great, man. Well, thank you for your time.
DJ Nightstalker : Yeah, for sure. Yeah.
3MiloE: It’s been a pleasure. We really appreciate this, so thank you.
DJ Nightstalker: Nice, nice, nice. Yeah. Thank you. Keep doing the good work, man.
BKJN vs. Partyraiser was my first rave of 2018 and now the bar is set so high for the remainder of the year and it’s not even festival season yet! But let’s start at the beginning, for those of you who don’t know, BKJN stands for Beter Kom Je Niet which is Dutch for “better you don’t come” (lol). BKJN, as one of the leaders in the scene, organizes some of the biggest highest production hardcore/uptempo raves in the Netherlands. Their parties are always massive with stacked diverse lineups and this one was no exception.
I arrived at the venue with my fellow American friend and contributor to this article, Isaiah around eleven, just enough time to explore before the opening show. This was my first time at the Silverdome in Zoetermeer and the place is massive. Thankfully for the first time ever I didn’t have to take three forms of transportation to get there, so ten points for that.
We started off the night with some good ole’ Nosferatu at the main stage. Looking out into the crowd it was barely midnight but the place was packed, sold out, wall to wall of sweaty gabbers. Next up was split time between the opening show (which was the perfect start to Partyraiser’s seven hours of madness) and Repix. Despite the fact the opening show was happening at the mainstage, Repix had the room extremely full and bumping, a well-deserved birthday present (Happy Birthday Repix!). Then we hopped over to see Para Italia, I was repping his “Allemaal de Moeder” shirt that he graciously gave me at Hardcore at Sea (yes I know what it means and I’ve seen the video!).
Following Para Italia it was time to take a dance break and conduct some interviews back stage and well let’s just say things got out of hand but what do you expect when it’s 2:00am during an epic party and you have the Sickest Squad, Andy the Core, Angernoizer, Rooler, me (MC Unicorn), and DJ Levenkhan (Isaiah) in a small space.
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Here are some of the conversations we had:
Amy: With the Dutch hardcore market being so saturated, with multiple parties to choose from every weekend, what sets this party (and BKJN parties in general) apart from all the other parties that occur every weekend?
Para Italia: I think this is the hardest indoor party and very good for BKJN and of course the main man Paryraiser. I am very proud that I am a part of this extraordinary party and a proud member of BKJN. I had a very good time and I think it showed people how hard Frenchcore can be.
Aggressive: This party is awesome, I opened the main stage and within fifteen minutes it was crowded with people going crazy. Great atmosphere. I am honored to be a part of the BKJN family and Partyraiser crew.
Andy The Core: This party is absolutely awesome and every year it gets better and better and it’s something different because you have this main stage like this that’s usually a main stage for mainstream but it’s now full of underground artists and I love it.
Amy: If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring one record/album with you, what would you bring?
Da Mouth of Madness: Can I not bring a USB stick? (Amy: No…) Well I definitely would do like the Hardcore 100 CD from ID&T back in the early 90’s the gold one with the two snakes on it because it has 100 of the best tracks ever but also would bring some Bob Marley too.
Amy: If you could collaborate with one artist dead or alive who would it be?
Da Mouth of Madness: I definitely need to say Three Steps Ahead because he was gone, he passed away before we could do this S#*T, but I definitely wanted to do something with him, because of the friendship we had back in the days. We were both breaking through in 1996 with the whole Thunderdome thing, we did a lot of tours together but actually we never came so far, and afterwards of course we all know the story, he passed away. It would definitely be great to have the opportunity to collaborate with him.
Repix: I have one big dream and that’s Angerfist, he’s been there since the beginning and all of his productions sound amazing. It’s really a good reference point for me to listen to and that’s one of my biggest dreams.
Isaiah: What advice do you have for up and coming producers/DJs?
Rob GEE: Definitely get your ass in the studio and perfect your craft and don’t listen to haters. And also don’t get an ego at the same time, keep yourself grounded, and reach for the stars you know.
Sickest Squad: Struggle a lot first and study. The way we came up in the scene was by being told repeatedly our stuff was not good, and it helped us out. If we were told it was good we would simply stop. Getting told it was bad made us invest our time fully in the studio to perfect the craft.
Repix: So f***ing much to do. Hours in it hours in it. Keep on learning, keep on learning. Everything you learn keep it close to you. If you don’t know something, figure it out. Compare to the greatest; compare it to Angerfist or Nosferatu. Listen to what they do with the sounds and if you get it it’s just a matter of time. Just practice and go for it. …Collabs with the big guys helped a lot. If you have trouble with something they explain it to you. … It’s like the beginning of an adventure just try to figure it all out.
Isaiah: What’s up next for you?
Rob GEE: Rob GEE You Got What I Need: 25 Years of Harder Styles. We are doing multiple cities around the world. This week we just booked Moscow, Sydney, Milan, and BKJN will be doing the one in Holland, I’m looking for a good New York promoter so I can play in my own home little area. LA already reached out to me so it would be sad if New York didn’t. What I would like to do is represent a little of everything I do. Meaning, I would like to tag team with an early guy then go into hardstyle then rawstyle then of course into some mainstream, uptempo, frenchcore, maybe a little bit of terror … So basically, I would like to have a little bit of the old, a little bit of the new. Just give a big hardcore enchilada of all the harder styles. A hardcore cornucopia.
Isaiah: What do you think of the current state of hardcore, uptempo, mainstream?
Rob GEE: To me it’s all hardcore … I work with this one, I work with that one, it’s not because I’m trying to whore myself out; it’s because I have an open mind. If I’m going to do something at 150 with Adaro and with Partyraiser at 200; for me its just music. I’ve done some metal and melded it with some hardcore with members of Slipknot and System Of A Down. Again for me it’s just music. I’m not about building walls; I’m about breaking them down. There are no boundaries in music.
Crypton: (On Frenchcore) At this state I think Frenchcore is evolving in a way and becoming more diverse. One is focused more on the harder side and the other is the more melodic/euphoric side of Frenchcore but with both different fanbases it will make the scene much bigger than what it is already.
Amy: Where do you see the American scene going?
Sickest Squad: America has the potential to be a huge scene for hardcore. I think it’s just a matter of time, I see that slowly some European DJs are getting their chance to play there. We played in Brooklyn and it was “BANGING.” Even if the scene isn’t massive yet, I think next year hardcore will grow. The important thing is to not just bring the commercial stuff, listen to the music and don’t follow the trendy sound, it’s not about DJ Mag, create your own personal taste about the music and not be heavily influenced by mainstream S#*T. This is the most dedicated crowd. People who listen to minimal techno or house they only listen to the music. People who listen to hardcore they live and breathe hardcore, wake up listening to hardcore, they dress hardcore, they are very dedicated and devoted. And that’s truly a beauty and the best thing in the scene.
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Now back to the music, after wrapping up the interviews we ran over to see Sjammienators vs Cryogenic who played a brutal set. This was one of the highlights of the night for me, the beats were so fast and bass so loud people literally could not keep up so the only logical thing to do was to have everyone stand on top of the barricade (sorry Bassnectar fans we do it better and sorry to the barricade). Then, Sefa as always brought a ruthless Frenchcore set way beyond his years.
As the night came to a close, we next went to Partyraiser vs. System Overload vs. Rob GEE, there were so many amazing moments in this set, where to begin. First, getting to see one of my close friends and fellow Americans play never gets old. Second, Rob GEE dropped his new track “IAMME” which was so amazing, the lyrics are incredibly inspiring, and are a good reminder that no matter what life throws our way we always get back up. Rob has an incredible story one of bravery, recovery, and perseverance and his ability to put that energy into his music to inspire his fans is something so beautiful. And third, System Overload dropped Tim Shopp’s track ON THE MAIN STAGE! Nothing makes me happier than watching my friend’s dreams coming true and being right there front and center for all of it.
Squished like a sardine on the barricade raising my fists in the air next to my closest ten thousand friends was one of those coming home moments for me, those moments where you realize why this is so important to you, so special, so sacred. It’s the ability to be able to completely let loose, to find the truest form of yourself that ordinarily is not socially acceptable according to society’s standards and to do it next to your friends (or strangers who are not yet friends).
Everyday life is tough, so much stress, so many responsibilities we all need to find a way to escape, a way to set everything aside for even just a moment. For some people that’s through exercise, others through video games, but for us it’s raving, it’s this music that keeps us going. BKJN parties are always the perfect cocktail of great music, amazing vibes, incredible production, and an insane sound system (need to get new ear plugs remind me later). I highly recommend to my American friends when you’re thinking of coming over for the usual big Q Dance parties this year add a few BKJN ones on your list, you will not regret it. Thank you again to BKJN, Partyraiser, Rob GEE, and everyone who contributed to this article. Until next time!
When you hear the words “Raw Hardstyle”, E-Forceis a name that certainly comes to mind. This legendary Dutch Hardstyle producer has taken his career past many milestones, including a solo album, bookings on some of the biggest festivals in Europe, and en extensive personalized merchandise line. E-Force is one of the true pioneers of Raw Hardstyle, even landing the prestigious award of having the top Hardstyle track in the Q-dance Hardstyle Top 100 in 2014. We spoke with him about his plans for 2018 and beyond!
E-Force: That’s a good first question, haha! I think there has been a big growth in music quality the last years. I’m always trying to keep the “E-Force roots” in my music, but always trying to evolve that. I also moved my studio to the Scantraxx office, into Wildstylez’ old studio. It has amazing acoustics. Before that, I just had a studio in one of the rooms in my house – my productions definitely improved in the new one . My management and the people working at Scantraxx are of course also there, so the whole vibe in the studio and the office is good inspiration for me.
E-Force: I expected that it would be bigger now than it actually is. In 2012 everyone expected that I think. Unfortunately it didn’t work out the way everyone hoped for, but I hope I can contribute in it. I think it’s important that all artists apply for a VISA, although it’s really difficult to get one. I hope all artists who have the option to go there also go for it, so we can build the scene bigger together!
E-Force: Like I said, I’m always trying to evolve my sound with my roots sounds combines. Especially on my album I had the chance to do everything I like, a bit more euphoric, but also things like Schranz and Hardcore indeed. When you’re just doing single releases it’s a bit difficult to do this, but on an album you can go for “the edge”.
E-Force: My merchandise was a part of the album campaign, and it turned out amazing. It’s really nice to have a new branding style, and to translate that in an album artwork, but also in merchandise. As you all know we’ve launched the new icon logo about one year ago, and this icon was the main focus on the merchandise. All merchandise was sold out very fast, and on events I see people walking around with a lot and that’s really cool to see!
E-Force: This is just an edit I made for fun. I still love to play Seven every time, because the response on the track always stays very good. I made this edit to play at Rebirth festival for the first time, where I was doing a special live set. The response on the edit was crazy. I prefer to play this new 2017 edit now instead of the original mix.
E-Force: You heard that correctly ☺ Cloud 9 Music is my music publisher, and they have a very cool studio inside their office. You really don’t expect that when you see the office from outside haha. It’s a very small club for like 150 people, and Cloud 9 offered me the opportunity to use this club for a small, invite only, party. It was such a cool night, because all my dedicated fans were there and it’s nice to be in a small area, so you also have the chance to speak with the fans one on one.
E-Force: Expect a lot of new stuff coming your way! Working my ass off in the studio now, and really trying to my music to a new level again, and experimenting / searching for new cool elements. Thanks for your time, and see you in 2018 during my first USA gigs!
