How quickly we are rising! This week we have seen the tremendous reach that ‘Trauma: Harder Styles Tour’ has had all across the U.S. by having DJ Deadly Buda’s article on the subject approved and published onto the LA Weekly’s website!
Buda’s recount of ALL seven stops of America’s hardest electronic tour to date captures the trials and tribulations that were experienced throughout his journey all while simultaneously immersing the reader into all of the excitement and adrenaline one may have only been able to feel by attending (now times those feelings by seven!).
Having this amount of publicity on a such a national and prestigious forum shows all of us (ravers and non-ravers alike) that Hardcore can’t, and will never, DIE!
You can read all about the madness RIGHT HERE and please show your support in any way by reading, sharing, and/or leaving a comment on LA Weekly’s thread.
The final stop of Trauma’s Harder Styles Tour touched down in Brooklyn Saturday night. As anticipated, the venue was packed with attendees bouncing off the walls. Right off the bat is was amazing to see Lenny Dee and Rob Gee on their home turf, in the borough that made them worldwide names. Rob Gee played his greatest set on the entire tour, and frankly it might have been the single most uplifting and inspiring set –of all sets—on the tour. Rob Gee has always had something special with audiences, but Saturday night in particular he hit a resonant melody with the audience who were 100% in sync with his hardcore vibe.
DJ Deadly Buda at Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016: Brooklyn
But, I’m getting ahead of myself, literally. Yours truly got to open up the night, and thankfully the sound-system was 100% on point, and there was already a crowd ready to rock. I got a chance to bust out some of my favorite tracks from the Next Cyclone label, which are rarely played, and the crowd was well into it. I also got to spin on 4 decks at once, an infrequent pleasure at hardcore shows where oftentimes we are lucky to even be using modern CD-Js!
DJ Stefanie at Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016: Brooklyn
After I did my stuff, Reactor and Pulsators hit the decks and rocked the crowd with some hardstyle, leading up to the night’s headliner, DJ Stefanie. Basically, she tore it up, showing the USA why she is a big favorite in Europe and even showcased one of her latest tracks. I had the pleasure of filming her live feed on Facebook for the first half hour too. Most of her set it could be seen worldwide!
Lenny Dee at Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016: Brooklyn
Next up was Lenny Dee. As always, it’s a pleasure to see Lenny Dee rocking it in his own backyard. The tough industrial sounds had the ravers rocking to and fro. Hardcore historians know that Lenny Dee might be considered the original hardcore DJ of which we know in the modern era, and to see him in his element, where the sounds were heard that would later inspire the world, was truly moving. He was followed by his frequent partner-in-cacophony, Rob Gee.
Tim Shopp at Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016: Brooklyn
Satronica then hit the decks and continued the holiday of hardcore that had taken over Brooklyn’s legendary club Verboten, leading to up-and-coming, Tim Shopp, who did double duty on the main stage and the second room, keeping the crowd busy the entire night. Tim tore the cap off a shaken pop-bottle of speedcore madness that drove the crowd wild, giving a sneak preview of the coming wave of American Hardcore.
Rob Gee at Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016: Brooklyn
Initially looking back on the tour at this early stage of reflection, I think there were tremendous gains made for the American hardcore EDM/Techno scene. Whereas the crowds were not sell-outs, they were decent and more importantly, everyone had a great, and sometimes life changing time. Dealing with music so much on an everyday basis, we music insiders often lose track of how important finding that new sound is to the concert goer… as we count the beans and talk the numbers. Sure, it’s an aspect that cannot be ignored, but ultimately life is remembered in experiences, and Trauma Live made sure to give people an experience they’ll never forget, and I can’t wait to see what happens to this scene next.
DJ Stefanie and Lenny Dee at Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016: Brooklyn
Extreme turbulence courtesy of the Rocky Mountain winds greeted my airplane as it hurtled towards Denver International Airport. A portent of the sonic turbulence that would test the unsuspecting speakers of the Summit Music Hall, courtesy of Trauma Live’s Harder Styles Tour 2016 and their awesome line-up of talent: Tonegenerator, Imperium, Buzz Fuzz, Dr. Peacock, Digital Punk, Tommyknocker, Rotterdam Terror Corps, Partyraiser, Rob Gee, and Meccano Twins. The master of ceremonies was once again MC Ruffian, hosting the party in adroit fashion.
Obviously word got out about the tour. From the very beginning the crowd was present. Denver Hard Dance co-promoted the event. They walked around Boulder, Colorado, with a boom-box, blasting Dr. Peacock mixes as they passed out flyers in the home of the Buffaloes. It was great to see a… how should I put it, well… a hippie crowd, getting down to hardcore EDM. As a former resident of Colorado, this was always a bit of a dream of mine and to see it coming to reality was personally gratifying. Sometimes things just take a little time.
As with the previous stops on the tour, the crowd was treated to a once-in-a-lifetime assemblage of talent. My message is simple here, you are never going to see anything like this again. Sure, there will be big shows and festivals in the future, but to see such a solid line-up of talent in a relatively small venue only happens at the very beginning of a scene. It’s a moment when desire overtakes rational thinking, when dedication to the art is more important than practical realities and sleep is banished from the nighttime hours in favor of execution and release. Attendees will be bragging about their attendance for decades in the future.
As noted, Tonegenerator and Imperium got the crowd warmed up with their home-grown sounds, leading the way for Buzz Fuzz’s gabber insanity, followed by yet another absolutely brutal jack-hammer assault of industrial hardcore by Meccano Twins. Tommyknocker showcased the Traxtorm signature sound, once again letting the Trauma audience know, as mentioned in his excellent track, “Nobody’s Stopping This.”
Tommyknocker drops it in Denver @Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016.
Posted by Joel Bevacqua on Saturday, February 20, 2016
Digital Punk was up next, laying down the rawstyle law. At one point he did something pretty cool. Not content with simply encouraging the fans to put their hands in the air, he moseyed right in the crowd, kneeled down and stuck his arms right in there with them. It was a nice personal touch that really looked cool if you were there to see it in person.
Digital Punk and friends.
Posted by Joel Bevacqua on Saturday, February 20, 2016
Up next was Dr. Peacock and this guy was right at home with the crowd, as he played his internationally flavored hardcore to the open-minded Colorado crowd.
Dr. Peacock pumps up Denver @Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016.
Posted by Joel Bevacqua on Saturday, February 20, 2016
Instead of the usual hakke dance you see folks do at these events, the crowd was dancing in more of a jig-like fashion. Since I’m so busy bouncing around the party taking pictures, schmoozing backstage, and making sure The Hard Data gets passed out, I haven’t had the chance to dance as much as I’d like to so far on the tour. But, I made sure I got to cut a little rug during Dr. Peacock.
Dr. Peacock rocking Denver @Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016.
Posted by Joel Bevacqua on Saturday, February 20, 2016
Partyrasier hit the decks next. It was a classic Partyraiser set, and perhaps one of his best. He was mixing up a storm and really conversing with the audience via his music.
Partyraiser ripping it up in Denver @Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016.
Posted by Joel Bevacqua on Saturday, February 20, 2016
This set the stage for Rottedam Terror Corps who put on a righteous, outrageous spectacle, as is their forte. Their old school kick drums brought back that bouncy sound I remember from my raving days in the 90’s – but combined with the hard terror-filled screeches of the modern era. That, combined with basically an X-rated stage show, let’s you know you’re not in Kansas anymore. Honestly they have to tone their show down just a bit for the American audience, but even so it’s still a riot.
Rob Gee completed the night to a captivated crowd with a broad selection of his hits old and new. Rob Gee has done an amazing job at updating his sound to the modern era, and the best example of that is his recent track with Adaro, Dark Universe. I’m hoping at the next stop on the tour, Pittsburgh, he busts out my current fave of his, “Music is the Drug” that he recently did with The BeatKrusher.
Speaking of Pittsburgh, that’s the stop I finally get to hit the main stage at, and I can’t wait because I will be busting out a new track I got Pittsburgh local Subterranean to whip up: a remix of my old track Housewrecker, this time with a sort of hardstyle/dubstep combination flavor going on. You’ll hear it there first. Until then, I’m going to enjoy one more day in the Rockies, recovering from the tour so far and resting up for the last leg. This is Deadly Buda signing off, and always remember, the rhythm is life and death!
This interview was conducted back in August of 2015 by Mindcontroller when Buzz Fuzz and a few other names on this current line up of the Trauma tour first came through the US. Seeing as it is important to get to know who you’re going to go see, let this be the manifest of the legendary Buzz Fuzz so that you can pay your proper respects when he rolls through your town! Buzz Fuzz will be appearing this Friday, February 19th in Mesa, Arizona. February 20th in Denver Colorado. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the 26th, and closing in Brooklyn, New York, February 27th! Hard en heerlijk!
Buzz Fuzz is coming to a city near you! Click HERE to purchase your tickets to the Trauma Tour and receive a FREE subscription to the HARD DATA!
What year did you get into DJing/the Rave scene? 1987. I was playing hip-hop, swing beat, and R&B in a religious club. The rave portion started in 1991 where we played Hardcore/House.
What came first DJ or producing? DJing. Then I started producing in 1993 with The Prophet.
What drew you to the Hardcore techno sound? My ex girlfriend, actually. She invited me out. At the time, I didn’t know anything about “raving”. I went to the show and The Prophet was playing. At that point, I said, “Yes! This is going to be it.” I haven’t been out since.
What inspired the name Buzz Fuzz? Is there a meaning behind it? It was found in quick thinking. The guy who organizes the parties for ISB, the Hellraisers stuff, said he needed a new DJ, but I needed a name! I had this record from King B, and it said it’s the king ‘B’ for buzz and fuzz and since my last name is Vos, I decided to take those two words.
Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
The Prophet, he was the first one to show me how everything works.
What was your first DJ gig as Buzz Fuzz?
It was in 1991 for ISB, the Hellraiser guy: ‘The Bloom Party’, and The Prophet said, “I was supposed to play with Dano, but he’s got the flu. You bring your three turntables and I’ll bring my three.”, so we’ve got six turntables and two mixers, and we connected it all together and played for six hours.
What’s the funniest moment you ever had during one of your performances? One time I was playing in Amsterdam, and I was really fucked up; I could hardly stand. I was into vodka, pills, and stuff. Lenny D said, “Oh my god Buzz, are you going to be able to play?” I said, “Just get me to the turntables!”, and I played a marvelous set. No mistakes. Then I collapsed right at the end.
What would you consider your best DJ gig to date? Thunderdome in Hamburg, and Dance Valley.
Buzz Fuzz playing in Thunderdome Florida!
What’s your favorite collaboration? My work with The Prophet. We made a lot of tracks in his studio. When we get together it’s like magic. We would finish two tracks a day! And Gizmo of course. We made seven tracks in two days. One of them was Brand New Dance. We were really fucked up but the track was, and is, still awesome.
Hardcore has really changed since the ’90s. What’s your take on today’s Hardcore scene? I think mainstream Hardcore has gotten too simple. Everybody’s producing the same style. And there is even more mainstream now.
Out of the new batch of DJs and producers out there, who’s your favorite? Whose sound stands out the most? Angerfist. I discovered him. I was playing in Austria, where I received a stack of demo CDs. One was a double CD (Angerfist’s). It blew my mind. I referred him to Art of Dance. He became my protege, but that didn’t last long, he was already very good.
Any current projects? My label, BZRK Records! It was laying low for a while, but now it’s back! I’m doing some collaborations with some new artists for it. The future looks promising.
Are you going to do any updated versions of some of your classics? Oh yeah! Frequencies, an XTC Love remix by Deepack, and Brand New Dance.
What advice would you give to any up-and-coming hardcore producers? Think with your heart, not your brain. That’s the main point. When you’re good enough, you can make it. Don’t try to copy. Be yourself.
Catch Buzz Fuzz on the last four dates of the Trauma Tour!
The Harder Styles Tour kicked off with a banging kickdrum last night when DJ Vortex opened up the tour his sage-like lessons in hardstyle. The unlikely locale of this seminal outburst was frigid Edmonton, Alberta, best known in these parts as the home of the Oilers and the legendary Wayne Gretsky. I’m still smarting from the night the Oilers sneaked out of the Pittsburgh Civic Arena with a win as Mario Lemieux and Gretzky battled it out on the ice. I suppressed my prejudices though and found a lot to like in Edmonton. Most notably the crowd liked it hard, and so it was a pleasure to be in the midst of mutual transaction of hard beats and appreciative crowd.
Edmonton got Trauma, and loved it.
Despite strong ticket sales, the venue wasn’t particularly crowded, as the frigid and windy -11 degree Celsius weather kept only the most maniacal home safe in their blankies. MC Mike Redman kept the crowd psyched the entire night, straddling that perfect MC balance between chiming in at the right time and not getting’ all walky-talky. After Vortex MC Redman introduced Super Marco May. You might’ve read his interview on the THD site, and he lived up to the hype it suggested, representing Italian hardstyle in splendid fashion.
Scott Brown reads The HARD DATA
You might have thought you were in Little Italy until Scott Brown jumped on the decks and cranked up the happy. Happy hardcore that is. He even played one of my old faves, “Now is the Time.” After which he took a well-deserved rest and read the latest issue of The Hard Data, rumor has it. Amnesys jumped on stage next and played a little of everything. He started kinda slow, playing Alien T’s Hammer of the Devil, and then picked up the pace with some of his soon-to-be classics, Shockwave and Embrace the Ultimate. In the middle of it all, he even threw in some dub-step sounding tracks which was a nice change of pace.
The Prophet in Edmonton
One of the best sets of the night was next, The Prophet. Easily the crowd favorite that night, the Scanntraxx CEO busted out a surprisingly hard-as-nails hardstyle set. I wouldn’t really call it rawstyle, it was just straight banging hardstyle. I like the fact that he played “Here We Go” because of the awesome hoover in its break and its old school sound. I still think the track was inspired by Edge of Motion, but I didn’t get the chance to grill The Prophet about it, dear readers, as he was busy interacting with his fans most of the night.
Mad Dog took to the decks next, and he made it clear that 150 BPM was “not his Tempo,” because he promptly busted out his floor crushing epic, “Not My Tempo.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that, and the BPM’s instantly skyrocketed to the delight of the hardcore faithful (you can read the Mad Dog Interview in the latest issue of THD).
Mad Dog at Trauma Edmonton
The hardcore onslaught continued as Placid K, not to be out-hoovered, laid down one of the thickest hoover sounds of the night at the beginning of his set. After all these years, lets face it, there’s nothing like a huge freakinig hoover sound on a banging system to get the blood flowing to all the capillaries. The rest of his set was his signature old school hip hop samples tightly woven with that classic Italian hardcore drive, which set the stage for the new breed of hardcore heroes, The Melodyst.
They sprang out the gate with their new track “New Dawn” and when the kick came in, it sounded wicked sick. Whatever special sauce they are adding to their 909’s, I want to know because it immediately drove the crowd into a state of frenzy.
At this point, you are probably thinking, “ok, what could they possibly do next to top the night off?” Well, the icing on the cake was our own made-in-the-USA Rob Gee, who went absolutely ape behind the decks. Just when you thought you couldn’t dance no more, the Gee-Man set a fire under everyone’s you-know-whats. If there was one drop of sweat left in that crowd, Rob made sure to squeeze it out with an energetic and inspiring performance befitting the first night of the Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016. Next up, on to the Golden State in the U.S. of A.
Dedicated to the harder sound of electronic dance music.
