Prelude to Trauma: Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016 on the Horizon

By Joel “Deadly Buda” Bevacqua

Pittsburgh, PA, 1993: “You know what my problem was?” His drunken ankle buckled, dropping his punk-rock body into the plastic rainbow-colored carpet of my little rave shop.

Two stoned teenagers in fat jeans and Fresh Jive T-shirts pried him off the ground. Rising undeterred, John’s beer belly plopped out of his faded Ramones t-shirt. He flicked off the long, black, fifty-something-year-old hair stuck to the saliva on his face.

”I never…” He made a basketball-sized globe with his hand gestures and stared into it—like it was fucking Rosebud or something and swayed back and forth as the two anemic rave kids braced to catch him. “I never…”

I couldn’t have cared less what John had to say. Smelling of booze and vomit, he had been frequenting Turbo-Zen Records—I assumed to get high with the college kids and high schoolers playing hooky at the store. I could never say no to him—he was a drinking buddy at Chief’s and did the sound at the Electric Banana, Pittsburgh’s finest punk rock club (R.I.P.) That conferred too much underground cred. But, he was creating a ruckus and I already was fielding calls from irate parents looking for their kids.

“Will you get him out of here?”

“No!” he croaked and stared into the imaginary globe. ‘I never took the time.” Then he got real ornery, waving his arms at me “to look at what I’d done, to look at it! To apprecccciiiaaaaaate it.” As he lunged at me for emphasis, the momentum of his arms threw him off balance to fast for anyone to catch. He smacked his forehead straight on the floor this time.

“He’s not moving.”

The paramedics came and took John to the emergency room. He was discharged and days later was back on the Electric Banana soundboard. But that was the last time I saw John Krom. A few weeks later, he was found dead in his apartment. He’d been dead a while when they found him.

Back in the 1970’s John was one of Pittsburgh’s biggest rock promoters, jet-setting with Led Zeppelin and all the other stars of the day. John was primarily responsible for orchestrating one of Pittsburgh’s most amazing concerts, but one practically forgotten. One summer day in July 1975, he ran a full page ad in the Pittsburgh Press, simply announcing something big was happening downtown. He then floated 3 barges down the Allegheny River to where Pittsburgh’s three rivers meet, Point State Park. In those barges were Suzi Quatro, Alice Cooper, and their bands. An estimated 80,000 people showed up that summer afternoon. The police were unable to control the masses of people doing whatever they wanted that day, such as: jumping off the Fort Duqesne Bridge, for fun. John Krom made that wondrous summer day happen.

Turbo Zen Soul Flyer
Until I can find pictures of John Krom, Turbo Zen, and related materials, I will post some of these old flyers so you can see how we did it in Pittsburgh in 1992-3

Many great events can get lost in time, through error or intention. I had only heard of this amazing concert by word of mouth, by Pittsburghers I knew who were at the show. I have found virtually no written documentation of it other than this web post a guy did in 2001. http://www.drunkenbum.com/20010620.html

Someday I will search the Pittsburgh Press and Post Gazette microfilm for more details, as they surely must exist. But until then, the drunkenbum’s report stands as testament, and it corroborates all other stories I have heard verbally about the event. Amazing, wonderful things get lost in the shuffle of history. We read about wars, but never about wonder! Is it not as interesting I ask? Does it not fire the soul as much? Of course it does!

Anyway, something happened to John between floating Suzie Quatro down the river in a barge, to passing out in Turbo-Zen Records. I still haven’t the fine details, but John told me exactly what happened, and it’s my job to tell you. He never stopped to appreciate what he did. He just kept driving forward, oblivious to the joy he created, and never really took part in it himself.

John could have got wasted at a lot of places, but he chose my record store to get fucked up at towards the end. Now I know why. He could see us young raver kids loved the music too. The electric moments of music never left his soul, even as the booze grabbed control of his body and mind.

I didn’t respect John the way I should have the last time I saw him. I guess I can forgive myself considering the circumstances, but I can honor his memory and the man he truly was by relaying his accomplishments and one of his important messages. John’s legacy, and accomplishments will survive just a little longer, because they deserve to. So it is written, and I begin with John Krom’s story for my diary of the Trauma Harder Style Tour 2016.

The “Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016” is America’s first hardcore techno music tour. It’s about forty-plus electronic music artists pushing the most extreme version of electronic dance music. This is EDM you might slam-dance to, pogo, mosh, or stage dive to. It is the type of electric hybrid John might have loved to hear, if he were only here.

Probably the most neglected segment of the EDM world in America, hardcore techno is actually one of its oldest—chock-full of rave pioneers and the perhaps overly-curious youngsters that found out about them. Like some others on the tour, I’m one of those rave pioneers with a nagging sense of unfinished business in the back of my mind. When I found out the tour would stop in my old hometown, Pittsburgh, PA, like a moth to flame I lobbied like hell to get on the tour, and vowed to document its entirety. This tour could be a boom, or bust, or just… whatever… but I want to remind myself, and whoever will listen to me, that what we’re doing is special, it’s important, and we’ll lose a part of ourselves if we take it for granted. So I dedicate my following journal entries to John Krom, who reminded me to take the time to look and appreciate what we all do.

MC Mike Redman Interview on the Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016

What inspired your stage name?
This is actually my real name. I adopted my mother’s last name which is Redman.
I use this when I’m hosting events. My alias Deformer that I use as a DJ and producer came from the various styles of music that I combine to get the dark and heavy sound that I like. Influences of Hardcore, Metal, Hip-hop, Soundtrack, Breakcore you name it. As long as it fits the Deformer concept, I’ll integrate it.

MC Mike Redman Tour Dates
MC Mike Redman Tour Dates

Were you a DJ first, or a producer?
I was a producer first. Experimenting with tape-loops, messing with Atari and Akai samplers. Mostly at other peoples places, because, believe it or not, only few people had a computer back when I started. I always bought records to sample sounds from, but started djing later on. Now my Deformer sets consist of 100% own productions.

How did you get into the scene?
Paul Elstak spotted me in the eary nineties. My first Hardcore gig was at the iconic Rotterdam based Energiehal. These events are memorable. Not only because there were always 10.000 hardcore fans loosing it at these parties, but also because the sound was new and still in a very experimental phase. It’s a shame that they eventually took the venue down.

What was the first record you ever purchased?
Wow, that was way back.. I’m not sure which came first but I got ‘Hey You!’ from The Rock Steady Crew from an uncle, which made a big impact. ‘Pass the Dutchie’ (Musical Youth) and the first Iron Maiden album were my first records. Later it really got out of hand and I now have a collection of a few thousand records of various genres…

Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
That’s a very difficult question. I got bits of anything and anyone I’ve heard and seen I guess. Mostly unknowingly. But everything inspires. Sometimes the most un-inspirational artist can generate ideas. When it comes to House music definitely Holy Noise, Joey Beltram, Marc Acardipane and many others.

Would you describe your first DJ gig?
My first DJ gig was pretty scary I gotta admit. The biggest concern was to not let the needle skip. But luckily the first gig was a great success which got me a residency at the club the same night!

What was your favorite party you’ve ever played? Why?
There are multiple. I’ve had many wild gigs in The Netherlands, but later on the gigs abroad seem to stick more, because you never know what to expect and not only is the gig special, so is the environment and the people that you meet. It’s always exciting to explore new territory and other cultures.image

What was the funniest moment during any of your performances?
I have to dig deep for that one. There were many, many funny moments. Also some really bizarre moments that sometimes turn into funny moments when you look back at them..

What important changes have you witnessed from the time you got into the scene, until now?
People are talking bpm’s more than music sometimes. There are also more genres than DJ’s that play them. But it all got far more professional than it ever was I think. I mean, the events are smooth and there are more jobs in this industry now than one could ever imagine.

Did you ever think you would be touring the United States? What do you think the Trauma Tour will be like?
I’ve only been doing stuff on the East Coast, so thank you Trauma for getting me some vitamin D. I’m having high expectations. I can’t wait to have a good time with everyone.

What made you want to start producing Hardcore music?
Well, the Deformer stuff is mostly filed under Breakcore, but Hardcore to me was always a challenge and it still is. Most outsiders that are not necessarily fans of the genre will mostly leave the studio with much respect when they see what effort goes into making the music.

What is your favorite track that you have produced?
That’s a hard one. ‘The Possessor’, ‘Slasher’, ‘Freaqks’ and ‘Gamecore’ are somewhere in there, but I’m still working on my favorite track…

What advice would you give to up and coming Hardcore producers?
Keep breaking down barriers!

image

Have any of the other artists on the Trauma tour ever inspired your work?
Definitely. The line-up is incredible and most of them have come a long way.

What are your top 3 favorite tracks of all time?

I can’t name a top three. This varies each day and with each mood-swing…

What was your favorite track of 2015 (that wasn’t your own)?
Omg, give me some time for this one..

Are there any exciting projects or gigs coming up you want our readers to know about?
Yeah, there is a release in the pipeline with The DJ Producer, Predator, N-Vitral and others. I’m currently also writing new lyrics for various artists, and check out my latest project Voodoom. This is a collaboration with Bong-Ra. Madness…

What artists would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t already?
I like to work with artists that dare to step out of their comfort zone and are passionate about their craft. The collaboration with Public Enemy was a dream come true as well as Chino XL. It was amazing to have collaborated with legendary filmstudio Full Moon Features. Working with Paul Elstak is always great. Rotterdam Terror Corps and maybe even a Metal band..

If there’s anything we haven’t asked, what else would you like to say to the readers of The Hard Data?
Don’t party by genre, have fun as much as you can and never stop exploring! The time is now, party on!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Redman

 

Rob GEE Interviewed! The Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016

Rob GEE, you’re playing at ALL stops on the Trauma Harder Styles Tour- Edmonton, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Mesa, AZ, Denver, CO, Pittsburgh, PA and Brooklyn, NY! That’s going to be almost 1 month straight of spreading your crazy style across North America, are you excited? What can people who’ve never seen you before expect?

I am very very very excited. Everybody should just expect 1,000,000% Pure EnerGEE 😉 Let’s see who sweats harder 😀

Have you ever done anything like this before? What other experiences stand out in your mind?

Well, I have done full tours throughout Europe and Australia with my Hardcore peers, but I have really only done one-offs in the USA. The only thing that comes close to this are the times when I was on tour with Hatebreed, Biohazard, Slipknot, and System Of A Down, so this will be very be awesome to tour my country with my Hardcore and Hardstyle peers.

Photo by : PierreW.de
Photo by : PierreW.de

How have you seen the scene change over the years and how have you had to adapt your style?

The scene is constantly changing, and production keeps getting better and better. The more technology grows, the sky is the limit with what you can do. Besides my solo productions, I have had the honor and pleasure of working with the generations that came after me like Adaro, AniMe, The BeatKrusher, Furyan, Mad Dog, & Noize Suppressor. In the past I used to save my voice for my productions, but I have opened my mind and I’m glad I did. We have a mutual respect for one another and we always have fun. That’s important, and I love the result.

And of course, I have made the switch from Vinyl to CDs to USB and I might be moving onto Media Card as well. I’m sure one day we will be able to just think the music and project to the crowd. lol

As you said, you’ve worked with a handful of international artist for collabs in the past (Neophyte, Adaro, Mad Dog, and Anime just to name a few), what will it be like playing alongside some of the biggest names overseas here in North America? Any future collabs we should be watching for?

Rob Gee at Trauma
Rob Gee at Trauma

Well, I play along side them already in Europe all the time, but this will be nice because it’s my homebase.

Future collabs for 2016 include-

Hardcore wise: be on the lookout for Brutale & Rob GEE, The Sickest Squad & Rob GEE, Art Of Fighters & Rob GEE, PartyRaiser, DJ Paul & Rob GEE, Dr Peacock & Rob GEE, Motordogs, F-Noize, & Rob GEE, and more with Noize Suppressor & Rob GEE, Mad Dog & Rob GEE.

For Hardstyle and Rawstyle : The Prophet & Rob GEE, Adaro & Rob GEE, and Gunz For Hire & Rob GEE.

Right now go check out Chem D, The Mastery, Da Mouth Of Madnes & Rob GEE “Old Dog New Tricks” off my brother Da Mouth Of Madness‘ new album “Old Dog New TriXX”

Also 2016 marks the 20 years anniversary of my hit “You Got What I Need” : There will be special remixes from the Art Of Fighters, The Sickest Squad, F-Zoize, and Dr. Rude to name a few, but I will also be launching a remix contest for up and coming producers to take a shot at this classic. The winner’s remix will be released commercially.

Photo by : Gerard Henninger
Photo by : Gerard Henninger

Hardcore is generally a particularly brutal genre, can you explain what inspires your #PositivianVibes concept?

The beats might be brutal, but the message is positive. Life is too short. I choose to lift people up. We all have our bad days, but at the end of day I believe we all want to be happy with the least amount stress. Sometime that is hard, but we must be strong. I have no time for negativity and hate.

Lastly (See our interview with Lenny Dee here to see what Lenny said) who would win in a pie eating contest between you and Lenny Dee?

From my size you would probably think me, but Lenny can eat. I think we should just actually do it. lol

Thank you so much for taking the time to interview with us Rob, it was a pleasure to hear from you and we’ll catch you at ALL the stops along the Trauma Tour! 

Connect with Rob here:

https://www.facebook.com/TheRealRobGEE/

www.ReverbNation.com/RobGEE

www.twitter.com/THEREALROBGEE

www.twitter.com/THEPOSITIVIANS

www.MySpace.com/RobGEEADAMWorldWide

 

Lenny Dee: The Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016 Interview

Lenny Dee, you’re playing the Brooklyn, NY stop on the Trauma Harder Styles Tour, I have to say it’s an honor to be conducting an interview with such a legend! From pioneering the NY scene back in the 80’s, to dominating the charts in the UK, and developing the early hardcore and industrial sounds that has evolved into modern hardcore- how does all that happen? Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?

I was inspired by the evolution of electronic music itself. This hunger lead me into doing all the styles so this was the next step along my musical journey. Right before the hardcore, I was doing disco, house, techno, industrial, Dnb breaks, rave, hardtechno, and I kept on rolling with the flow of the music which I felt was getting harder each party.

When I met Marc Arcadipane in the early 90’s, his tracks were the definitive sound of the style. He made the sounds of the core in the studio which had not been done yet and we released it on Industrial Strength Records. 25 years later – we are still pumping out the most underground artist and styles of Hard Electronic music.

ISR logo

What important changes have you witnessed from the time you got into the scene, until now? 

The sonics of the music have changed in a big way, analog gone – digital in. Also social media.

Some DJs coming up don’t know how to beatmatch and really DJ which is a shame as I think it’s a real artform, and some don’t even make their own music. That’s the bad side, but  there are a lot of talented new guys coming up too. I like to support guys with real core attitude. I still have faith in the new, unexplored roads. I’m not the “safe bet” / “every track sounds the same” kind of label guy.

What projects are you working on right now that we should be looking out for?

I just finished 3 tracks on Mr. Madness’ new LP, I’m also working on a few remixes Tymon & Stormtrooper.

The big one is our 25 years of ISR project this year, which will include a vinyl release, and we’re also doing parties around the world to celebrate.I’m also wrapping up some solo music and collabs with Tieum and A-Kriv, which I am excited about – some cool vibes cooking up. I also signed with Footworxx Bookings for Europe who are awesome!

I am super excited about our new Kaos Engine Kick Drum instrument collection we are doing with ‘5KRO’ and ‘Industrial Strength Samples’

This custom instrument will give new artists loads of hardcore kicks, with the power of a custom NI Kontakt Gui. This is a real studio tool to help make the hardest part of the style – the kicks!  We are set to release it in April.

lenny_s

This Trauma tour is a big thing for the North American hardcore scene, featuring some of the biggest names in hardcore today. Have any of the other artists on the Trauma tour ever inspired your work? If so, how?

Yes, the Trauma guys doing the tour – they give me inspiration that there might be more hope for this music here. Hats off to them for giving this style of music a real tour.

All the artists give me inspiration for sure. I love all the music they make, plus I have worked with many of them over the years too.

What are your top 3 favorite tracks of all time? Why?

I kinda flip around with this question a lot :

Mescaline United –  first ISR -First core track – this has a place in my heart forever

Euromasters Rotterdamn 01  – killer core for sure  – really took it up a notch

Extreme Terror – ISR – thee most bad ass track around – Nuff said, really!

Lastly (see our interview with Rob Gee for Rob’s answer here) who would win in a pie eating contest between you and Rob Gee?

Haha! Well I am not sure. I like pie – but i am not a super sugar freak – now if we are taking about smoking …… I think I am the winner 🙂

If there’s anything we haven’t asked, what else would you like to say to the readers of The Hard Data?

This music was a USA grown music style. Industrial Strength Records was the first Hardcore Label ever, here our of Brooklyn and I was the first hardcore DJ back in the day, so the USA is the real birth of this music. But it still needs some support here – so lets ass kick it!

www.industrialstrengthrecords.com

www.facebook.com/DJLennyDee

www.youtube.com/IndustrialStrengthNY

Meccano Twins Interview from the Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016

Name: Jose Sendra
Age: 30
City: Milan, Italy

The Meccano Twins project started out in 2003 from the idea of the two Art of Fighters members (Luca & Cristian), driven by the need to create a new breed of music: a blend of mainstream Hardcore together with Darkcore. Once Jose became the new producer and front man for the act, his arrival immediately opened up a new plane for all kinds of experimental Hardcore music. And now finally, America is about to witness the dark and twisted underworld of Hardcore and what a better tour guide to have than Mr. Jose Sendra: the Meccano Twins! You can see Meccano Twins on February 19th in Mesa, Arizona. February 20th in Denver, Colorado. February 26th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and February 27th in Brooklyn, New York.

Were you a DJ first, or a producer?
My career started as a DJ, under the name ‘Hardrebel’. It was when the ‘Art of Fighters’ became ‘Meccano Twins’ that I started producing tracks with the guidance of Cristian (one half of the Art of Fighters).

How did you get into the Hardcore scene?
I was already a big fan of Hardcore music. Later on, it wasn’t enough to just listen to it so I began my career as a DJ.

What was the first record you ever purchased?
It’s so hard to answer this question, but I think it was in the early 2000s. I’m sure it was an Enzyme EP because I was and still am a big Enzyme Records fan. And I still could never find the Enzyme K7-2 record!

Click HERE to purchase your tickets to the Trauma Tour and receive a FREE subscription to the HARD DATA!

Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
Easy, just read my response above! For me a lot of Enzyme artists in the early 2000s, such as Ophidian, Nosferatu, and Endymion.

Would you describe your very first DJ gig?
I remember that day very well because my first gig was under ‘Meccano Twins’ at the Dominator Festival! I was so scared and excited because it was my first time playing in front of thousands of people. That was one of THE best days of my life!

What was your favorite party you’ve ever played? Why?
Difficult question because there are many factors to consider; a lot of big festivals are fun because of the scenery and the amount of people that attend, but for me the small parties leave something more because you have more contact with the public. For me that’s much more important.

Did you ever think you would be touring the United States? What do you think the Trauma Tour will be like?
Honestly, no! I’ve always hoped but I did not believe it would happen. When they informed me of the tour, I was very happy to know that I finally get to visit and play in the U.S.. I’m very curious to see the American [Hardcore] scene.

What is your favorite track that you have produced?
All of them! (Laughs) But really, each track is very important to me. Maybe ‘Combustion’ because it was produced during a very important period of my life.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming Hardcore producers?
Always be yourself! Of course, listening to advice, but never let them change your ideas.

Record label founded in 2014 by Meccano Twins and The Sickest Squad.
Record label founded in 2014 by Meccano Twins and The Sickest Squad.

What are your top 3 favorite tracks of all time? Why?
My most favorite track ever is So Many Sacrifices by Ophidian!

What was your favorite track of 2015 (that wasn’t your own)?
In 2015, for me, wasn’t a great year for Hardcore; there weren’t a lot of beautiful tracks. But excluding my own tracks, my favorites were ‘Underground Existence’ by Unexist and ‘Crispy Bassdrum’ by N-Vitral.

Are there any exciting projects or gigs coming up you want our readers to know about?
Yes! This year I’m working hard with a lot of collaborations and a new Brutale EP!! This will be a year with many surprises so make sure that you stay tuned to my social media!

What artists would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t already?
I’m a big fan of Ophidian; it would be a dream come true to do a collaboration with him. And I would be curious to do some work with N-Vitral.

If there’s anything we haven’t asked, what else would you like to say to the readers of The Hard Data? What can they expect from you on this tour?
I hope to meet all the American fans! I want to see the same passion and love from them that I give for this music! See you soon USA and remember be “Brutale”!

Jose Sendra: The mind behind Meccano Twins and founder of the record label 'Brutale'.
Jose Sendra: The mind behind Meccano Twins and founder of the record label ‘Brutale’.

Dedicated to the harder sound of electronic dance music.