Ophidian, as you all should know, is one the more technical Hardcore producers out there today; with his productions being so clean, and his mastering even more so. With his release of ‘Nightfall Angel VIP’, Ophidian takes us back to his older sounds with an incredible new design along with a millennium remaster of the original and a breakbeat kind of remix by IDrake (???). The tracks are best described as orchestral, cinematic and nostalgic. This release will take you back to the peak of Ophidian’s career, helping you gain an understanding as to how he’s become the most prominent name in Hardcore techno. Enjoy.
Tag Archives: hardcore techno
Synaptic Memories – Tripped – Invisible – Complex Systems EP
For the Industrial fans out there; this entire EP is filled with a wonderful sound design of orchestrated noise! But the track that stands out the most for me is the second track on the EP: ‘Invisible’ and it’s because of SM’s work with Tripped. Tripped has made kicks that have always had a very particular roughness to them that have made them addicting and his variations within this particular track keep your attention all the way through. Of course, I’m more prone to noisy sounds over structured melodies, and SM hits that spot on and still with plenty of drive and atmosphere, but if you like thick, distorted kicks, this track has them and hearing this one on the dance floor is more than likely to make the crowd move.
Classic Track Review: Lem-X – More Drumming – D-Boy Black Label
Originally released in 2004, and only on vinyl, Italy’s DJ Lem-X released this on a VA record to outstanding reactions. To this day, this, in my experience/opinion, is one of the hardest tracks to find from the early 2000’s, let alone to also find the words to describe this track, except that it’s hard, distorted, and catchy as all hell. Look it up, track it down, get a hold of it in some way; you’ll be so happy that you did.
DJ Dione aka E-Noid aka SRB Interview
I’m sure this man needs no introduction, but since 1991 DJ Dione aka E-Noid, or maybe a lot more of you recognize him as the Terror act SRB, has been dominating dance floors everywhere in the world, and this year he finally got to destroy LA at TR-909’s Trauma party back in August. I can’t believe that I was given the honor of sitting down with this man and finding out more about my personal Hardcore hero. What follows is the official interview for you all to enjoy!
Austin: I want your reactions from Saturday. How did you feel about the party, as well as the American Hardcore scene (if you are familiar with it)?
Dione: It was an awesome party, I really liked it. Good sound, nice visuals and decorations plus of course a super dedicated crowd, I loved playing there.
Funny thing was that I was booked as Dione and it was an early hardcore/ old-school event but before and during my set a lot of people asked for SRB so I decided to play a few SRB tracks at the end and then all hell broke loose, in a good way that is
I have been in LA a couple of times but that was a long time ago, played at some smaller rooms so I really wasn’t expecting so many hardcore heads on this party. I know the hardcore scene in the USA is small compared to the scene over here in Europe so it was good to see that so many people showed up and I hope that this party gave the USA scene a boost. Got to thank TR-99 events also for putting up this party and for getting us to play there!!
Austin: What do you think of the direction that Hardcore has been moving toward in the last decade or so? Where do you think it will be going next? Where would you like to see it go?
Dione: That’s a hard question. Production-wise the music has grown a lot, sound quality (mixing and mastering) is at a really high level now. The downside of this is that it is harder for new talents to achieve the same levels.
Musically I notice that there are more and more sub genres in Hardcore. I don’t like that because for me it’s all hardcore. There are good tracks in every sub-genre and so I keep an open mind and pick out my favorites from every style. Hardcore is a feeling and not a concept.
It’s hard to predict where it will be going next, but I guess that the sub genres will mix more and more with each other. I think you start seeing it develop like that already; up-tempo with mainstream melodies, mainstream with crossbreed elements etc…
Austin: Which really came first, the Dione project, or SRB? Which one do you like playing more as? Which act has a better reaction from the crowd in your opinion (if you have noticed a difference at all)?
Dione: The Dione project came first; I started playing as Dione in 1991. Some 10 years later came E-Noid, my alias for Darkcore/industrial productions on the DNA label. And a couple of years after that I also started producing under the name SRB, an alias for the terror tracks I made for the ‘This Is Terror’ label. But those productions were so popular that I got many offers to play as SRB also. At first I only did it as a side project but nowadays it has grown more and more popular. I really love playing as SRB because I only play my own productions, which is very satisfying for a DJ; to see the crowd go wild on your own stuff.
But I like variation, so for me it’s a welcome change, to play under the different aliases and play all the different kinds of hardcore, whether it’s terror or industrial, old-school or mainstream. The reactions from the crowd don’t really only depend on the style I play, but also on what party or what country.
Austin: Any advice for the American Hardcore scene?
Dione: Yeah, there’s something I like to say: I have heard that many party people don’t like the mosh pits at hardcore parties so they decide to stay away, but there’s a simple solution to this, which I saw at the Headstrong party in LA many years ago: keep a part of the dancefloor for the mosh pitters and the rest for the others. This way you won’t hurt each other.
Austin: What’s next for DJ Dione; For SRB?
Dione: I’m currently working on new Dione tracks which I hope to finish and release soon. And also some E-Noid and SRB tracks of course. I loved the holiday in the USA but now I’m back in my favorite place in the whole world: my studio!
DYEWITNESS INTERVIEW
Interview by DJ Mindcontroller, Feature Photo: Reesses Pix Redlab Radio, Photo 2: Peter Vincent
Mindcontroller: First of all, I just want to start off by saying that you’re a big influence. My older brother got me into techno and house. Probably about ’89, ’90.
Dyewitness: All right. Cool.
Mindcontroller: I’ve got to say that when I first heard your music, it was mind blowing.
Dyewitness: Was it the Dyewitness stuff?
Mindcontroller: Dyewitness in the early 90’s. I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but in LA we had large support of the techno scene. They would actually play techno at one of the biggest stations still to date here, Power 106. They do more hip hop now and stuff like that, but back in the early 90’s, they actually played great music. I remember hearing your tracks on there.
Dyewitness: I really had no idea that the early hardcore stuff, or the heavy hardcore, or whatever you want to call it, was really that popular. This is actually the first time I’m doing a Dyewitness show ever in LA.
Mindcontroller: That was one of my questions. I actually recall seeing you on a flyer maybe early ’94 or ’95, but it was a fraud.
Dyewitness: It was fraud. I never had any requests or any bookings from LA.
Mindcontroller: In the States, you never played as Dyewitness in the States?
Dyewitness: I don’t think so.
Mindcontroller: Okay, wow. Interesting, how did you get into the rave scene, techno music?
Dyewitness: From when I was a child, I was always playing around with tape decks and turntables, and fiddling around with cassette players and all that stuff. Gradually I got into mixing, and then I got a simple drum machine. I learned how to program drums. I started making mixes, recording it on tape, making loops and different things. I listened to a lot of electro stuff, but also hip hop stuff.
Mindcontroller: What came first, DJ or producer?
Dyewitness: Producer. In that time, there was no computers or anything yet. Everything was done by hand, so you had to know how to beat match and all that stuff. Mixing was then at the same time as producing.
Mindcontroller: How was Dyewitness formed? Secondary, what is the meaning of Dyewitness?
Dyewitness: It’s actually, I think it still exists today. I saw a commercial on … Probably maybe within the States or where … I don’t remember. It’s a spray that, if you get attacked or raped or whatever, it’s a spray that you spray in somebody’s face. It gets a thick layer of foam, green foam, so your face … And it gets stuck there for weeks, or a long, long time. The stuff is called “Dyewitness.” That’s how I also came up with the green monster.
Mindcontroller: I always thought that was maybe a fascination with extraterrestrials.
Dyewitness: No, no, no. It also had to do with Observing The Earth was the first thing. It was a good combination between the green alien and the green face from the Dyewitness.
Mindcontroller: To my understanding, it was a group prior, right? It was yourself and someone else, or is that misinformation?
Dyewitness: No. The Observing The Earth I did it completely by myself. Later, with The Future, I started working with Patrick and Cyclone and Trevor. Probably for that I did most of the work myself.
Mindcontroller: Was Dyewitness your first project?
Dyewitness: Yeah, it was.
Mindcontroller: How did that come about?
Dyewitness: Yeah, just messing around and just recorded something on a cassette tape. Actually, a friend of mine … I didn’t even bring it to the record store, but there was Midtown record store in Rotterdam. A friend of mine recorded what I was making and Midtown Records heard the tape. They were like, “Yeah, yeah. We want to release it.”
Mindcontroller: That was Observing the Earth?
Dyewitness: Yes.
Mindcontroller: Awesome. Let’s see. Let’s take it back even further. What was the first record you ever purchased?
Dyewitness: Probably I have a lot of old records but the one I can remember buying is Michael Jackson Thriller.
Mindcontroller: What was your first DJ gig or live PA? How was it?
Dyewitness: My first gig was in 1990, I think, with The Dead Kirks. It was one project on Midtown Records. One of the owners of Midtown, he had a project called The Dead Kirks. He needed somebody to go onstage with him for the keyboards and everything.
Mindcontroller: How was it? Were you nervous? Was it a big event?
Dyewitness: Completely don’t remember. It’s so long ago. It’s 25 years ago eventually. No, no. I always have been myself on stage, so I’m not pretending to do anything.
Mindcontroller: To me, the Dyewitness sound was so innovative, and to many, considered early hardcore. What inspired your Dyewitness projects?
Dyewitness: For me, it was never hardcore. There were some tracks that obviously were hardcore, but it was mostly a cooperation with somebody else making some hardcore, happy hardcore The Future is, I don’t know what but you wouldn’t call it, but it’s not even that hard, you know? It’s not like anything that came out of Rotterdam at that time because there was much harder. Inspiration was just records that I was listening to, all kinds of records that I was listening to when I grew up I sampled, or inspired me to make whatever I wanted to make. I never really cared for what others were making. I always did my own thing and if somebody wanted to call it hardcore, somebody wanted to call it house or whatever. Doesn’t matter.
Mindcontroller: Your current project DJ Misjah is night and day in comparison to Dyewitness. Would you ever consider revamping Dyewitness?
Dyewitness: Well, never say never, but I don’t see myself. Actually, I haven’t been producing anything since 2009. I’m way too busy with mastering and I don’t have that studio anymore anyway. I know everything is done in the computer now but it’s not how I like to work. No, I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Mindcontroller: Sadly, I’m sure. You’re going to break a lot of peoples’ heart.
Dyewitness: Well, you know, it’s a period in your life. First, I made the Dyewitness stuff. Then I was done with that, you know? I’m like, “Okay. Now this is a different phase in my life,” which became the DJ Misjah stuff. The techno after that, one day I was feeling like, okay, I’m done with this as well, you know? Then I started doing mastering, in 2 to 10 years or whatever I’m done with that I’m doing to do something else. As long as I do what I like, I don’t mind what it is.
Mindcontroller: Dyewitness or DJ Misjah, What’s your favorite DJ gig to date?
Dyewitness: For Dyewitness was Hanger 13 were always fantastic gigs in Scotland, but also had a lot of good gigs in Australia. As for Misjah, it was, I don’t know, Love Parade or Womp in Tokyo. So many. So many places.
Mindcontroller: I could imagine you guys are spoiled in Europe.
Dyewitness: Yeah, it’s all one big pile of memories and clubs and people.
Mindcontroller: Your current automobile you drive, make and model?
Dyewitness: Just a normal BMW. Nothing special, 320 diesel It’s a automatic. I’m lazy driver. I put it on cruise control and I steer and that’s about it.
Mindcontroller: Top 3 tracks of all time.
Dyewitness: Humanoid is in there for sure. Something from Joey Beltram, Thomas B Hackman was one of the tracks that was like, wow, what the hell.
Mindcontroller: What advice would you give to any up and coming producers?
Dyewitness: Make what you like. Don’t listen to what others are doing. Make your own shit. If nobody likes it, doesn’t matter as long as you like it.