All posts by Daybreaker

Hardcore Drum & Bass DJ/Producer from Salt Lake City, Utah. Contributor to the Hard Data Magazine. Raw Hardstyle genius.

The Counter-Terrorist Interview: Gabberfest 2016

The Counter-Terrorist. Representing Wisconsin at the third annual Gabberfest!
The Counter-Terrorist (nomadic) at Trauma. Next field operation: GABBERFEST! Photo by Peter Vincent.

Living along the plains of the mid-west, The Counter-Terrorist, surprisingly, hasn’t had the struggle of locating the harder genres of electronic music, nor breaking into his local scene with said genres like many westerners (of the US) had imagined when you hear that he’s coming from the state of Wisconsin. Seeing CT live already, I know what kind of a acidic treat we are getting having this name on the line up for GABBERFEST (June 18-19th, Las Vegas, Nevada) and now you all get to discover what is essentially the man “protecting the ears of ravers from the terrors of radio garbage”!

How did you decide on your stage name?

I was originally going by a different name but I wasn’t super big on it, so I did some thinking about my roots in the rave scene, love of comics, and then my history of playing Counter-Strike 1.6 back in the late 90’s and early 00’s with my old foreign exchange student came to mind. It’s a bit of a mouthful, certainly, but it’s my identity. Protecting the ears of ravers from the terrors of radio garbage.

How did you start producing/DJ’ing?

In 2010 I met my best friend who introduced me to controllerism and helped me learn the basics of mixing; I’d wanted to learn how to DJ since I was a kid but my family knew nothing about it and didn’t know anyone who could teach me (their concept of DJs is strictly the guy who plays at weddings or on the radio). Since 2010 I’ve used a couple programs and controllers and then moved onto CDJs due to preference.

How did you get interested in the harder styles?

My first experience with harder genres happened in the late 90’s when we had a foreign exchange student from Germany live with us. He brought over a bunch of music with him but the stuff I got hooked on was the acid trance/hard acid/hard trance. My dad liked it too so he downloaded a bunch of stuff like the Tunnel Trance Force mixes and then he came across some old US hard house that I just went NUTS over. After the turn of the century, while I was in high school, I got introduced to early hardstyle (the reverse bass and gated kicks stuff) then found old gabber/industrial hardcore music while browsing online and it continued to progress from there.

What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?

Well as far as the scene I hail from, hardcore isn’t dead (HARDCORE WILL NEVER DIE!) but it’s not nearly as big as it once was. Which is a shame to me because we have lots of great hardcore DJs. We got Elekid, Idiom, Delta 9, Dan Efex, Softcore, and so many more. But hardcore isn’t as welcome or desired in today’s world as it was before. Which is why I moved to the west coast where the hardcore scene is thriving for the most part. Nustyle, euphoric hardstyle, rawstyle, and UK hardcore seem to be picking up momentum in Minnesota from what I’ve seen and heard.

What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?

I think that the hard genres in general seem to be regaining popularity to varying degrees. Primarily hardstyle, but gabber, happy hardcore, and UK hardcore appear to be converting new fans as well. The other sub-genres of hard music are a bit under-represented so it’s difficult for certain sounds to get heard. As far as the more abrasive hardcore sounds, frenchcore and terrorcore look to be gaining momentum since it was demanded by fans at Trauma: Oldschool for the Headstrong till it was played. Uptempo hardcore seems to be trending in the US gabber scene as well. Overall, I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of hard music in the US because the genres are definitely not for everyone, however we seem to be making some progress as far as creating new fans. We just really need more support for our local artists.

Will you be attending both EDC & GABBERFEST this year?

Just GABBERFEST. EDC is too much thriller, not enough chiller (laughs)!

How do you feel about Insomniac’s support of the hard dance community? Even with the Basscon stage, do you feel that it’s enough?

Even with the Basscon stage, EDC does not do enough to represent the hard dance community. It’s primarily geared towards hardstyle despite a couple UK Hardcore DJs and one or two regular “mainstyle” hardcore DJs which, don’t get me wrong, is a step in the right direction but it doesn’t give a in-depth look at the diversity in the hard music scene as a whole.
What are you trying to convey through your music? Are there any themes or ideas that are important to you?

As far as themes when I spin hardcore, it’s generally mind-bending stuff. My gabber sets either conjure up nightmares and things of a dark and twisted nature or it’s some straight gangster shit. When I spin US/UK hard house, my sound is hard-hitting and ghetto. My acid sets are designed around nostalgia but super groovy (SO many “Blood Rave” remixes). You wind up with a pretty eccentric style when you’re raised in Drop Bass Network territory.

Do you have anything special planned for Gabberfest?

Well I’m under the impression that I’m gonna be doing a b2b set so it’s difficult to say what I’ll end up playing, honestly. But it will likely be either frenchcore, hardtek, and terrorcore in a b2b set or gabber, frenchcore, hardtek, and terrorcore if I’m playing solo. Start Hard, Finish Harder. Amirite?

What’s the next operation for the Counter-Terrorist? Any last words/rites?

Since moving out here to the west coast at the beginning of the last quarter of 2014, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work with some incredible artists and crews both big name and local. There are too many people to thank individually, but I really appreciate all the help and love I’ve gotten from my West Coast and Midwest families. I love you all and I can’t wait to do even more incredible things with you guys. Gabberfest and Northkore are gonna be super rad, you won’t want to miss either if you’re a fan of hard music!

Be prepared for the Counter-Terrorist’s next operation by following him on his social media!

http://artistecard.com/thecounterterrorist/

CIK Interview: Gabberfest 2016

This is one of our American artists that hardly needs an introduction. This man has covered ground from the west coast stretching as far as the heart of Gabber home country (Holland), has produced and collaborated alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, and is responsible for the uprising of the Arizona Hardcore Junkies, a local collective of producer/DJs that helped put Arizona on the map as one of THE best states for hardcore techno music. Boys and girls, representing Arizona at this year’s Gabberfest (June 18th-19th, EDC Weekend), please welcome the granddaddy of them all, this is: CIK!

CIK at Nocturnal Wonderland, 2008. Hardcore getting bigger!
CIK at Nocturnal Wonderland, 2004. Hardcore getting bigger!

How did you decide on your stage name?

Back in the day I had this bad habit as saying “that’s sick” to describe something that was really cool. In those days there was SIK graphics company here in Phoenix, and I believe a SIC company so I trapped it out (Yeah, trappin’ in the 90’s) and I replaced the first letter of the name to make it cooler.

How did you start producing/DJ’ing?

I started DJ’ing because my mentor and sensei, Spitfire, asked me if I wanted to buy his record collection and I did. I then lived with a guy who had Numark TTX tables and I learned how to beat-match. I never dreamed I’d be sitting here 20 years later, looking back on what has been accomplished. I started producing late, as the shift in being a performer became more of a need for learning music production. I am enjoying the journey and have had some really amazing experiences because of it.

How did you get interested in the harder styles?

I went to my second show ever and saw DJ Tact at an event called Lotus (R.I.P Fuzzy Chris) at the Icehouse in Phoenix. The energy of his music and his stage presence honestly made me say, what in the hell is this fast crazy energetic music!? Thanks to Tact, I’ve been hooked on hardcore since 1996.

What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?

Oh man, I have noticed a lot of changes in the local, regional and national scene over the years. There’s a new school wave of hard dance promoters that have the passion and drive to be successful, so we will see what the future holds. Much love to anyone pushing hard dance.

What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?

CIK, Satronica, and the White Ape at Dominator 2014.
Satronica, the White Ape, CIK at Dominator 2015.

I think that if everyone took a step back and said,  if we want this music to progress put “personal differences” aside and try to co-exist, it may progress. You may hate the person truthfully, not everyone’s going to get along, but shit we live in a country that is 50 times the size of Holland and are still stuck arguing on Facebook and threatening others over dumb shit.  I hope one day we all can stop the dumb stuff and get back to what’s important…the music and the preservation of said music.  I also think that support for US artists, old and new, needs to happen. You have legends in your front yard! Lenny Dee, Delta9, Delirium,  Satronica, Rob Gee, Fiend and The Horrorist are all legends. There’s probably a dozen people I am  missing, but shit all these named have definitely contributed a lot to hard music. Not to mention all of the new skool hardstyle/rawstyle guys who have been doing good shit! #Murica

What are you trying to convey through your music? Are there any themes or ideas that are important to you?

To be honest, most work to date has been reflecting back on certain periods of my life. But, like CAP says I can’t do anymore tracks about “naysayers”. So, my sampling has gotten very deep.  Nothing to communicate, more just about learning and progressing and still developing my sound.

Do you have anything special planned for Gabberfest?

I currently have 5 tracks that are unreleased, I will probably play a few of those. Might even drop some #trumptempo.

Anything coming up in the near future for CIK? For Arizona?

AZHCXX: Celebrating 20 years of Arizona Hardcore. September, 9th, 2016
AZHCXX: Celebrating 20 years of Arizona Hardcore. September, 9th, 2016

We have this show coming up on 09-09-2016, the AZHC 20 Year anniversary. It would not have been possible without members (current and past) for helping build the brand. Though some are no longer part of the crew, I still would like to thank them for their personal contributions to the Arizona Hardcore Junkies. Most importantly, thank you to all our fans, family and friends for their support they’ve given, through thick and thin. AZHC XX – Celebrating 20 Years of Hardcore is going to be a great night with a stacked lineup!

Follow CIK on social media:

http://djcik.com/

http://facebook.com/djcik

http://soundcloud.com/cik-2

HellNegative Interview: Gabberfest 2016

Back from the dead, it seems! Anthony Alonso, drum and bass connoisseur from Las Vegas, Nevada, has been out of commission for the last three years taking care of business (literally) only to come back to his beloved scene with the same amount of force and ruthlessness he had when he first departed! HellNegative is back on the decks and is ALREADY playing all over the west coast (read up on his comeback show in San Bernardino, CA HERE!) and is making his first appearance this year at America’s hardest: GABBERFEST, June 18th-19th (EDC Weekend)!

Founder of Dead Kaos, and co-founder of Bassline Syndicate Records, representing Nevada, this is HellNegative!

How did you decide on your stage name?

My religion is the empty space between sounds. The way those spaces are placed creates music. When I produce, I imagine what my heaven would be like through sound. Thus leading to the development of the name HellNegative. It makes sense when you take the phrase literally.

How did you start producing/DJ’ing?

My older brother was listening to electronic music at a young age, so this introduced me to it at an even younger age! I fell in love with his hard house and DNB mixtapes. I decided at the ripe old age of 13 to get my hands on an Electribe ER1 and an EA1. It was all downhill from there.

How did you get interested in the harder styles?

I had always enjoyed rocking out to Delta 9 and DJ Tron, but it wasn’t until my first visit to Dr. Freecloud’s in Los Angeles that the addiction began. Living in Ohio at the time, there was no access to a decent record shop. Of course I dug out some Underground Construction and Nervous Rekkids, but it was the speedcore that I loved the most. I picked up pretty much every Industrial Strength and Drop Bass record they had in the store.

You said that when you returned from your hiatus that you returned to a “scene that was in shambles”. Can you elaborate on this?

Well when I left, things were small, but the only real drama was between sounds of the underground and area170 (which sadly closed its doors). Multi genre parties were still a thing. Although every crew had their differences, we all worked together as a family. When I came back, the DNB scene had grown greatly. I was excited for that, but it seemed to drown out everything else. There’s this separation between the DNB scene and the 4×4 scene. I never see any of the 4×4 promoters at the DNB events and vice versa.

So, what changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started? How do you feel upon your return?

Hard dance and hardcore have not gotten enough love in Vegas. The unfortunate reality of permit issues and the club scene have made it hard for the smaller promoters to put together successful events. Things have been slowly changing this year, though. 2016 is going to see a huge underground revival. Even as I write this sitting in the dirt at Further Future two strangers have commented positively on the breakcore blasting from my phone.

HellNegative, representing Nevada at Gabberfest 2016!
HellNegative making his first appearance after a three year absence at March Madhouse, San Bernardino, CA.

What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?

With Drum N Bass becoming so mainstream as of late, the harder sounds are starting to become the real sound of the underground.

What are you trying to convey through your music? Are there any themes or ideas that are important to you?

I think setting boundaries and rules limits yourself. My production has one main focus. That is to create something I can rock out to in my living room, bedroom, car, and venue. There is way more meaning to enjoying music with others because it’s something you truly enjoy.

Do you have anything special planned for the event?

I’ve been spending a lot of time producing a set for Gabberfest. Every tune will either be produced or remixed by myself. All styles of core will be represented, but the focus will be on speedcore, breakcore, and industrial hardcore.

What can we expect from HellNegative in the future?

Between DNB and Hardcore, I’ve been super busy in the studio and less focused on bookings. To the Vegas family, keep your eyes out. We will be working to grow the hard dance and hardcore scenes. Remember to always enjoy the music you listen to not because it’s popular, trending, fashion, or you’re afraid to say you like something else. Listen to it because you love it. Never be afraid to express your love!

You can catch HellNegative at The Bradley in Vegas on May 28th for Propaganda! Be sure to follow him everywhere else you go and look out for the DNB heat at GABBERFEST!

http://www.hellnegative.gq

http://www.deadkaos.gq

http://www.facebook.com/TheHellNegative

CAP Interview: Gabberfest 2016

I am very happy to say that this interview is going to reveal a hidden gem for you all! One of the busiest minds in the American hardcore scene, with a most impressive Discogs page, an education from the Conservatory for Recording Arts & Sciences at the top of his class and a father of not one, but two [expecting] hellions. On the surface, Mr. Stephen Caparella looks like any ‘ol bronie to most, but deep down, this man is THE unsung hero of American hardcore and is deserving of your utmost respect and attention.

Cap, representing Arizona at Gabberfest 2016! I mean, just look how beautiful he is.
CAP, representing Arizona at Gabberfest 2016! I mean, just look how beautiful he is.

CAP, industrial hardcore producer from Mesa, Arizona!

Affiliations: Arizona Hardcore Junkies, Industrial Strength Records, Important Corestyle, Hard Kryptic Records, Dark Like Hell Records, Six Feet Underground Records, No Sleep Till Bedtime

How did you decide on your stage name?

It’s my nickname from football. We had tape on our helmets with our last name and my last name is pretty long so they shortened it to CAP. Football was pretty much my life from about 10 to 20 years old.

How did you start producing/DJ’ing?

I started learning to DJ when I was 16 but my rigorous football, training, and school schedule kept me from fully pursuing it. It wasn’t until I stopped playing football that I decided to pick up DJ’ing again. I had the basic skills down but working with the [Arizona Hardcore] Junkies helped refine me as a DJ. Soon after learning the basic skills [of DJing], I figured producing was the next logical step. Why play everybody else’s tracks when you can make your own? I’ve been producing on and off since 2006 and right now is happily one of my more “on” times.

How did you get interested in the harder styles?

Ah, the glorious “how did you get into it” question. I HATED hardcore at first. I thought it was noisy garbage. I even watched CIK vs. KORE and Omar Santana at a show in ’03 or ’04 and walked away thinking “how does anybody dance to this?” Irony and hypocrisy is my middle name, always has been, always will be. Fast forward not that far to 2005 when I was in college. It was the first time I had high speed internet. It was a big deal. I could download tracks and mixes in a fraction of the time than when I was at home. I made a commitment to myself to listen to all forms of EDM and yes, even hardcore. At the time, I had one of those old brick iPods with plenty of space so I loaded it up with everything I downloaded. I forced myself to listen to hardcore and one of the first sets I listened to was CIK’s Nocturnal Wonderland 2004 mix. I listened to it again, and again, and again, and again. Something about it just caught my ear. I was into UK hard house at the time and this was a step above; harder, faster, louder, more intense. It grew on me after a while and pretty soon I was hooked: I was listening to mixes before practice to get amped up, and downloading and searching for more and more hardcore mixes. After that it was the hardcore record habit that cost me a pretty penny then the producing bug. The love has been catching steam ever since.

What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?

There’s been phases of the scene. When I first started, pretty much every show was illegal and underground. It was special if a show was actually licensed and bonded. Our illegal warehouse hookup disappeared so the nature of shows changed; more desert parties and more legal venues. I was out of the scene a while after that; work, more school, moved away for about a year. While I was gone, parties got bigger and eventually the EDM divide happened. I came back to a scene that had legal, small budget “underground” parties and large budget “EDM” events. It’s nice now to see more than one “hard” crew supporting the harder styles, despite it being more hardstyle, rawstyle, etc. focused.

What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?

I have no idea where it truly stands, I can only assess it from my vantage point. From where I see it, SFX going under was a big blow because the huge shows under its umbrella hosted hardstyle. The good news is guys who have the main stage at current events are playing hardstyle in their sets, so there’s growth there. American hardstyle producers seem to be doing better than in the past but hardcore producer wise it seems to be down from where it once was. The good thing is hardcore has plenty of hype show wise and DJ wise. Aside from all that, I’m a big supporter of the idea that the US needs to cultivate and support its own artists to really grow into a new era that rivals the EU.

DJ Cap, representing Arizona, will be performing at Gabberfest 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada!
CAP putting in that work for hardcore techno

What are you trying to convey through your music? Are there any themes or ideas that are important to you? Is there anything in particular you find yourself wanting to communicate to the audience?

My themes change from track to track. It’s as hard to pin down as asking a horror author to describe all their work in a single statement. Yeah, the genre is horror but every novel tells a different story. Most, if not all, my work is hardcore but each track has its own feel or style. There really isn’t any singular theme to my whole discography – although I probably need to do that with an alias – and every track pretty much speaks for itself. A lot of times I don’t even start with a theme. I just make a kick that I like and try to choose a direction from there. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s also a good amount of times I start out with a theme, typically a theme related to something that’s caught my attention lately. Recently, it’s been random stuff like movie trailers and video games. Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to let it in.

Do you have anything special planned for the event (b2b set, all vinyl, live PA, guest performers/dancers etc)? Original productions?

Well, it wouldn’t be special if I told you ahead of time! But… let’s say tons of new tracks for this year’s Gabberfest, and like every set I do, it’s 95-100% original production.

I have to ask before we part, are we potentially going to see the “return of the mask” this year?

Nah, that’s pretty much retired for a couple reasons, so you probably won’t see it this year. I initially did it as a mega-industrial gimmick but I have garbage vision so the combo of the mask and no glasses made it tough to DJ. Add to that, just about every hardcore act out there today has some kind of stupid gimmick whether it be vests, helmets, masks, fake blood, you name it. It’s not unique if everybody does it. Aside from that, I would rather have the stuff that matters – the music – be the driving force for people to remember me or have the desire to come see me.

Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?

Don’t forget to support your locals! Thanks to the Hard Data for having me. Thanks to the Great American White Ape for continuing to put together Gabberfest year after year. Thanks to anybody who’s ever supported me on social media or bought one of my tracks. Thanks to the other producers out there for raising the bar as well as being down to earth enough to talk shop. Thanks to CIK and KORE for being my good friends, mentors, support, and colleagues for over 10 years. Last but not least: thanks to my wife for putting up with putting up with my noise as well as my persistent requests, demands, and deals for studio time.

CAP at Gabberfest 2015 (and was voted "best set of the day" by the Hard Data in issue #2).
CAP at Gabberfest 2015 (and was voted “best set of the day” by the Hard Data in issue #2).

http://www.facebook.com/hardcorecap

http://www.soundcloud.com/hardcorecap,

http://www.twitch.tv/hardcore_cap,

http://www.youtube.com/user/hardcorecap,

http://www.azhardcorejunkies.com/

Tim Shopp Interview: Gabberfest 2016

Here we go guys! The countdown to Gabberfest 2016 (June 18th-19th, EDC Weekend) has officially commenced! Hardcore delegates from all over the country will converge on the Hard Hat Lounge in Las Vegas, Nevada to witness the grand spectral display of the American hard dance scene and the Hard Data will be bringing you face to face with the artists chosen to represent their home state(s) because you “can’t know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks”!

Tim Shopp, Middletown, New Jersey, will be playing at Gabberfest 2016, EDC Weekend, June 18th-19th, Las Vegas Nevada!
Tim Shopp, representing New Jersey at Gabberfest 2016!

First up, is 21 year old uptempo hardcore producer TIM SHOPP from Middletown, New Jersey.

How did you decide on your stage name?

When I first began I honestly had no idea what I was going to do for a name; the usual thing was to use some type of cool word or make something up, but I didn’t want that. I always wanted to be known for me, so I then decided (after a couple goofy names) that I was just going to be me (Tim Shopp)!

How did you start producing/DJ’ing?

When I was little for Christmas one year I actually got a cool little toy that you could hook your iPod to and scratch songs you played. Then eventually I turned to computer software, and continued the “upgrading” to where I am now. The learning is still not over, because recently I’ve decided CDJs can only allow so much so I’m actually learning “live performance” so I can do that in the future! As for producing: there was a point where I knew playing other people’s music was fun, but I knew I wanted to play MY own music. So I eventually picked up Ableton, and with some devoted time and effort, here I am!

How did you get interested in the harder styles?

It all started with listening to happy hardcore actually! My first obsession was DJ S3RL and from there I just kept digging deeper and deeper into the music until I found my true love for “Uptempo” hardcore and terror! Of course there is always my other obsession as well known as speedcore/extratone.

What changes have you noticed in your local rave/hard dance scene since you started?

Well as for my home state (New Jersey) we truly don’t have any music scene left from what I see. My second home (New York City) will always have my heart, but recently not much has been going on. We went from constant shows every weekend to hardly ever anything going on. When we do have shows, the crowds are always promising and dedicated so the wait is well worth it. No place like home!

What do you think about the current state of harder styles in America?

My bias opinion: Needs more hardcore! (laughs) As for the scene itself: it is truly amazing to see it evolving more and over the last couple of years! One thing I do have to say is I’ve noticed less support for the locals and more focus mainly on what European act is coming. A good headliner is always promising don’t get me wrong, but I believe that if we want to evolve the scene to what we all want, we need more support for the locals who have the ability to lead the next level of everything! I feel as if we just expect to get our own Defqon, Qlimax, MOH etc., but most won’t even go out on the weekend to see a show unless there’s some huge European name on the lineup. I just want to see more people invested because of the music, not just because there’s a Dutch act in town.

Tim Shopp, Middletown, New Jersey, playing at Gabberfest 2016, EDC Weekend, June 18th-19th, Las Vegas Nevada!
Tim Shopp artist logo.

What are you trying to convey through your music? Are there any themes or ideas that are important to you? Is there anything in particular you find yourself wanting to communicate to the audience?

Chaos. Chaos, chaos and more chaos! Being a metal head and beat down fan, I try to bring those elements into my sets and music. There’s something about chaos and insanity I find very interesting.

Do you have anything special planned for the event (b2b set, all vinyl, live PA, guest performers/dancers etc)? Original productions?

Well me and the Gabberfest crew have been waiting for this day to come! I always said I would do something special my first time, and sure enough Gabberfest will have the first world premiere of “Extreme Team!” that I can guarantee will blow minds. For my solo set of course plenty of new music from me! B2b sets, well anything can happen at Gabberfest…

Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t asked you about yet? Do you have any upcoming projects or tours to promote, or anything special or shout outs you want to say?

2016 has already been a huge for me. So first and foremost I just have to thank everyone who’s been behind me since the start and especially recently! I will be playing all over the USA this summer on my mini tour, and I even have a show in The Netherlands! On top of all that, huge collaborations with some major artists as well. I will let that be a surprise for you all!

Be sure to follow TIM SHOPP on his social media and be up front and center to catch his solo set along with the debut of “Extreme Team!” in six weeks time at GABBERFEST 2016!