Category Archives: Interviews

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’.

Digital Punk Interview from the Trauma Harder Styles Tour 2016

Digital Punk is the prophet of Raw Hardstyle that the U.S. has been waiting for. Though he has been in the game for quite a long time, it was with his ‘Unleashed’ series of podcasts and events that skyrocketed his name to the top of the list of “must know Rawstyle artists”. This man is a “Firestorm” of aggression and his dedication to his music and his fans are what makes his appearance on this tour vital to the progression of hard bass music in our scene. Digital Punk will be appearing in Mesa, Arizona on February 19th, Denver, Colorado on February 20th, and will playing at Basscon’s Wasteland on March 5th in Los Angeles, California!

What inspired your stage name?
There was a local DJ contest that I won! The only thing I didn’t have yet was a DJ name. I was a big fan of the track ‘Punk’ from Ferry Corsten. So ‘Digital Punk’ was born.

Were you a DJ first, or a producer?
Both to be honest.

How did you get into the scene?
A friend of mine was already a DJ. I already liked Hardstyle because every weekend I was going out to different clubs that played harder house music. So, naturally, I bought my first computer to produce music and bought my first DJ set. The first track I produced got me a contract at Seismic records back in 2005!

What was the first record you ever purchased?
Geal – Losin’ my Feeling (The Beholder & Ballistic Remix)

Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
The Beholder & Max Enforcer!

Describe your first DJ gig ever?
It was terrible (laughs). I practiced a lot at home, but I had no experience whatsoever; so I didn’t know what to do with the delay in the monitors for instance. My second gig went a lot better!

What was your favorite party you’ve ever played? Why?
Hard to tell actually… I have so many amazing memories. I guess my #1 is ‘Supremacy 2015’. I made the anthem for the party and got to fly over the crowd in a DJ booth when I was playing!

What was the funniest moment during any of your performances?
So many funny moments! But one of them was stage diving for the first time! MC Da Syndrome put me on the spot. I was jumping on a set of speakers in front of the crowd when he yelled ‘Catch Digital Punk! He is going to stage dive right now!’. I had no choice and jumped right in! Luckily they catched me, haha!

Catch Digital Punk on the Trauma Tour! Click here to by your tickets and receive a FREE subscription to the HARD DATA!
Catch Digital Punk on the Trauma Tour! Click HERE  to buy your tickets and receive a FREE subscription to the HARD DATA!

What important changes have you witnessed from the time you got into the scene, until now?
Music evolves constantly; It’s a natural process. Over time, music became more professional. Besides that, it has become very big worldwide.

Did you ever think you would be touring the United States? What do you think the Trauma Tour will be like?
I can’t wait to play in America. It will be my first time and I’m excited to meet my fans here. There are more shows planned so I can’t wait to Unleash the States!

What made you want to start producing Hardstyle music?
I was born to make music. When I was 4 I played guitar. When I was 10 I played drums. By the time I was 17 I produced all kinds of music. Hardstyle was becoming my biggest interest, because I wanted to make hits like The Beholder & Max Enforcer did! When I heard a new track from those guys I was like “Wow, I want to make music like this!”

What is your favorite track that you have produced?
Hmmm, I have a lot of favorite tracks. I guess ‘Firestorm’ is one of my favorites.

What advice would you give to up and coming Hardcore/Hardstyle producers?
Let yourself be inspired by other producers, but don’t be a copycat; do your own thing!

Digital Punk Tour Dates

Dr. Peacock: Interview from Trauma: Harder Styles Tour 2016

Steve, better known as Dr. Peacock has grown very fast in popularity with his very own style in the Frenchcore scene. His worldly, melodic tracks combined with frightening hard kicks have made him one of the most popular Frenchcore artists of recent time. For those who haven’t seen him before, his performances on stage are very powerful and absolutely wild! It’s about time that America sees the arrival of something so rare, so unique that I wouldn’t be surprised if Frenchcore invades the U.S. again. Vive la Frenchcore! Dr. Peacock can be seen 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?
I used to be a DJ since my 12th birthday. I learned to play vinyls back in those days from DJ Viruz (he lived near me and I always bought my records in his shop). The producing came later in 2010 when a friend took me to a production class. The funny thing is, the teacher is now one of my best friends and I organize classes with him now.

How did you get into the scene?
In Holland, about the time I was 8 years old, you either listened to Top40 music or to Hardcore/Happy Hardcore (at least at my school). My cousin always gave me Thunderdome CD’s since I was about that age. So really, I’ve been raised with Hardcore! Whenever there was a school party I would always take my Thunderdome CD’s with me, just to give it to the crappy DJ and tell him to play some real music (laughs)!

What was the first record you ever purchased?
That’s a long time ago, but I guess it was ‘Jones & Stephenson – The First Rebirth’.

Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
3 Steps Ahead at the beginning of being a DJ. The Speed Freak when I started producing. Both are legends! 3 Steps Ahead because of his catchy melodies and fast tracks. The Speed Freak because I (still) think he is a genius in sampling and making one track that sounds like there are three tracks in one but it all fits like one perfect story.

Would you describe your first DJ gig?
My first professional DJ gig was for BKJN. After they saw me on a Thunderdome Radio show, playing there dressed like a crocodile (because the radio host told me that I had to, to join the competition) they let me play at a big BKJN party in Culemborg, NL. I had just made only 3 tracks myself and chose the best tracks from the Frenchcore scene at that moment and did my very best to make this the best set I’ve ever done. The Frenchcore scene didn’t really exist in those days, but that changed quickly after that night. There were only 100 people in my area when I played, but they were all going mental!

Dr. Peacock Trauma Tour Dates
Catch Dr. Peacock on the Trauma tour! Click HERE to purchase your tickets and receive a FREE subscription to the HARD DATA!

What important changes have you witnessed from the time you got into the scene, until now?
Well at the beginning of my career there wasn’t much Frenchcore around in both Holland and Germany. After about a year of playing at big parties, it started to get the attention of a lot of ravers inside both countries and after 3 years I played in almost all of Europe. Also, there have been some changes in the Frenchcore sound. Nowadays you have the original Frenchcore and the new generation. It’s different because the pioneers of Frenchcore music (like Radium, Micropoint, Progamers and so on) have a more deep, more ongoing kind of style. The new generation guys (like The Sickest Squad, The Braindrillerz, Brutal Jesters, Zyklon etc.) have got a more aggressive kind of punch in their tracks and are more melody based as well. On the leading festivals (Defqon, Dominator, Decibel) you now see that they’ve created room for Frenchcore. And almost each festival programs Frenchcore in its own area! That’s pretty awesome and it was one of my main goals.

Did you ever think you would be touring the United States? What do you think the Trauma Tour will be like?
I’ve never even thought I would play outside of Holland, but the United States… WOW! That’s really something I can take off my bucket list! I heard some stories about the states from Geoff Da Chef (which is a Terror/Speedcore/Industrial DJ from Australia). He told me the folks over there will destroy the dance-floor like nowhere else! So I’m very excited to be able to see this with my own eyes. And I’m very very proud to be the first Frenchcore DJ from Holland to play in the States! AWESOME!

What made you want to start producing Frenchcore?
When I was 12 years old I started out by playing Terror, some mainstream Hardcore, and some Industrial kind of sounds. I didn’t really know what I wanted to play just yet. Then, in 2005 I came to a record store in Eindhoven (NL) and found a crate that said: “Herrie” (that means ‘noise’). I laughed and took some records from that crate and started listening to them. I was shocked! After 10 seconds I had goosebumps everywhere! It was a record of ‘The Sickest Squad’. The track was called Rottenbeat. Then a Radium record which convinced me that THIS is my style!

What is your favorite track that you have produced?
At the moment my favorite track is “Trip to Turkey”, which I’ve made with Sefa and MC Lenny. It’s a funny story because in my favorite kebab store 10 minutes from my home, they are playing it every day!

Catch Dr. Peacock on the Trauma Tour!
Dr. Peacock

What advice would you give to up and coming Hardcore producers?
Keep it simple and make music from your heart! There are too many producers making tracks to impress other producers. I’m not one of them. I make the music I like to play and my experience with that is that the crowd feels the energy more when you created something straight from the heart. Okay, it has to have quality kicks and it must be to a certain level at the least, but don’t try to be like anyone else. Try to be YOU.

What are your top 3 favorite tracks of all time? Why?
Top 3 (all types of music):

1. Shpongle – Dorset Perception
2. Paolo Conte – Max
3. Hans Zimmer – Time

Top 3 Hardcore tracks:

1. The Speed Freak – Devastator / The Sickest Squad – Hard Abuse (they share the number 1 spot!)
2. Jones & Stephenson – The First Rebirth
3. 3 Steps Ahead – Money in my Pocket

Are there any exciting projects or gigs coming up you want our readers to know about?
Yes! I’m making my first real solo album! Which will include 16 trips. That means 16 tracks with influences from 16 different countries. It will be out before June (I hope!)

What artists would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t
already?
The Sickest Squad, The Speed Freak, Radium, Partyraiser and lots of others!

If there’s anything we haven’t asked, what else would you like to say to the readers of The Hard Data?
KEEP IT FRENCHCORE!! And make sure you come to one of the gigs in the States!! Together we will make it the best parties ever!