Tag Archives: early hardcore

Review: Ouwe Stijl is Botergeil (8 June 2019)

Ouwe Stijl is Botergeil Review

 

Anyone who knows me knows that I never really left the 90s. Whether its blasting cheesy euro dance in the shower, watching Friends, or seeing Detective Pikachu as soon as it came out, there’s something about the 90s that I just can’t seem to leave behind (and refuse to leave behind).

 

My most recent escapade into the best era of all time led me to an epic party, Ouwe Stijl is Botergeil. For those of you who don’t know Ouwe Stijl is a well-known early hardcore party series organized by Strength of Unity. The literal translation of Ouwe Stijl is Botergeil means “Old style is butter horny”. Although I got a variety of definitions from Dutch partygoers ranging from “Old style is slippery wet” to “Old style is horny” to “It has something to do with butter.” One of the organizers explained that the Dutch word “botergeil” is slang like the word ‘sexy’ that is used to describe something that you are excited about for example one might say “Man that is a sexy car!”

 

At any given hardcore party on any given weekend you’ll see men and women sporting Ouwe is Stijl shirts (I still gotta get me one of those!). This is due to the fact that Ouwe is Stijl has a huge following, one might even call it a cult following (in a similar way that the movie Pulp Fiction has). Before I even moved to the Netherlands in 2016 and when I was only here for brief periods of time, speaking with gabbers as to where the best parties are Ouwe is Stijl was always one of the top responses.

Now with all that being said and with very high expectations let’s get into my review of Ouwe is Stijl is Botergeil on June 8th 2019. My friends and I began our journey around 20:00 from The Hague then after a quick stop for some noodles and a drink in Amsterdam we headed to the party. The party took place at Paradiso Noord in the North of Amsterdam just a quick ferry ride from Amsterdam Central Station. A huge crowd was outside eagerly waiting for the gates to open and for the party to begin. Early hardcore blasted from portable speakers, party goers snapped some selfies with their friends, chugged their final drinks and then made a mad rush to the entrance.

Immediately upon entering into the venue I noticed a stand selling records and another stand representing Hard-Wear (a hardcore apparel store in Enkhuizen) selling merchandise, which was a nice touch. The venue was a bit of a maze but had plenty of spaces for people to sit, multiple bars, and even some board games for people to play (shout out to the random Smurf puzzle). The party consisted of one large main room of music with a viewing deck that provided a great view of the dance floor and the epic light shows. After the usual routine of lockers, bathroom, getting a drink (no need for tokens yay!), and saying hi to everyone it was time to see my friend Delirium!

Coming all the way from New Jersey, Delirium is one of the early pioneers of hardcore both in the United States and in the Netherlands. Known for his energetic onstage presence (picture a fire cracker exploding on New Years Eve) Delirium always puts on quite the show. Following his set we had a brief meet and greet for him where he signed records, took some photos, and met with fans. It always warms my heart to see my American hardcore comrades have such a loyal fan base here in the Netherlands. I had the opportunity to ask Delirium some questions about the party and here is what he had to say:

 

First off, what was going through your head when you were on stage tonight?

 

The vibe with the crowd was amazing and the venue was really great!

I was in a great mood and I was very focused. I made sure to give 1000% of my energy to the people for that hour.   I really wanted to give them a performance that they would remember.

 

The crowd really seemed to love your set, is there a specific process you go through concerning track selection or do you more feel the vibe of the crowd?

 

There are times where I just feel the vibe of the crowd and go with the flow and there are times when I prepare a set prior to the event. The crowd at OSIB likes the tempo a little faster so I did a lot of searching to find some fast Early Rave tracks for this event.

 

What sets Ouwe Stijl a part from other Dutch parties?

 

OSIB is different than other events because their style is horny like butter!

 

There were so many fans that had the original DJ Delirium T-shirts and the original ID&T Music T-shirts from the 90’s. It was like time traveling back to 1996. I even had some friends and fans come all the way from Italy and Spain.

 

This was my first booking with them and they treated me really great! It was an absolute pleasure to work with this crew and perform at their event.

 

 

Having been very active in the American hardcore scene for over twenty years what major differences have you noticed between the American scene and the Dutch scene?

 

The major differences are definitely the size of the events, the way that they dance and the style of clothing. We have a much smaller scene in America. The fans are very loyal and definitely have a passion for the music though. Some of them even travel all the way to Holland for the bigger events because we do not have anything like Dominator or Hard Shock in America yet.

 

Now back to the party!

 

After the meet and greet I had the opportunity to see Kaycie play for the first time. Kaycie is one of the organizers of the party, he laid down an epic set and I had the opportunity to speak with him to learn more about what Ouwe is Stijl is all about. What I liked the most about Ouwe is Stijl was the underground and family vibe. One major takeaway from my conversation with Kaycie was that the organization started among a group of friends, which I really love. This reminds me of my days in the US with East Coast Hard Dance, we were just a group of friends looking to hear the music we loved, support local artists and our friends, and of course to throw epic parties.

Unfortunately I only got to catch a bit of Omar Santana’s set although from what I heard he crushed it! With all good intentions to leave at 3:30am because I had to work the next day I was having so much fun that I stayed until the very end at 8:00am. One sign of a good night in my opinion is seeing how many people are there at the bitter end and the fact that it was still crowded on the same night as Harmony of Hardcore is definitely a good sign.

So my final thoughts, great music, good vibes, welcoming atmosphere, and overall a wonderful night! Next up…. International Hard Dance Meeting on 27 June 2019!

*Photos were taken by U-Model Party Pics and are not my own*

The Early Days Of The Tracker Hardcore Scene

I want to talk about tracker music, including hardcore. Tracker music was and is done on tracker programs like Soundtracker, Protracker, Fasttracker, Impulse Tracker and countless others.

What people will notice first is the abstract, “top down” view of the sequencer screen, very much unlike the layout of modern DAW programs. Trackers were, to most part, a digital form of producing. The basic sequencing was done by writing the sound to be used (the sample) and the pitch into the sequence editor. All channels were on the same screen (so for example you had to sequence hi-hats and bassdrum and bassline together and could not “add them later”).

These “patterns” were then put into a playing order in another screen. You could add “effects” to each note played such as pitchbent or vibrato, and in later trackers even filtering.

The finished result was saved as modules files, or MODs. These contained both the song and the samples that were used.

In the present day, Tracker technology has improved by a lot; programs like Renoise or Jeskola Buzz added hundreds of new functions and changes in the style and way to produce.  Buzz allows you to use a variety of soft-synths written for the program, for example, so you no longer have to rely on sampling.

Soundtracker

Before the internet, these modules were spread in the BBS scene. BBS was short for Bulletin Board System and to an internet user it’s hard to explain what exactly they were. A BBS was run on a computer and you could dial it up with your own computer and a modem – around the globe basically – and when you accessed the BBS it offered services like messaging boards, chat (where you could talk to other users that had dialed up the BBS at the same time as you), games, and download sections – were amongst other things track modules could be downloaded or uploaded.

Tracker artists often organized themselves in groups, so called crews. These crews usually were not just composed of musicians, but had also graphic artists, writers, and often programmers – “coders”; they turned the individual tracks into a release of multiple tracks with visuals and menus – kinda like a multimedia LP. Often these releases were stand-alone programs done by the coders which played so called demos while the modules played – graphic animations, often in a virtual reality and cyberspace style, sometimes even short movies, that tested the computing power of your system to its limits.

A modern BBS

This is where the tracker scene met the demo scene; demos could be written for existing tracks, or demo coders included tracks for the demos; so sometimes the music came first, sometimes the programming.

The crews had so called couriers that dialed up BBS sytems around the country or world to spread the tracker releases. Often a crew had its own BBS or a BBS was connected to several crews.

With the rise of the internet, the world of BBS systems faded quickly; but the tracker and demo scene moved to the net and survives on it to this day.

With the rise of techno and hardcore, this sound quickly spread to the tracker scene too in the early 90s; long before speedcore really took its hold on vinyl, tracks that exceeded 300 or 400 bpm were released as modules.

Most producers and crews were not “hardcore only” though, and did a variety of techno and electronic styles.

The tracker and demo scene were the root for many techno and hardcore artists in the 90s: Nasenbluten, Neophyte, E-De Cologne, Christoph De Babalon, Amiga Shock Force all started on tracker programs and many many more did so. Hardsequencer, Cybermouse, Bomb 20 and others had releases in the BBS or Amiga scene before their sounds was put to vinyl and CD.

Hardsequencer’s Amiga EP

But the vast majority of tracker music never saw the light of day outside its scene; just the couriers and crews and users of the BBS world knew about them. But now there are some archives for this very scene on the internet. It’s a sonic treasure that’s still be to dug up.

Here are three mixes that are showcasing the early tracker hardcore scene:



Decade of Early Hardcore: A Trip to the 90’s

Decade of Early Hardcore: A Trip to the 90’s (10 March 2018)

 

When I think about the 90s in Holland and the early days of hardcore I picture never ending underground illegal warehouse parties with no sound limits filled with baldheaded boys, girls with half shaved half ponytail hair, colorful tracksuits, and Nike Air Maxes. Even though in the 90s I was a small child growing up in the New York suburbs, today being an active part of the American underground hardcore scene, I can’t help feeling a sense of nostalgia when I think about what the hardcore parties were like back then. So in pursuit of this; the perfect and obvious place to go would be to a Decade party!

 

On March 10th I made the epic trek (bike, train, bus, and lots of walking) from my house in Voorburg to the legendary Hemkade in Zaandam. I’ve lost count how many Decade parties I’ve been to at this point. I think it’s safe to say I’ve been at every single one since I moved here in August 2016. By 23:00 the place was already packed and the energy was through the roof. The first set of the night for me was Juliëx. It was my first time seeing her live and it was the perfect start to the party. She dropped this brutal remix of “Lip Gloss” which was AMAZING; talk about nostalgia. For those of you who that were not teenage girls in the early 2000s, go look it up!

Next up my time was split between Frantic Freak and Buzz Fuzz. Both rooms were packed and had me singing (and screaming) along to classic early tracks. I especially enjoyed dancing on one of the stages in the main room to the track by DJ Weirdo & Dr. Phil Omanski- Young Birds! Being part of a hardcore chorus of 1700 wild gabbers is always something special.

One of my favorite aspects of a Decade party is seeing the same people every time; it gives you the sentiment that we are all one big family regardless of where you are from. Although I miss my rave family back in the US (shout out to the Hardcore Hooliganz) I am so grateful to be a part of the Decade Family and to be part of a community of passionate, kind, welcoming individuals.

Another cool thing is that it’s not just the Dutch; people come from all over France, Belgium, Spain, and even Chile for Decade parties! During the party I had the opportunity to ask one of my Spanish friends, Pol, why he flew all the way from Barcelona to the Netherlands for this party. He simply said that it’s because the music is the best. Short and simple, the overall consensus from the party was that if you’re looking for an Early Hardcore party Decade is the move. One major takeaway from this party is that the words Early Hardcore and Decade are essentially synonymous.

During Promo’s set, seeing every person in the room going crazy from start to finish, I thought to myself is this the start of a 90’s revival or did it never die in the first place? In search of this answer and continuing my trip down memory lane, I asked some of the artists what they had to say about the party and the Early Hardcore scene.

First question, what were your thoughts about the party?

Arjuna: Decade was a blast! Especially the 180 Boiler Room. Hardcore to the max! I really love the concept to put the DJ on the same level as the crowd. You really have contact with the audience and with this crowd at Decade I didn’t have to hold back. I can play as hard and fast as I want. For me it was a wonderful night with all those great people from all over Europe. I really love the culture from the early scene.

Ruffneck: NOW, let me say this…DECADE…HOLY MOTHER OF whatever you can think of, fill in here. I don’t even know where to start here to be honest so let me just write down my thoughts as I type this. The doors of the room open….I was thinking…it will take half an hour or so for people to enter the room, see what’s going on and then decide to stay or move on…O….M…..G…I could NOT have been wrong more! It literally took 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds…I look up. BOOOOOM! The room completely filled within a blink of an eye. Never seen this before. This was friggin’ insane!!! Then I dropped the first record, people go nuts and within 10 minutes the entire room was steaming hot. NOW…here comes the most insane part…This vibe STAYED from the first second right up until the last record I spun! I don’t even know what to say but this vibe is rarely found and I am so incredibly grateful for the amount of love showed by the crowd. I mean…I only saw smiling faces, and a room dancing like animals, screaming people and interaction between myself the crowd AND the two contest winners like there was no tomorrow. THIS IS WHAT HARDCORE LOVE TRULY EMBODIES!

In my experience it didn’t even feel like I was the main attraction to be honest. It felt like ONE big family coming together and creating a party with an enthusiasm that can only be achieved by family resonating at the same frequency at the same time. In other words, we were ONE! People could truly see what I was doing and so there was great interaction between me, the DJ contest winners and the crowd as the booth was open and at a certain moment it wasn’t even clear anymore who was where behind the booth, on the sides of the booth etc. We did this TOGETHER and I can’t be more proud than to see what can be achieved when the love for music and the respect shown by my soldiers come together as one.

Oh DECADE, this party will go down in my memories as one of the best experiences in my career. As for me it really doesn’t matter whether I spin in front of 50.000 people or in an area where there is but a hundred. What I search for is the love for hardcore music at its core…and that is EXACTLY what happened last night in my special room. TOGETHER we achieved what I could have only dreamt of and I wish to say to each and all of you who attended the room last night. THANK you sooooooo much from the bottom of my heart. You once again showed my WHY my love for (Early) Hardcore is still burning like a raging fire. Your energy completely refueled my engine and I look forward to the next time we meet.

Predator: I was there pretty late, because I played from 4-5 so I only saw the last bit of the party, but the main room was crowded and the vibes were great. I dropped some of my classic tracks like Predator- Turbulence and Bio-Forge-No 1 S-Capes Us, Paradox-Guillotine, but also some of my uplifting tracks like Vanugenth the 5th– Here We Go Again and Diss Reaction-Jiiieehaaa.

Bass-D: The party was great. The atmosphere was perfect, people really came to party, backstage we (the artists and their friends) had a lot of fun, so yeah, I thought it was a really great party!

Decade is famous for representing Early Hardcore. All throughout Europe, especially Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, the U.K. and even in The States where I come from. They know Decade as the organization where they really honor Early Hardcore.

How do you feel that Decade asked you to play at this party? 
Destroyer: First of all I’m really glad to be recognized as an Early Hardcore artist since I have made releases starting from 1995 and I always worked up to keep my style Early Hardcore/Terror that is the style I like the most. And of course I’m honored to play at Decade for the second time.

Arjuna: It’s always a blast to play at Decade, good atmosphere, the audience is great, and the organization is always good. I really like those guys; they’re down to earth.

Predator: With my style and all my releases I guess it’s the right place for me to drop my tracks. I’ve played there before, and it’s good to be back.

Promo: Well clearly it’s an honor every time you get asked to play somewhere, but Decade is kinda special since it’s held in the location where I basically grew up. The Hemkade (back in the days known as The Fun Factory) was a place where I went almost every week to get my weekly dose on new music. It’s also the place where the guys form Q-dance sort of started their career, so for sure that makes this a true house temple.

Ruffneck: Decade and me go back a long way actually. I know they have heart for Early (Original) Hardcore and so do I obviously. We both help each other out where possible and as we are planning something bigger, this party and its special setting was inevitable. But as always I am very grateful to have been asked by not only Decade but also every organization out there that chooses me to be at their event. No matter how big I may be or appear to be for the outside world, I never forget my roots and think of every invite of something special.

Bass-D: It’s always an honor to be asked at any party, but Decade is very special to me. I’ve known one of the organizers for a long time now and I’ve gotten to know the other people behind it very well during the years. They’ve become great friends of mine so I feel closer to this party than lots of other parties and I always love to play for Decade, so I think it’s great that I’m a part of it almost every edition.

How has the hardcore scene changed since you first got into it?

Destroyer: I started to play around ’96/97 and at the time there were not all of the subgenres you have today, it was just all hardcore. Usually at the parties everything was played in one area, with a line-up ordered from slowest to the fastest. Later when the scene became bigger, in festivals and big events more areas with different styles became a part of the game. But actually I’m ok with this evolution, as long as I can find an Early Hardcore/Terror area at a party! 🙂

Arjuna: That’s a good question, I’ve been in the scene from the start when hardcore wasn’t even born yet, there was only this music we called house. One day a guy came to me at a party, and said: hey you’re also a gabber aren’t you? And I was like, what’s a gabber? You like the harder style of music? And I was like hell yeah! Well then you are a gabber! For me that was the day hardcore was born. And now 25 years later I’m still in to it, I always try to do the best I can, both producing and DJing

Predator: It moved from playing vinyl to mp3 when it comes to DJing, and from hardware to virtual instruments most when it comes to production. The hardcore/gabber crowd is more diverse now; it’s not only shaved heads and Australian training suites anymore.

Promo: I think the scene changed a lot, like all music genres have. Hardcore went through many developments and changed its sounds numerous times but in the end that is maybe why it is still here. Things like music technology and also the Internet had their influences on our music but every time it came back stronger or in a different form.

Bass-D: Yeah it has, it’s gotten a lot more professional and bigger. I’ve seen it grow from when it started in small clubs and big parties in warehouses with too much sound and not enough lights to one of the biggest house scenes around.

Ruffneck: First of let me correct the phrase, I did not “GET INTO IT”, as I CO-CREATED it, alongside a handful of people at that time. Most people know me as Ruffneck, but I started out as 80 AUM, dating way back to 1989. That’s right. Hardcore didn’t even exist at that time. I started with making house music somewhat rougher than it was made by the Chicago boys.


This was picked up again and made a bit rougher and so on and on. Hardcore was a progression of the house genre. People around that time who just like myself were busy with this evolution amongst others were: ME (as 80 Aum at that time), Marc Acardipane from Germany (PCP), Luca Pretolesi from Italy (Digital Boy), Patrick de Meyer & Olivier Abbeloos from Belgium, The Prodigy, Carl Cox etc from the UK, and Ritchie Hawtin & Lenny Dee from the USA. Lenny Dee however is ABSOLUTELY the oldest pioneer from this small selection (and there obviously where WAY more people starting around the same time) who, like myself, are still active IN THIS GENRE, as he WAS one of the guys who produced in the house sound of Chicago era dating way back to 1986. I know this as I was actually buying his music from that time BEFORE I started producing!

 

So with that fact set straight, lets move onto the question:

 

I can only speak from my point of view, as that is different for everyone else, so I don’t feel I can speak in absolutes here. It’s all perspective and my experience may be VASTLY different than someone else’s experience. SO MY PERSONAL view on this is this. In the beginning we just f**ked around having no clue or care what we where doing and therefore a LOT of variety was the outcome musically. There was NO social media and ghost producing was unheard of and even shunned. We had to have something special, skill wise. This meant a lot of different approaches to the genre resulting in a huge pallet of sounds and styles that actually blended in fine with each other because there was NO REAL STANDARD of how something should be made OR sound. The music and stage presence an artist showed WAS his only real way of showing the world what he or she was capable of. This meant that only people with a lot of heart and patience for the music truly went out of their way to bring their message to the masses.

Nowadays, a lot of people that are on the top actually don’t produce their own music, have very little to nothing to contribute except a maybe a sexy picture (this can be either female AND male!) and/or poses while on stage playing music that caries their name, but is produced by someone else. They are worshipped for something they have never been or will be playing tunes they have no real connection with, (except for the cash and the fame they seek) by an
audience who isn’t even aware or doesn’t care about the mechanics of things. The music itself has production wise been “perfected” up until the point where it’s perfection to me is quite imperfect as the variety has been reduced to concepts that work because it’s been heard a million times and forced down peoples throat like an advertisement for some huge company. Most stuff that deviates from the proven path usually get blasted and seen as bad, until sometime in the future some big artist(s) does this and then everybody follows that one thing again.

Now I know a lot of people will think that I do not like the hardcore from now when reading this, but that simply is not what I’m trying to say. It’s simply an observation from my side to create awareness. I wish to see hardcore become open to ALL sorts of styles in one set and party again. To show the beauty of variety that has somewhat lost along the way in order to attract more people to a music style that wasn’t really meant for a huge audience in the first place. (Which inevitably attracts people who are not really interested in the TRUE core of the art that is called Hardcore, but simply embrace what they see as a “thing of the moment” instead of a lifestyle )

With hardcore ever changing and a new generation of gabbers coming into the scene, how do Early Hardcore parties manage to hold on to that 90s feeling? 

Destroyer: I think that the main part of the job is done by the crowd dancing. As soon as there is the passion for the music, the feeling will be automatically transferred from generation to generation.

Arjuna: The music will give you that 90’s feeling and also the aussies I think. But to get that real 90’s feeling is gonna be difficult, back in the days there were no limits. Most of the parties were illegal, there was no sound limit, and budgets were small. The best parties for me in that time was when the music was so loud your eardrum was about to pop out, and there was only smoke and stroboscopic light. That was the best 90’s feeling.

Predator: It’s the music, as long as the DJs keep on playing the original versions and not some mashed up new edit it will keep this real cool early vibe. Some promoters just know what DJs to book, and make sure they stay true to that old vibe.

Promo: The major appeal of that 90’s feel is the atmosphere. Somehow every time you play those classics people feel united again which result in outstanding nights. So mainly the music binds people and booking the right DJ’s bringing that music is an important ingredient to hold on to that feeling. 

Ruffneck: Well, exactly BECAUSE mostly ONLY people who like the variety in sound deliberately CHOOSE to go to parties that spin the old style. I was actually quite surprised to see AND learn from the people I have spoken at those parties that they actually like the old style better than the new simply because of the sound AND vibe that is to be found. I have seen a LOT of young people at these parties that were literally babies when it was created. They stand united next to the older generation at the parties and love it just as much and are even proud as f**k to wear the old colors. In the beginning I was really surprised by this but now I understand it and see it as something that simply IS. The vibe is basically almost ALWAYS great and that’s why I love to spin Early sets as well very much.

Bass-D: I think that the new early hardcore crowd wants to relive what happened in the 90’s with early hardcore music. The togetherness and that sense of family and brotherhood is really coming forward in the early hardcore scene, I like that a lot. The people really love the tracks + it was the genre that built hardcore and made it really big even before all the other genres came along.

If you could take one track from the early days and show it to introduce someone new to the hardcore scene which track would it be? 

Destroyer: Surely one track from the early days that brings me on the hardcore feeling is a track from 1994, Darrien Kelly & Scott Brown: Geleihoofd. But that was just one, there are really a lot out there.

Arjuna: That’s a bit of a trick question, because there are many good songs and also many different styles, but I think Jappo vs Lancinhouse Exlaxl is the best song, multiple bass drums, good sample, good arrangement and a very good climax!

Predator: For an old track I think I would play them Predator – Turbulence and for a more recent track Predator & Angerfist – Legend.

Promo: I would always go for something dark and industrial I think. It probably has to be something by Marc Acardipane / PCP. What he did back in the day is just (still) next level. Bringing so many atmospheres is just incredible.

Ruffneck: That would not do any respect to the many brilliant tunes made by so many of my colleagues OR myself. Early hardcore as a genre IS the eternal tune that should be heard, not just a snippet of 1 second of an overall tune which lasts for 365 days so to speak…

Bass-D: Haha, I always mention my own track: Highlander – Hold Me Now to people who don’t know our scene because somehow everybody loves that track, it’s not too hard and still has a great vibe around it.

The relationship between the DJ and the audience is everything during a set. Having been in the scene for a long time, you obviously have a large repertoire of tracks. How do you find a balance between giving the crowd what they want and introducing them to something new? 

Destroyer: Since most of the time I play live with the keyboard I have the possibility to choose to play the old and the new tracks, and that makes me experimenting new things every time.

Arjuna: When I play my set I always keep an eye on the audience; if the crowd is not moving or dancing I play another song. Sometimes it has to be louder or slower it depends of what people want at a party. I always play my set freestyle, not pre-arranged, so I can easily change to another style or tempo.

Predator: It’s always cool to play new stuff, but not just because it’s new, I only play tracks I like, and would never play anything I don’t like. Styles and taste can change. I made some dark tracks, some happy tracks some more experimental tracks so I guess I can go any direction.

Promo: For me that is pretty easy because I like both melodic hardcore and dark industrial tracks. So mixing them up is kind of what my sets have always been about. My productions reflect the same vibe as well, so I can even play just my own songs and still bring something the crowd knows and something I can surprise them with.

Ruffneck: I don’t. I spin what I feel I want to enrich them with. Not the other way around. If they enjoy it, great. If they don’t ..well so be it. As KRS -ONE once said “A DJ is not a jukebox – F**k your request” J

Bass-D: Just by doing it, there’s no specific way to do it. I just play what I know they want to hear and mix it up with stuff I think they would like.

What is the craziest thing you have ever seen at a party? 

Destroyer: I believe that the craziest thing I’ve seen at a party was a guy drinking a grey liquid straight from a shoe!!! The cool thing was that this happened at “THE DESTROYER solo” party.

Arjuna: The craziest is also the scariest thing I have seen, and that was the girl that climbed on the stage of Harmony of Hardcore 2016. I really thought we all were gonna see that girl fall to her death. Not cool at all.

Ruffneck: People standing still, filming the entire set and later on posting how great of a time they had….

Promo: I have seen some crazy things but often they are not the most positive things. To mention a positive moment I will never forget are the human pyramids they used to do in a club called Number One in Italy. When you played certain tracks there back in the days the crowd would form a pile of people with the goal to reach the roof of the club. Sometimes they succeeded, sometimes they miserably failed. But that determination to make it time after time was always really impressive.

Bass-D: There are so many hahahaha, from people having sex to artists doing stage dives where everybody steps aside or where they return without their t-shirt or even their shoes, hahaha. I remember one time in Moscow though where Angerfist did a stage dive and the crowd tried to rip his mask off his face. He climbed back on stage holding is mask in front of his face while the mask was ripped in two by the crowd. Crazy shit!!!

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Well there you have it! In conclusion, the lesson from my story is go to a Decade party! A huge thank you to Decade Events especially Tommy, Robin, and all of the artists who contributed to this article.

Upcoming Decade Events:

Xposure-Frantic Freak 11 hours NON STOP

5 May 2018

H7 Warehouse

Humberweg 7, 1043 AC Amsterdam

https://www.facebook.com/events/165812434041846/