Tag Archives: hardstyle

Kryptic Corner 003: Braincrushers & E-RAYzor Interview

Article and interview by Howard “How Hard’ Grene

In July 2017, Hard Kryptic Records released the Worldwide Movement: Remix Project which featured both top name and underground artists remixing one of the most recognized tracks in Hard Kryptic: “Worldwide Movement”. Remixers like Masters of Hardcore‘s Re-Style, Swiss legends Dark Headz, Sweden’s top name Mark Frostbite aka Trinitite, Spain’s rising star SOTUI, Japan’s untouchable Kortarow, Argentina’s noisemaker Round Wave Crusher, and Dutch and American duo Hard Versions took the already crushing track and re-visioned it as their own.

The original release came out in July 2014 and was created to show how hardcore music is bigger than borders. German producers Braincrushers and E-RAYzor joined forces with US producer How Hard. An accompanying music video further showed the unified hardcore vibe with clips of hardcore events in Germany, Ukraine, Netherlands, United States, UK, and more!

I virtually sat with duo Braincrushers, which consists of brothers Oliver and David, and Ralf aka E-RAYzor after the dust settled on this explosive release to learn about them, their thoughts, on the project, and more!

Worldwide Movement: Remix Project (HKD078)

When did each of you start to create/produce music? Was hardcore the genre you start with?

BC: We started in 1995 with an old mixer and two turntable with no pitch. The mixer was Oliver’s birthday present, our dad came up with it. He played music as a young man and made his money with it. I think he wanted us to do something and tried to give an initial start. It worked just fine. The electronic music wave just came up here, it was new, cool, but not for everybody. We went crazy on hardcore music from the first second! In 1996, we played our first DJ set on a hardcore party. In the early 2000s we started to make our own music on Fruity Loops, and then Reason. Our first release came out ´07 “Little Asses” on G-Net Records.

E: I started producing hardcore with some friends using Fast Tracker in the middle of the nineties. We first only made fun tracks for ourselves, but one time we invited DJ friend of mine, and we made our first serious track. He pressed that one as a test pressing and played it in Bochum Germany at a big hardcore party. The reaction was positive, and that kept me going!

Were there any early influences on your music in the beginning? What about today?

BC: We always liked Main & Industrial. Artists from Traxtorm, Neophyte Records, Megarave, Industrial Strength, and Enzyme all influenced our music. In the very beginning, there was also Rob Gee (my ringtone is still “Ecstasy, You Got What I Need”), Lenny Dee with Microtronic, Dreamer, and Noize Suppressor.

E: My first CD was The Prodigy’s Experience, and the second was Thunderdome II, so you can say I am hardcore since the beginning! I also listened to all the 90s dancefloor stuff, hip hop like 2 Live Crew and DMX. Also, some rock and metal stuff like Linkin Park. All in all, I have a really wide taste of music. I don`t think in genres. There is good music everywhere, it just needs a drive for me, something special, recognizable.

Braincrushers

How would you each describe your styles of hardcore?

BC: We like hardcore music that goes with the times. The better the hardware and software gets, the better the tunes. We listen to and love the old classics, but when we play parties and work on our music, we want to go with times in our own way.

E: As a DJ, my style in hardcore is very diverse. I play everything from the early rave to happy hardcore, early mainstyle from the 2000s, and all the to the new stuff. Depending on the party, I can play everything from slow to fast, from old to new. As long it gets me and in a good mood I like it. I play a lot of tracks with nice melodies, but also “in ya face” tracks. For me, the mixture makes the party.

E-RAYzor

What are you using in the studio these days? Any stand-out piece of gear or instrument?

BC: Nothing special. A keyboard, Cubase, KRK Rockets and a lot of enthusiasm.

E:  I don’t have my own studio today. I prefer more visiting my friends’ studios instead, like the Braincrushers’. We can have fun together, and I’m way more creative there versus working alone.

Worldwide Movement: Remix Project is out now. What can you say about this project, and what makes it so special?

BC:  Special to us is the long history of this project. The first release came out in 2014. We started working on this track months before with Ray when he visited us. We couldn’t find suitable vocals, so we asked Howard if he could record something for us. Bit by bit, session after session, element after element, countless nights with less sleep, hurting necks, and a lot of fun, we finally completed the track. Then came the video that Howard did with all the screaming people with different origins and now, all the remixes from artists around the world. “Worldwide” is not just a cool word for the title, the release was actually made worldwide!

E: In the beginning it was just a fun idea, but then we received Trinitite’s first remix from Sweden and said, “Hey, that is just too good to be not released, so what can we do?” As the title of the EP was Worldwide Movement, we thought about who we can also ask for a remix. The Darkheadz from Switzerland are good friends of mine for over 15 years. They were totally into the project, and sent their remix very quickly. Re-Style I knew from many bookings and parties where we met and I love his style since his first record so it was no question to ask him, too. In the end, I think we really have many different remixes with different styles but all of them have to touch and vibe of the original. For me it is always hard to decide which one I play the next!

Worldwide Movement (HKD060)

The original Worldwide Movement track was a collaboration between artists. Any other artists you would like to work with in the studio?

BC: Actually, every talented artist with the same enthusiasm is welcome! Main thing is to have fun and at the end of the day: good music!

Who else would you love to see remix one of your tracks?

E: For me one of the best remixers is The Viper, so that would be cool!

BC: Noize Suppressor! He is one of greatest interpreters of hardcore. He is a real artist.

Oliver/Braincrushers

From your work on Hard Kryptic, what would each be your stand out track or release?

BC: “Worldwide Movement”, “STOMP!” and “Crush on You“. Honestly, we can’t make a decision!

E: That`s easy! The original “Worldwide Movement” is the best track I ever made! It still gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it, and even play it at all parties!

Any stand out tracks from HKR besides your own tracks?

BC: The “Return of the Pit” remix by Ophidian.

E: I love all the Braincrushers releases and the Triax vinyl release, but the most outstanding track for me is the Amnesys Remix of DJ Delirium’s “Blazin’ Out Your Speaker”. This one is an absolute masterpiece in my opinion! It also was the first Hard Kryptic release I heard, so it got me into contact with the label. I pushed my favorite record store in that time to order that record because I heard it and totally fell in love.

Triax – Stronger Than Ever (HKR004)

Besides being producers, you’re also established DJs who have played in many festivals and in different countries, including the United States. What different do you see between playing in the U.S. versus in Europe?

E: I first came to New York in 2010 for Speakerfreakz. I thought I stepped out of a time machine! So many different people with wild costumes, much dedication to the music. I felt like back in the nineties in Europe when the whole rave scene began, and everything seemed to be possible. At all the parties I played in the U.S., there where all different styles of electronic music: house, drum n’ bass, hardstyle, hardcore, and even dubstep. The people were so open-minded to everything I played. I started my set with hardstyle and slowly took them to hardcore, and they loved it! It was unbelievable! I will never forget when I ended my set with the Pussyvibes mash-up of the Braincrushers at over 200 BPM, and the DJ after me started a house set at 130 BPM. In Europe that would be impossible!

Do you have any advice would you give a new DJ or producer?

E: Do it for the love of the music, not because you think it`s cool.

BC: Stick to it, don’t give up. Make it with passion.

What is upcoming for you? Any new releases or remixes in the works?

BC: We always are working on something. Stay anxious! Tracks are in the works. Hopefully another banging release on HKR!

E: Not yet, but hopefully I will find the time to get back in the studio soon to make some serious noise!

Find more information at:

Hard Kryptic Records/Hard X Music Official Website

Hard Kryptic Records/Hard X Music Facebook

Hard Kryptic Records/Hard X Music Twitter

Hard Kryptic Records/Hard X Music YouTube

Hard Kryptic Records/Hard X Music Soundcloud

Da Tweekaz! Exclusive interview

by Deadly Buda and 3MiloE

3MiloE: Okay. Let me ask you a couple questions.

Marcus: Yes sir! I’ll be loud!

3MiloE: All right, that’s what I like to hear. Okay, my name is Milo.

(Kenth walks away from the interview for a brief moment)

Marcus: Sorry. Just me, the other guy walked away. We’re done here! All right. sorry, sorry. Yes, your name is Milo.

3MiloE: Yes, Milo. I’m a writer and promoter for the Hard Data magazine, and we’d like to ask you some questions.

Marcus: We are always open.

3MiloE: Where are you from, and what’s the music scene like where you’re from?

Marcus: Okay, we’re both from Norway. Born and raised in Oslo, the capital of Norway. The hardstyle scene in Norway is pretty non-existent. There’s one promoter, and he does his best. He makes a party called Hardstyle DNA and we made the anthem in 2010. I think that was the first anthem we ever did. It’s small, but it’s super dedicated, is all I can say.

Kenth: Everybody is super excited, every time we come over. They even talk English to us because they don’t even know we’re from Norway.  Every time we’re there, everybody is very humble and they know all the songs. Not that many people, but it’s still growing. Kind of like here, except you’ve got more bands over here.

DeadlyBuda: Wait, how’d you get discovered in Norway? How’d you end up in Holland? What the hell happened?

Kenth: When we started off, we had no connections to Holland, for example, where hardstyle was booming back in 2008. We started off just listening to stuff on YouTube and we were like, “Wow, this is really cool… definitely something that we want to do.” So, we started making music, and we got signed to an Italian label at the beginning of 2007 or 2008…probably in 2008. Then, in the end of 2009, we got contacted from a promoter from Belgium through a website called Party Flock. You guys heard of it?

3MiloE: Yes.

DeadlyBuda: Yeah.

Kenth: It’s a big Dutch website where you can check up on where you can go party, pretty much… a big forum. We got contacted through a promoter from Belgium and he said, “Hey guys, I’ve heard about you already and I want to put you on my label called Dirty Workz, and want to book you for Bassleader, like all the Belgium parties.”

( Coone shows up. and comes in on the interview.)

Coone: Are you doing an interview?

Marcus: Yeah.

Marcus: This is Coone, by the way.

(Marcus graciously interviews the DJ known as Coone)

Coone: No. I did the interview already.

(Coone referring to the interview we had done earlier that night)

Deadly Buda: Is this a new collaboration here?

Kenth: He wants to do it, but we’ll see if…

Marcus: We’ll see if he’s good enough for us.

(Everyone laughs.)

Kenth: Anyway, so we got contacted by this Belgium promoter, and we ended up having a little talk and he came to Norway and we partied for a weekend. Pretty much at the end of the weekend, he told us, “Welcome to Dirty Workz.” And that’s where the whole journey started.

Marcus: I got to say, because Dirty Workz is family. They don’t sign just anybody, they sign people who they think will fit.

Deadly Buda: So, you have to get drunk with them?

Marcus: Not necessarily. (laughs) I think we’re an exclusive for that. But, Dirty Works is a gimmick, it’s a brand. And we all represent the same thing; happiness, family, love, unity… the same as here. Here in America it’s PLUR . In Belgium, Holland we present unity, family, real friends. When we do Dirty Workz nights in Belgium and Holland, we’re all on stage having fun, showing respect and love for each other. That’s what it’s all about.

3MiloE: That is awesome. What animal best personifies your music and why?

Marcus: What animal best personas our music? I would say a bunny. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, but it fornicates like a motherfucker, meaning it spreads like wildfire. And it’s jumping up around like crazy!

Kenth: That’s pretty accurate.

Marcus: Yeah, it is. Yeah, bunny.

Deadly Buda: So, you’re mutual on this? You both said “bunny.”

Kenth: Yeah, I’m pretty cool with that.

3MiloE: That’s great. What are you trying to convey with your music?

Kenth: When we go on stage, all we want to see is happy faces. We want everyone to have a good time. When we sit in the studio, we pretty much brainstorm.  How can we make the crowd have a good time? We want to bring as much energy, as much party feeling, as much joy, and fun as we do making the music into the vibe of the party. That’s the best we can describe it.

Deadly Buda: What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you when you were mingling in the crowd?

Kenth: I signed a potato.

Marcus: But, we brought the potato. We brought this bag of potatoes.

Joel: In other words, you were signing your own potato.

Kenth: No. I signed an onion too.

Marcus: You didn’t bring the onion.

Kenth: No. I know I signed an onion. Got a lot of those weird penis grabs. (laughs)

Marcus: Penis grabs. I’ve signed a moon. We’re talking like, you know, because I’m balding as well. I admit it. I’ve signed a moon, I’ve signed butts. Weirdest things.

Kenth: Potatoes and the onions.

Marcus: Potatoes and onions. Signing potatoes and onions is not a normal thing.

DeadlyBuda: No, it’s not.

Marcus: But we do it.

DeadlyBuda: What country was that?

Marcus: Australia.

Kenth: And Sydney.

Marcus: The next year,  we brought bananas. We ate bananas on stage. It’s actually potassium. We need potassium to stay awake. It’s good.

3MiloE: What moments do you cherish the most in your careers so far as DJs?

Marcus: To be honest, going on stage and playing our songs, and to see people smile happy singing along. We’ve had people cry when they meet us. We’re just some regular guys having fun. We go in the crowd, we get drunk… we party just like the crowd. But, to see the mutual respect, the happiness that we bring. There was a terrorist attack in Norway in 2010? … ’11?

Kenth: ’11.

Marcus: ’11. We wanted to dedicate out set to them. We made a song called “Become”.  The whole track is about how the world is evolving and what we’ve become in the world. We play this track in Norway, and a lot of the victims’ friends were in the crowd. They were crying, and I was crying on stage. I will never ever forget that. I had sunglasses on, and they couldn’t see I was crying, but tears were just running down. I couldn’t stop. I’m getting emotional talking about it.

Kenth: I just want to add one thing: what makes this job so precious is when you get messages or you meet fans that they’re in a really rough patch in their life, and they’ve considered ending everything. They say that our music has helped them get through some of their toughest times, and that is so touching. Because we’re just sitting in the studio having fun, making music, and we don’t really realize how big of an impact our music has on certain individuals. And it’s …

Marcus: It’s unreal.

Kenth: It’s unreal, and it’s so heartwarming to hear people like that.

Marcus: To hear that we save lives, we save souls with having fun, and spreading the joyness, the happiness… it’s unreal.

Kenth: Yes.

Marcus: It’s incredible.

3MiloE: Wow. That answer was amazing. So, where do you see yourselves in a year from now?

Kenth: In a year from now, we’re hopefully going to have a little break. We’re going to be chilling on the beaches of Hawaii.

Marcus: But, we won’t because it’s 10 years of Tweekaz. So, we’re actually aiming for a big year next year. I’ll probably be bald because of all the stress. I’ll be bald in Hawaii, okay?  Let’s just say that.

Kenth: I guess they want us to be sipping on Mai Thais in Hawaii, hopefully, but that’s not going to be story in the end.

Marcus: Wer’e going to have a luau.

3MiloE: Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Marcus: To the U.S. fans?

Kenth: Sure. Well, the thing is… like Marcus just said.  We’re going to be celebrating 10 years of our career next year. So, you better be on the fucking look out for Da Tweekaz because we’re bringing shows, and we’re not talking ordinary shows, we’re talking specific special shows to every single country that we love playing in. So, we’re going to be bringing Tweekacore, and we’re going to be bringing one hell of a fun show, right?

Marcus: And some Jäger.

Kenth: And some Jägermeister. So, be on the look out because Da Tweekaz are not one, we’re not retiring, and we’re not going anywhere.

Marcus: Sometimes I wish we did, but…

Kenth: No, we’re still here, and we’re going to keep on rocking til’ we hit the grave.

Marcus: Yeah. And we’ll do some special contest next year as well. Some special meet and greet, some special giveaways, so be aware.

3MiloE: Can I join?

Marcus: Yeah, of course.

Marcus Nordli with 3MiloE

Kenth: You may.

 

 

 

Download The Hard Data Issue 13!

The Hard Data Issue 13 featuring DJ AniMe!
The Hard Data Issue 13 featuring DJ AniMe!

Download The Hard Data Issue 13, featuring DJ AniMe, The THD Summer Re-Cap, Musicoin and Deadly Buda Comix part 6! Click the link below.

Download Issue 13 of The HARD DATA!

If you would like a 6 issue subscription to the printed version of The Hard Data for only $6 ($12 worldwide) sign-up here and get this issue Free!

Or, if any are still left, you can pick up a copy at these locations.

 

 

Gxnnxr Pre-HE interview!

Gxnnxr’s has helped keep the hard dance vibe alive on the East Coast for a few years now. But how many of you know anything about him other than standing in the middle of one of his ripping sets? We got his head out of range of the near-field monitors for a second to get a little background for the THD faithful!

Where are you from?

Gxnnxr is playing at Hard Electronic Spetember 8, 2017.I’m from Harrisburg, PA, but you can usually find me at events in Philly, DC, and Baltimore because there isn’t a scene in Harrisburg. I think the biggest way that those areas have influenced me is to be more open minded about all genres. The scenes are pretty eclectic and the parties will have a huge variety of music. I think that reflects in my music because I sometimes include different styles and samples that wouldn’t be considered techno by some traditional techno lovers.

What’s the story behind your DJ Name?

My real name is Gunnar. When I started my solo project, I wanted a name which was more similar to my own name. X’s looked better than vowels, so I just ran with it.

Gxnnxr is playing at Hard Electronic Spetember 8, 2017.
Gxnnxr is playing at Hard Electronic Spetember 8, 2017.

Who or what events in your life are responsible for you being the artist you are today?

I think the biggest influence on me has been my experience running East Coast Hard Dance and Audio Havok with Eugene and the rest of the crew. All the traveling, meeting new people, and exchanging ideas have help shape me as a person, not just an artist.

There’s a theory that says experiencing new things helps connect neurons in the brain, which unleashes creativity because you see the world in a slightly different way. My experience in ECHD has for sure made me a believer. I’ve seen my musical creativity explode since we’ve been having all these new experiences traveling and running events.

What moment so far in your career do you cherish the most?

The best moment for me was the first big party that I ever played. Epic Adventure 2 in DC back in 2012. That was back when I was playing Hardstyle with my DJ partner Derick as The Qontrollers.

I remember the max capacity of the club was about 1,500 people, but 3,000 showed up. Most of the people crammed in to the room that we were playing in never heard Hardstyle before. It must’ve been over 120 degrees, you couldn’t breathe, and everyone was dressed in Adventure Time costumes, but the place was just bouncing. Anyone who was there still talks about that party. We went on to play bigger and crazier parties, but no party has been able to match the incredible vibe.

What’s the idea behind your music?

My music is meant to be fun for the crowd. I see a lot of artists who make music that is super technical and is hard to appreciate if you’re not a producer. That kind of stuff is great to listen to at home, but doesn’t always translate to a crowd. I just try to create something that is dancefloor ready and makes people want to move. That’s what dance music is all about for me.

What specifically are you planning to give to the audience at Hard Electronic?

I’m going to be warming up the techno stage, so I’ll be bringing some darker and some harder techno.  Come out to Hard Electronic this weekend and have a good time with us!

https://www.gxnnxr.com

https://www.facebook.com/gxnnxr

https://www.instagram.com/gxnnxr

На платформе Musicoin размещен первый в мире блокчейн DJ-микс

Каждый раз, когда микс “Rock the Blockchain” (автор диджей Deadly Buda) проигрывается на платформе Musicoin.org, 15 отдельных музыкальных треков в жанре электронной танцевальной музыки, а также их авторы, в течение нескольких секунд автоматически получают оплату.

Этот микс был завершен в 2:00 13 августа 2017 года, когда Deadly Buda выполнил интеграцию 19 “смарт-контрактов” на блокчейне Musicoin и приложил их к своему диджейскому миксу. “В целом, это кардинальная перемена для любого музыкального жанра, в котором участвует диджей: EDM, Disco, House и Hip-Hop,” – сказал DJ Deadly Buda.

Микс “Rock the Blockchain” можно послушать тут.
Hi-voltage-dude.jpg
Обложка микса “Rock the Blockchain”. Микс содержит 15 EDM-треков различных жанров: Hard Electronic, Dubstep, Hardstyle, Hard Bass, Jungle, Drum and Bass, Hardcore Techno, Shamancore, Tekno, и Ambient, авторами которых являются музыканты Counterstrike, Satroniq & DJ Delirium, Teknoaidi, Subterranean, Cap, M27, Harhor и Deadly Buda.

С тех пор, как формат диджейских миксов обрел популярность в 1970-е, он до сих пор пребывает в полулегальном состоянии. Поскольку записанный микс является непрерывным сочетанием нескольких отдельных песен или «треков», он требует многочисленных разрешений, документов и лицензий, чтобы стать юридически совместимым. К тому времени, когда необходимые документы готовы, аудитория обычно рассматривает музыку в миксе устаревшей, поскольку в моду уже вошло новое звучание. Следовательно, большинство диджеев на протяжении десятилетий не удосуживались получать разрешения и выпускали миксы «незаконно» на кассетах, компакт-дисках, а теперь на платформах Soundcloud и Youtube. Как правило, основные авторы в этих миксах не получают денег за свою музыку и часто даже не упоминаются в титрах. По этой причине диджеи часто не предоставляют плейлисты, чтобы избежать контроля, ограничений по времени, отсутствия надлежащей маркировки на танцевальных записях или, в худшем случае, хотят все внимание привлечь только к своей персоне.

Как ни странно, танцевальные продюсеры делают свою музыку специально, чтобы на ее основе можно было делать миксы, и призывают популярных диджеев использовать свои песни. Диджейские миксы, зачастую технически незаконные, являются основным каналом рекламы для небольших сцен танцевальной музыки или талантливых исполнителей. Итак, в течение последних нескольких десятилетий музыкальная индустрия вообще не применяла свои авторские права на диджейские миксы, хотя и могла это всегда сделать . Следовательно, диджеи, опасаясь потенциального обвинения, редко могут публиковать свои миксы для большой аудитории или получать гораздо больший доход, чем стоимость записей или Mp3, использованных в миксе. Кумулятивный эффект этой полулегальности заключается в том, что диджейские миксы по-прежнему считаются «андеграундом», хотя аудитория слушателей танцевальной музыки очень хорошо их принимает.

“Чем больше я узнавал о технологии блокчейна, тем отчетливее я понимал, что проблемы с законностью диджейских миксов близки к тому, чтобы уйти в прошлое,” – утверждает DJ Deadly Buda, – все разрешения, документы и платежи могут быть выполнены мгновенно.”

*Musicoin это сфокусированная на музыке криптовалюта с возможностью смарт-контрактов.*
Musicoin это сфокусированная на музыке криптовалюта с возможностью смарт-контрактов.

Технология блокчейна – это, в общем виде, распределенная база данных, поддерживаемая несколькими компьютерами. Самый популярный в мире блокчейн – Биткоин, он вдохновил другие блокчейны нацелиться на конкретные сферы мировой экономики. Musicoin, как следует из названия, ориентирован на музыку, музыкантов и поклонников. Когда пользователь воспроизводит песню на musicoin.org, исполнитель песни получает один Musicoin (стоит около 0,01-0,02 доллара США), и это происходит за считанные секунды.

Система блокчейна Musicoin позволяет музыканту загружать песню и прикладывать так называемый «смарт-контракт», который может распределять платежи нескольким сторонам, если это необходимо. Например, смарт-контракт можно запрограммировать так, чтобы каждый раз, когда играется песня, барабанщик, певец, гитарист и басист в группе получали раздельную оплату.

«Когда я понял, что каждая песня в системе Musicoin имеет свой собственный платежный адрес, я вспомнил множество знакомых музыкантов, делающих отличную музыку, которая подходит для загрузки. Затем я попросил разрешения использовать их музыку в моем миксе, – сказал Deadly Buda. – После встречи с некоторыми из музыкантов было решено использовать следующую формулу: 40% дохода от микширования поступает диджею, а 60% равномерно распределяются между песнями в миксе. Диджей проводит много времени, просеивая кучу музыки, чтобы найти драгоценные камни, которые затем он или она играет для публики, поэтому я хотел одновременно учесть эти трудозатраты и расходы, в то же время оставив достаточно места для каждой песни, чтобы она могла заработать деньги ».

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DJ Deadly Buda выпустил первый в мире диджейский микс с использованием блокчейна.

Новая парадигма создания и оплаты диджейских миксов теперь официально существует благодаря DJ Deadly Buda и Musicoin, “но предстоит еще много работы, – говорит Deadly Buda. – В самом ближайшем будущем, вероятно, появится только одно поле для ввода данных, которое сможет использовать музыкант и которое даст всем участникам системы право на микширование их музыки, поскольку она будет оплачиваться через смарт-контракт. Как только это произойдет, систему уже невозможно будет остановить, она принесет огромную пользу как существующей музыкальной индустрии, так и новым музыкантам.”

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