HCBXCast Vol 76 – Interview with Wasbeer

HCBX: Alright Jonas – how the hell are you?

Wasbeer: Hey, I am fine. I just arrived back home from New Year’s celebration and a small holiday to the UK – ready to head back to work, but also ready to head back to work in the studio: one of the two I am excited for and the other one not so much, aha.

HCBX: Thanks very much for getting involved in the show and sending on a top quality set. We'll talk more about the set in a bit. But firstly, how did you get into Hardcore Techno – you mention it all kicked off back around 2008? Was there a particular track or party that got you hooked?

Wasbeer: Back in 2008 I was in my first year of middle school. We had music class and some kind of show & tell thing to bring a CD. I didn’t really know a lot about music back then.

One of the class-guys said that the music that got put on did suck and we had to put on Hardcore.

It sounded interesting to me – I went on a search on YouTube and discovered the music from Angerfist and various tracks from Thunderdome that got me instantly hooked – the rest was history.

HCBX: You started out under the Terrorwasbeer alias, which already had a life before music through the This Is Terror radio show chat. Tell us more about the show and how you came about the name.

Wasbeer: First I need to talk about the “Wasbeer” part, which means raccoon.

Around 2011 me and some friends had an internet group chat for the video game we played. At some stage one of the guys went to the zoo and sent some pictures of penguins and stuff, but also of raccoons. There was a sign with information included about the animal and I thought it was very interesting.

The raccoon became like the mascot of the group eventually.

Around that time my musical taste did evolve very fast as I discovered the online radio channel Hardcoreradio from Rige. Every Thursday evening there was a show hosted by Chainsaw Madness, showcasing more extreme music and getting various DJs over to play like SRB and such.

DJ Plague from Canadian Speedcore Resistance was also involved a lot with the shows, as Chainsaw Madness also did live pyro with the CSR live act. As I was searching on the website of CSR, I discovered that there was a radio chat for the shows, so I joined it.

I needed a name for it, so Terrorwasbeer came out of the hat to write in this chat group.

DJ Plague eventually visualized the Terrorwasbeer with an artwork which I adapted for my DJ alt.

HCBX: What prompted you to step into DJing in 2015?

Wasbeer: A turn of events, but to start with: the dream already lived since 2011, to be honest.

I was 15 years old and I was also listening to some Hardstyle at that time. There was a kid of the same age, Adrenalize from Sweden, that brought out great music and played at events – I did want to do the same but with Hardcore, although I didn’t have a clue how without production skills or money for gear.

Time went by and in 2015 I was able to buy a cheap Hercules DJ controller from a classmate, and the Terrorwasbeer artwork was created by DJ Plague, so all pieces fell together to start out.

HCBX: Your first proper booking at Staalhard in Antwerp didn’t go well by your own admission. Talk us through that. What sort of tracks did you play and what was the reaction?

Wasbeer: It was only like six months after I bought that controller that I did a contest mix for the event I was really proud of (but listening to it back, wondering how it even got accepted, aha).

I could play at the event. It was not much – in a pub next to the bigger Zappa (where other hard electronic parties get hosted in Belgium, like Heresy for example).

I had zero experience with club gear, so I watched some videos about the club standard, hoping that I knew what to expect when playing there.

Turns out my intuition was totally wrong and their gear at the party was a bit more dated than in the videos I watched. Also, my headphones didn’t work on the mixer, so I technically couldn’t really mix the music.

Out of misery someone lent me his headphones to make the best out of it (without much success).

The music was some Hardcore and mainly Terror, around 200 to 300 BPM, and some Speedcore.

I remember people sitting down questioning their lives, two drunk people having the time of their life, and some friends also enjoying it – that sight meant the world to me, not the ones that sat down on their ass.

HCBX: A lot of people could have stopped there. What did that experience teach you, and how did it shape your mindset going forward?

Wasbeer: Of course I felt disappointed after, but as mentioned above: focus on the good things that happen, not only on the bad things.

I still wanted to carry on, even though I knew that not having decent gear at home meant it would be a hard time to get used to things.

After getting some money I was finally able to buy at least something of the Pioneer range, a DDJ-400 controller, which I decided to take on my future gigs.

That came with its own flaws and errors, but it did work and my mixing quality improved.

When I had to play on Innercore for the first time there was no space to build the controller setup and I just felt: now is the time – and I played on the club gear and it went flawless. Since then, the controller stayed home.

HCBX: You mention your focus shifted heavily towards Oldschool-driven sounds around 2018. Labels like United Speedcore Nation, Kopfkrank Records and Speedcore Worldwide clearly left a mark on you. What was it about that era and those labels that helped you kick on?

Wasbeer: Just the difference of how it was compared to nowadays Speedcore: how simple but effective those tracks were. The music of around 290 till 400 BPM gets me the most still, and that is pretty much the speed of the music on those labels.

The music hits you like a hammer. It sounds less raw than nowadays Terror & Speedcore but still packs a heavy punch.

And there is a lot of variation of music out there; every producer has its own personal style.

I’ve learnt that in those days people just worked with what they had at home, mostly only some kind of tracker software and samples, or a keyboard to derive some sounds out of.

And of course it is an important history and legacy to keep alive and adapt in its own signature of sound.

HCBX: Playing Deadtown in Germany in 2019 seems like a turning point for you, where the sound finally connected with the right audience. Looking back, what made that set different from what you were doing before? What are the memories of that night?

Wasbeer: It was great. I was on the verge of quitting, to be honest, because too many false promises did happen and gigs that I was excited to play got cancelled. So getting this opportunity given by Nekrosystem after talking on Masters Of Hardcore was amazing.

This was finally my debut in Germany, in the club I’d been to a few times before as a visitor: Mikroport in Krefeld.

This was when I still brought my trusty controller to play, so I did. I think it was my first full Oldschool-driven set, starting at 220 till 400 BPM and some Speedcore to finish with. I had to open, so it was a great warming up for the night to come.

Despite having to open, there were still quite some people that came to witness the set and the response was great. I had many talks with fans and friends, but also with other artists where I left a lot of impressions, like with Groan-er for example.

HCBX: In 2021 you joined the Speedcore Italia DJ team. How important was that move for you, not just in terms of bookings, but in finding your place within the more extreme end of the spectrum?

Wasbeer: Like mentioned prior, a lot of false promises did occur already: too many people wanting me to play but eventually cancelling the event, or refusing to pay travel costs and such. That stuff happens; that is the sad reality.

So when offered the chance I gladly took it, as I knew Speedcore Italia would take care of things, but also knowing that I would get a certain certainty to play on events, because there are plenty of Speedcore Italia events or involvements happening every year.

Also to be part of a community of other extreme producers from around the world. We are from a diverse bunch of countries: mainly Italy, but also Germany, Holland and France, and some further away countries like Norway, even Japan – and then you have me being from Belgium, one of the few Terror producers this country contains and the only one that is part of Speedcore Italia.

It is just fun seeing these people again and playing at events where really devoted people travel to. Some people drive over 1000 km, some people even flew from the USA or other far countries – it’s crazy, it’s dedication!

HCBX: When did you know you wanted to start producing tracks and how did you start that off?

Wasbeer: Already back in 2011 with my dream, but it didn’t take off sadly. I had “lent” myself a copy of Fruity Loops, but with zero knowledge and the wonky / messy workflow FL had (it did improve a lot throughout the years though), without success.

I tried again a few times later, but just couldn’t get used to it.

In 2017 a friend offered an opportunity to come over and play around with Cubase. He did follow a production masterclass of Angerfist as well, so he could show me multiple things.

I did enjoy the workflow of Cubase and decided to get the trial version to play a bit around with (which is very limited, eight tracks only) and created my first track at home: Dronken Wausman, which directly found a release on the now-defunct label Hakkuh Dan Records.

Looking back at the track: 300 BPM, a mess just built out of my limited knowledge, acid bassline. The track eventually got remastered for its five-year anniversary in a more Oldschool style.

But it was the beginning of everything to come.

HCBX: What gear do you use? Not just for production but for mixing too? You mention you started off putting mixes together in DAWs and buying a friend's controller. Has the setup evolved over time?

Wasbeer: The beginning of the beginning was indeed putting mixes together, aha. Some are still on SoundCloud (like Speedcore Therapie) at the bottom of my SoundCloud. I used MixPad for that.

After that I bought that controller from my classmate, a very small Hercules controller with Virtual DJ that didn’t work too great.

After that it was time to get more into the Pioneer gear. I have a big box XDJ-R1 at home and the DDJ-400 controller that I took to play at events, which I still use to record mixes at home.

Space is sadly an issue at my studio. I have collected a lot of vinyl but only have one turntable. I plan to do an upgrade and sell the big box for a smaller mixer and a second turntable.

DAW-wise I’ve always used Cubase 8 Elements, never upgraded, but it started to show its age and I recently switched to Reaper for a more efficient workflow.

I also have some hardware at home like a Roland Alpha Juno 2, a modular Neutron synth and a 303 clone. Some upgrades are in the planning as well.

HCBX: You've decided to split your output across different aliases. What prompted this choice? I've heard both positives and negatives on this from a few producers – how is it working out for you?

Wasbeer: I wanted to explore a bigger spectrum of releases and had the feeling it just wouldn’t fit under one alt anymore. Also by taking things more serious and feeling overachieved as Terrorwasbeer made me the choice. In all honesty, I never thought I would achieve as much and end up playing in so many different countries.

My name also generated quite a stigma of playing “only fast music” and also made its name thanks to the track that got a bit out of hand – for those that know, you will know (for those that don’t know: Ik Hak Niet Op Die Holle Kicks, of course). I wanted to get rid of that reputation but also have a healthy split honouring its roots: Wasbeer, but also a cool new name. The Impermissible came out of the hat (which means “the forbidden one”).

How it went: timing couldn’t be more horrible, I guess, as it was the Covid era, but I had the feeling that I didn’t have anything to lose as well because there was nothing going on.

It’s hard to get a new alt going, it still is. The Impermissible music usually gets a lower response / play count than Wasbeer does, but I had the luck to bring its debut on Noisekick’s Terrordrang with a massive turnout in the area, which made a great first impression. Also the first track release Canzone dell’inferno left a massive impression on the people.

HCBX: When you produce tracks, do you go in with a plan, e.g. “Today I'm going to create an Impermissible track”, or do you just make a track and see which alias it fits into afterwards?

Wasbeer: I have a big book of ideas to work with, so I pretty much always have inspiration going on.

I select something and start working on it. The usual core rule is: anything under 240 BPM is Wasbeer tracks, and anything above that is The Impermissible tracks.

But of course I do sometimes stray away from the rule. If a certain alt feels better suited, I will go with that, mainly decided on the spot if the vibe of the track feels like it suits the most.

HCBX: You've said you draw inspiration from Rock, Metal, Dubstep, Drum & Bass and 80s music. Do those influences sneak into your Hardcore productions?

Wasbeer: Yes, of course. Especially the sounds of the 80s – I have a habit to recreate (or blatantly lend) some sounds from 80s songs. Synthesizers from the 80s are just legendary.

Basslines from Dubstep or Drum & Bass, or various elements, also often sneak into my productions.

And yes, Metal – love using riffs! I would say: more to come for sure ;)

HCBX: Your album The Codex of Sound was written back in 2021. Would you say it's more like a long experiment than a traditional album, as there's a bunch of styles in this? What was the thinking behind the album?

Wasbeer: Creating an album isn’t an easy task. I just can’t mash a pile of tracks together and call it an album – there has to be a lot of thought behind it.

The track Analog Culture was the building brick for the album. I had an opportunity to play around and record sounds in a studio full of hardware and Euroracks, an amazing experience for sure.

I did demo the track to Headfuck Records for a vinyl release but never got a response back. I thought it was the best track I’d done to date, so it was a shame. I thought: this track deserves a worthy destination, and I was thinking a lot to find one.

Is it finally time to do an EP, or can I take this even further? I started to write down many notes, many ideas.

It felt like it was time, and it really was time because it was year one of the pandemic and I had nothing else to do anyway. I felt I had nothing to lose to devote myself to deliver the ultimate album – something that captures every sound that I love in one release.

To give a quick summary: film score, industrial, Drum & Bass, Gabber, French Hardcore, Terror in all its forms, Acid, 80s music, Breakbeat, Metal, melodic music.

The album just flowed. I didn’t witness any writer’s block or anything, only scrapped one idea which got reformed into another track eventually. And of course the collabs were easy to arrange because everyone else had time as well.

It became the essential building brick I needed to improve my sound to the way it is now. The amount of wisdom I’ve gained in the production journey is unmeasurable.

HCBX: Your vinyl debut was the EP Melting Point on Dedicated to the Core (where you have both Wasbeer and Impermissable tracks) - Do you reckon this is "your sound"? What finally clicked for you when working on this? 

Wasbeer: Not fully “The Sound” but close to getting there, in all honesty: I can’t fully remember the full thought behind doing the E.P. aha I just wanted to try again as I did some unsuccessful attempts before – I use the same philosophy as the album: I just can’t mash some tracks together, things do have to fit in some way or another. 

I did produce the track “245 Hammers Per Minute” when I went to play in Glasgow, I wanted to create more solid suiting music and bundle it together. 

After that came the track: “FILTH,” which is another really solid slammer. 

Then came Chop Shop Shiz’: The E.P. was in need of a more accessible track as well so this 205 BPM Deathchant style UK break infused Hardcore piece came out of the hat. 

Then I wanted to do an ode to “Terrorwasbeer” by creating a track around 300 BPM, using a bit of its old signatures (like the kick preset etc.) and “Warhead” was created. 

Then it was time to create “Melting Point”, that was a bit of a difficult task and I did purposely wait till the end to think a lot as the track needed to be perfect. The idea and concept art of Melting Point was created already and I wanted to deliver a track like it would be standing inside a steel melting oven or something, deliberately using sounds of factories and making it sound experimental/sinister and such. Kinda a small tribute and wink to a release that means a lot to me but also a lot to the “Underground History of Hardcore”: FIST-01! 

The guys from Australia did also sample/warp/mangle and use many sounds of a steel melting plant on their first release. 

After that I was wondering if there was maybe still space left for a Speedcore track. I did want to aim to deliver as much as I could one single vinyl to give the best bang for the buck. 

And it did, a short and powerful 416 BPM Track: “Omae Wa Mu Shindeiru” including riffs, power and a vocal sample from “Fist Of The North Star” that I wanted to use in a track for a very long time. 

HCBX: French Industrial, Oldschool Hardcore have become your main focus in mixing of late, and there's a fair French contingent in the HCBXCast set (which I love by the way!). What draws you so strongly to that obscure edge of the sound? 

Wasbeer: I finally had some recent opportunities to do so :) I have the feeling the “only playing fast” stigma is fading away and I did once want to prove it with this podcast as well. 

From a producer's perspective I just love how complex the sounds in those tracks can go: It’s a lot of knob turning and “Doing this and this happens” in producing which keeps things fun. I love to just play around and experiment, sampling things and warping them into oblivion. 

I think the same mentality houses in the many others that produce or produced this kind of music: Just play around with machines and sounds, experiment and create crazy obscure soundscapes and texture: That is something what I love a lot in French Hardcore there are just so many subtle changes going on but still managing to keeping the groove, a lot of music nowadays in other subgenres are having a hard time to keep a groove and are just too random to my likings. 

HCBX: Do you have any particular go-to tracks from that style that you want to shout out? 

Wasbeer: That list goes on endlessly aha, but I will recap some producers to check out: 

Starting off with producers that are active nowadays or have recent productions: Desolation, Oraj, Laboureur, Asmatik, NOXXS, Le Talium, Fabio SSP, but also some long active titans like Armaguet Nad, Middle M, SpeedyQ’s, Angel Flo, Atomic Compressor still going strong. 

The Old Radium / Micropoint stuff still stays an essential, just like the S.O.D.O.M. and its sublabels releases – Liza N’ Eliaz her music and of course Laurent Ho / Ingler’s music can’t be forgotten. 

Labels like old Psychik Genocide, B.E.A.S.T., Epiteth are also full with amazing releases: Use these as guidelines to start your Discogs journey and discover niche releases. There are for sure many artists out there or labels with only one release – French HC stays Underground as Fk anyway! 

Also the Free Party culture & Tekno deserves a shoutout, as a lot of these artists started out playing on free parties and a lot of the first releases found their sales there – Spiral Tribe is legendary and so are many other systems with their labels.. I did also include a little bit of Tekno into the mix for sure.

 

HCBX: Talk to us about the set you have sent in then - did you plan it out the way it's turned out, or did you just plug in an play? 

Wasbeer: I always aim to create a blend of Old tracks, hidden gems (whether they are old or new) and try to produce some new songs as well to include. I am pretty much everyday on the hunt for new music to include in my sets. 

Sometimes the music gathering can take a while but I always aim to create a folder with tracks I want to play out in a podcast or on an event and just do the thing with it, always plentiful and always prepared in case of having to play last minute or extra time and such. 

HCBX: You're definitely keeping the old school sound alive, and you've spoken about not being as connected with more modern styles.  Do you see this changing?  How do you keep your style going? 

Wasbeer: I want to start this answer off with: I do of course love new Terror & Speedcore, and everyone can listen to whatever they want. 

But I don’t feel as connected or totally disconnected with other new subgenres in Hardcore. I have the feeling these aim too much to deliver a set industry standard which limits the creative flow. 

Tracks are becoming shorter and shorter, a lot of tracks are under 3 minutes long already. I can’t see how a track that short can set a groove – and spoiler: They usually don’t do it at all. 

Prefer the more experimental mindset Old School producers take and especially the French HC producers: Want to do a track over 10 minutes long? Go for it! , want to include irregular tempo switches or stray away from the “4/4” structure? Just do it! Creativity shouldn’t have borders. 

HCBX: You've spoken about this music career of yours as a hobby that's got out of hand!  Did you ever see it turning out the way it did? And how do you see this developing going forward into the future? 

Wasbeer: No not at all, I always thought I would be a bedroom DJ occasionally playing on an event in Belgium and producing not really taking off but at this point of time I’ve played more outside Belgium than I actually did in Belgium, and released music on various labels. 

I only do see this trend continuing, playing some quality gigs and releasing music on various labels. 

HCBX: And outside of the musical endeavours - what else do you get up to?  You've talked about creating abstract art - is this the same headspace as creating music, or something completely different? 

Wasbeer: If traveling is a hobby, that would be my other hobby aha. 

The reference of creating abstract art is how I usually visualize myself making music and also how I explain it to people that aren’t home into this kind of music like painting some kind of abstract painting: It is niche and not many people will get it but a small group of very dedicated people will definitely get it. 

 

HCBX: What are you hoping to work on in the near future?  You mention having loads of demos prepared - a few more releases on the horizon? 

 Finishing the book of inspiration; It is endless so I guess I will keep on producing eternally. 

Year wise I will aim to bring out 2 E.P. 's on the “desired medium” as we say ;) I just need to complete the puzzle and find the right label(s) of course. 

And keep contributing to various labels like Speedcore Italia, my own “Wasbeer Records” and various other compilations that look interesting to contribute music to. 

And last but not least: Launch a new project that will replace the “WASBEERLIVE” concept and also will produce under that alt: The puzzle sadly isn’t complete enough to tell more about that yet one vital component still misses, so stay tuned in for that once that is obtained. 

HCBX: We'll wrap up here – massive thanks for the set. Right up my street! Anything else you want to get off your chest?

Wasbeer: Another book written, damn aha. I did quite some interviews to date, but this was the most interesting and lengthy, and definitely the most uncensored.

Thanks for having me for the podcast, and thanks to the people that have taken the effort to read the interview till the end.

For those that never heard of me and the set left a great first impression: welcome!

For those that are following for a while, thanks a lot – you guys and girls are the reason I keep doing this and keep creating abstract, heavy-hitting music.

Massive thanks to Wasbeer for a proper in-depth interview!  Here are some links so you can check out more:

HCBXCast Vol 76 Premieres on Saturday 10th January - 9pm UK Time here: https://youtu.be/5h91w0LSDFQ

🔗 Artist / Profile Links

SoundCloud – Wasbeer / Terrorwasbeer / The Impermissible
https://soundcloud.com/terrorwasbeer

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🎧 Sets & Music

The Impermissible – Innercore 20 Years Set
https://soundcloud.com/terrorwasbeer/the-impermissible-innercore-20-years-150625

The Impermissible – Deadtown 12 Set
https://soundcloud.com/terrorwasbeer/the-impermissible-deadtown-12-051024

Wasbeer – The Codex (Album Anthem)
https://soundcloud.com/terrorwasbeer/04-wasbeer-the-codex-album-anthem

Wasbeer LIVE @ 360Hertz – The Doomsday
https://soundcloud.com/terrorwasbeer/wasbeer-live-360hertz-the-doomsday-210924

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🎶 Release Info

Wasbeer & The Impermissible – Melting Point
https://www.hardtunes.com/tunes/wasbeer-and-the-impermissible-melting-point/88780

THROWBACK - HCBXCast Vol 17 - DJ Asylum 30th December 2023

A long, long time ago (I can still remember), way before we started doing the New Year Mixmarathons on HCBX, I was doing mini Mixmarathons all by my lonesome around the festive period (awwwww).  This one in particular was recorded with a bit Dutch courage (and some Dutch hardcore) for a 3 hour journey of hardcore techno spanning decades.  In reality it was just more of the same tracks I play all the time, but just... more of them.  Anyway, here's a wee recap of what went on.  I now have the set up on Bandcamp for a sneaky free download.  And also SoundCloud by popular demand (seriously though, 75 quid a year for something I can upload for hee-haw on YT and BC - the stingey Scotsman in me is showing).

Download the set for FREE on Bandcamp: https://hcbx.bandcamp.com/track/hcbxcast-vol-17-dj-asylum-part-1

Check it out on it's original home on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DAy01ow8RNM

Justify the expenditure by checking it out on SoundCloud here: Stream HCBXCast Vol 17 - DJ Asylum - 30th December 2023 by DJ_Asylum | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Here's what I waffled about at the time.

"DJ Asylum is back with a New Year Warm Up 3 hour set of hardcore madness. The first hour will be some of the best new and old gabber, followed by a couple of hours of hardcore techno & terror. In true pre Hogmanay style, the set was mixed under the influence of some medium strength imported beer, so expect shite mixing, but decent tunes."

Set list:

Cyclopede - Chemical Warfare
Cybernators - Ridiculous 
Undercover Anarchist - The Craziest

The Outside Agency - We Move As One
DJ Ruffneck - Massive!
DJ Jappo and DJ Lancinhouse - XTR Experiment
Da Predator - Art Attack
Square Dimension - A Brand New Dance (Trouble Mix)
The Outside Agency - Brainwaves
Mactron - Music For The Savages
Biodome - Watch Your Eardrums Pop
Ceasefire - Outer Space
Peckerhead - The Butterfly Wasp
X-Fly - Sin Of Hell
Peckerhead - Harmful Chase
Technosis - Rise Of The Demon
Wicked XXX - Damn Deejay
X-Fly - Hysteriko
The Stunned Guys - Fuck All
Biodome - Messing Up Society
Terrorizers - Straight From the Heart
BSE - Supremacy (DJ Asylum Remix)
Walter One - Live In Hell
Deathmachine - Dred (DJ Asylum Remix)
Lorenz Attractor - Raw Toy
Hammer Damage - C U Next Tuesday
Stickhead & Don Demon - Conquer The World
Lenny Dee & Ralphie Dee - The Mobster
Infarct - The Antichrist 
DJ Skinhead - DJ Skinhead (Mutha Fucka Remix)
Hammer Damage - Help Us
Geoff Da Chef - Noise
Stickhead & Don Demon - Demonhead
Nordcore GMBH - Stricher Remix
DJ Asylum - Out Like A Light 
Low Entropy - Psychotic Break
Delta9 - Gemini
DJ Asylum - Sick
Headhunter - Hellraiser
Syndicate - Appetite For Destruction 
DJ Asylum - Are You Ready Rotterdam 
Temper Tantrum - Step Back
UVC - Death Is
HCM - Lets Go Haggeneige 
DJ Kobe - Prepare To Die
Pardonax - Abundance Of Anger (DJ Asylum Remix)
Delta9 - Hardcore Chicago (Remix)
Beagle - Krush Hill
Taciturne - Skinned Alive
Suicide Squad - Radio's Scared Of Me
Low Entropy - Your Destiny (Steady Mix)
DOA - Our Father
Habitual Offenders - Severe Brain Damage
DJ Asylum - Motivate You
DJ Tron - Bloody Horror
Delta9 - Welcome To Hell
Hedonist - Divide Overflow
Hardcoholics - Releaser 
Embolism - The Player
James F - Nasenbluten 
DJ Asylum - Resist
DJ Asylum - Trash
Zeed - Sketch 6
Temper Tantrum - Destroy the World
Simon Underground and Count Negative - Sickko
Jack Lucifer - 96 Knights

All the best...

DJ Asylum

HCBXCast Vol 75 - Interview With Break-Counter

Break-Counter – Aberdeen’s vinyl-driven industrial hardcore and speedcore specialist – returns to HCBXCast for his third appearance, following Vol. 39 and Vol. 53. This time he delivers a double set for Vol. 75, along with a full video of him working the decks.

We jumped on the phone for a long chat about the new mixes, years of free parties and Aberdeen nights, his sister’s role in the early Scottish scene, building (and losing) a studio, and what keeps him chasing hard, fast, nasty sounds.

HCBX: Alright, thanks very much for coming back on HCBXCast. It’s basically a double set you’ve sent this time, which is great. I like how you've sent me the video of you mixing part 1 of set as well. Do you want to talk us through what you’ve sent in?

Break-Counter: Aye, no problem. The first tune is Joshua & Micropoint, on Epiteth. It was a recent purchase – I’d been after it for ages and there were hardly any left, so I grabbed it.

The second tune is brand new one from EPC, even though the tracks themselves were made back in the early 2000s, according to the info. I’m a big fan of his so I was buzzing to get that one.

Those first two records I knew exactly what I was doing with. By the third tune you can actually see me in the video flicking through the crates – nothing planned at that point. That’s just me down to a tee.

It kind of feels like playing live in a way. Recording it puts you under a bit of pressure. I don’t usually record video. I’ve planned to do it for a few years but never got round to it. So you’re actually the first person to get a proper video of me mixing.

HCBX: I’m honoured! Is it like that all the time then with your mixing – you don't plan out, just hit record and go?

Break-Counter: Well… usually there is a bit of a plan. I’ll do a draft mix first. When I’m happy with it, I know roughly where I want the mixes to come in and out, and I’ll set those records aside.

Then I’ll hit record while it’s still fresh in my mind. It still has an organic feel. If I do more than two or three takes, the feeling goes and I end up trying to recreate something instead of just mixing. Sometimes I just chuck it and start again.

The second set I gave you this time was actually meant for the last HCBX, but I came up with those other ones instead. There was a crap mix about three-quarters of the way through, so I shelved it. Then when you asked again, I already had something nearly ready for you – plus the bonus of the video.

I just used my phone to film it and my mate Jack merged the audio and video. He’s good with computers, so credit to him for making that video.

HCBX: It’s cracking. I get Tony Katana on the show sometimes and he does a similar thing. I like that setup. I’ve started trying to mess with it myself but need a bit more practice. I don’t get as much time on the decks as I’d like.

Break-Counter: Aye, real life comes first, doesn’t it?

With recordings, since about 2012 I’ve had the mindset that every time I mix, I record. That way I capture tracklists and can come back to things. After a while I get comfortable and forget I’m recording anyway. Video is obviously a bit different – that adds another layer.

With gains and levels, I’m always listening back to my sets – partly to learn the new records, but also to hear what recording levels are shite so I can fix them for future recordings.

I don’t actually sit and listen to individual records much. When I buy new ones, I’ll quickly get a set together, record it, and then listen back to the mix instead. Between that and the parties we were running up here from about 2012 to 2015, it’s just become a habit.

HCBX: Let's go back to how you got into this stuff.  When we were speaking earlier, You mentioned your sister – was she the one that got you into hardcore?

Break-Counter: Aye. When I was in Primary 7 / first year I was buying tapes – stuff from The Eclipse Club in Coventry, all the drum & bass and that. Grooverider and all that kind of thing. That was my first taste of electronic music of the “modern” era.

Then around ’93–’94, as soon as my sister turned 18, she started promoting parties – Bass Generator, Technotrance, ZBD from Shoop Records, things like that. She was one of the youngest promoters around here at the time, 18. I’ve no idea where she got the drive from, but she just did all the networking.

She ended up writing for M8 Magazine and Eternity Magazine as well. I’ve still got some of her articles from back then. She’d organise coaches from Aberdeen to Rezerection, and she was well in with the people who ran Rez – friends with them and all that. I never went to any Rez – I was only 14/15 and always thought I might not get in. Looking back at the pictures now they let everybody in – so I could probably have gone!

From there, with her promoting parties and bringing up people like Bass Generator, Technotrance, and then got to know Loftgroover, Mad Tech, Tempest – that’s where I got most of my influences.

Lofty and Tempest, their styles of mixing, and Mark Newlands as well – those three are probably the main influences on how I mix. I don’t mix exactly like them, but listening to their sets over the years shaped me.

My sister's name was DJ Majesty. There’s not much about her online now. She passed away in October 2013. She was involved with Fusion up here too and danced for Rez and the Fusion nights. 

But by ’96–’97 the scene all kind of died off. 

A lot of the records I buy are European now, with some British labels. I’d love if Scotland had more stuff like, say, Mouse In No Name or Low Entropy but from here. You’ve got Storm Records and that, but it’s very little. There was not much going on for Scotland unfortunately

HCBX: A bit later you said you were involved with Gabberdeen - how did that all come about?

Break-Counter: Once everything died down up here around ’97, there were really no more parties. Then in 2001 I saw a flyer – “Gabberdeen” – for a hardcore night just outside Aberdeen. I tore off the phone number, phoned it the next day, and that’s how I met the guy who ran it.

He gave me my first gig in August 2001. Mark N was booked for that night too – I’ve got flyers for it.

Before that gig I had a few Widerstand records, but not loads. I remember picking up the first Widerstand release from Sleeves Records in Kirkcaldy – I just saw a skull on the sleeve and thought “I’ll have that.” Took it home and went “what the fuck is this?!” In a good way.

HCBX: Back then that’s what you did – anything that looked evil as fuck, you assumed it was decent and bought it.

Break-Counter: Yeah, the number for the label was on about the third Widerstand release. I phoned it and Eiterherd answered. I told him I loved the label and said there couldn’t be many others making stuff like that. Then I just said, “I’m coming over to Austria to visit you.” He was like, “Yeah, no problem.” Couldn’t believe it.

So in June 2001 I went over to Graz for a week, visited him, bought records, did an online radio mix. It was just a random thing – there were no breakcore nights or anything on, I just wanted to meet him because he was a big influence.

He turned me on to Venetian Snares, Low Entropy and a few others. It blew my mind – it was a whole new thing with breakcore.

When I came back with those records and played them at afterparties in Aberdeen, nobody knew what it was. Broken up drums, weird arrangements – people were asking, “What’s this stuff?” I’d just say, “That’s breakcore – dislocated drums or whatever.” It was refreshing because it wasn’t just hardcore – there was this whole other thing.

Breakcore kind of fizzled out for a while and life took over. I met my son’s mum in the early 2000s, and my son was born in 2006, so everything went quiet for me with tunes and mixing.

Fast forward to 2011, I bumped back into a friend who’d been involved with the Aberdeen nights – my mate Collie, who promoted under the name Trash. Around the same time I bought a sound system and said to him, “Fancy doing some free parties?” I don’t like nightclubs – I prefer free parties, they’re more relaxed.

HCBX: The last time you sent me a set for the show, you had the Don't Panic picture on the flyer.  Tell me about these nights and the others you ran in Aberdeen?

Break-Counter: Early 2012, my friend’s cousin’s stepdad had a farm about 20 miles north of Aberdeen. He had a barn, so I laid a temporary dancefloor in it – I’m a joiner by trade – and we did three parties there in 2012.

They were our first three barn parties. He handled the promotion side – he had bands on too and tried to make it like a tiny T in the Park. We were covering the dance side with the decks. We didn’t play really hard stuff because the crowd might not have been receptive, but it was good.

After that, me and Collie started doing our own parties in Aberdeen, in The Tunnels. The night was called Short Notice at first, then we changed it to Don’t Panic. That ran from the end of 2012 through to 2015. The Short Notice name only lasted maybe six months, then it became Don’t Panic.

There’s never really been a proper, consistent hardcore scene up here – just dribs and drabs over 25–30 years. So we kind of built our own little thing during those 2012–2015 years. We had Mark N up in April 2014 on his tour – that was big for us.

Fast forward a couple of years, my friend Jack from Kirkcaldy got his hands on a unit in an industrial estate in Aberdeen to create our own studio. I decked it out, floored it, soundproofed it, put in the decks and a desk. We called it Southside Studios. 

We had it from summer 2017 up until just after New Year 2019. We put a lot of heart and soul into it, but we got chucked out when the place was redeveloped. We didn’t know that when we signed the contract – they never tell you their future plans.

There was a guy in the unit next to us, same size place, who’d been there 20-odd years – he got his marching orders as well. He was a welder/fabricator, worked on his own in what was basically a garage-sized unit. Everyone just got told to go. Gut-wrenching, really.

HCBX: Was it just for mixing or did you get up to other things

Break-Counter: We did more than just mixing in there. Jack (Stitched Closed Mouth) formed a band called Legion back in the early 2000s, so we had drum kits, guitar amps, the lot. He makes his own tunes as well and, like us, loves hard, fast, nasty stuff.

There’s a Southside Studios mix tracklist up on Gabber Tracklist World – a “Southside Studio Mix”. It’s still up there. We thought it was cool when the studio address popped up in a Google search.

We put so much into that space for those two years, then suddenly everyone was out. That’s just how it goes.

HCBX: Where else have you managed to play out over the years?

Break-Counter: My mate Gareth (Extremest) from Edinburgh ran nights called Terror Events. He invited my mate Dee Gabberdeen from Aberdeen down, and me as well, to one of his nights in late 2012. We got to know him – really sound guy.

I did a few of his parties around 2014, then got a wee gig off him at a castle in Dundee. It was a crossover party with folk from Glasgow. We only played for 20 minutes but it was class. That was end of 2018, around the time the studio was winding down.

Then he packed up, moved to Berlin, and started promoting over there with people like Christoph Fringeli from Praxis Records, breakcore heads and so on – all the right people.

He invited our mate Luke (Misery Cuts) over to Barcelona in 2018. That was Luke’s first gig abroad, playing his own tunes live. He’s from this area – one of our guys from the nights – and he’s a bloody good DJ as well. I usually go back-to-back with him when I can pin him down.

Not long after, I was invited me over to Berlin in October 2019. That was my first gig abroad. I was blown away. What a venue – huge turbo rig, serious sound system. Probably my best DJ experience so far.

The set’s on YouTube on my channel. It was hard from start to finish – proper hardcore. There was breakcore and all sorts played that night too, because Berlin folk love everything. It wasn’t breakcore from me that night, though – just hard all the way.

HCBX: As well as the YouTube channel, I see you have a bunch of SoundCloud account.  Trying to avoid the subscription costs?

Break-Counter: On SoundCloud I’ve got a few different accounts – different variations of Break-Counter – just because of the upload limits. I didn’t fancy paying subscriptions, so I just changed the dash to a wavy line or a space and created multiple accounts to put sets on.  It’s probably annoying for folk – they have to look closely to see which Break-Counter is which.

HCBX: You’ve clearly got a solid record collection – you always pull out cracking tunes when you’re on the show. Have you got a favourite record you always go to?

Break-Counter: That’s a tough one – like picking your favourite film. I like Gwal on Widerstand Records a lot. I’ve used that record loads over the years; that’s a definite go-to.

But generally, I try not to repeat tunes too much. Each set I put out, I try to use different tracks. The odd one might show up again, but I’ve got so many records sitting there that I probably don’t know well enough. I should be using them and getting them out there instead of always going to the familiar ones.

Gwal, Eiterherd, Low Entropy, Acid Enema, La Peste, Fist of Fury, Armagued Nad, Angel Flo, DJ Freak, NoizeCreator, Xylocaine, Embolism – all the usual suspects. I like PCP stuff, the Cold Rush Records material, and I like the slower stuff as well. I like all kinds – I can mix breakcore, hardcore, all of it.

In the early 2000s I was still buying breakcore, but I don’t really buy much of that now. There’s probably good stuff out there but I’m more focused on the newer hardcore and related things that are appearing. There’s not a massive amount, but it’s better than a lot of the “gabber gabber fuck you” nonsense you see, where it feels like mid-90s all over again.

Berserk Events – you seen them? They run nights in Holland. On their socials they’ve said they’re specifically into the kind of stuff we play – not Frenchcore, not the current Dutch mainstream. They’re purists. It was funny hearing that from Dutch folk.

They’ve had Senical and – I can’t remember if it was Freak or Lofty – on flyers. That was September ’23, a couple of years back. Seeing Senical and Freak/Lofty on a flyer again was like: now you’re talking. Where have they been hiding?

I’ve always liked Bloody Fist, Senical, that whole line. They stuck to what hardcore underground is, and they stuck with it. Same with a lot of Widerstand artists.  I’ve got most of the Hangars Liquids label too. 

HCBX: Cheers for that! I’ve got loads from you there. Is there anything else you want to get off your chest or talk about? And what's next for Break-Counter?

Break-Counter: That’s pretty much the timeline for me right up until now. And then obviously yourself getting me on board with HCBX and all the rest of it.

I’m planning to do live streams myself – more in the summer – in different locations around Scotland. Proper scenic backdrops. I’ve wanted to do that since I got the sound system but just never got round to it. That’s still a goal.

HCBX: Sounds like a good idea, as long as the weather holds!  Thanks again for doing this. Really appreciate it – and thanks for all the quality sets you’ve sent to for the show.

Break-Counter: No worries at all. Cheers for having me on again.

Break-Counter's set is live on Saturday 13th December 2025 at 9pm UK Time - Here: HCBXCast Vol 75 - Break-Counter

HCBXCast Vol 74 - Interview With Don Distorted

 

For Volume 74 we get Don Distorted on the show. The extremely prolific Amsterdam based producer presents a full set of his own tracks (which have passably been mixed by yours truly) for almost two hours of hardcore, terror, speedcore, hard techno... basically anything distorted. Strap in and take your medicine. Noise approaches. I catch up with Don on a few bits and piece ahead of the set.

HCBX: Alright Don, how you doing and where are you based these days?
DD: I am doing very good at the moment. The year is about to end, and if I reflect back on this year — what kind of personal goals I have completed — I should be happy and proud, and that’s how I feel right now. I am located in the capital of Holland, Amsterdam.

HCBX: You’re known for a sound that channels early-90s hardcore and terror — how did you arrive at that style? Was it nostalgia, the sound design, or something else?
DD: As I am 48, I am the generation who witnessed the start of gabber and hardcore. I always stayed true to the early hardcore and early terror from back in these days. Unfortunately the way hardcore and terror evolved is not completely my style. I listened back in the days to compilations like Gabberbox, Gabberdome and Thunderdome over and over, and it’s imprinted in my brain. With that given, I start my tracks thinking about that specific sound.

HCBX: What tracks or artists got you into hardcore techno and the harder music styles?
DD: Well, actually not any specific artist or tracks. It all started with collecting vinyl back in the early 90s of Turn Up The Bass. Those weird sounds I could listen over and over and could not get enough of it. Then you had compilations like Gabberbox and Gabberdome or Hellraider, and I thought back in the days, “I hope one day I can produce my own tracks.”
I do have some favourite producers like Drokz, The Destroyer, Noisekick, The Vizitor, Lenz, The Resonant Squad, Painbringer, Leviathan.

HCBX: You started releasing under Don Distorted fairly recently (in relative Hardcore Techno terms anyway!) — what made you move from listening/collecting into producing your own tracks?
DD: The funny part is actually I always thought that producing was a way league too far for me, as purchasing studio gear is expensive and therefore I never could do it. I don’t mind telling that I once was addicted to drugs and I just loved collecting all tunes — many different styles and labels. I have two massive YouTube channels called Early Hardcore Server 1 with almost 4,894 tracks/mixes and podcasts.

Once I was in recovery after rehab, I needed to do something with all the spare time I got. I loved getting buzzed collecting all kinds of tracks. Once in recovery the glance fell off it. I thought I could not love hardcore and terror anymore sober, but the opposite occurred.

Not knowing what to do with all this spare time but not wanting to leave hardcore… Hardcore has, in my opinion, nothing to do with drugs. I saw a YouTube short of DJ Painbringer making a hardcore track on his mobile phone through an app called Caustic. Wow, so cool. So on my back-dated Google Chrome laptop I downloaded it, and with no knowledge whatsoever how to build a track, I started messing around.

Slowly it took over my life — I wanted to become better and evolve. I started networking with some other labels. After a year knowing a bit of basics about how to structurally build a hardcore track, I dared to download FL Studio, and then the real work started for me.

HCBX: Tell us more about those first tracks.
DD: I can offer you a link to the first release on Rotjecore Records and a link to my first EP. As it all started actually with these tracks, I wanted and was destined to make professional tracks and learn it all myself.
Here are the links:

• ROTJE062 - DON DISTORTED - Distorted Destruction | Rotjecore

• First release ever on Rotjecore: Scratchemus (Lau’s re-mix) | Don Distorted

HCBX: Your releases sit on labels like Rotjecore and Gabbaret — how did those connections come about? Which label relationships have meant the most to you?

DD: My first releases ever are to be found on Rotjecore and Gabbaret. As some of you know I am very active on FB, and once I was in my music app Caustic, I saw a call from Rotjecore for their Christmas Hardcore Compilation. That was, I think, in 2000. Never released anything but dared to send the track to them. They loved it and I was ecstatic — within my first year of producing ever I got a release.

I started networking with the guys behind Rotjecore and Gabbaret. FB helped me to connect. I recommend any starting producers: go network, ask questions, get help. We are all happy to help each other. Those guys helped me a lot and some still do.

Also I loved the tracks of Biodome, so I started chatting with him and he helped me too. They watched me grow. SO THANK YOU GUYS!!

To be honest, this year was the first year — after 5 years of starting producing tracks — that I had my debut release on GGM Digital Records owned by DJ Smurf, and the debut album on the mighty Brutal Force Records. This is a reward after 5 years of hard work, almost daily working on my music, watching tutorials, asking other people for help to come this far.

HCBX: Can you walk us through your production setup — DAW, go-to synths/samplers, drum sources, FX chain, monitoring? How much of it is hardware vs digital?
DD: Actually you won’t believe this. My studio is an ACER laptop with Adam Audio speakers and Beyer TD headphones and a Midilink Audiotech III external soundcard — all other stuff is completely digital!

I have some favourite synths like Serum, Sylenth1, Poizone and old school synth Sytrus. I use FabFilter Pro-Q for end-mixing and love the distortion plugin Distructor which gives all your sounds and kicks a massive boost or twist. In every track I use Grossbeat for sampling and side-chaining. The FX Serum 2 series is also awesome. Some other FX chain plugins I use now and then.

HCBX: Your sound often feels like a mash of early terror, hardcore and a speedcore edge. Where do you draw your samples and sounds from?
DD: Actually I create my sounds and melodies through FL Studio’s piano roll connected to one of the above synths. I have a massive 600GB file of samples I can use, split and divided into snares, hats, atmos, drones, vocals, preset kicks (sometimes I make my own kicks through Serum 2), etc.

So I have my selection of sounds ready in my projects, and I just spin the wheels of the library, haha, and see what sounds best to it.

HCBX: When you write, what’s your usual workflow for turning an idea into a finished track?
DD: That depends. Sometimes I start with vocals, and depending on the style of vocals — angry, aggressive, stressed, happy, dramatic, scared — I start to create a track in that atmosphere of style.

I often start a track creating a loop till the end before a break, make the break of a track, and after that I enlarge and add or change the first loop before the break. Sometimes I just start from scratch.

HCBX: You’ve put out both EPs and contributions to compilations — how do you decide whether a tune is an EP track, a comp inclusion, or something you’ll hold for later?
DD: Actually I don’t make any difference, as I want to produce at my best. I think a track should be exactly the same quality as a track for an EP. On a comp I have to represent my artist name in one track, and on an EP you can do the same but have more options. Also depending on the offer they ask me for. Sometimes I make beginnings of tracks that start cool, but I put them aside for later.

HCBX: How do you approach mastering? Do you do your own finishes or work with a mastering engineer, especially to get that old-school punch?
DD: Well, to start with the end-mixing of my track, I do it all with FabFilter Pro-Q and a compressor and the built-in plugin Waveshaper of FL Studio. Once it is all levelled, I use Tonal Balance Control. That old-school punch is a mixture of FX plugins, compressor and FabFilter Pro-Q.

Mastering tracks that come on, for instance, Brutal Force — I won’t do myself. Mastering I hardly do myself as most labels like to do it themselves, but mastering can also be done through FabFilter.

HCBX: There’s a big early hardcore revival in the scene right now — how do you keep your productions from sounding like a straight rehash of the 90s? Where do you try to inject originality?
DD: If I hear producers who produce early hardcore, it’s kinda always the same melody, same structure, and to be honest I got bored of it. I love to combine sounds used in drum and bass tracks or even house tracks.

If you have your own style, you know you stand out of the big crowd. It’s fast, loud, and heavy percussions, snares and hats in fast MIDI patterns. I use my artistic flow and combine all sorts of sounds to make it sound different.

HCBX: Who are the producers or labels right now that you feel are doing interesting things with the sounds you love?
DD: I am busy with a collab with DJ Portos who released many tracks on Brutal Force Records. Of course my focus will be on Brutal Force and GGM as I am licensed contract. Though I do have aspirations for other labels as well. One day I hope to get a release on Gabberhead as well.

I would love a collab with The Vizitor, Resonant Squad or DJ Lenz.

HCBX: Live performance question — do you ever play out live, or have any plans to take Don Distorted to the raves?
DD: To be honest, I WOULD LOVE TO!! But first of all I only can do premade mixes from FL Studio with some copying and pasting sounds between two tracks, so therefore I thank you Andrew for mixing my tracks into this show — awesome work my man.

I have some plans in the future to learn DJ-ing so I can play my tracks at hardcore parties. That would be a dream come true.

HCBX: What’s next — any upcoming releases, collabs, or experiments you can tease for HCBX listeners?
DD: Hell yessssss I have!
I am busy with a debut EP for GGM Digital Records.
My second EP for Brutal Force Records lifts off in 2026 somewhere.
I have two tracks on the upcoming compilation Rawforce 8 — speedcore and terror track.
I might do a second Toxic Sickness mix next year made through FL Studio.
I also plan — but unfortunately I do not have much time — to create a TikTok show or YouTube show and teach newcomers to produce in FL Studio.

HCBX: Finally — anything else you want to get off your chest?
DD: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS — FCK THE MAINSTREAM, STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF AND DON’T FOLLOW THE SHEEP!
Oh yeah — and the day I start making tracks with uptempo piepkicks, please shoot me then!

Check out Don's show on HCBXCast (Mixed by DJ Asylum) here: HCBXCast 74 - Don Distorted

Resurrecting the Devil - DJ Asylum

Resurrecting the Devil

Every now and then, I go down a bit of a rabbit hole with music — usually some daft idea that ends up eating way too much of my time. This one started with a random memory of a track that’s haunted me since the 90s — a Loftgroover tune that was never properly released. What started as me messing around on the Behringer TD-3 turned into a full-blown attempt to resurrect a lost bit of hardcore history.

The Memory

A couple of years ago, I got myself a top-notch 303 clone — the Behringer TD-3. When I was learning to program it, I messed about with an earworm of an acid bassline from my youth — a long-forgotten track by Loftgroover that was never released.

After the Rezerection (Scotland's premiere raving haunt of the early 90s) Event 2 back in 1994, I bought the tapes of the set recordings, and even though I didn't remember it on the night, Loftgroover played a cracking track at the start of his set called I Am The Devil (it wasn't until much later that I discovered the title - but it makes sense when you hear the track). It was his own track, one he played at a few other raves around that time — then it disappeared (as far as I could tell), and I never heard it played out again.

A year or so later, Lofty released the ScareCore EP on his own Redhead label, which included a version of I Am The Devil called the “Event 2 5AM Remix.” Excitement! Was it finally being released? Seemed like it. Until I got the record home… and it was a completely different remix. Still a good version, but not what I was after.

Reading through hardcore forums at the time, it turned out the original was a dubplate that never got released — I assume the recording was lost. Anyway, back to the TD-3 — I managed to program the bassline from my memory of the Event 2 tape, recorded it into Ableton… and then forgot about it again.

Rediscovery in 2025

Fast forward to 2025. I recently changed laptops when old faithful died, and transferred all my old files (which was a bit of a chore) to the new one. I’ve got a habit of starting tracks and never finishing them — I’m into triple digits with unfinished projects — and thought, “New laptop, new me.” Maybe it was time to organise and start finishing (paradoxically) some tracks.

After identifying about eight that were just called “Untitled,” I stumbled across the acid bassline from Devil.

Sometime between recording the acid and the file clear-up (I may need to work on chronology — this story has more time jumps than Quantum Leap), I’d acquired the Lofty tape from Event 2 again (along with a few others from the same night) and acquired a 4 track mixer with tape deck.

Finding that file was one of those lightbulb moments. Now, I’m not a great music producer or musician, but I’ve got a bit of persistence in my arsenal (well, when I’m interested in something… I understand that’s a contradiction given the 100+ unfinished tracks, but when something gets into my head, I’m fairly unshakeable). Possibly some undiagnosed nonsense going on in my brain that keeps my stupid ideas running to completion (oo-er).

So my thinking was: since I can’t buy or borrow this track — and I even went as far as messaging Lofty to ask if he had any tapes with it on — why don’t I try to rebuild it from scratch? Off to Ableton we go!

Rebuilding the Track

The biggest problem (other than my production naivety) was that the tape was about 30 years old, shite quality, had MC XXX and (MC Ribbz for a bit) trying to spit bars over the top (I reckon the BPM was a bit higher than he was used to), and the track itself was mixed in with Rave A Graphixx’s There Is No Other (the good mix!). So… where to start?

The kick, from what I could make out, was a muffled, thumpy 909 with a little distortion, some basic snares and hi-hats — and the claps. I always liked how Loftgroover did claps: echoey, reverby claps that sounded like they were heralding the apocalypse. I managed to get the drum structure fairly easily. We’re off to a great start.

Now, the acid line. When I tried to shoehorn it into the drum track, it didn’t sound good — a bit too clean. I clearly wasn’t twirling my knobs enough when I recorded it all those years ago. TD-3 time again. This time I added a bit more distortion, vigorously twiddled the cutoff, and I think I got the melody closer to the original.

Sampling and Sound Design

The intro — “BRRRR BRRRR… Hi, is this the police?” The MC who came on before XXX talked right over the top of it, but I managed to sample one clean telephone noise — and that’s all I needed.

The female vocal I couldn’t sample because of the MC, but the ScareCore EP had the same sample. Got the record out — job done. The “What? This is Six… Six… Six…” wasn’t on the ScareCore record, but “I Am The Devil” was. So I had to clean up the tape recording and put some distortion on it.

The finished product sounds okay-ish — but it really does sound like I’ve sampled a thirty-year-old, minging mix tape. Tinny and hissy… but complete.

The easiest part — and the bit I’m happiest about — is the telephone riff, which I sampled from the intro and loaded into Ableton’s Simpler to create the melody. A straightforward bit to recreate from the tape and definitely the part that caused the least stress.

From the easiest to the hardest: toward the end of the track, when Rave A Graphixx is getting mixed in (and if you know Loftgroover’s mixing, he cuts between tracks pretty rapidly), it made it hard to properly hear the low, squelchy, evil synthy section.

I had no clue how to recreate it — or what it was made on (possibly a 303 through some pitch shifting wizardry). This is probably the section I’ll get the most criticism for (if anyone actually listens), but aside from the TD-3, I’m shite when it comes to synth sounds.

So, I tried mapping out the MIDI pattern, then loaded up every virtual instrument I could find until I got something vaguely similar. Then I added whatever effects got it closer.

Alright, I’ll level with you — it sounds nowt like the original, and it doesn’t sound like it was made in the 90s. But you can only piss with the prick you’ve got. So that’s what I stuck with.

Finishing Up

Once I had all the parts, I mixed it, remixed it, and over the course of a couple of months, tinkered with it more than I should have. But eventually, I decided enough was enough — time to stop messing about and draw a line under it.

Overall, it was a vaguely enjoyable process, then a crap process, then an okay process, and finally a relief when I decided to stop working on it. Not sure I’ll take on something like this again, but this was one of the only tracks I completely fell in love with but couldn’t obtain. I’ve always been able to get my hands on almost any track I’ve wanted over the years in some way, shape, or form — I’m a bit obsessive (one day I might write my memoirs about hunting down certain tracks for years).

I’d like to say I’m happy with the end product… but I’ve always been my own fiercest critic. Still — fuck it. It’s out there.

DJ Asylum

You can listen to the poorly produced cover version here: Loftgroover - I Am The Devil (DJ Asylum Remake)

HCBXCast Vol 72 - Interview With DJ LSA

Making his debut on HCBXCast, DJ LSA steps up with a thunderous mix that fuses a number of different styles but is essentially industrial as fuck hardcore. An unmistakable underground edge that defines his sound. Ahead of the set, I catch up with LSA to pick his brains about his origins, his bloody excellent momentum in hardcore, and ermmm..... pegging. 

HCBX: Alright Pascal! Thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions, and for the debut set on HCBXCast. How’s life treating you these days, and what’s been keeping you busy?

LSA: It's going well! Has been quiet for a while now, but there are finally some gigs coming up again and the next record of my label has gone into production too, so that's all great. Also working out a new hardware live setup, so that I can do that at gigs too! 

HCBX: The set is an absolute cracker of Industrial hardcore. Tell me about how you pulled it together. Did you plan it out, or just hit record and go for it?

LSA: Thank you!! I just approached it the same way as I do for gigs. I always start by thinking about the vibe I want to convey, and then start picking out records that fit this. I do not play every weekend, and I really do want to give people the best I have, so my sets are pretty much always mostly planned ahead. I always want to put various styles in one mix, so I always also need to pick out "in-between" tracks, so that I can smoothly transition styles without it being too abrupt or obvious. 

HCBX: What tracks or artists got you into this type or music initially. Do you have any favourite tracks from the early days?

LSA: When I started out as LSA I mostly just played Early Hardcore / Gabber - my favourite track from that time that pops into my mind is "Omar Santana - Wizard Of Oh". Other than that, it was mostly the Ruffneck and Cenobite people that inspired me.

For the (French) HardKore stuff I do now, I remember listening to Laurent Ho's mix on MCM. I heard it around the same time as I started as LSA. It was so different from all the other 90's Hardcore I heard at that point, and I did not fully understand it yet, but it did set a clear path for me that I would follow years later. All the tracks from that mix have become favorites of mine, but hearing that first (pitched up) track "Difficult Child - Big Bang" still gives me goosebumps. 

HCBX: You’ve shared that as early as the age of 9 or 10, you were tinkering with hardcore in FL Studio under the alias “DJ Biohazard” — how did that happen? What got you into hardcore (and producing) at such an early age?

LSA: As long as I can remember I've always been into Hardcore, even before I actually knew what it was. I remember being very young, laying in bed way too early and not sleeping yet. I heard all the cars drive by, and sometimes I would hear these bass sounds with a high BPM coming from the cars' subs and I *LOVED* that. There was also a yearly festival around in my hometown when I was like 5 years old, which was loudly audible in our house. My parents hated it, I loved it. I later on discovered what it actually was, and have always been a Hardcore Head since. At that time though I mostly listened to mainstream (now millennium) and a bit of terror/speedcore.

I remember tinkering around with a shitty music maker program even before being 9/10, that was very limiting and you just put in premade loops or something. Don't remember a whole lot of it, but TBH I think it was a fun thing to play around with as a kid. After that, my dad arranged a copy of FL Studio for me and my brother with a Hardcore Sample pack. The stuff I made back then was absolute dogshit, but somehow the idea of being a Hardcore producer never left me.

HCBX: You eventually landed on “LSA” as a name — what's it stand for?

LSA: I hate the origin of my name, haha, and I've avoided this question for a long time now. When I started as LSA I was very much into that Psychedelic Hardcore stuff (think Ruffneck/Cenobite), and I was fully set on trying to make that style. I was also watching a lot of documentaries about drugs, just out of interest. DJ LSD seemed a bit too obvious, so I went with something close. LSA is like a similar but natural alternative to LSD that you can legally get in Smart Shops. Why I thought this was a good idea, I have no clue. People that know me well know that I've never used drugs and have no interest in it, and I've also moved on from the Psychedelic style of Hardcore. So, I don't really identify with the name anymore.

Since a few years it has been given a different meaning though, and not even by myself. It started out by Pardonax writing my name out as L.S.A. as if it were an abbreviation on his Sedation flyers.

I'm always tired late at parties (probably since I don't use dope, haha) and I've been caught asleep a few times. Because of that, Pardonax made up a meaning for the abbreviation. "Lethargic Sucker Audio" - a self-referencing nickname where I'm the Lethargic Sucker ;)

I've stuck with that since.

HCBX: You mention that for a long time you were almost isolated in the scene — you didn’t know other producers, organizers — and that made it hard to hammer out your sound. What kept you going?

LSA: Haha, that's the thing, I had actually kind of quit. At the start, I was too young to even go to parties so I did not meet people that way. I did try to get my style of Hardcore active again in my hometown (but it was not very successful). When I was finally old enough to go to a few parties, I did meet some people, but not really a lot of DJs and Producers.

I had a specific vision of the sound I wanted to make, but I did not know how. And at that time, there were of course no tutorials online on how to make authentic 90's psychedelic Hardcore, haha. Knowing no other producers as well, it was all up to me to figure it out. In the end, I got pretty close to the sound I wanted, but to keep up with coming up with new stuff was hard and frustrating. In 2015 I released the last LSA track of that period. I do have a millenium style track that I made early 2016, but I never released it.

I did continue DJing locally for a while after that, mostly at the youth center (where pretty much only I liked this stuff, haha), but that also got pretty boring. Also for the DJing side I never really dove into discovering more Hardcore (and especially did not have something like Soulseek to get vinyl rips), so I ended up playing the same tracks for too long and getting bored of DJing altogether. 100% my own fault. I played my last local party in the summer of 2017 (which was a pretty cool outdoor festival stage I organized with DJ Lunatic).

HCBX: Since then, your network has expanded, collaborations have grown, your label Aphotik Assault is active. What’s different now, for you, from then? And how is running a label?

LSA: Due to a certain person (which we'll talk about later on) I got back into the scene and met a ton of new people (and artists!). Talking with all these artists, working together and seeing how they do their thing has given me so much techniques and inspiration to work with. 

Also, I started DJing with vinyl. With this I was able to find a ton of (obscure) material to play, which really gave me my love for DJing back.

About running the label, it feels weird. It all started out to just get our group's tracks on vinyl to play ourselves during sets. But now that we started doing publicly available releases, it's clear that there is a demand for our sound. I'm pretty introverted and my network is pretty small, so it just feels surreal to hear the label's tracks being played by other DJs.

HCBX: In 2016 you played your first gig outside of your hometown. Can you tell us how it came about, and what are your memories?

LSA: My brother and I occasionally did some design work for Early Gabbers, a Facebook Group that also sometimes organized parties. So, because they knew me, they booked me at one point. I felt really proud, but I was so incredibly stressed for weeks leading up to it. The gig went pretty shit because my self-taught DJing techniques absolutely sucked, so I was pretty unhappy afterwards. That, combined with the stress, really wanted to make me quit, and eventually I did. When I started again, I still had some issues where gigs gave me a ton of stress, but luckily that's all gone now.

HCBX: You've spoken about how in 2018, Pardonax reached out to you about your older tracks, reigniting your drive to produce and DJ. How was that? Did you get straight back into it?

LSA: It was pretty cool to get that message, asking if I still produced. I just silently went away at one point and didn't think people even still knew me. He kept on 'annoying' me, slowly getting my interest back. It actually took a while. I had all these 'rules' in my head about what my tracks should sound like, still stuck in what I originally wanted to do but couldn't. I also had this thing in my head that people expected a specific style of me as LSA.

That made it pretty difficult to get started again and motivation was still not that high. Eventually near the end of 2019 he started dragging me to parties, which caused me to meet some cool people (like I said before) which helped, but I still had these 'rules' in my head. To get rid of that, I started making some extreme stuff as HEADCRAP, just to get some more experience producing again, which greatly helped my productions as LSA. Now those rules are all gone and I just make whatever I want, hehe.

About DJing, pretty funny how that started again. I had been looking for years for a track I heard somewhere. Of course, Pardonax was able to ID that instantly and also sent me a seller on Discogs along with some cool and obscure stuff he was selling. I bought the records, and when I played them on my turntable (that wasn't meant for DJing) I just started screwing around with the record. That caused this "you know what..... this is kinda fun" moment, after which I bought legit turntables and started collecting vinyl. Thanks Pardonax, my wallet will never recover from this.

HCBX: I reached out to Pardonax to let him know you were coming to the show... he had a couple of questions for you. 1) Why is Pardonax a better producer than LSA. 2) Do you like to be pegged (not sure if he was offering...) - But seriously he wanted to know how you feel you are progressing and what your proudest moment has been in music?

LSA: Amazing.

1) I mean, I kind of have to agree. Just the way he does not give a fuck is inspiring. I should do that more often.

2) I will neither confirm or deny... But any goth baddies HMU.

3) I'm just always looking for new records and new techniques for producing, so I feel like I've been non-stop moving forwards for years. Especially in recent years my productions have gotten closer to the sound I also love to play in my DJ sets, which I'm really proud of. My proudest moment is hard to say. I've been proud of everything that I was able to do these last few years, from playing at the small private Sedation parties to playing for a full area on Madness XL, and now the release on Epiteth too.. So much to be proud of :)

HCBX: How do you approach your collaborations (like My Computer with Pardonax for example) — how do you approach working with someone else? Is it splitting stems, bouncing ideas off each other, or other ways?

LSA: Completely depends! For My Computer, Pardonax had already started the track and brought it into my studio, where we finished it together. Another time, we made a track where he just gave me 6 minutes of percussion, where I added some elements on top of.

Other times, with other producers, we just visited each other's studios and just started working from scratch, where we each just took turns adding stuff to the track.

HCBX: You are definitely gaining some serious momentum in hardcore techno. Do you have any highlights or memories you want to share from playing or getting involved in the scene?

LSA: I mean, the whole of 2024 was a big insane highlight. Aphotik Assault started getting real traction, I got booked in Italy and Germany and just had the most amount of gigs I've ever had before. I'm so insanely grateful for everything that happened.

HCBX: What's your gear setup like, both for DJing and producing? Have you stuck with FL Studio, or have you moved on?

LSA: For DJing I have these shitty Reloop RP4000mk2's. They work fine, but I cannot even properly put Tonar Banana needles on it because they keep on skipping (heard this issue from others with similar Reloops as well). As a mixer (and for the occasional time I have to spin digitally) I use an XDJ-RX. Since Pioneer's phono conversion absolutely suuuuuucks I had to get some external preamps.

Before that I used an A&H Xone:23, absolutely loved that thing.

For speakers I use Presonus Eris Studio 5's, not much to say about those, they sound pretty good.

For producing, most of the stuff I do is in FL Studio. Funnily enough, I built a sick hybrid studio last year. I never really used all the hardware I got though since it did not fit my workflow, which was a waste. Nowadays I mostly work with (self-made) samples, chopping them up a ton and adding FX beyond recognition. 

I changed the hardware setup to mostly be focused on playing live, which I want to start doing again. Still got some of the stuff from my old studio, so now I have a Launchpad X, Launchcontrol, Eurorack modular, Behringer 2600, Behringer RD-9, Behringer TD-3, Mackie 32:8, a nice pair of Focal 65 Evo monitors, and a bunch of random effect pedals.

HCBX: Under your alias HEADCRAP, you go with more extreme music and speedcore. How do you get yourself into the two different aliases? Are you in different moods?

LSA: Mood never really has anything to do with it, haha. I can be really happy and make a dark and depressing track, or feel really shit and make something happy. It's just all about the inspiration I have at the moment I start making something.

HCBX: In 2024, HEADCRAP, played hardware live for the first time. How did that go in comparison to your usual performance style?

LSA: Yeah, that was sick. Pretty different from DJing. Spent months making sounds specifically to play live. Not sure if I'll do it again as Headcrap, but I did learn a ton from it and will apply those learnings on my new LSA live setup that I'm working on.

HCBX: As mentioned earlier, congratulations are in order for getting an LSA track onto the latest Epiteth record alongside some legendary producers - how did you get involved in this?

LSA: Thanks! This also still feels so surreal. I was working on a track that was meant for AA's 4th record, but then I saw that Hô posted on Instagram asking for demos for Epiteth. Normally, I don't approach labels to send demos, but for this I could not resist. If they would not accept it, it would've been released on vinyl either way. To my surprise, it was accepted and the response I've gotten from it was truly amazing. I'm incredibly thankful!

HCBX: Who are you listening to and who is inspiring you now in the hardcore techno scene?

LSA:  Of course always the other AA guys (Pardonax, Arvid, Biscanna/Smoker/Ganjaz etc) inspire me a ton and make some of the best music in the scene IMO. There are so many more names to mention, but I won't for now. Don't want people to feel left out in case I forget a name ;) just check my reposts tab on Soundcloud to see what I really support, haha.

HCBX: You’re involved in a videogame project with your brother and design artwork as well. Must be different from producing hardcore tracks! Tell us about your other projects and what keeps you so creative?

LSA: I can just not sit still, haha. My mind is always going a hundred miles per hour, and I keep getting ideas for stuff I want to make. I won't say much about the game here, since I'm not here to promote that. But I can say that it's a very cute and wholesome adventure game (completely opposing my music style, haha) and the development is going well (albeit a bit slow since I have so much other stuff to work on). Every week I just focus on a different creative hobby to spend my time on. For now, it's mostly making music, making that game, making artwork for the scene (flyers and records), a bit of WH40K mini painting and some analog photography.  

HCBX: What’s next for LSA / HEADCRAP — any other new releases, projects or gigs on the way?

LSA: I'll keep on going so there's always stuff coming! I will focus a bit less on producing for the coming time to focus on my new live setup. Got a backlog of unreleased or nearly finished material though, so tracks won't stop coming out. Gigs are finally coming in again after some months of silence. End of November I'm doing a sick b2b with Biscanna at the Zinloos Geluid release party. Also some more stuff coming up that has not been announced yet, so check my Insta for that :)

HCBX: Finally, anything else you want to get off your chest?

LSA: Yeah sure! You can't pretend you're 'different' from others if you're dancing in a sold out filled to the brim arena to your shitty hyper-commercial music. Stay small, stay humble, and go listen to some horrible noises. Cheers.

DJ LSA's set goes live here on Saturday 15th November here: HCBXCast Vol 72 - DJ LSA

Aphotik Assault is on Bandcamp here: Aphotik Assault

Follow DJ LSA on SoundCloud: LSA SoundCloud