Back on HCBXCast for a second round, Larry Nevermind returns with another uncompromising set of speedcore and terror. As a driving force behind Apocalypse Recordings, he’s been holding it at the harder end of the spectrum for decades. We caught up to talk origins, production, and the mindset behind keeping things fast, heavy, and to the point.
HCBX: Alright Larry, how the hell are you? Welcome back to HCBXCast – second time on the show. What’s changed for you since the last mix you sent in?
LN: Another year around the sun.
HCBX: This new set is absolutely relentless - you mentioned you done a few takes to find out which flowed best - is that your usual approach to mixing or do you plan out what you are playing?
LN: I used to practice sets over and over to make them as perfect as I could. It's relentless and time consuming. More than that, later on while listening it sounds practiced. Which is cool, absolutely. But as I've gotten older, I started to feel one-take mixes are the best. They keep a good flow going sound-wise. If one mix goes off, stop and start a new one. All new tracks.
HCBX: Your music is pretty unique, and your label Apocalypse is one of the most influential and ever present in the harder end of hardcore techno which goes right back to the 90s – what first pulled you into hardcore and pushed you towards the extreme end of it? Were you coming from rave/techno scene originally, or were the roots elsewhere?
LN: I never liked techno. Still don’t. I came up as a teenager loving 80s and early 90s hip hop and SLAYER!
One day I was on the hunt for LSD in late 1994 when I bumped into an old childhood friend who brought me into a new world. A few weeks passed and they decided to convert me. One guy had a DJ Keoki tape, which was weak bullshit. The other had a DJ Repete tape (back then there was a DJ Repete in NYC playing hardcore). Anyway, the Repete tape was awesome. I was hooked.
HCBX: What was the scene like around you at this time? Were there local events, or did you have to travel a bit?
LN: There was no scene where I lived. Back then you had to get a flyer for an event. It was true underground. We would ride into NYC. I grew up and still live today like 40 km outside NYC.
The first acts I saw were DOA live, Delta 9, Nicky Fingers.
1995 was a fun year.
HCBX: What memories do you have of the early days? Do you have any interesting stories from back then?
LN: The early days were outlaw events. A lot of running from cops, or local street thugs, or thugs another promoter sent to mess your event up.
I’ve got stories. I’d rather not go into that.
HCBX: How did you get involved in making music, both producing and mixing?
LN: One day my girlfriend at the time brought home some really good hardcore vinyl. FUHD was the one I remember blowing us away back then.
I started mixing vinyl at home and eventually, July 4, 1997, had my first vinyl booking. A few weeks passed, and my friend made me a hand-painted FUHD hoodie. The FUHD guys saw it and we have been friends ever since. They sat me down and trained me on FastTracker. I owe them everything.
HCBX: What kind of setup were you using when you first started? And how has this evolved over time?
LN: Technics 1200s and a Dell PC with FastTracker.
Not much has changed. I use Renoise on a Mac now to produce. Also, you can mix on a computer now, which has its pluses and minuses.
HCBX: You’ve put out a steady stream of material over the years including an excellent release recently on RTDF – what’s been driving that?
LN: I just try and write music I would like to listen to, mix, or buy.
I really focus on not trying to sound like anyone else. I can write music every day for a month at 5 am, then not touch music for a month because I fucking hate everything I think of. It’s a battle sometimes.
HCBX: You’ve been running Apocalypse Recordings for a long time now – how did that first come about? What was the original idea behind the label?
LN: Tense and Tyrant had an idea of bringing harsh speedcore and dark slower hardcore together on the same records.
Over the years, management duties have changed between us. My vision now is: hard as fuck and fast. I don’t discriminate—if it’s slow and awesome, I may be down.
HCBX: You have a core of regular collaborators like Fiend, The Tyrant, Tense and Deadnoise - how did these connections come about and who are the other people or artists that had an impact on you?
LN: We all met and talked shit with no music relations, just hanging out. These guys are my brothers.
HCBX: There have been some killer recent releases on Apocalypse and it's great to see some of the older track getting re-released on Bandcamp - How do you approach releases now – what makes something feel right for Apocalypse?
LN: If it sounds right, I’m good with it. One track goes with the next—just a good flow of listening material.
I’ve turned down decent music on the fact it didn’t flow with the rest of the record.
HCBX: When I interviewed Deadnoise last year, he said he had massive respect for what you do with the label as you keep the core sound, and don't run with what's popular. What keeps you motivated to keep the label active and sticking with these values after all these years?
LN: I try and keep the idea: what record I would wanna buy. I can’t deal with bullshit—in life, music, etc. I have to want it. I’m not worried if you want it, though I want you to want it. Haha.
HCBX: What's up next for Nevermind and the label? What are you working on at the moment?
LN: Currently almost finished compiling Apocalypse 27 for vinyl release.
No set title yet, but it has some seasoned artists. This year hopefully by summer.
HCBX: Anything else you want to get off your chest?
LN: Thank you.
Big thanks to Larry Nevermind for the set and taking the time to chat. HCBXCast Vol 81 goes live on 25th April 2026 - 9pm UK Time and you can check it out here: https://youtu.be/E0oAgNX7Q2E
If you're into the harder end of things, make sure you check out his work and support the label:
Apocalypse Recordings: https://apocalypse-recordings.bandcamp.com/
Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/label/289-Apocalypse-Recordings
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/larrynevermind
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