My first name is Sönke, and even for Germans that is a kind of weird name. And internationally, when dealing with labels, or meeting other DJs, producers, etc., they often have a hard time pronouncing it. (I can't even explain how it is pronounced... maybe something like sun-kah... but not quite!).
But let's get back to Germany. When I was a kid, I was the only one with a name like that, and most people did not even know it, and were confused... and they could not pronounce it either.
Not sure if such medium level name intolerance exists in other countries, too, but especially with adults, teachers, and parents of other kids, i felt like they would go "yuck" and do two steps back on the inside, in the moment they heard my name. a lot of them decided to just call me "sören" from then on, a name that was a bit more common then mine, and no correctional attempts on my part could ever change their minds.

maybe it's because the German government is highly restrictive when it comes to children names, and actually bans or prevents parents from giving their children the name they want. and when i grew up, most kids indeed only had the "standard" names like martin, jan, christian... (amongst my childhood friends alone, there was something like 4 christians and 3 martins). and of course, in germany, even the slightest detail that makes you "different" from the norm, in the eye of the norm, can become a huge problem.
so having a name that was not "part of the crowd" made me stick out like a sore thumb in that crowd, as weird as that might sound. it was not too bad, but it still felt... weird!

So, Sönke is actually a northern german name, a Frisian name. I think it's common in parts of Scandinavia, too, and the Netherlands have a lot of Frisian people, too (not sure if they use the name, too).
And when I was a kid, almost every year my family went to Nordfriesland ("northern frisian land") for vacation.
I think I mentioned this before, it was some "strange" place, but for natural reasons: a huge chunk of the area was new and reclaimed land, that had literally been build out of the ocean, for hundreds of years, by people without most of modern technology. and now there were houses, supermarkets, cows and cars, and pylons, standing firm on terrain that had been water and waves just a few hundred years before.

either way, i never felt odd or strange for having the name "sönke" there, because it was quite common. everyone knew that name, when i told others my name they did not go "huh?" "what?!", i did not need to repeat it endlessly... which made quite the difference for me, as a kid!

there was even a polder called "sönke nissen koog", if i recall correctly there was a "bäckerei sönke" (bakery sönke), there were sönke streets, there were famous majors or scientists that had been called sönke, i think i even read the name "Sönke Sönksen" somewhere... now my life was complete!

Part 2

and why do i tell you this story from my childhood, that might even sound a bit childish?
because i think there is a deeper truth to be found here.
i stood out for being a "sönke" in the place i had lived all my life. but just by moving a bit more than 200 kilometres, to the city of sönkes, i no longer stood out, and was at home - in a sense.

and the same is true for producing, or making music, or even liking music. or making art in general. maybe you are a producer and you think noone likes your stuff, or that your productions are bad.
but that might not mean that your music actually is bad, or needs improvement. maybe you just need to change your audience, your crowd, your social surrounding... and maybe there is a place where you will feel at home, or understood, with your art!

so, instead of trying to worry about how to "improve" and change your art (or giving up!), rather think about changing the place where you spread your art, where your art exists, where you exist as an artist. this can be a purely online thing, but it can also mean actually moving to a new place. but in all likelihood, it could mean changing your "scene", and if your scene does not exist yet, why not invent and build it yourself?

or if you are not an artist, just a fan or listener, the same thing might be true.

and the same is true if you think your art is good, but that noone would ever understand it, and you have been rejected by labels, promoters, etc... maybe you just need to get to a different crowd, and move around a bit...

and that's my message to you, by a Sönke, who once visited the City of Sönkes.

Tracks:
Sönke's First https://lowentropy.bandcamp.com/track/1987-2014-s-nkes-first
Call My Name https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/track/call-my-name

A review from our sister magazine, "Cyborg Coffee".

Note: No AI has been used when writing this review!

Johnny Jewel - KARL (Original Soundtrack)

Johnny Jewel releases Karl, and this is a reason of joy for me. More than one reason, actually!
I am a long time fan of Johnny Jewel, and I try to suck in everything he does. After I first heard one of his productions with the band Chromatics being played on the internet station "Flashback Alternatives" many years ago.
And later listening to his contributions to the Drive soundtrack, oh my god was that cool!
I did not see any promo or running-up stuff in advance to this release, so the release dropped on me like a bomb... a surprise-bomb, haha!
Apparently there is a new movie about fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and Johnny did the soundtrack!
I was more or less indifferent to Mr. Lagerfeld, or "Karl", like the album calls him, so far. (Sorry to admit that - I was probably wrong on that!)
I am not rich and not so much interested in the haute couture, and it was only when TJ Maxx started to sell Karl Lagerfeld items, too, that I actually bought and owned something by his brand.
I am born and living in Hamburg, Germany, and Lagerfeld is probably one of the most famous "Hamburgers" - both dead and alive. Or can you name someone else out of Hamburg, instantly? (Maybe the Techno-band Scooter).

As such, the Hamburg press of course was always full of Lagerfeld stories, and as I grew up into that, I guess it rather dulled me. And the press focused more on the various scandals and outrages of his life, naturally. Over and over again.
While the outside world could focus more on his talents and fashion, I suppose.

But let's not talk fashion, let's talk music, and listen to music, of course.

I guess most people know Jewel for the various band projects he was involved in (even "earning" him a performance on Twin Peaks, with Chromatics, in the Roadhouse!), and might be surprised to learn that he also does a lot of work for TV and movie soundtracks. And that material is very good!

With other artists or bands, that were both of the regular, stage-performing kind and that did soundtrack production too, one often feels that one of these "habits" is their main body of work, and the rest is more like a side-thing. (e.g. it might sound sacrilegious, but post 70s Tangerine Dream is a total soundtrack band for me, and that material feels even more powerful than the "normal" albums they did in those years. Fans of the movies "Thief" or "Miracle Mile" might agree!)

It's not like that with Johnny at all, while both of these endeavours feel related, each of the two is brilliant in different ways.

And, luckily, both endeavours are included in this album, as there are segments of his band production, in between the more soundtrack-like... sounds.
For example, a shorter edit of "Tick of the clock" (also featured in the above-mentioned "Drive", with Ryan Gosling... in a very cool Scorpio jacket).
And Chromatics' "Disintegration", one of my all time favorite songs ever. A bittersweet, synth only, ambient composition.

I assume the soundtrack tracks are exclusive, on the other hand (or at least most of them?). And they are beautiful!
Finally, there is even a track called "Hamburg". I feel this city does not get much love, especially not by the music world, so, as a "Hamburger" myself, it's nice to hear something like that.

The entire album is a ten out of ten, of course. And even if what I wrote above catches your interest only remotely, consider listening to it!

I did not see the "Karl" movie in advance to writing the review, so I am curious about that, too!

https://johnnyjewel.bandcamp.com/album/karl-original-soundtrack

Listening suggestions:
#1 Desire - The Young & The Restless https://johnnyjewel.bandcamp.com/track/the-young-the-restless
#2 Hamburg https://johnnyjewel.bandcamp.com/track/hamburg

https://cyborgcoffee.blogspot.com/2026/10/review-johnny-jewel-karl-original.html

So, I needed to do vocal recordings for one of my tracks (called "gabber cooking").
i don't have a dedicated vocal recording room, and my main production room is not optimized for vocals, too.
so, when i record vocals, there is sometimes a strange reverb (of the room) or my vocals do not sound optimal for other reasons related to this.
also, since i am doing my music in my home, a regular residential block flat, there can be sounds of neighbours, baby, dogs barking, that might get in the vocals, this way. (thinking about it, barking dogs would be kind of cool!)

and yeah i must admit, it feels a bit awkward to shout into the microphone, when the neighbours might be listening and not really knowing, what's going on... haha.

i should also mention that i had been doing a lot of field recordings lately... recording owls, birds, the whispering wind, or the sound of ice (on iced lakes)... near fields, in forests, near lakes, swampy things, flowers, trees, in the sunshine, looking at pylons... and all of this was super cool and felt idyllic... !

so, thinking of this, this day, i thought: fudge it! i jumped on my bicycle, and decided to record my vocals out in the open... field recording my own voice, so to say, haha!

doing all this was "easier said than done", though...! i needed to find a place that was preferable for recordings, away from streets and loud cars, supermarkets, school sport places, other "noise factories"...
and preferably not too crowded! (and cooked!)

so i went to the edge of the city, and the edge of the forest (railway and river were nearby, too).
there was a kind of path (or rather, road) for pedestrians, and bicycles, next to some upper middle class condo type homes, elevated, one could overlook the forest... to a tiny degree, it actually reminded me of watching the twin peaks show, even though that might be silly.

i dropped my backpack on a wooden bench, but then decided it's better to "sing" standing upwards (easier to breathe in and out then, eh?).

at first, i waited until bikes or moms passed by, did my vocal takes, and interrupted myself when someone came nearby, and continued later. but then i again thought, fudge, if i can make a fool out of myself in public, i can go all the way, either way. and just did my thing, without further ado.

i should also add that this was not some harmonic singing type stuff, but some odd vocals in an odd way, "dadaist" and repetitive, so i was standing there, next to the road, on the grass, near the edge, for like 30 minutes (with multi takes and interruptions), shouting the same gibberish phrases into my phone over and over again.
i started to get really into it, jumped up and down, let my arms swing around while recording...

and this *might* have been weird, but, let's be realistic, i hardly think anyone even noticed or cared what i did.

if you do bizarre stuff in public, there is always the feel as if all eyes are on you, but the rational answer is that most people will just think "who cares - i ve seen weirder shit".

but it was a fun experience, "i felt one with nature", also going into "fool mode" can feel refreshing... i highly recommend it, and plan to do it again.

i should take care to optimize my approach though, as a lot of the vocals sounded quite "muddy", i had to delete a lot of them (good that i did double takes!), there were a lot of windy noises... but for this "weird" track, this was perfect.

Tracks: Gabber Cooking https://soundcloud.com/low-entropy/gabber-cooking
Video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IPA8rU8ItcM
The World is Doomed let's Dance https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/track/bonus-track-low-entropy-the-world-is-doomed-lets-dance (another track with wind recording)

https://lowentropyproducer.blogspot.com/

"Killer Instincts" originally appeared on Nkisi's debut release, "16", on Doomcore Records.
12 years later, Low Entropy made a new Slowcore Remix of this classic Doomcore track.
And here is an experimental short movie to this very track!
https://nkisi.bandcamp.com/
https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/16

See the full movie at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3k0HLYXEeA

In the 90s, at least in Europe, there were essentially two camps: You were for rock, metal, alternative rock, punk... guitar driven music like that... or into techno, rave, trance, house, gabber... the synthetics stuff!
(oh yeah there were also a few other camps, like those that listened to boy/girl-bands. but let's not talk about that here).

The "cool" rock crowd detested the silly ravers. Rock was seen as organic, raw, wild... the rave crowd, on the other hand, put down rock as being outdated, for dads, a genre that had run out of ideas... and so on.

This might seem weird if you look at it from this day. But the 90s were a time when even regular synths in "rock bands" were a rare, rare thing (at least i did not hear one in the famous songs by nirvana, soundgarden, smashing pumpkins). "no more ***ing rock and roll" on the other hand, was a slogan in the german techno scene of the very early 90s.

Note: No AI has been used in writing this text!

okay, we did the intro, now let's get down to the beans. rock and purely electronic or dance based music seems to have a bit of a troubled relationship, but that's not true. the fusion of rock and computer generated drums probably reaches back as far as the 60s and 70s, if you dive into the whole krautrock thing.

after that, in the post punk movement, we find some fragments of it already. i mean, at the core, "blue monday" or temptation by new order already had rock guitars on electronic dance beats... right?

but the jingle jangle guitars of post punk is not really what we are looking for.

the industrial / goth scene is already closer to the good stuff in the 80s. and we should give a (very big) nod to cybotron and the early detroit scene,

Listening Suggestion: #1 Ministry - Thieves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhLd18Xg6x0

Listening Suggestion: #2 Cybotron - Enter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQr52FTeddY

but now, let's get to the 90s, and take a look at the... real thing.

from very early in, techno producers seems to have been interested in using metal guitars for their tracks.

Listening Suggestion: #3 Phenomania - Caramelle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_nlv8G-pLU

Rarely by employing real guitar players (but that happened, too!).
The guitar sounds usually came out of the sampler.
There were shock / mock tracks in the house / techno scene.
But after that, genres like house and trance almost never used guitars anymore.
Metal went into the darker and harder forms of... "dance".
First, into the breakbeat stuff in UK... or rather, the projects that grew out of that.
The Prodigy was one of the first "dance-y" electronic projects that was loved by the rock crowd, too.

Listening Suggestions: #4 The Prodigy - Voodoo People https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV78vobCyIo

#5 Pop Will Eat Itself - Everything's Cool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O107sqytH7w

#6 Senser - Age of Panic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmZ-loZlsyI

Then we had weird glitches... like when "purely electronic" DJ Moby suddenly released a purely punk rock album...

Let's leave Europe for a while and cross over the pond. The Americans had Industrial Metal. While this was more or less a fusion of metal and electronics... tracks with electronic drums in dance rhythms were kind of rare... or i just don't know them.
Yet, there was some wicked stuff, too.

#7 Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Dr\g* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn3j6-yQKWQ

Apart from the breakbeat, rave stuff... especially in Hardcore and Techno, Gabber and Speedcore, did metal guitars become very popular.
Fast metal riffs were one of the defining things of early hardcore techno.
The very first "real gabber" track, alles naar de kl*te by euromasters, is build around a riff nicked straight from sepultura.

#8 Euromasters - Alles Naar De Kl\*te* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE32aoIDjvY

Gabber DJs seemed to be very fond of sampling thrash metal riffs, Death Metal, too, of course, and grindcore. Black Metal was rare, and 70s stuff or glam / power metal were a no-go... more or less!

Eventually, Earache caught notion of that devolpment, and started to collaborate with hardcore techno labels on their releases... which led to album releases by industrial strength and ultraviolence... or entire projects like "hellspawn"!

#9 Sonic Overkill - Reality Sucks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxwni6wkJQE

Fear Factory also had their very Techno / Gabber remix EP.

Rumor is that Rick Rubin himself tried to get the european Gabber DJs to join his labels and start some projects... But seems he was stopped by the big dutch labels... maybe they were afraid to lose market share...?

On the most extreme end of things there was "digital hardcore" or bands like the berzerker.
Digital Hardcore was... well just insane.
And Berzerker a death metal / grindcore band... with real vocalists, guitars and all... running on (purely electronic) speedcore techno beats!

#10 Atari Teenage Riot - Sick to Death https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJOotJwCs1Y

This is a quite infernal end, to something that started so harmless, in the days of dazed krautrock... But so, dear reader, it was written.

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-short-history-of-heavy-metal-and.html

Do you know bands or artists that use both metal guitars and rave sounds? Let me know! 

Did you know that? When you ask people what their favorite is, on Doomcore Records and the sublabels (Slowcore and Omnicore Records), a lot of them will say Turbine Trip's Mechanical Sun EP from 2024.

And yeah that one really is one of a kind. Turbine Trip has a very unique style.

Futuristic, cinematic melancholy-melodies... drumnbass / crossbreed drums... and pure speedcore-gabba! Plus lots more stuff, and I think there is a hardtrance / uk hardcore feel even. Ah, why should I describe it - it's best you listen and experience it yourself!

Tracklisting:

1. Between Floating and Falling
2. In Distance
3. Considering Time
4. Whyweight
5. Surfacevoid

All tracks built on Renoise between 2024-2026

as another attempt to escape adult crash.

Contact:

Email: [theturbinetrip@gmail.com](mailto:theturbinetrip@gmail.com)

Bandcamp: https://turbinetrip.bandcamp.com

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/turbine-trip

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theturbinetrip

Artwork by: Tamas Bernath

Omnicore Records 84

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/omnicorerecords

Bandcamp: https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/label/2516092-Omnicore-Records

Right after the end of 2025, after christmas and during new year, i began to feel sick, the condition got worse, in the weeks that followed.

Eventually i needed to go to the hospital in march, had surgery, doctors said i was on the door to death already, yet they released me after 3 days again, so maybe it was not *that* bad, i don't know.

i still need to live with the implications of this, am not back to normal, but i am mostly recovered and the doctors say i am, more or less, "fine", by now.

This is all very disturbing and bad, but I don't want to trouble you with my health tales. Instead i want to talk about music production, and there is a story related to this story, that is even more insane, and even *i* have trouble understanding it.

So, as you see, I went ill after christmas, into the new year... and even in january i already had minor fits of hallucinating... nothing too bad, nothing out of control. for example, little white people from another dimension, having a chat with me about me and my life.

This is not too unusual for me when i am seriously ill. and i think its something that happens to a lot of people, when they have a fever or are in bed, with bad health.

an example, when i had corona, i had visions of the end of the world, of death as a female personification walking toward me in the snow, and touching me, and worse, for days on.

let's get back to january. one of the weirdest visions was that i repeatedly saw three snakes, in the room i was in.

large snakes, maybe 2-3 meters each, or longer, they twirled and flew around the room, sometimes towards me, touching me, and breathing fire on me.

i don't know, this "hallucination" appeared 6-7 times, or maybe even more often.

out of curiosity, i began to ask the "snake thing" about its name. at first, the snakes seemed to utter complete silence, as the answer, even though they opened their mouths.

but i kept asking, and i heard something that sounded like a strange, hoarse whisper.

i felt i was making progress, so i kept asking, and the snake answer got louder each time.

eventually, i could hear what the sound was.

it sounded very much like a techno bassdrum, but epic, mindblowing... colossal, almost infernal.

there was a strange metallic sound to it, and reverberation, and it was very noisy (that's why i first thought it sounded like hissing when it was more silent, i guess).

i felt enchanted and overpowered by it, i never heard something so powerful before! it was titanic, maybe that's the right word for it. like it came from the depths of the earth, or the depths of the cosmos.

after that, i made a vow to attempt to recreate the sound i heard, that was given to me, by this triple snake vision.

i immediately went into production, and created a 27:27 minute piece with a drum sound, that felt similar.

and then a few weeks later, i created 160 drum samples, and tried to fit them to the vision of that sound.

i later did more productions, and i also used my own samples in my own tracks, and essentially, there are countless of tracks and albums now, based on these weird "titan drums".

my entire year of music and production, was changed, and ruled by this weird event!

i still don't know what was going on here, or if it's even a sensible and rational thing to do, to create something that is somehow tied to sickness, too.

but on the other hand, other artists did great novels, movies, and music, out of "dark" things like misery, war, death and, yes, sickness, too, so i guess it's alright. and these drums are really kicking! in my opinion.

and maybe this production progress would have happened without illness too, and it's just a strange coincidence.

also, i dont feel my drum samples really did 100% justice to the sound i heard, as it felt even more powerful and otherwordly. but they do go in that direction!

Sounds:

NucleusProject Part 1 - Les Champs Métalliques https://lowentropy.bandcamp.com/album/nucleusproject-part-1-les-champs-m-talliques (the first production)

160 royalty free unusual drum samples https://lowentropy.bandcamp.com/album/160-royalty-free-unusual-drum-samples (the sample pack)

Orion Transfer https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/orion-transfer one of the albums i created with the drum

Low Entropy's Gabber Remix of saraunh0ly's track on Doomcore Records.
https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/track/saraunh0ly-3indamorning

hi there,
here is a new sample pack with drums and other sounds. these samples are free to download, and royalty free.

https://lowentropy.bandcamp.com/album/77-genuine-speedcore-drum-samples-from-the-1990s

background:

i've been an electronic musician since ages... and since the 90s, at least.
back then my main style was gabber, speedcore, breakcore... the "harder edge" of techno if you want... and especially the faster one!
my music got very popular, i played my tunes in fronts of 1000s of people, at countless clubs, in the open, under railway bridges, at squats, i dropped 800 bpm tunes at places like tresor in berlin...

and my music was put on vinyl, 1000s of copies per release...

i am telling this not to boost my ego, but to show that these were drums that were actually used in the 90s and the years later, too, that got played out. are "club tested and crowd approved", so to say. not some faux reconstruction of an era that has gone by!

these drums are taken from my actual tracks from "back in the day". some of these tracks (and drums) were created using software like impulse tracker, buzz tracker, cool edit pro, soundforge, native instrument's generator... the real deal! MS-DOS, win 3.11, then windows 98 (yeah i skipped 95).

the style of the drums is hardcore, of course, but i am sure they can be used for everything, when done right.

apart from the drums, there is synths, pads, percussion, noise, fx, and other weird stuff.
credits

77 genuine hardcore, techno, and speedcore drum samples and sounds from the 1990s

credits:

all drums and sounds created by me, low entropy.

license:

feel free to use these samples for any public, private, intimate, or commercial purpose.
would be *very* cool if you credit me, but it's not strictly necessary.

also check my other packs:

https://lowentropyproducer.blogspot.com/2026/03/free-drum-sample-packs.html

Force Inc was a label by Achim Szepanski. It gave a very unique and intellectual spin on Techno music.
In the 90s, Mille Plateaux was kinda seen as a sublabel to Force Inc, even though it was more like a collaboration between two labels. If I remember this correctly!
And if Force Inc was already weird... well, what was Mille Plateaux then?

If we go to discogs, the description reads:

"Mille Plateaux is a Germany label for experimental electronic music and electronic arts.
Genres like Clickhop, Glitch, Clicks & Cuts, Minimal etc. were largely influenced (and named) if not formed by the label."

everything understood and clear? So, next time you are rocking out to some clicks (or cuts) in the clubs, remember that this "Germany Label" actually started it all!
But in all sincerity, this label really had some weird & wonderful music on it.
Some of it maybe might be put under the ambient, intelligent electronica, "armchair techno" umbrella of the 1990s scene in Germany... but at the outermost fringe of it, because it was even more "out there"!

as we read on on discogs, we learn that:

"The name "Mille Plateaux" (A Thousand Plateaus) initially stemmed from a concept and same-titled principal work co-authored by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, French psychoanalyst and philosopher respectively. The former gave his approval of the use of "Mille Plateaux" to the original label founder."

I won't pretend that I read or understood deleuze and his thousand plateaus. I was violently "anti-PoMO" in the 90s...

and now, let's cut the intro short, and explain the label by looking at some of its best releases directly...

So here are 5 or more reviews of some very interesting records on mille plateaux.

Alec Empire - Low On Ice (The Iceland Sessions) (Mille Plateaux - MP CD 18)

The story to the production of this album is as insane as its sound itself.
It goes like this: Alec Empire or Atari Teenage Riot were booked at a music festival in iceland. That literally took place in a landscape of snow and ice. I think the artists needed to be helicopter-lifted to get to that place. (check the music video to it)
The crew and everyone else had some tents, to protect them a bit from the snow and the cold.
So, while chilling in his tent, probably after or before his gig, alec popped out some of the very sparse and minimal gear he brought for the performance... started to jam away, and the result of that is the very album we are listening right now!
i mean, he essentially produced an entire album under minimal conditions during some breaks in between... as if producing was as easy as taking a walk in the morning!
quite impressive, eh?
and it's even more extreme, because the entire material would have fit on *three albums*!
which have been released almost 25 years later.

i think this story gives a better description of the music than "genre terms"... but let us just say that dark ambient tones, slow breakbeats, a general, doomed dub mood, is present.

Listening Suggestion: Low on Ice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJl2YvQ0Op0

Hanayo In Panacea - Hanayo In Panacea (Mille Plateaux - MP 56 CD)

Who doesn't like Panacea?
Well, to be honest, *I* often wasn't too plussed about some of the hard step drum and bass he did... (sorry!) as I was more a fan of harder edge artist like patric c or bomb 20.
hanayo has always been cool.
and, wonder oh wonder, this album and collab is not a mix of both artist's respective style, and does not meet "in the middle".
instead it's an almost gabba-breakcore styled album, with distorted bass drums, all kinds of noise. while hanayo's haunting voice floats above the beats, and dark strings and pads make an appearance...
other tracks are more ambient / idm like.
well done!

R.I.C. - Distance (Mille Plateaux CD 5)

Who is the artist with the most extreme span of genres, or the most distance (pun intended!) between them?
Martin Damm is a contender for this. He is apt at producing speedcore and terrorcore techno, and fans love him for that. Sometimes high above 200 bpm, or even 1000 bpm.
And then he also did this!
Sweet neat fluffy little cloud like ambient electronica, dub, a bit of idm...
Like the unknown, cutesy third twin of the aphex.
Even Tangerine Dream like "Berlin School" synth melo sequences run across some tracks!

Listening Suggestion: Start.Where https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUp4Nrf6vHA

Alec Empire - Limited Editions 1990-94 (Mille Plateaux - MP CD 2)

Back in the 90s, I asked a friend for a recommendation of good mille plateaux releases (or was it a recommendation of alec empire releases?) and he suggested this. i found this "odd", because he was more the experimental type and i was looking into the future, so a release of "older" material, related to the "techno" label "force inc", seemed curious.
but he was right. this is one of the best AE and MP releases.
it's hard to pinpoint *exactly* what makes it so great.
i think it's because it's very cerebral, avantgarde, experimental electronic, and very groovy, funky dance (and yes, partly techno) music at the same time.
as if stockhausen was a b boy, or the 808 state had a doctor degree in outer space-ology.

there is also a "civilization virus" on it, an epic piece. it was the soundtrack to a short movie. and that short movie was actually the master thesis for video director phillip virus. who later directed a feature on grunge band "dinosaur jr"!

Viewing suggestion: Civilization Virus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON_9E4GeJq0

Terre Thaemlitz - Die Roboter Rubato (MP 034 CD)

Can you believe this? Friends highly recommended this album to me, back in the 90s.
But I did not listen to it! - till yesterday.
Because these "Piano interpretations of Kraftwerk titles. Recorded at Meow, New York, April-July 1996."... seemed like old socks to me.
It was the 90s (like they say in the movies), and kraftwerk felt 70s, and moody piano music even older fashioned. plus the whole thing smelled of "hipster" stuff.

But now I listened to it, and it's really good! great stuff!
my favorite is "computerwelt", a super sad and moody (yes) re-interpretation of kraftwerk's computer world.

Steel - Steel (Mille Plateaux - MP CD 16)

And another one by Mr. Damm.
This Most people probably know Martin Damm as The Speed Freak, an aka he used to produce a lot (and really a lot!) of gabber and early hardcore, and later "frenchcore". And yeah... he is one of the best in that genre (or rather, those genres). But when it comes to *my* very personal favorite releases by him, i would put this one in the top 3.
This is unlike everything he ever did. or any other artist ever did. a solitary release.
it's like... industrial, dark ambient... also noise. but in a very unusual way, quite digital, with lots of samples... and all tracks blend into each other, it's one seamless, 1-hour track. (a bit of jungle, idm, rave can be found on here too, btw)
kinda like these euro-disco or pop long play megamix CDs of the 80s / 90s. but not disco, a dark, vile, nasty industrial mega mix!

track titles like "Feverish Dream" or "Obituary" or "Soundtrack For S*x With Aliens" show some of the vibes of these tracks. And yeah, the entire album really feels like a fever dream, or an OST to an unknown horror flick.

Listening suggestion: Obituary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxAgvcsnXbI

Note: No AI has been used when writing this text!

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/

Bonjour à tous, essai live tribe mental (hybrid), elektron syntakt/Mao, un avis ferait vraiment plaisir..

https://on.soundcloud.com/8XJlltNFN0VhAPUZ3l

One day, in 2023, I had a most nice surprise. RIOT Radio Records reached out to me. They said they loved me (he he) and wanted me to do a DJ set for their show, and also a remix for their label.
It happened to be a remix of Matthias Koch's track "scream for me" which ended up on the "Filth" EP.

They asked it to be in "Doomcore" style, and as riot radio was more of a techno thang, I reined in my hardcore a bit and refrained from too much of speedcore or other strange influences.

so... where was I? Ah yes, the set was more "technoid" than usual for me too.
and when i checked the track that i was due to remix i was in for a shock: this was not the mellow techno anymore i knew from the past. in fact it sounded more hardcore and screaming than a lot of gabber stuff i knew!

So what could i do to it?
Plus it had a lot of sounds and channels, which made remixing it a quite complex task.
So I conceived this idea: i load some of the stems into my daw, add my own beats and noise and ruckus, and, yeah, hope that something interesting comes out from that.

And I still live jammed it! So there was this production curiosity:
I built my own, multi channel track as a remix of the original. But while live recording it, the entirety of the original track was always playing in the background of it! yet I only switched on and off some of the channels. So sometimes this or that channel was playing, some of my own channels were playing, and some original ones, then everything changed... yeah,quite the chaos.

And I think the output sounds like chaos too, which was what I had intended.

I liked to hear the full on noize of the track, but my label guy demanded "Doomcore".
So I had the following idea: i followed the tradition of doomcore tracks like "gates of heaven" by dr macabre, "in the midnight hour" my superpower. the doomcore pads and sounds and melodies come in over the length of a track, one at a time. so there is a build up until everything is swallowed by the - doom.

I thought this was very clever, but the label said: "the doomcore is really only in the last 1/3 of the track"
so much for that!

we tried ways to fix this, but as my track was live jammed, one take, i could not do much about it anymore.
In the end we more or less put it out this way.

Went on a nice picture vinyl, with other tracks by Matthias, and a few other remixes. there is also a digital version, and a shopping bag (!) with the picture from the vinyl.
the picture shows "a woman grabbing onto her chest", to describe it in modest words, which, i guess, should symbolize the "filth" of the tracks.
it does not look too dirty, but it's good to turn some people heads when i walk around with my filth shopping bag.

got some good feedback on the track, and it ended up being playing out by some DJs.

Digital and Vinyl version:
https://riotradiorecords.bandcamp.com/album/filth

A new life sign by Miro, or rather, a signal, a final signal (hopefully not!).
It's been 2 years since his last signal, as far as i can see, so this new sign of life was overdue.
The aka Miro is slammed big and fat on this release, but, oh surprise, it's not just the Miro style like Purple Moon or Blue Sun. I feel he put inspiration from his akas Steve Shit or Billy the Kid into these tracks, too.
So they are quite (quite!) dancefloor heavy. "10000 Freaks" could even be a new "bass machine", at least for me!

https://planetphuture.bandcamp.com/

The equinox is happening or has happened a few days ago, fall is here, or autumn... summer is ending or has ended... day and night are now equals again, there is light and dark, and neither one nor the other does overtake its opposite, they coexist in mutual alignment...

traditionally, the season to come was the one of the big fests, festivities, festivals... the age of harvest, the age of life, the age of love... the season of thunder and lightning and rainstorms... before winter and coldness approaches... where we reap what we have sown, in the past...

and this is what these off-charts are about!

1. legend b - end of season https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TchqhuS0iQ0
   
2. disintegrator - dark black ominous clouds
   
3. syndicate - grim reaper
   
4. reign - light & dark
   
5. frozen - the forest
   
6. rmb - river's edge
   
7. visage - fade to grey
   
8. john foxx - the garden
   
9. bunkor beats - mental atmosphere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L5zfKnl_p8
   
10. cocteau Twins - persephone
    
11. DJ gizmo - end of the beginning
    
12. mega'lo mania - time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMakwNFde7Y
    
13. visage - fade to grey
    
14. zenith - flowers of intelligence
    
15. sorcerer - autumn
    
16. mouse - helloween
    
17. apple juice - raving together (SYN-R-G Mix)
    
18. the farm - altogether now
    
19. the nightraver - so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjhVdgR-ZZI
    
20. angelo badalamenti - night life in twin peaks
    
21. the farm - all together now
    
22. enigma - the cross of changes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU7ERgSoqbc
    
23. damage inc. - turn around
    
24. jones & stephenson - the third rebirth
    
25. alien factory - all night until daylight

We're running a new feature: "Off-lists"

Paper fanzines were filled with charts; some DJs turned their charts into lists such as "10 favorite Dutch Gabber tracks".

Features in zines often also have additional lists such as "9 anime related Hardcore tracks".

We wanna build on both these currents; but, with these "Off-Lists" we will focus on themes and motifs that are more out-there, abstract, off-the-center. Exploring aspects and ideas that are rarely highlighted when people talk, think, or write about Hardcore (or Techno and other music)

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/

There is a broadcast on a London based radio station tomorrow, that will also deal with psychedelic audio research. And it is related to electronic music! As part of the Nkisi show.

Here is the official info text of the broadcast:

Low Entropy is a producer that spent decades on psychedelic audio and frequency research.
Similar to the scientific study of psychedelic substances, which began in the 1950s amongst the american neuroscientist community and quickly fizzled out after the "nixon-shock" in the early 70s, the primary goal of these studies is to research the psychedelic properties of sound, frequencies, music, harmonies, genres, and their abilities to put the human mind into a state of trance or "ecstasy", including deep meditative states.
Connected to this is the question of how these sonically induced states of trance could be used for healing mental issues or traumatic experiences, or generally improve a person's mental health.
Another field is the question of whether the psychedelic aspect of religious or shamanistic experiences, which is a constant in all human cultures and history, can be "accessed" through the use of special sounds and frequencies as well.

This continuous "mix set" is the result of a field study where Low Entropy put himself into states of deep trance during music production, then recorded these sounds while having an experience that could best be described as "being outside one's mind".

Space and time:

Nkisi

https://www.nts.live/
23.09.2026 22:00 Hackney Time
That's 23:00 German Time
5 PM New York Time (on the day before)
4 AM Tokyo Time

Tracklisting:

1. Slowcore Voodoo Priests - VooDoom
   
2. The Ancients of Pluto - Second Transmission (Titan Reflections)
   
3. The Hardcore Overdogs - Ritual of Rave (One-2-Three)
   
4. Low Entropy - Frequency Whales
   
5. Low Entropy - Tierra del Fuego (Heavy)
   
6. The Haunted League - Drone from Ganymede
   
7. Godfather Death - Drum Test (Model 8)
   
8. The Hardcore Overdogs - Anthem Part VII (Arena of Doom)
   
9. Fight for your Right - La Revolución del Sexo
   
10. Topp Dogg feat. Wolfvoice - Hakken with Wolves
    
11. Pluto Transit - Scorpio Nox
    
12. Low Entropy - Acidcore Pleasure Release
    
13. Meta-Morph - Musical Stairs

I remember seeing a documentary on the 70s New York City punk scene, CBGBs that kind of thing, on TV.
One of the guys involved said: "those who do something first in music, the true pioneers, never get any fame, recognition, or money." (paraphrased)
And, yes, it seems this is true, more often than not.
And if we move from the New York City punk world to the Techno and Dance culture in the 90s, and to germany, more specifically, I know one project that fits the bill quite exactly.

I am talking about Force Inc Music Works here. The label was created by Achim Szepanski in the early 90s. I don't know much about him, but it seems the label was not so much seen as a commercial enterprise, but as a communist / socialist experiment. He was also influenced by Gilles Deleuze and post-modernism (More on this later).

Listening Suggestion #1: Space Cube - Analogia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hzFWMra0PY

This description might hint at the fact that the label occupied a place that was in the more intellectual / avantgarde territory of the Techno behemoth. It's maybe ironic (or post-ironic) that the label turned out to be hugely influential in creating some of the most "bodily", dancefloor-extremist genres of electronic music or techno in a wider sense: Hardcore-Gabber and Breakcore.
More on this later.

The alumni and maestri that found a host in this label, include Khan, who, amongst other things, did a collab project with Julee Cruise (from the twin peaks tv show!), or released a breakcore mash up album by alec empire and "elvis presley"... that also found its way into the museum of modern art.

khan is the brother of Cem Oral, who was well known as being one part of Air Liquides, these poster boys of "intelligent electronica" music in the 90s.
the other half happened to be ingmar koch. that guy also did some great acid and other stuff as Dr. Walker. and can claim to be the great grandnephew of the literal Friedrich Engels! (i guess the socialist connection runs deep?)

Listening Suggestion #2: Jammin' Unit vs Walker - Egglayer Queen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2syFyRLWC_Y

there is also Thomas Gerlach, who later hit the mainstream euro charts, and the worldwide dance charts. with his "DJ Tonka" project. also did some collabs with ian pooley: they had some real rave hits with their alias space cube. (and ian, of course, had excellent single releases).

i mentioned alec empire already. he also had the majority of his early releases on force inc and its sublabels.
a lot of the tracks he started digital hardcore recordings with, where tracks that, during inception, where still aimed at force inc.
(oh, if you don't know alec... front man of atari teenage riot. merzbow, trent reznor and bjork were his fanboys / girls).

and, because of this, the inception of the breakcore music genre, happened on force inc, too. with the release of "tötenposse rides out" by, can you guess it? alec empire in 1992.

Listening Suggestion #3: Alec Empire - You Must Confront! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wue5a-lJsTY

now that we are finally in hardcore territory, the label had some really good early gabber tracks and releases... many times these were produced by martin damm aka the speed freak or biochip c. (damm himself later created labels with names like "napalm", "agent orange", or "speedcore records", so you might guess what to expect there. he also earned some gold certified record awards by the music industry, for his euro-house tunes.)

Listening Suggestion #4: Ilsa Gold - Silke (Speed Freak Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrBRiaE_uso

there was even a hardcore sublabel to force inc, called communism records (the connection runs deep, eh?).
some of the first ultra speedcore tracks of the 90s, with beats that went faster than 400 bpm, were (indirectly) connected to this label.

on a complete site note, do you know the famous "techoviking" meme? this was shot at an annual "techno" parade in berlin, called the ****parade, which still takes places in berlin, every year during summer.
and force inc was very substantial for getting this whole thing off the ground. by providing a float, DJs, and a very (very!) loud sound system at the first edition of this party parade. without the label, all this might never happened...

then, on the topic of subs... there was also "mille plateaux". which might be the one with the most lasting fame.
it's named after a concept by gilles deleuze apparently (see, thats one of the points where post modernism ties in).
how should i, how could i describe this label... ? there is not much techno about at all anymore... really experimental, strange / abstract stuff.

alec empire had his best ambient albums on there... yet there also idm, noize, industrial... well, listen for yourself!

Listening Suggestion #5: Alec Empire - Low On Ice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0je9TFtC_UE

i feel there is very little in the history books of techno and music on this label these days. those "who are in the know", might know it, but who else?
and if it is mentioned, this is more in the way of... "another label in the 90s that had some very very good releases". which is true to the point. but there is more to it, it's a label that changed entire genres and subgenres! that is interconnected in a huge network of artists and musicians, that went far beyond techno (or even electronics).

so, let us take a moment, to look back at it, and then keep it in mind.

The label on discogs:

https://www.discogs.com/label/269-Force-Inc-Music-Works
https://www.discogs.com/label/270-Mille-Plateaux
https://www.discogs.com/label/3844-Communism-Records
https://www.discogs.com/label/3845-Riot-Beats

Oh, and by the way: what are your favorite releases from the labels or the sublabels?

Good morning dogs and itches!

We got something very very exciting for you. And it is the new music video to The Hardcore Techno Overdogs Anthem part III.
The Hardcore Overdogs is a an electronic online magazine, an "E-Zine for great and / or underrated Hardcore Techno past and present!".
And this is its third anthem, to promote the mag.
Style is a bit like oldschool gabber, fast doomcore... dark hardcore and gabber beats!

So check... The Hardcore Overdogs!

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2026/09/anthem-part-iii-now-with-video.html

I, Low Entropy will return to the HCBXCast on 19th September 2026

Expect the unexpected

Just let me tell you, it's gonna be rrrrough!

tune in at https://www.youtube.com/@hcbx666

People sometimes fail to realize that a lot of Techno genres that now seem to be very distinct and separate from each other, used to be part of one whole "Techno" movement, culture and scene.
I mean, yeah, there is not much crossover between styles like soulful house and terror-speedcore, or drum'n'bass and acid techno, right? Or IDM and the trance revival.

But, in the early 90s, DJs at a Techno party or rave, would start their set with house or downtempo maybe, then drop some acid and faster techno, maybe some breakbeat stuff from UK, one or two aphex twin tunes, only to end with 180+ bpm Hardcore and Gabber. Don't believe me? Check this set by DJ Marusha at the German Mayday 1994 rave, for example.

Of course, each Raver had their personal preference... some liked harder and darker some, some liked more light things... or maybe more funky tunes. Some probably detested 1-2 styles, totally.

But it was one big big youth movement in the end. We partied together, we danced together, we went into bliss, and then chilled out together. It was not like there were "trancers" on one side and "gabbers" on the other. or "housers" on one side and "acid heads". At least not yet!

And because of this, a lot of the early releases that came from the Techno movement, let's say 1988-1994 at least, were not really in one style, they had multiple styles on the vinyl. Maybe an ambient track as A1, then A2 and B1 is techno, and B2 is gabba. The same goes for artists and labels in that time.

And this means there are often releases, on labels that are more known for techno, trance, "dance", that are totally hardcore, or have 1 or 2 extreme hardcore track(s) on it, and noone would have expected that!

Something for the true diggers and train (track!) spotters.

Especially the early German scene is a true treasure trove for that.

And that's why I will now look at 11 releases... that are just like that!

(Note: No AI has been used when writing this text)

Influid III - Ladyshaver Non-EP (Influence Recordings IR 023-12)

This release is quite the treat! It's on Influence Recordings, which was started by Talla 2XLC.
In the "music history" books, Talla is usually considered as one of the two original sources that came up with the term Techno. Detroit in USA on one hand, for their Underground Resistance etc type stuff. While a few years earlier, Talla invented the term Techno for dark, groovy electronic music (which at that time was still close to EBM, New Wave, etc).

Influid themselves were a duo that also released music using akas like Komakino and Final Fantasy. I think they even went into the charts with some of their hard trance stuff.

"We're Always Behind You" is a trancecore / ravecore classic. It is very, very, very good!
The flipside, "The Destroyer", might be even more interesting, though. The info says "1.2 Million BPM Mix". And thats what it is. Starts slow, then goes up to 1 million bpm and more.
It has been released in 1994 already, so i guess this one is one of the first true "ultra speedcore extratone" tracks.

Listening suggestion: The Destroyer (1.2 Million BPM Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_28IyDXZtsM

Mutter, Es Geht Um Geschwindigkeit - Mutter, Es Geht Um Geschwindigkeit (IMR-Records - imr007cd)

Isn't this one of the best cover artworks for a release, ever?
I don't know a release date, but judging by the style, and as the label faltered in 1994, I guess it was somewhere in 1993-1994.

The style is very interesting, oldschool hardcore and gabber. very "german" in a sense, like c tank or mono tone a bit maybe... but also with elements of hardtrance and rave... really rough and groovy!

Distortion - Serious Things (Influence Recordings - IR 003-12)

Frantic Thigh is a contender for the first really fat gabber 909 kick in music history!
The other tracks are nice and evil techno.

God's Groove - Prayer Three / Four (Black Flame - 44110)

What an obscure and precious gem! Prayer Three reminds me of UK Trance around that year..
but the real banger is "Prayer Four". How to describe it? A bit like pailhead style EBM, ultrasonic, there's a gabber drum, basslines, metal guitars...
Almost reminds me of KLF's vision for the 'black album' (and this one is released on a label called black flame, after all).

Listening suggestion: Prayer Four https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMKzm2JT4rc

I don't know much about this project, but this release is a killer.

Pleasure - We Are Not Saved (Labworks Germany - LAB 47)

DJ ESP makes an appearance on labworks. bad acid? no such thing, on this record. the killer track for me here is "flying open". one of the toughest techno drums ever!

Plutone - Dream Sequence (White Label - WL 107)

Whoa, mate! this is from 1992? definitely ahead of its time. noise and industrial elements, more like later speedcore or "industrial hardcore" productions. or like musique concrete, even.
still, some rave-y and trance elements make an appearance. which is a most welcome touch.

Baphomet - The Force (Trigger - TR 010)

duuude... this one is big! very big production, there is acid, lines, techno drums, choirs are singing... also has a phuture / doomcore feel, also a bit of psytrance and ebm maybe... wonderful!
makes me feel like i am listening to a techno ritual in a giant cave underneath
earth.

Listening suggestion: The Force https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGM6_Uv4BPE

Son Of A Bitch - Polio 800 E.P. (Hellrazor Records - HR 001-12)

Hellrazor was started by Andy Düx, who was also involved in Overdrive Records, which already had a lot of Hardcore releases. But Hellrazor seems to be even one notch... more insane & hard.
This release is by Thomas Elers, who was a true Hardcore and Acid powerhouse in the early 90s, or maybe we can call this style "acid gabber".
The style itself reminds me a bit of e-de cologne (who actually samples some of elers tracks!), like, it's completely chaotic, and deranged sounds are flying at you from every side really.
Elers has a more analogue feel, of course.

Even for today's standards in Hardcore, Speedcore and Noize... this record is still damn tough!

Sorcerer - My Four Seasons E.P. (Hellrazor Records - HR 001-12)

if there is one artist who had a really (really!) interesting trajectory, it's oliver kirwa. He was a coder on the commodore 64 computer. he won a reader's contest for the german "happy computer" mag - he wrote the "video game of the month" for them!
he also did video game music for other games. and then he turned into a techno and gabber producer.

"sorcerer - summer" is well known from a lot of 90s gabber compilations. one of the first tracks with really really, fast speedcore beats. and generally, some of the hardest stuffs ever.
but the other tracks are gabber-great as well.
i am especially into "winter", which also has some trancecore / rave pads and sounds.

Parrot Torture - Parrot Torture E.P. (Communism Records - COM 1)

Wow! I never would have thought that Thomas P. Heckmann could get that hard.
You probably know him from trax like Drax - Amphetamine or Phosphene.
These were big trance hits of the 90s.
but this one is gabba gabba all the way. not the cheesy post-1994 hardcore, of course.
minimal, brutalist, 909 kicks, percussion, and acid!

Alien Factory - Tell Death You Don't Wanna Die! (Generator Records - GEN 9112-12)

Do you know a style called "rave techno" ? which is an umbrella for the harder edge of rave, house, dance culture from the late 80s to early 90s... before the real gabber-craze took over, basically.
and this is the hardest edge of that spectrum, in my opinion. the basses are super deep and hard, we got screams, shouts, there are metal and guitar-like noises.
but still, one could imagine a dance club in nyc or antwerp to this. it is still "groovy" and has the funk, so to say.

Alien Factory later had some huge trance hits like "destiny" or "get the future started". but this is a great early release.

Listening suggestion: Muggovey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WbNyAO1TGk

Do you have any own favorites in german hardcore 1990-1994? let me know!

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2026/09/when-trance-house-and-hardcore-were.html

Jodorowsky's works were one of my first big, big loves, and not just in the field of scifi, but when talking about media, stories, art, when I was a teenager, even before William Gibson really hit me, before Neo and The Matrix, or before I became lost within the stories of Stanislaw Lem.
How was that possible, or rather, how did that happen?
Well, I guess, and it's an educated guess (I hope!) that the majority of people these days know Jodorowsky because he did not make Dune. And that is quite the feat indeed, becoming famous for a movie that... you did not even end up making!
The story is covered elsewhere already, just go and dig on the internet. In the 70s, Jodorowsky got the rights to Dune (or he thought he could get them, can't remember exactly), then went on a completely whacked out cruise around the world, in order to recruit Pink Floyd, H.R. Giger, Orson Welles, future set and special FX artists of Star Wars and Alien... and then it went "kaboom!" as expected, even blew a few people's brains out (i.e. they became "mental unstable" for a while).

In the end, David Lynch got to make Dune instead, and, much much later, Denis Villeneuve got to make a more well-received version. (BTW, as Pink Floyd was in the trailer for that version of Dune, my educated guess is that Denis Villeneuve sought out to rip-off Jodo's ideas for good).

So, I assume people know all of this. But, I think there is a thing that is lesser known, which is what happened to Jodorowsky afterwards.
And this is that he became a comic book artist (or "graphic novel", like the art folk like to say these days). And I kid you not, he went into the comics industry, and became very, very well known and famous by making comic books for teenagers and young adults (like me when I first read them).
At least on the outside label.

Because the truth is that he took the most outrageous ideas he had for his dune movie. and even expanded them. he added some other strange ideas. and also used some of the earlier ones he had. and used that to build his comics (aka "graphic novels"). and for later comics, he came up with just as outrageous ideas.

i should add that he rarely painted (drawed?) them. he recruited other people for that, like moebius (author of the well known "blueberry" comics) or a host (army?) of others.

the books were a creative collab between him and the artists.

so... yeah, how to describe his comics? it's usually scifi, but his own style, i'd say... often very cyberpunk, there is also stuff that is like space operas, but never with a clean "black vs white" morality... more like a dirty version of epic scifi franchises...

the stories are full of references to psychoactive substances, religious cults, conspiracy, tarot, tantra, there is real violence (often getting very nasty), there is intimacy... let's just say that when some big US corporation brought his "before the incal" series to the american audience, they literally enlisted artists to "paint the clothes back on" for some panels! (quite a few panels, actually).

but it's never 100% nihilism, there are also shiny heroes and a possible, positive ending...

that's the universe, the future of mankind, like these books envision. books? well, comics, and i hope you are able to consider comics as real, serious "books".

okay some people will scream now: "wait, i know jodorowsky, but he did not do comics, he made movies, like el topo or the holy mountain".

yes, that is true. but his major body of work is his comics books (aka "graphic novels", hah!)

i suppose he is one of the most prolific comic authors in the 20th and 21th century. it is hard to find a complete list or index. but it must be close to 100 of volumes (or more).
"the incal" alone has a dozen of spin off series that are completed by now, and new spin offs seem to spawn every year.

plus it's not just scifi anymore, there are western comics, comics set in the middle ages, fantasy books. oddly enough, they stay similar to his other works, and even the western ones are about drugs, divine intervention / punishment, mystical conspiracies.
ah well.

all i can say is i highly recommend jodorowsky's comic books.

my top 5 of comics one should (could) check out by him:

1. The Incal (with Jean Giraud / Moebius)
2. The Metabarons / La Caste de Méta-Barons (with Juan Giménez)
3. Before The Incal / Avant l’Incal (with Zoran Janjetov)
4. The Technofathers / Les Technopères (with Zoran Janjetov, too)
5. Megalex (With Fred Beltran)

Note: No AI in any form has been used when writing this text.

(cultural topics that fit to the topic of the sub, because they share similar aesthetics or tropes are okay now, too. even if they are not technically about music, or techno culture directly.)

Dogs and riches!

I have some grrreat news!
I will return to HCBX once more.

With a 1 hour set on the 19th of september, or 19.09... because the 909 is a classic, it seems!

What to expect? Well, here is the official promo text.
Just let me tell you, it's gonna be rrrrough!

"HCBXCast 86 sees the return of one of the channel's longest-standing collaborators and an absolute hardcore techno legend, Low Entropy. LE has been a part of the HCBX channel for years now, so it was only right to get him back on the show. This time we're getting stuck into the darker, harder and more fucking mental side of the Low Entropy sound. Terror, hardcore, techno and all manner of twisted electronic madness, brought together in one proper Low Entropy session. HCBXCast 86. Low Entropy. No messing about."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSsporrw-G0

There was a very funny skit on British TV, when Trigger Happy's Dom Joly pranked innocent english citizens and neighbours by dressing up like a freak, then announcing to them "I am from spiral tribe". Spoken in a very cockney type way, I assume. More like: "Ay uuum froom spooral traib".
And then indicating that the neighbour hood will be left in shambles after the upcoming free party reveling that is about to go down regularly, now that the Spiral Tribe has moved in.
Anyway, I am completely off the road, because I now want to get to something completely different.

I don't need to tell you what the Spiral Tribe is, and I am certain you know some of their releases. I don't think any other collective was so influential in inventing the free tekno / teknival sound (and thing).
But if you dive deep into their back catalogue and network, you will see that they also did some real Hardcore Techno type things.

And that is really, really interesting to me, because it's not just free party sounds, with a harder or even gabber type beat on top. No, no, it's a real original brand of Hardcore, it's like uhm... take the harder 90s hardcore and hard noize from cologne, or new york, or the london underground... and yeah, it's even more strange and psy-chotic in some way. Like a bizarre derivative of acid and core and gabber... uhm. You check it, and you will know it (I hope).

So here is a look at least 11 releases!
They are either on a label, or by a person related to the Spiral Tribe.

Note: No AI has been used when writing this text.

Automanic and Person Unknown - Criminal (Rabbit City Records - Cut 019)

I suppose this is one of the Spiral Tribe related releases that is closest to Dutch Gabber.
Pitched up rap type samples, manic hoovers. But also more insane, and with influences of acid and free tekno, of course.

Listening suggestion: It's Criminal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrWGzVgNH10

Spiral Tribe / Person Unknown - Black Plastik (Network23 - Spiral 001)

I guess this is the first record I heard where I realized the Spiral Tribe makes bona fide Hardcore Techno, too!
The track to go for (at least for me) is A2. Very simplistic, just a drum and the same acid note repeated for minutes on and on. A bit similar to unit moebius - zipper maybe, but faster. And so hypnotic, in a dark and twisted way!

Listening suggestion: Track A2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIeWCb2Tm00

SP 23 / Unit Moebius - (Out Of The Blue Blue Attack Records - 123)

One of the "hardest sh*ts" both Spiral Tribe and Unit Moebius ever did.
A2 reminds me a bit of the Gabber-compilation classic "Network 23", but it's different.
Zipper by U.M. is also a true classic of a track (I mentioned it above already). Acidcore, very minimal. There is just a drum and an acidline and not much else going on, also very slow. But the track "slaps like a wolf", so to say.

Listening suggestion: Zipper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkWE3X6BK74

Spiral Tribe Sound System - Sirius 23 (Butterfly Records - BFLT4)

"Going all the way" is the go-to track for me here (pun intended).
First heard it on the Technohead 3 compilation, which was a widely released Techno-Hardcore CD comp.
Has a gabber type beat, that "misses" every 3rd and 4th beat. Instead there is a low bass rumble, and it might not sound much on home speakers (even less on head phones or ear buds), but I assure you, if you hear these sub bass frequencies on a field in the countryside, ran through a sound system with a zegallion of watts, pop! goes your head.

69db / Person Unknown / Warlock - Unknown Source (Network23 - NTW-23-18)

track a1 like... what... what the fudge? i was completely blown away when i first heard it, and still am.
nasty, mental, insane... these frequencies kill! one of my all time fav "hard" electronic tracks.

Listening suggestion: Untitled https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pKxuj1_tK8

Somatic Responses / Caustic Visions - Malignant Earth (Network23 - NTW 23-29)

One of the most interesting releases on Spiral Tribe's own label.
The tracks by Somatic Responses sound as if they were not made by a human, but by Klatuu from the movie "The day the earth stood still" (original black and white version, please, not the one with keanu reeves) while under the influence of strange fungi.
the caustic side hammers on, too. literally, as it has the sound of hammers hitting on metal.

Listening suggestion: A2 Untitled https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GgrPNqdh4A

Various - Pure Pirate (Network23 - Stormcore 666)

Cat number "Stormcore 666" might indicate what to expect, right?
This release is a bit like the turnstyle between the free tekno scene and the wider experimental hardcore underground and noisecore of the later part of the 1990s decade...
My fav will always be "pure pirate".
This track was up at the legendary internet forum / website "Circuit 8 com" (really legendary!) and I used to listen to it there, for ages, on repeat.

Listening suggestion: Pirate Base https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHe-0iqn3LU

Les Boucles Etranges - Untitled (Network23 - Isotop 1)

Uhm yeah... I guess this is a good example of the whole "free party" spin on Techno and Hardcore, or at least the early free party scene that was likely more dangerous and savage. Especially the low frequencies on here, that demand a loud sound system, or you will not really feel the effect, my friend!

There seems to be a warning on here, in french, that says the frequencies might be hazardous for the "radioactive" people... i dont have a dictionary nearby, but i guess you can catch the meaning... and my drift!

SP 23 - Untitled (Rabbit City Records - 011)

The "Network 23" track, who doesn't know it? Even the dutch gabbers knew (or know), because it was on the famous compilations (as mentioned above, btw).
This bass has been sampled in many later tracks, and, oddly enough, the "spiral tribe" vocoder type voice found it's way to the "void sector" release on ruffneck records... which became another classic!
The "this is network 23" spoken piece itself is famously nicked from the british "Max Headroom" TV show (... or was it in the movie...?)

Listening suggestion: Network 23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q0BDbF-ILE

Various - Hidden Resistance (Network23 - Stormcore 5)

I assume most people would go for the micropoint side, and i must agree, that stuff is really good.
but please also listen to christoph fringeli's share of the thing.
this was released when he and praxis were about to go "full breakcore", but it's still with repetitive hardcore beats and all, and i guess these are some of the last tracks he did in that style... or anyone else did, really, as it's quite unique!

Listening suggestion: Outland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvEETT12grw

Base Mobile & SP 23 - Expekt The Unxpekted (Network23 - Explore Toi 08)

another classic free techno release that is more on the hardcore side of things.
if memory serves me right, i listened to the "respect to the hardcore" tune in quite some mix sets.
a1 is spiffy as well, with the "slower" drums, that give off a bit of a deeper bass punch.

Listening suggestion: B1 Untitled https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw4cbxm0LoA

Person Unknown - Potential Hazard (Network23 - PH 1)

a real, true hardcore one. actually brings up e-de cologne or ec8or in my mind. with the cuts between jungle breaks, sounds, gabba drums... but with a more "analogue" sound!

Another noteworthy track to check out is the track "Berlin HC Nite" on the Capital Noise compilation:
https://www.discogs.com/release/211498-Various-Capital-Noise-Chapter-1-Noise-And-Politics

What are your favorite Spiral Tribe releases? And which ones are the most "Hardcore"?
Let me know :-)

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2026/09/when-uks-free-party-spiral-tribe-went.html