Finnish

An In Praise of Shadows update will be coming soon, but in the meantime here’s my favourite set from a strong Round 20 of Freeformaniacs. The unfamilar UK freeform sprinkled through the tracklist had me a little worried at first, but Orphic’s is a really solid set of heavy-on-the-filters freeform, built around some quality Finnish selections and nicely matched UK sounds.

The first couple of tunes are a bit of a tentative start, but after that the set really comes into its own with some smooth transitions and a wonderful flow through the filters. Hatral takes the central spot, and pitched-up actually reminds me of the WIP snippet of the Betwixt-only version I heard a long time ago. Thanks to the toughened up kick in Guld’s Watchtower remix, it definitely stands up to the faster freeform on show here. Final respectful shouts to Orphic for the best use of My Sickness I’ve heard for a long time, it’s good to see such a tricky tune getting some play again.

01 Pain on creation – Lush (Epyx & Cyrez Remix)
02 Substanced – Ghost of the future (Alchemiist Remix)
03 Transcend – Let my Wraith
04 Transcend & Midas – Hide & Freq
05 Epyx & Cyrez VS Tyranoid & Strongstream – What Lies Below
06 Pretty Addicted – Fear Myself ( Lost Soul Remix)
07 Guld VS Betwixt & Between – Hatral (Guld 2013 Mix)
08 Alchemiist – Fate
09 Transcend – No Escape
10 Substanced & Alchemiist – Permission to Die
11 Lost Soul – Crazy Light
12 Re-form – My sickness

0114 – 2005 – Betwixt & Between \ Betwixt & Between – Live At Nr.mp3 by Matthew Lancaster on Mixcloud

This is freeform.

It’s almost enough to end the post there – but we first all owe Solvynt a massive thanks for rediscovering Betwixt & Between’s 2005 Live PA, and Matthew Lancaster for the mixcloud upload.

[update: Thanks to DY we now have a downloadable version too – check here for the mp3]

Listening again over the past few days, I’ve been trying to recall the feelings I had a decade ago when the darkness, aggression and eerie, emotional melodies of this set completely changed how I thought about hardcore. Without it I wouldn’t have discovered Alek’s sound either, and nothing from NRG Monogatari to In Praise of Shadows would have happened – it’s no exaggeration, then, to call this a life-changing set.

Those who haven’t heard it before are still in for a real treat. The set is the perfect illustration of Betwixt’s style as he absorbed FINRG influences and took his complex melodies and track structures in a darker direction, and the fact that many of us are still playing these tunes 10 years later really says it all.

1. Betwixt & Between – East of Eden
2. Betwixt & Between – Eternaly
3. Betwixt & Between – Liberation
4. Betwixt & Between – Mirage
5. Betwixt & Between – Reincarnation
6. Alek Szahala – Supriya (Goa Edit)
7. Betwixt & Between – 4321
8. Betwixt & Between – Don’t Stop
9. Betwixt & Between – City of Solitude
10. Betwixt & Between – Disturbed Mind (Live Edit)
11. Betwixt & Between – The Awakening (East of Eden Part2) (Live Edit)

The archived Epyx & Cyrez material continued the other day with the release of The Whisper on FINRG. Another collab with Heathen, this one doesn’t match the amazing All of Us but definitely has its moments – the post-break melodies are classic E&C with some of the industrial heaviness Heathen was working on back then, and I love the little Re-form-esque stabs in the outro. It had me wishing for a few more filters, but otherwise a very solid tune for those 160bpm+ sets.

It’s been a struggle to keep this (fairly) quiet until now, but it’s finally time to announce TYFTH’s new direction – while the site will continue to be a welcoming place for fans of darker, deeper NRG and freeform (and will hopefully do a better job of that in the months to come), 2015 is the year that TYFTH finally steps up and becomes a fully-fledged label, supporting the scene in the way I always hoped it might.

While a cluster of newer labels have been doing a fine job of carrying the torch since FINRG’s lower profile in the scene, the number of artists producing twisted, melancholy and darker material has definitely dropped. It really feels like time, then, for TYFTH to become what I think is a label that’ll do its bit to help reinvigorate the sound we love.

The basic TYFTH mission statement is to bring back the dark, beautiful, otherworldly sounds that made me fall in love with NRG and freeform all those years ago, but with modern production that does the artists’ ideas justice. Albums like Khaotic Dimension and FINRG’s Hakkapeliitta were the reasons that many of us got into the scene, and TYFTH will be aiming high and using them for inspiration.

The first release on TYFTH will be an ‘invitation only’ CD compilation titled In Praise of Shadows, featuring 11 Finnish and Japanese tracks. All but two (carefully selected tracks) have been specially commissioned for the album. The artists have done a fabulous job of rising to the challenge, with plenty commenting how enjoyable it has been to ’travel back in time’ to revisit the atmosphere of years past. Massive thanks to everyone for buying into the concept of the label – I couldn’t have wished for a better response.

At this stage things are actually more advanced that you might expect – all the tracks for TYFTH’s first release have been submitted, and mastering is underway. The first track is an awesome return to production by Proteus – Monochrome is a dark, aggressive mix of industrial and NRG, and will start the compilation at 150bpm. Check it out right now on Proteus’ SoundCloud, and keep an ear on the TYFTH SoundCloud for previews of others over the next month or two.

The other tracks run through all the sounds you’d expect of TYFTH, with everything from angry filtered NRG to melancholy freeform via some dark, unusual detours. The list of artists involved is honestly as good as you’ll see anywhere – I can’t wait to share the full lineup.

Finally for now, a quick word on CD vs digital. I’m 100% with Smiling Corpse and their appreciation for the physical product, and TYFTH will be releasing albums with art, design and presentation that matches the quality of the music. The commissioned cover art is complete and utterly fantastic, doing full justice to the atmosphere (and title) of the compilation. ‘In Praise of Shadows’ will hopefully have a physical as well as musical presence that puts the Finnish/Japanese sounds back where they deserve to be – at the forefront of the scene.

It goes without saying that I’ll be keeping everyone informed on here as things develop, and if things go to plan (which, as I’ve already discovered, they rarely do), the first release will be ready around the end of this year/early 2016. November will tell me a lot about that, one way or the other, and you’ll all be the first to know.

I hope the TYFTH crew are as excited about this as I am – we’ve always had a brilliant group of people here, and your feedback/constructive opinions are 100% welcome. Without everyone’s support here and elsewhere over the years, this (possibly mad) project wouldn’t have gone past the daydream stage, but I’m very glad it has.

Plenty more still to announce, so updates will be coming soon.

I was going through some mix folders the other day, and rediscovered an absolute gem of a set from Orfeus that might be of interest to Horsers new and old. Recorded at Senzation Hard in 2005, the tracklist shows off the Finnish sound at one of its highest points, with Carbon Based, Rx and Alek Szahala confidently thrashing out anthem after anthem, colliding with still-played classics like Lemonade Raygun.

The whole set has me longing for the good old days, and any Finnish freeform fan will enjoy a set that includes the likes of Caballo 2004Ultimate Protection, Tuonela, and a fantastic early version of Unconsciousness. Listen out too for the original version of Grimsoul’s Bleed. Titled Painajainen back then, the track lacked the polish of the Hybridize release but really outdoes it with a higher bpm and a better focus on the melancholy. A brilliant tune that I’ve always loved.

A big draw for me though is one of my very favourite Rx tracks – Uprising. Even if it’s a bit rough around the edges by his later standards, it has always reminded me of a ThermalForce track with its filtered madness over a simple (but very effective) melody. It’s tragic that it has since disappeared – I’ve literally spent years watching out for it, but with no luck (even Rx lost the files a long while ago). I live in hope that it’s lurking on a hard drive somewhere and we’ll once again hear it in sets.

An essential set for the FINRG historian, then, especially as Orfeus tends to let most of the tunes play out to their full length. Despite that, there’s no lack of energy, and a real sense that he’s having a brilliant time tearing through these future classics.

I’ve pilfered a tracklist from Orfeus’ original klubitus post, but as the mix itself isn’t present I’ve mediafired it for the time being – if there are any problems with the link, let me know and I’ll arrange something better.

Alek Száhala – Caballo (2004 Edit)
Grimsoul – Painajainen
Pain On Creation – Lush (Carbon Based Rmx)
Grimsoul – Kadotettu Todellisuus
Rx – Uprising
Carbon Based – Ultimate Protection
DOK & Dodgee – Inside
DJ Eclipse – Devastator (Rmx)
Alek Száhala – Solar Hive
Alek Száhala – Dryad Machine
Pain on Creation & Fea – Unconsciousness (First Version)
Rx – Frozen Flame
DJ Fury – Lemonade Raygun (Back Room Mix)
Carbon Based – Tuonela
Phosphor – Back Bass

Paoçala – Aurinko

 

Dark Dimension’s compilation will be released tonight, but some very nicely presented previews of all the tracks are up now on YouTube. TYFTH interest probably centres on Guld’s remixes – great to hear the tidied-up version of Lamento della Sirena, while his NRG version of Dryad Machine works really well, complete with Genshi Kurage-style chiptune interlude.

There’s a lot of other interesting stuff up there (especially if you’re a dark psy fan), so the other videos are very worth checking out. If I make it to the event tonight I’ll try to get some decent video – it has been a while, and definitely something I should do more often.

Hardcore Summer Bash 2015 was a great event, but as so often happens when there’s a flood of good sets, some tend to get overlooked. Dyzphazia’s set has been on my radar for ages, and now I’ve finally checked it out it’s most definitely deserving of a mention here.

This is probably the first set for many months that has a tracklist that I’m 100% interested in – if you’re pining for the golden age of FINRG and the wonderful showcase sets we would regularly hear a few years ago, then delay no further and give this one a listen.

These tracks have been around for a long, long time (still sounding as glorious as ever, I’d add), and some rock-solid mixing shows how comfortable Dyzphazia is with a lot of these. There are some gentle shifts from one key to the next to keep the variety up, while hitting the sweet spot between the melancholy melodies and darker tracks.

The whole set is an excellent listen, but the selection of Savage Man coincides with what I think is the smoothest sequence of tunes – following it up with Tindaros and then Fisheye pretty much has it all. A nostalgic trip for most of us, and an excellent primer for anyone else who has joined the scene more recently, this one comes very highly recommended.

Megatherium is one of Alek Szhala’s newest tracks, appearing in a couple of recent podcasts and now set for release on Freeform Family, a 3 CD compilation from Stamina, ReBuild and A-Tech.

Early signs are that the other inclusions are (understandably) very UK-freeform-centric, but Megatherium does a fine job of striking a balance between dancefloor-friendly melodies and the psychedelic madness that Alek does best. A release to look out for, then, and in fact it can already be pre-ordered via the Stamina site.

Should really have mentioned this by now, but if you missed Alek Szahala’s appearance on Detonation Hard Drive’s Summer Session then you’re in for another treat.

The tracklist is similar at first glance to Alek’s CODEX Live PA, but there are some surprises in the form of a beautiful intro leading into a very trance-styled first track, and the very, very welcome appearance of Ngarnuuk in the wonderful final third of the set.

Not much seems to have been going on this month, so let’s change that with a cluster of older, unreleased Epyx & Cyrez tunes. The standout for me is Typhoon – if I recall correctly the project files went AWOL at the time, so denying the scene a full-quality version of one of E&C’s finest ‘nasty melodic’ tracks. This is definitely better than nothing though, giving us a listen of the glorious (and now, tragically, slightly old school) filtering and that beautiful second breakdown – one of my very favourite Epyx & Cyrez moments.

The other two tracks here are fine examples of E&C’s brand of NRG, with Desolation really hitting its stride after the breakdown and the thumping Make Him Pay impressing with a hint of the original Risk Addiction.

Also worth mentioning that All of Us, Epyx & Cyrez’s excellent collab with Heathen, is now available again via Cyrez’s SoundCloud.