UK

N.E.M.M. – Nostalgic. Euphoric. Melodic. Music.

Posted by PlasmaDancer on February 22, 2016
Posted in: Releases, UK. 3 comments

Now this is worth keeping an eye on – Hellfury is at the helm of a project that looks even further back than In Praise of Shadows for inspiration. N.E.E.M. will focus on the 90s trancecore sound, keeping the melodic, energetic feel and updating it for the current freeform scene.

The two previews so far sound excellent, and given Hellfury’s taste in tunes I think we can be confident that the rest will keep standards high. I can’t wait to hear more, and as I moved away from hardcore circa ’97 I’m expecting to be educated in what I missed. A set combining the releases on this compilation with tracks from trancecore’s heyday is a pretty exciting thought.

Top 3 Mixes of 2015

Posted by PlasmaDancer on February 9, 2016
Posted in: Finnish, Mixes, Top Tens, UK, USA. 3 comments

I’ve done plenty of mix listening over the past couple of months to catch up with what was an excellent year of sets in 2015. Some strong releases have kept a lot of sets fresh, but there have also been some quality older selections and an overall higher level of mix transitions than we’ve seen for a couple of years. Here, then, are my favourite three.

3. Alek Szahala – Live @ CODEX5, Tokyo 2015

This was a special set for all sorts of reasons, but even putting to one side Alek’s return to Tokyo this is a wonderful hour that showcases a lot of different styles through more than a decades’ worth of tracks. There are some surprises thanks to a few unusual connections, while the contrast between the darker and lighter sides of Alek’s sound is very nicely put together.

2. Dyzphazia – Hardcore Summer Bash 2015

Despite the new releases this year one of my favourite sets was this primer in older FINRG, delivered by Dyzphazia. Very solid mixing lets the tracks speak for themselves, and the selection of aggressive filtered tracks is nicely broken up with some classic, melancholy melodies. If you know someone who has yet to get into freeform, then pointing them towards this set would be a sensible first step.

1. Solvynt – Lucky Lotus Online Electronic Music Festival 5

Solvynt’s set is another one that lets most of the tracks play out to their full length, but the eventual transitions are often something very special indeed. The track selection is pure TYFTH, and even if the second half can’t quite maintain the levels of the first, the flow of the set is superb as it builds to the Stance – Taranis finale. Definitely my favourite set of the year, and the good news is that Solvynt is back on the Lucky Lotus lineup for this year’s event (more on that soon).

Honourable mentions:

Olly Addictive & Akumie, Shimotsukei, Orphic, Alchemiist

 

Freeform Will Never Die

Posted by PlasmaDancer on November 23, 2015
Posted in: Canadian, Finnish, Japanese, Releases, Swedish, UK, USA. 1 comment

There’s something great going on at Freeform Will Never Die’s SoundCloud right now – a collecting together of a huge number of free releases from the labels that make up the scene, curating the best ones and making them handily available in one place.

The FINRG list of 25 tracks shows a really good ear for our kind of sound, and in fact even TYFTH was recently added to the collection. If you somehow missed out on our free tracks then be sure to take a look, and I’d wager there’ll be a few other free tunes on other labels that went under your radar until now.

Give FWND a SoundCloud follow as well, this kind of dedication deserves plenty of support.

Orphic – Freeformaniacs Round 20

Posted by PlasmaDancer on November 19, 2015
Posted in: Finnish, Japanese, Mixes, UK. Leave a Comment

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

Orfeus – Live @Senzation Hard, 1st April 2005

Posted by PlasmaDancer on October 9, 2015
Posted in: Finnish, Mixes, UK. 6 comments

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 2004, Ultimate 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

 

CODEX6, 1st November @Shibuya R-Lounge

Posted by PlasmaDancer on October 3, 2015
Posted in: Events, Japanese, UK. Leave a Comment

Sorry that posts have been thin on the ground once again – something that’s long overdue a mention is the next installment of CODEX, now a mere month away and featuring another quality lineup.

A quick glance will show you that this is one for the UK freeform fans, with A.B. from Stamina Records and Cyrax of Project Badass headlining as guests. There’s a sizeable UK freeform following in Tokyo, which should make for a lively atmosphere of a different sort than during Alek’s appearance in August. I’m also looking forward to Le Dos-on’s set under his ‘Hyphen’ alias, and raqhow’s b2b with Sige on his CODEX debut.

Hopefully there’ll still be some interest in the dark side, as I’m aiming for melancholy aplenty this time around. Great to see Asahi on the lineup too, nicely balancing out the sounds on offer with some more Finnish support.

CODEX6 with STAMINA Records & Project Badass

Place : R-Lounge 6F Shibuya
START : 2015 / 11 / 01 (SUN) 13:00 ～
Door:2500YEN(+1Drink)
W/F or Guest :2000YEN(+1Drink)

/_/_/ Special Guests DJs/_/_/
A.B (STAMINA Records,UK)

Cyrax (Project Badass,UK)

/_/_/ DJs/_/_/
raqhow (CODEX / Freeform Bros.) vs Sige(Sapporo Hardcore channel)

NONAKA+CHIN (SPREEMO / Freeform Bros)

Hyphen (Splash Energy/SOLIDBOX RECORDS)

Plasmadancer (FINRG Recordings / NRGeticRomancer)

Alabaster (Cradle to Grave)

Asahi (Operation -業-)

/_/_/ VJs /_/_/
VJ ALE (RisingGENERATION / deeepa)

Manabirds (RisingGENERATION / iNSRiRE)

/_/_/ Photo /_/_/
Mizuho

SINISTRY: House of Horrors, 31st October (Elektrowerkz, London)

Posted by PlasmaDancer on September 26, 2015
Posted in: Events, UK. 6 comments

If you’re reading this then you’ll surely be familiar with the sets of long-time Horser and darker freeform specialist Alderz, and so next month’s Sinistry should be firmly marked into your calendar.

Alderz has been booked to play the freeform floor, guaranteeing some quality tracks from the dark side (which you’d think is what a Sinistry on Halloween should be all about, after all). Massive congrats to him, and there’ll be even more TYFTH-friendly sounds from Smiling Corpse’s Olly Addictive, representing his label and our corner of the scene.

Headlining a strong-looking hard dance floor is Lab 4, presumably with an old-skool set of the sort that did the business at Ageha last year.

Aryx – Port of Adia

Posted by PlasmaDancer on September 23, 2015
Posted in: Releases, UK. 4 comments

Following Alek Szahala and Alchemiist’s tracks we have another reason to consider the UK-centric Freeform Family album with Aryx’s Port of Adia. Any release that includes new Aryx material deserves some support – we desperately need more tracks of this depth and quality.

Dyzphazia – Hardcore Summer Bash 2015

Posted by PlasmaDancer on September 16, 2015
Posted in: Finnish, Japanese, Mixes, UK. 1 comment

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.

Alek Szahala – Megatherium

Posted by PlasmaDancer on September 9, 2015
Posted in: Finnish, Releases, UK. 6 comments

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.