Hardcore Tano*C / Drum & Bass Sessions 2009, 21st March

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 23, 2009
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Events, Japanese, UK. Leave a Comment

I’ve just recovered from a busy Saturday, where for the first time I managed two events in one day – it nearly killed me, but I’m glad I didn’t miss either of them, especially after I couldn’t make it to last Thursday’s Tokyo Hardcore Construction.

First was Hardcore Tano*C, and I had to be there for the start to see Alabaster’s set. The night before he received some FINRG promos (entirely legally, I might add), and I was hoping, he played Voices of Babylon about halfway through. I have to say, I was really really impressed with his mixing and track choice, we’ve got very similar taste in tunes – as well as some of his more recent tracks, like Void and Ziggurat, he played Grimsoul’s Synthetic Paradise (still one his very best tunes, I reckon), Angel of Hell and a few other quality tracks. It was only a 45 minute set, but one of the best I’ve heard for a while – the mix combinations were very very good.

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Recommended mixes

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 18, 2009
Posted in: Finnish, Japanese, Mixes. Leave a Comment

Time for another mix round-up, I think. My own mix is very very slowly coming together, but I won’t be setting a date for it….picking the first two tunes has taken me about a week (!).

Anyway, first up is Decion’s newest Hard NRG set, Scum of the Earth. Dark and nasty NRG is the thing here, with a fantastic intro that is genuinely one of the best I’ve heard for a long time. It might be Decion’s best Hard NRG set so far, so make sure to download it here, right away (clicking on kuuntele, as usual).

Next is Meke’s Japanese freeform-themed set, Freeformed. This one is really impressive, with some quality selection and nice mixing. The set has the atmosphere of a Japanese event from a couple of years ago, as the sound has changed quite a lot since Invoker and Nightmare Freak were getting regular play. A lot of people here miss some of those retro tunes though, so this was definitely a nice listen. Download here.

Finally we have Kuruption’s Get Finergized Vol 4. His previous sets have been quality, and this one mainly focuses on Hybridize releases. Hell’s Gate and NRGetic Romancer ravers will have heard a lot of these tracks before (especially from the second half of the set), but for anyone else who wants to hear a good selection of the recently released tunes, then this is the mix to go for. Download here.

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Konemetsa 09 Trailer

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 17, 2009
Posted in: Events, Finnish. Leave a Comment

Thanks to Decion for pointing me towards this one – I’d been watching some videos from Konemetsa earlier today, as it happens. It looks like such a great event…I’ll be heading to Finland at some point, I’m 100% sure, but maybe I can’t make it to the ’09 Konemetsa. A Finnish raver I met at Energetic Trance the other week was telling me about the amazing sound of the music in amongst all those trees, kind of a ‘softer’ sound, or something like that. Seems like the kind of thing you have to be there to experience properly though, so time to start saving..

HARD JAM @ Chiba Club Revolution, 20th March

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 13, 2009
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A quick note for any NRG fans in Chiba prefecture (just east of Tokyo) – DJ Minagi is playing a set at HARD JAM on the 20th March. His selection’s been getting better and better lately, and I’m keen to get to this one myself. Trouble is, Thursday is Tokyo Hardcore Construction, and Saturday is Hardcore Tano*C/LTJ Bukem…

The lineup hasn’t been completely announced yet, but Minagi is headlining, and it’s great to see him still getting sets after Hell’s Gate.

The event opens at 11.00pm, and here’s a map of the area, too.

NRG Monogatari 3 under construction

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 10, 2009
Posted in: Japanese, Mixes. 1 comment

I know I’ve said this before, but I’m now 100% trying to get the next NRG Monogatari finished ASAP. The next NRGetic Romancer is the 18th of April, so I’ll be aiming to get it done in the next few weeks and have enough time to come up with some decent track choices to play there. The next set will almost certainly be recorded, too, so hopefully there’ll be a couple of new mixes from me in the near-ish future!

Nomic – Delta Pavonis

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 10, 2009
Posted in: Finnish, Releases. Leave a Comment

This is one Hybridize tune that I’ve only heard very recently, and it definitely deserves a shout of its own. At 160bpm it doesn’t have the power of some of Nomic’s faster tunes, but it’s a genuinely beautiful track with an amazing atmosphere. Not hard trance and not freeform, it’s something new – and one of the best tunes I’ve heard for a long while. Nomic’s really been on top form for the last few months.

It’s now in the FINRG shop, by the way

Energetic Trance, 8th March

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 10, 2009
Posted in: Events, Japanese. Leave a Comment

Not too much has been happening during the past week, but I made it along to Energetic Trance on Sunday, as planned. It was actually my first time at amate-raxi (for some reason I thought I’d been before..), and it’s ridiculously hard to find, through a little hidden/unmarked passageway. The dancefloor itself is tiny, too, and if there’s any air conditioning it doesn’t do anything useful…it was definitely too hot to stay for more than one set at a time.

Anyway, Guld’s set was really top quality, and the highlight of the event, for sure. A lot of the NRGetic Romancer crew were there, and the atmosphere tailed off after Guld and Nish finished their sets. Remo-con’s set in particular didn’t seem to get people going at all….

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Tokyo Hardcore Construction, Tano*C 9th Strike East, LTJ Bukem @Unit

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 1, 2009
Posted in: Events, Japanese. Leave a Comment

March is a busy month for events, the first being Energetic Trance next weekend, and here are three more that I’ve been looking forward to. First up is Tokyo Hardcore Construction at Studio Cube – I’ll definitely be along to this one again, though Betwixt & Between isn’t playing this time. If you check the flyer you’ll notice that it’s on the 19th – a Thursday – but thank the gods I’m not working the following day, so all’s well.

Then, depending how NRGetic I’m feeling on the 21st, I’m thinking about a couple of ambitious trips to first the ‘East’ Hardcore Tano*C event (the ‘West’ version will be held in Osaka the week before), and then LTJ Bukem’s event at Unit. I’ll be free from work on Saturdays after next week, and so if my body/bank balance can take it, the early Tano*C start time might actually be a good thing….

January/February Top Ten

Posted by PlasmaDancer on February 27, 2009
Posted in: Top Tens. 2 comments

After two events in two months, it’s time for another Top Ten. As a sign of how much I’ve been locked away doing music stuff since the start of the year, I don’t have any photos to start the post off this time – maybe I’ll buy a new camera and start going for wanders around Tokyo or something. Fresh air is a good thing, or so I hear.

Quite a few ‘slower’ tunes in the list this time, for once!

  1. Alek Szahala – Voices of Babylon
  2. Cyrez – Private Demon
  3. Nomic – Awa
  4. ADAM Lab 4 – Psychopath (Proteus Hard Boiled remix)
  5. Hangover Academy vs Decion – Technological Terror
  6. Betwixt & Between – Tankobu Hesotarou no Hourou/The Wander of Hesotarou Tankobu
  7. IAF – Kinky
  8. Betwixt & Between – City of Solitude (Guld remix)
  9. Substanced vs Grimsoul – Signal Lost
  10. Epyx & Cyrez – Distant Illusions