Back catalogue: UK Hardcore

Review: Ever-present in the early to mid nineties and as the die hard fans know well, they haven't actually gone anywhere. Luna-C and his label stable have been constantly releasing music ever since then. Here are two brand new releases for you to get your hands on. To give you an explanation of what's on the wax, it's not that far from what they were releasing back in the day. The old skool feel remains, but the tempo has gone up a bit. Some of the tracks on the EP would even fit into the new hardcore breakz category. Knite Force has some serious die hard fans out there, don't forget to help them get hold of their fix.

Review: Back in 2020, Mike Stewart decided to reactivate his B.I.T Productions label - an imprint that originally delivered a string of forthright house and trance EPs in the late 1990s. This multi-artist four-tracker is decidedly retro-futurist in tone, mixing sounds reminiscent of the label's late 90s output with nostalgic nods towards earlier rave sounds. Stewart kicks things off by re-editing and extending Awesome3 & Ondamike's 2021 breaks/electro/rave mash-up 'Ready For This', before "dirty bass" loving rave revivalist Retropolis peppers a sweat-soaked breakbeat with massive piano stabs on '5AM'. Andy M joins forces with original Mancunian rave crew Dream Frequency on the 1992 breakbeat hardcore style rush of 'I Want Your Love', while Stewart picks up his scalpel for a second time to rework the full-throttle rave madness of 'Just High' by A.Plus.

Review: Malice - 'On & On': One of the biggest names in the scene, and co-owner of 2 Fresh Records, Malice has a unique style that has become his trademark. Rolling beats with intricate feels and super fast lyrics combine with a warped bass line to keep this track tearing along. Old skool stabs and slick synths, build up to create a solid slab of liquid hardcore. Running Man - 'Blackboard Jungle': Unsocial Audio's number one drum and bass producer has been making big waves in the hardcore breaks scene. Pounding breakbeats build, whilst reggae lyrics and dubbed out piano's create a soul soothing ambience that carry this tune to the break. A truly dark bassline and fierce amen combine on the drop, to make 'Blackboard Jungle' a dance floor slammer! Amnexiac - 'Go!': Spain's number one hardcore breaks producers are on form for this white knuckle ride. The main vocal is complimented by hard edged drum programming and heavy synth leads that become even more intense in the breakdown. Funky, rolling breaks and hefty sub-bass pull together with the synth to create a very new sound on the drop. Darkus vs The Phantom - '4 Elements': Hardcore Projektz main man, and a pioneer in the scene, Darkus, teams up with The Phantom. Tumbling beats kick the track off, with faint synths and fx to make rolling intro. An old skool rift on the breakdown, creates dark hands in the air moment, and rolls through the drop getting phatter on its way. The 4 elements vocals on the second drop separate the track nicely, and introduce more of a reggae feel to the second half.

Review: Because Raver Baby tracks are so in demand, the label decided to take things to the next level and release a series of double and triple packs. Most double & triple packs usually contain one big track and the rest fillers, but these packs only contain the biggest and most sort after hardcore anthems in the world. Each pack also has its own unique artwork. Disc one contains the two monster anthems from N-Trance, both with well sort after Hixxy mixes. Disc two includes the massive Dougal & Gammer remix to bring you their unique Essential Platinum sound. The flip has one of the catchiest vocal anthems of this year. Disc three takes you on a trip to scouse land. "Devastated Motivated" gives you the harder sound of Hixxy & Recon, whilst "I Can Wait" brings you the bouncy style of Squad E with awesome vocals and uplifting riffs. This release is limited to 3000 copies worldwide!

Review: The 18th Raindance Indoor Rave Festival, on the 22nd September 2007, looks to be something special. This amazing night, at SeOne (London Bridge) will feature a great selection of rooms and some supreme artists. Have a look for yourself:

Old Skool Arena: Shut Up & Dance, Shades Of Rhythm, Whizzkick (live PA), G Magical/Trix, Tony Roberts, Demo Crew, Slipmatt, Billy 'Daniel' Bunter, Isotonic Crew, Squirrel/Ratpack/Danny C.

'89-'90 Jenkins Lane Reunion: N-Joi (live PA), Jack Bass, Joey G, Old Gits, Dave Minns, Niki Dimensions, Buntersaurus.

Jungle & Drum & Bass: Lex TC, DJ Rivah, Davious D, Danish Mike, Ruffstuff, Dean 'Pageboy' Delerium, Kenny Ken/Brockie, Swanee, Nicky Blackmarket.

Mad Hatters Hard House Party: Panix/Grant Molloy, Caz Wood, DJ Lusty, Tony Roberts, RAF/Neil The Pornstar, Billy 'Daniel' Bunter, Kevin Energy.

Magic Hardcore Raveabout: DJ Grandad, Insane & Mind, HB & Ponder, Cresta/Upfront, Granny Sc@r, Uncle Uplift, Project Bosh, Slipmatt, Billy 'Daniel' Bunter, Kevin Energy, Sharkey/Vibes.

Can U Feel It?? Breakbeat: Phono Bros, Steelo, Apply The Breaks & Host Kid, Ellis Dee/Soto, Drumatic Twins, Mofo and more.

Review: Old Skool Arena. The Whole Old Skool Spectrum-Open Musical Mind Required! First time ever at Raindance-The Queen Of Rave: Rozalla (performing 'Everybody's Free'), Glen Aston, Squirrel, Billy Bunter, Ratpack, Danny C, Trix, GMagical, Demo Cru, Ratty. MCs Robbie Dee & Ice. Drum & Bass/Jungle Arena: Where The Music Does The Talking. Nikki Dimensions, Tabby, Modified Motion, Devious D, Swan E, Ruffstuff, Krust, Phantasy, Kenny Ken, Nicky Blackmarket. MCs Moose, Five Alive. The Magic Hardcore Raveabout: Hardcore In All Its Various Forms New And Old. Grandad, Billy 'Daniel' Bunter, Sc@r b2b Uplift, HB & Ponder, Vibes & Livelee, Def-DJ, Spinback, Tiny, Sparkee MCs Rizla Dizla & Spenno

89-90 Jenkins Lane Reunion
House Music All Night Long
Jack Bass, DJ Skie, Joey G, Dave Minns b2b Nikki Dimensions, Old Gits (Nice 'n' Eazy & DJ Shakez), Billy 'Banter'saurus

Mad Hatters Hard House Party
For All The Different Strands Of The Hard House Family
James Nardi, Wain Johnston, Caz Wood, Raf, Tony Roberts, Mark Ashley, Above b2b Ajay, Nicky D

Can U Feel It?? Breakbeat
The Future Of The Underground - 100% Chin Stroker Free
Phono Bros, Equalizers, Ellis Dee, Soto, Mofo, Napt, Apply The Breaks (5 dev n fex mash up!)

Hosted by Ken Mac

Yuk & Pussina
Filthy, Dirty House & Electro
Nonstop Heroes (Precious People, Space), Gareth Wylde (Sick!), Jesse James (Connected), RPM DJs (Ministry), Chrissy Maranello (Wonky), Mr Arkoss (Funkin You), Flith Monkeys (Raindance)

The Legendary VIP Afterparty Mash-Up
Returning for more mayhem – only for the headstrong!!!
Drum And Bass Mash-Up Arch: Phantasaurus, Ruffstuff, SLB, DJ Skyz, Ben J, Spice

Eclectic Party Time Arch: Dave Minns, Bubbler, Danny C, Vibes & Livelee, Flapjack

Review: Old School Arena: Altern-8 (live PA), 2 Bad Mice (live PA), Billy Daniel Bunter aka Mr Dan. Drum & Bass/Jungle: DJ Lex TC, DJ Rivah, Filthy Dirty Rich, Swanee, Krust, Kenny Ken. '89-'90 Jenkins Lane: Jack Base, Bave Minns, Nikki Dimensions, PK. Magic Hardcore Raveabout: DJ Supreme & Sunset Regime, Cat Knight (live PA).

Review: Buckle up and hold on tight, because Kniteforce is back with a third offering of hardcore madness. First up here, they set the dial to warp speed with 'Gotta Believe', which glides on euro-dance chords, tight drum convulsions and brooding bass darkness. It's an undeniable face melter. Flip it over for 'Sunshine', an even more hi-NRG affair, with elastic drums, manic pianos straight from the 90s and a vocal destined to do damage. So, jump in your Nova, load up on party prescriptions and get ready for a sweaty trip back to '92.

Review: In 2019, there were no rules when it came to who played what. Feeding into that was a resurgence in higher tempos, trance, rave, gabber, hardcore and just about anything. That's why this monster fifth release on Raver-R is going to be so well received rather than laughed at, as it most certainly would have been in previous years. And why not, because it sure is fun, with slapping drums, mentasm stabs, horns, whistles and overblown female vocals all exploding time and time again. This then is mad decent, and utterly destructive club weaponry.

Review: More under the counter booty business from those east London wheeler dealers. This time they've got their hands on a kosher bit of tuneage that might remind you of a certain nineties tune by N-Trance.

Review: Roffa than ruff! Netherlands craftsman Mike Redman (AKA Deformer) unites local MCs Bigman Scep, Swift and Dart for this big singalong skank-out. Tailored for festivals, it pays homage to the roots with big party energy. Meanwhile on the remix front we're bombarded with an all-star cast as UK OGs Bizzy B and Ed Rush both get stuck in alongside Mike under his Deformer alias. Bizzy is all about the modern rave twist while Ed Rush gets an old Bad Company style and Deformer goes all-out breakcore. Elsewhere on this double 12" opus we see Mackadena get the breaks on, Rotterdam Terror Corps go full hardcore and Akira teasing us with a little twist of gabber. High grade Dutch business.

Review: The first two releases from the Refreshers label - both by the eponymous Refreshers production team - sold out in quick time. It's been almost two years since the last one now but the wait was worth it. The London crew, whoever it is made up of, knows how to lay down killer drum & bass that references the past but also looks to the future. 'Way U Smile' has pitched up vocals and tumbling bass swagger, 'Do U Remember' is all bleeps and stepping breaks with busted bass and sirens punctuating the groove, and 'Bells & Whistles' is an icy rhythmic workout before 'Moving Up (dub)' closes on a headier vibe.

Review: Hamburg herberts Sozialistischer Plattenbau get busy with the 21st edition of their breakneck funk Dubcore series. This time label regulars We Rob Rave and Polish duo Riffz & Dubskint take a tune each per side. R&D's 'Like This' is straight from the book of 92, all big pianos and feel good flavours while WRR's 'Weedless Bacon' takes things into much darker territories. Flip for more hardcore solutions as 'Team Bird Up' goes full on 4x4 before Riffz & Dubskint sign out on some manic Dreamscape tip. Hardcore, we suspect you know the score.

Review: Ripped to Fcuk is the most successful cover label in the hardcore scene, run by Quosh massive Sy & Unknown. All releases get hammered every week in clubs all over the country. Most have been sort after for a long time.

Review: The superb Kniteforce label takes no prisoners once more with a blistering new EP from The Rood Project that is a perfect time-warp back to the heyday of 90s rave. The Crack Of Dawn 12" actually dropped in 1993 and is an experimental jungle techno mash up for peak time listening. It's dark, energising and packed with great samples about being high. And that's just the title track - 'Scary' is like a rollercoaster that breaks free of its rails and 'Crimestretch' is a cacophony of dark, brutal breaks and drilling bass.

Review: New to Cargo: 'Terminator II', another classic two-handed re-issue from last year, this one with the
mighty Ruffige Cru, headed by Goldie, with the seminal 'Terminator 2' which needs no introduction,
backed-up with an early bomb from the peerless 4Hero.

Review: Whether this is a new label with big plans to make its mark in the world of drum & bass, or one throwaway new release just for funnies is not yet clear. What we do know is that this is a mysterious EP of bootleg jungle and happy hardcore remixes of smooth 80s pop singer Carly Simon's pop hit 'Why.' It's utterly bonkers but just as brilliant. Rufkraft goes first and layers up crashing drums and a flurry of percussion and only the hint of soul from some subtle synths. The M27 version is more obvious fun, with the recognisable chords dropped over big, silly beats and mad scratching then DJ Please closes with a reggae version that is big on attitude.

Review: One of the finest examples of a 4-track hardcore breaks EP we've ever seen! Sparky's 'Sometimes Dumb' perfectly brings together a tearing and highly energetic breakbeat with a full-on hands-in-the-air piano drop. Screwball's 'Natural High' is a full-on rave anthem that can't help but leave you with a huge grin from ear-to-ear. Running Man's 'Warped Sense Of Humour' is pure darkside bizness, with warped basslines a plenty, whilst Kingsize's 'No Beating Around The Bush' makes use of a pounding breakbeat and euphoric breakdown to round off this stunning release. Receiving support from every big name in the hardcore breaks scene. This is what it's all about.

Review: Classic Rotterdam gabba.

Review: Summer 2006 is shaping up to be the Summer Of Hardcore with mega events and monster selling compilations helping to maintain hardcore's dominance as the dance music of choice across the UK. Resist's own "Hardcore Heaven 3" CD punctured the UK Compilation Chart Top 10 at number 7 and the new volume in Resist's flagship hardcore series, "Bonkers" looks likely to follow the same path. "Bonkers 16" is released in June 2006 and offers a similarly diverse line-up of DJs, music and value for money as "Bonkers 15", across a 3xCD package. Following unlimited positive feedback for the last album from ravers and critics alike the early summer release features 7 of the UK's most popular hardcore DJs performing back to back mixes. Having requested to continue working with DJs of their choice and record a mix of new material, the role call reads thus: Hixxy & Recon, Sharkey & CLSM & Kutski, Scott Brown & Gammer. After Resist's success with "Bonkers 15" in the Xmas market, "Bonkers 14" which reached number 12 in the national compilation chart in June 2005, and "Bonkers 13" which charted at 13 in November 2004, the series returns with a varied selection that is unrivalled by any other hardcore compilation. Joining the Bonkers boys Hixxy, Sharkey & Scott Brown are Raver Baby/Hardcore Till I Die favourite Re-Con (aka Ultrabeat, Rezonance Q), voted best Newcomer at the Hardcore Dance Awards 2005 as well as introducing ever popular DJ/producer CLSM aka Jon Doe (who recorded John Peel/Radio 1 hardcore favourite "John Peel Is Not Enough") and Radio 1's very own hardcore pilot of the airwaves Kutski. The scene's youngest top flight DJ, Gammer (Essential Platinum/Muffin Music) joins the fold. The album contains upfront and exclusive tracks and mixes from Breeze & Styles, DJ Force, Brisk & Ham, Sy, Kevin Energy.

Review: Four years after his acclaimed Brame long player, Julien Chastagnol aka Ruby My Dear returns with his fourth album, A dada. It is another experimental sound world that is a joyous yet intricate fusion of drill 'n' bass and IDM, akin to what the artist himself says is "a breakcore lullaby." Across all four sides of wax, he goes in hard on the breakbeats and tightly programmed drums, with layers of scuzzy heavy metal sounds, looped and warped vocals and mind-melting synths that fizz and spin, explode and impulse on a constant basis to leave you feeling exhausted mentally and physically.