Geecast!

NG Reunion Pt3!! Jake Nicholls & D-stroy!!

Wooooo

 

Woooo

 

Erm WOOOOO!

 

Im the ghost of Christmas past. And im here to share some early millenium Banging Trance & Hardcore courtesy of Mr Jake Nicholls & D-stroy... Woooo Woooooooo............

 

Its now part 3 of our Northern Gathering Reunion!

 

Please enjoy & share the mixes whilst your neck another baileys & mince pie!! (and maybe a sneaky Gary?)

 

Interviews below!

 

Merry Xmas you filthy animals! 

 

Kev Geex

 

So can you talk us through how you became involved with Northern Gathering?

I'd been resident at Uprising for a number of years at the time and was asked by Firthy 'king of the forest people' if I’d like to play for his station, it was something different at the time and lots of other great lads were involved too, it was a lot of fun.

 

 

What can you remember about your first set? Tunes played? other djs there? Where was it held?

As I recall, we were all at DJams, Bombjack, Martin, Tommi etc.. were all there, it was a brilliant atmosphere. 

My set for this Xmas special is a fairly accurate snapshot of that era.

 

What do you think of that era of Rave compared to nowadays?

There seemed to be a lot more going on, loads of cool people and parties, it was a really enjoyable ride. 

It’s hard to compare the two eras though, as the dynamic has changed a lot since. In a way I think much of it felt more underground at the time as social media didn’t really exist, everyone was in it more for the fun and not for page likes. More noticeably you didn't see anyone on their phone trying to record anything, the dancefloor was fully dialled into the music & it all added to the atmosphere. So much different to how it is now.

 

What have you been doing since Northern Gathering finished? Do you still play out etc?

I’ve been producing trance and hardcore, and DJing here and there, I’m grateful to have played in the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Thailand, HTID in the sun, and Ibiza a few times since.

 

What lessons have you learned about the rave scene in general since the mid 00tees?

Far too many to list 😂

 

If you could ask Doctor Gee one question what would it be?

If oranges are orange, why aren’t bananas called yellows?

 

Can you talk us through the mix? Why did you chose these tracks?

It’s a cross section of tracks/sounds from that time that still work so well, some big hard trance with darker contrasting elements.

 

What do you think is the key difference from the rave scene of 15 years ago to now?

I'd say social media influences (positive and negative) and attendances, I think a lot of the excitement was in the suspense. As Keith touches on, everyone was working hard and waiting all week for the next event, only having the memory of the last party or someone else’s feedback or a tape pack or flyer to go on. 

Less was definitely more, that Friday feeling was off the chart.

 

Thank you for the mix!!

No worries, I really enjoyed it 😉 

 

Any shouts?!!

Big shouts to all of my good friends & close ones, they know who they are, I met some fantastic people in the scene over the years and I've had some fantastic times.

An extra special mark of love and respect to the friends we’ve lost over the years, 2020 especially. Gone but never forgotten x

 

Northern Gathering Xmas Reunion Pack 2!! D-Jam & KS1!

Merry bastard Xmas & Bah HUMBUG to you all!!

 

No not really! I hope your having a nice build up to the not so big Xmas 2020!

 

So lets lift the gloom & take you back to times when we didnt care what time we rolled in from a night out & how much we pissed the neighbours off!! (Right Kathy & Andy?) 

 

This one features 2 SUPERB mixes from Northern Gathering Residents Andy Mollins (AKA D-Jam) and everyones favourite cap wearing happy hardcore head & Uprising new talent Dj winner KS1!

Both mixes are BANG ON! Get listening and sharing! You'll be back in 2005-06 without a care in the world before you know it!!

 

And please read the interviews Below!

 

Mix 1 D-jam

Mix 2 KS1

 

Interview questions!!
 
Hello!!
Can you introduce yourself to us and tell us a little about yourself?! ASL, Straight, BI, Upf or experimentation etc?!

Urm... i have no idea what UPF is, do they deliver shit? 
Anyway, I'm Andy Mollins, 29 years old, Male, and I'm not 29.
Used to DJ under the name D-Jam.

So can you talk us through how you became involved with Northern Gathering?
Well, in a nutshell, back in the mystical days of MSN messenger and porn that only came in picture form, my partner at the time, had a brother who played really fast music, he shall be known as sat nav space. 

This gentleman hijacked my musicality, and turned me into a part time raver with really long hair and fashion sense that can only be described as the Liam Galagher vs JJB. Anyway, to cut a long story short (unlike my hair), Me and Martin used to play around on the decks during various late night drinking sessions, he was already making waves within the scene locally. And i wanted to get more into it after seeing him smash sets out across the region. 

And during this time i came across an online radio station, that was run by a little dingle elf, who was from middle earth.
I got chatting to the little elf, using various online translators, and managed to get me and martin a weekly slot on the radio. 

From this i became more involved with the radio, helping the elf run things and organise special one-off radio events.  This was how we came about the idea, and the rest is history.
What can you remember about your first set? Tunes played? other DJs there? Where was it held?
Well, i used to play out in the club scene from being 16, around Rotherham, when it was actually a decent night out. But my first set would have been B2B with Martin Space at the Uprisings 10th birthday party when Hardcore United hosted room 2, i was bricking myself. (I may have got the 10th birthday wrong).
All i can remember is, it was hot as hell, loud as fuck, and still one of the best nights I've had in my life. Me and spacey played through so many styles it was unreal, finishing off with some absolute monsters, don't ask me the names of the tracks. it was 20 fucking years ago lol. 
 
Can you tell us about any funny stories from Northern Gathering?
Too many to mention, Martins already spoke about the one that stuck out to me, although he did leave quite a few details out that i won't go into. He knows lmao. 

I do remember DJ Firthy aka the elf, missing his set due to be absolutely hammered. and he was on pretty early if I remember, he'd managed to get that smashed he spewed in the bath, and then was comatose for most of the day. And before anyone says anything, yes that happened to me, but i was on last, so i came around in time!!! 

What do you think of that era of Rave compared to nowadays?
I can't comment, I'm a recluse. i spend most of my days producing or playing some game or working. I do miss it though, and the people, had some mint times. 

What have you been doing since Northern Gathering finished? Do you still play out etc?
I have been releasing a podcast, when i have time, and i produce to some sort of standard under the alias ArcAnum, nothing to shout about. And i run 2 labels, nothing that would fit into any rave though I'm afraid, my brain can't compute anything over 135 these days. 

What lessons have you learned about the rave scene in general since the mid 00tees?
Above anything, the more ass you kiss, the further you got. Or if you have a skill that can be useful within the scene, then you'll be ok. There are a few exceptions to that rule. But very few and far between. 
I know some DJ's with some serious talent's, and passion that didn't even get a look in because their faces didn't fit, or some other bullshit reason. 

If you could ask Doctor Gee one question what would it be?
When are you coming to upgrade my shit broadband you slag!!!! 

Can you talk us through the mix? Why you chose these tracks?
I tried to recreate what I'd had done back then, i was never one to just play one style, i liked to go through the styles, easing the listeners into the set before whacking them with a hammer.

Did you mix them on vinyl or Digital or CD?Digital... It's not the same, and will never be the same, just glad i lived through i time to hear a record bounce on the decks because some cunt was jumping too high in front of the decks. 
What do you think is the key difference from the rave scene of 15 years ago to now?
Can't really comment about the now, but i can imagine it being nothing like it used to be. 
Who knows, maybe there's already been talks within the ranks for party or event created by the NG team in the not-too-distant future. 

Thank you for the mix!!
 
Any shouts?!!
Yehh, everyone who was involved within the NG team. And to everyone who followed our journey along the way!!

 

 

 

Interview 2 KS1!

Hello!!

Can you introduce yourself to us and tell us a little about yourself?! ASL, Straight, BI, Up for experimentation etc?!

KS1 or nowadays Keith Stanage, from Scunthorpe, meh

 

So can you talk us through how you became involved with Northern Gathering?

I bothered the bejesus out of Martin Space after meeting him at Long Eaton.

 

What can you remember about your first set? Tunes played? other djs there? Were was it held?

 A welcoming, family get together atmosphere second to none! I didn't know many people there when I arrived but I did when I left.

 

Can you tell us about any funny stories from Northern Gathering?

Yes, but I still speak to some of these ppl so I won't. Andy is responsible for most.

 

What do you think of that era of Rave compared to nowadays?

We worked all week and let rip on the weekend. It was a family gathering, didn't matter the event! You could go on ur own and meet people there you knew or would know very soon.

There was very little of this bookings for bookings that goes on now, it was talent being booked for talent.

 

What have you been doing since Northern Gathering finished? Do you still play out etc?

Mainly having kids. I still play out when asked but rarely, normally old skool and reunion sets, which suits me fine tbh as I can't find the passion or interest in new music... I've gone full Meldrew about it.

 

What lessons have you learned about the rave scene in general since the mid 00tees?

 Moderation is key.

 

If you could ask Doctor Gee one question what would it be?

Why can't dogs look up? Who built the pyramids? Why has Mercedes got 3 Es all pronounced differently? What if this is all a dream?

 

Can you talk us through the mix? Why you chose these tracks?

Hopefully a sort of "best of..." Of the tracks I played during my few brief years of medium success.

 

Did you mix them on vinyl or Digital or CD?

Me: Vinyl and 1 digital.

 

What do you think is the key difference from the rave scene of 15 years ago to now?

We're not in it and everyone is a DJ now... Maybe I'm just old but it's not the same as when I was a lad and it was all fields.

 

Thank you for the mix!!

Thank you for including me, then and now

 

Northern Gathering Reunion!! Pack1!!! Martin Space & James Woollen!!

Oh My Daysssssssssss!!!
Yes thats right!! from out of nowere we have organised the OG MOFOs back for one last HOOO RAHHH!!
Who remembers the legendary NOTHERN GATHERING RADIO SHOWS?
No You dont? 
Sit nicely kids..... Its time for a history lesson.... Mid 2004 and Internet radio shows become a viable option now that people can listen in 128KPS quality and people can also broadcast from their bedrooms using Winamp and a plug in!! 
Hardcore United is the brainchild of a young lad called Luke FIrth (No not the Fat pie Firth!! Thats DAVID Firth!)  You see Luke isnt old enough to actually goto raves so he launches an internet radio station instead. He also drafts in well known Local Dj Martin Space and his co conspirator Andy Mollins AKA DJam. These 3 stooges also come up with a plan to have all day raves at various locations around Yorkshire and getting loads of Djs to play there!! Also with the wonders of ADSL broadband you can tune in & get involved listening, chatting away in the chatroom and requesting records etc!!  The idea is a huge success with many listeners tuning in and creating a crazy vibe!! Loads of local djs also hear about this and want to be involved!  NORTHERN GATHERING is born!! Northern Gathering goes from strength to strength! Rave promoters also hear about this &Northern Gathering starts to host second rooms across the north of England. Playing to packed out sweat boxes at events like Uprising, HardDrive and many more!!
But with so much fun happening, the unthinkable happens when popular Dj & Mc NG resident Lyde Fox AKA Dj Bombjack sadly passes away.  Naturally it knocks the whole of the NG team for six and his close friend Sam Foster.  In honour of Lyde, an event is organised with Mega Promoter Uprising and the event Bombkacks big bash is put on with a sell out at the legendary Adelphi venue in Sheffield. One of Bombjacks mixes is played out to an emotional and thankful crowd.

Lyde if you are up there reading this we all still think about you all the time!! You will never be forgtten mate!   And for this reason we will include one of Bombjacks mixes in the packs!!
Also over the last few years we have also sadly lost other NG regulars, Tommi T & Lang-E

So.... What now? what happened to Northern Gathering? What about the Djs and Mcs? 
I have tracked down the majority of them from EVENT 1. I am trying to recreate the same line up as is possible! I have also done some short interview questions! Were I couldnt track down a DJ. I will try & include a set of theirs if possible!!

Friendships that last to this day & were built off the back of these internet events.
To celebrate these iconic shows (and the websites that spawned from) Hardcoreunited.co.uk being one.
So to celebrate this I have got most of the gang back who played at event 1.
This was the flyer for event 1:-
  

 

The download & Stream links are further down! Whilst your streaming or downloading why not read the interviews?!

 

We will be releasing 2 mixes every 2 days running upto Xmas!

 

Thanks to everyone that has helped with the Geecast relaunch this year to to all our listeners!

Stay safe & have a great Christmas with your familys!

 

Thanks to everyone who has contributed (often at short notice!) mixes or help to make this project a reality!!

 

Interview 1!! MARTIN SPACE!!

Hello!!
Can you introduce youself to us and tell us a little about yourself?! ASL, Straight, BI, Upf or experimentation etc?!
I'm Martin Space
I'm a raver and a bedroom DJ.
Even now, at a ripe age of 42. I'm an 'happy go lucky' guy and I do love to 'Dance like no one is watching' at any event. No matter the genre of rave music.

So can you talk us through how you became involved with Northern Gathering?
Me and Andy (DJam) have been jamming on the decks for 2 years and converting Andy from Speed Garage to UK Hardcore/Freeform. Taking him out & about and showing him the UK rave scene. Mainly, around Yorkshire & Humber.
Andy and his new found obcession, he was scouring the internet and forums. Came across a very young Luke Firth from Barnsley, doing internet radio shows. Andy was intrigued 'what better way to showcase your skills, play the best records at that time and having a blast whilst doing it. Andy contacted Firthy on MSN Messenger (can you remember that?) and said we need to meet up and have a collab and create our own internet radio show. With Firthy's know how, Andy's drive and me, an up & coming and establised DJ in the local scene...it was a partnership, which was going to rock the world wide web.
The rest was history and Hardcore United was created. Then, we all come together, with a monthly, 12 hours online marathon radio event called 'Northern Gathering'.

 

What can you remember about your first set? Tunes played? other djs there? Were was it held?
My first solo DJ set was at Bedlam on Saturday 9th June 2001. It was at The Mulbery Tavern, Sheffield.
I was asked to play a 'Hard House set' (even though I was an UK Hardcore/Freeform bedroom DJ at the time) and I can remember three distinctive records I played:
O.D 404 - 9 Bar on Kaktai Records.
Vinylgroover & Redhead - Move Your Body on Nukleuz Records.
Charlotte Birch - Gladiator on Bulletproof Records.

Can you tell us about any funny stories from Northern Gathering?
It was all about fun and they were loads of giggles along the way. One sticks out and it will always be remembered. There is a song/record in this story and triggers the memories from the night (its not one you are going to think of, still today!)
Northern Gathering radio event on tour, Summer 2006. It was when we all went and played at Looney Tunez, Chapel St Leonards Nr Skegness. Middle of nowhere and very remote. This place was rocking...indoor and outdoor. The club had low roofs, sweat and condensation dripping of the ceiling, the sound system was banging! Smiles all round. Varied music genre was played all night, from DnB, Techno, Hardcore, Trance, Hardstyle, Makina and much more.
But, what stood out was the outdoors. Please picture this...a 40ft lorry trailer (curtain sider), with the sound system filling the trailer. The DJ/Producers set up was on the ground and at the end of the trailer. A full live PA set up, plus turntables & mixer. The music played outdoors, was very experimental and random. But, it was LOUD!!
Now, this event had 'camping facilites' but decided to place the site, in front of this lorry trailer. So, when we all decided to chill in the tents for a bit (approx. 3am because I had a drive back to Rotherham). The guys who are still playing on this outdoor PA system, decided to play 'Groove Is The Heart by Deee-Lite 'REMIX' at about 250bpm!!! Speedcore...boom! Okay, we are not sleeping haha!
There is more stories from the same night but I'd be talking all day and night.

What do you think of that era of Rave compared to nowadays?
Wow, I really can't comment fully? I'm always going to be biased and say the 90's/00's was the best times. They were because we was there, we witnessed it every weekend. Meeting new friends from all across the UK. Travelling to and from London, Manchester, Nottingham, Skegness and Scarborough. Even, several festivals in Holland.

What have you been doing since Northern Gathering finished? Do you still play out etc?
We (me and Linzi - my little raving dude) still goto raves/events but only on a few occasions. We experimented with different music events ie Gatescrasher, Passion, Hellfire and even went to the Decibal Festival nr Eindhoven, Netherlands in August 2018. We still love going to our favourite event, the mighty Uprising in Sheffield (when there isn't a pandemic causing rife).
I play out for mates only now-a-days. I've played at Chris Murrey (Pursuit) event in Hull with Dave Hunt (Devastate), a few times. I do an annual birthday party for Chris MacFarlane (Macca), a mate we've known for years, locally in Rotherham. Macca is a Speed Garage DJ and books other Speed Garage DJ's for his yearly, birthday party. Then, I come along, for the last set, play either German hard trance set or Hardstyle. They love it!!

What lessons have you learned about the rave scene in general since the mid 00tees?
Take no nonsense of the 'top jocks & artists' and make your own journey. Make your own ideas come to reality, if you would like to make good music. So what, it will no be on the top 10 of Beatport or played by the big names in the scene. Just have fun and make the music you would love to hear, on the dancefloor. Trust me, I've experience it. Its an amazing feeling. 
One memory comes to mind. I played at Hardr:ve @ Baths Hall, Scunthorpe. I was playing after Brisk and before Scorpio. This was the opportunity I could play a new studio recording. Listening to it on a live system. It was written by me, Andy DJam and Dave Devastate, engineered by Dave. It was called 'Numb' (Linkin Park remix) and all I can say is 'WOW!!!' Sounded crisp and the  dancefloor was packed. When the main break come in and the vocals started "I'm tired of being what you want me to be. Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface" My whole body was covered in goose-bumps, seeing everyone on the dancefloor 'singing there heads off'. I had to appreciate the ravers by taking my headphones off and going to the front of the stage , high five'in everyone, going along the front stage. 
You can't get any better feeling. When you and your mates, getting together in the studio, throw a load of ideas about and coming up a banger...for that amazing memory. Plus a great bonus, Jay (Fastraxx) signed the track and pressed onto vinyl.
Devastate Vs DJam & Martin Space - Numb on Distinctive Vinyl (DV002).

If you could ask Doctor Gee one question what would it be?
Can you come and upgrade my fibre broadband at mates rates....FOC haha!

Can you talk us through the mix? Why you chose these tracks?
The intro is a special which I created back in 2006, when we sadly lost our good mate and Northering Gathering Resident, Lyde Fox aka DJ/MC Bombjack. Listen to it carefully, there is a clip of Bomby saying 'Martin Space' when we did a set together, at Rush Hour @ The Venue, Long Eaton. nr Nottingham. Also, a small slip of a good friend, Kurt (Mc Shame/Seamus) who performed with me @ the same event, with Bomby.
I decided to do a late 90's/early 00's Hardcore/Freeform mix for the Northern Gathering Reunion Geecast.
Every single records, takes me back to the year of 2000, where we went raving (as ravers), very single weekend. So many brilliant memories! 
This mix is about what we use to do and the journey we use to take, every weekend. I worked and stayed in Oxford through the week. I then drove back to Sheffield on a Friday afternoon, get ready, watched Human Traffic and travelled to London. Goto Future Dance at Castle Studios, that same night. Meet amazing people and new friends, enjoy the night away and then travel back to Sheffield, the next Saturday morning. Get home, have a few hours sleep, shower and then get ready to go to go Dizstruxshon @ Baths Hall, Scunthorpe or Elation in Manchester. Pretty dam bonkers!! 
But, we had the time of our lifes and every single record on this mix, represents us at that time. Love and respect to the party people (Linzi & Lee UHF) who took this journey. This was the beginning of me, being me...Martin Space the DJ/artist.

DId you mix them on vinyl or Digital or CD?
Mixed on CD's, from ripped vinyl to mp3 (you'll hear a few crackles).
What do you think is the key difference from the rave scene of 15 years ago to now?
Vinyl and fewer or any high street record shops left. Nothing better, getting paid (with your minimum wage) and wax the lot, on new releases. Every weekend!
Internet and mobile phones have killed the optimism of a good rave/event/festival. Lets take it back and get the communication through the word of mouth/flyers/radio. I know it will not happen...

Thank you for the mix!!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity and giving me a reason to turn on the decks, press record and just having a blast! Reminise the good times.

Any shouts?!!
To all and everyone who I have met over the years and become good friends, through raving & the music.
Just want to pass on a tribute to Bombjack, Lang-E and Tommi T, may you rave in peace, up and above. We will meet you again. Shai Mc 3-Style quote "RIP...VIP".

 

Geecast 6!!! Featuring DJ LOUK!!!!

Welcome back GEECASTERS!!!
As always we keep our BLINDS OPEN to sounds we may not hear on a day to day basis!!
And as ever pushing this concept.. we have one of the UKs finest Techno & Hard Trance Djs & Producers..... The one and only 

LOUK!!

As ever you have me playing some of my fav stuff!! This time im playing some classic 90s in one take from 170 upto 230ish! !!! as always I dont believe in sanitised nicely edited DJ sets. I press record and lets go!!!

And in hour 2 we have the one and only!! LOUK!!!

Now then LOUK!!

How are we doing on this weird year?!

Haha that's fantastic going from 170 to 230 in one take.  Top man.  Mate weird is an understatement and a half, in February all was good and I happily travelling to Reykjavik and planning what to do in the Summer etc and some forthcoming gigs we wanted to go to and then the whole lockdown happened a couple weeks later.  Never expected it in the slightest, but I don't think anyone did for that matter.  Anyway, aside from a global pandemic yeah all good cheers!

 

 

Hows you.. Missus and the new addition!?!

Ah absolutely lovely thanks, the past fifteen months have flown by and one good thing of lockdown was I got to see much more of my daughter growing up.  My wife is working hard in her final year of Uni studying a degree in biomedical science that I haven't got a fucking clue what the majority of it means but she is doing very well at it and my stepdaughter had her sixth Birthday today and is as usual very happy and full of the joys of life!

 

 

So of course many people know you from playing Techno & Hard Trance all over Europe!  But were did this all begin for you?? What were your earliest memories of the rave scene? 

I grew up listening to dance tracks on compilations and enjoying them and learned to make music on an Amiga 500 with an old issue of CU Amiga magazine.  From there there were tracks on CDs I really liked.  Cheesy to admit it but Now 26 switched me on to a lot of dance music as my parents had it and I remember stuff like Capella, Leftfield and The Good Men were on there.  There was another compilation with Atlantic Ocean - Waterfall on that escapes me but I listened to that a lot.  My cousin was going to a lot of raves in the early 90s and told me about some tapes to check out.  I actually wrote to the author of the article in CU Amiga mag a few years back and looked him up on Facebook, said about the huge thanks I have to him for how my life turned out and he's very humble and still making music.  He did a belting live version of Greece 2000 and Stella by Jam & Spoon.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlGZ8WXS6_Q)

Didn't start going out properly till I was 16 in early 2002, where I ventured from a pub that never ID'd me that I still occasionally drink in now, to a club called Dance Academy where my friends were running nights.  Again, was spoiled rotten really as they did decent harder nights on a Fri (though I also went to a lot of wicked Drum N Bass ones too there) and on the Sat they had Mark EG and M-Zone down on a pretty much bi-monthly basis and a whole host of other decent DJs and locals.  Most the time the locals played harder and darker than the guest DJs and I loved the fact there was a right mash up of music in there from house through to hardstyle on a weekly basis.  

 

Can you remember the first rave tape you bought?  Who was it?

To be fair I can't really, as I actually remember getting a tape pack after getting a CD pack and downloading mixes from DJs leaving a modem on all night in the late 90s.  That was back in the days it'd take about 8 hours to download 1 mix.  I remember getting a bollocking for us having a huge phone bill one month.  Was worth it for the music to be fair!  A year later IC24 came along and stupidly gave away 0800 internet subscriptions for something like £10 a month, they changed their policy after.  I think I was partly to blame downloading as many mixes as I could and fair use went well and truly out the window.  I listened to Radio 1 quite a lot and Beat 106 online in Scotland and I was into Paul Mendez from Jacob & Mendez's tunes and he did a show on there, locally there was a radio station called Plymouth Sound that had a belting dance show.  I taped shitloads of them and met quite a few of the DJs on there over the years as they worked in record shops and the like or I DJ'd on same line ups as them.   They had a strong influence on me too as well as the local nights as I was too young to be going out.  Though not for that much longer as stated above thanks to very very lapse IDing going on, especially as I looked about 14 when I was 16.  Many thanks to everyone who knew and didn't say anything as those years were fucking amazing!!! 

 

 

The Techno & Hard Trance scene has big roots in the UK from events like North, Uprising, Helterkelters Technodrome, Vibelite Tommorows World, Club Kinetic Digital & Djs like Mzone & Mark EG. Can you remember hearing them for the first time?

Yep, mates raved about Mark EG and M-Zone and I used to listen to their mixes on the german trance website and Mark's blackout audio website in real audio format.  That takes me back.  A year later mark was playing here every month and so was Mick and not just at Dance Academy but other awesome nights like Premonition, Hindsight in Exeter and others.  So I saw them shitloads!  Both have been not just hugely influential but highly supportive over the years.  I was a bit jaded with how everything was going in 2014 musically and took a much needed break and rethink, Mick very kindly rang up to see if all was OK.  Nearly everybody who plays hard trance in the south west owes inspiration to these two.  How mark mixes it up starting with techno hugely influenced too as I've always been into it as much as I have hard trance.  Mark and Mick often played at the Country Club here, and I had a lift ready for me to go to the last night but went to a small prog night in Plym instead, I did have school on Monday and thought a hangover the size of sussex miles from home wasn't a good idea.  Country Club reunions are always a decent laugh though!

 

Who is the most savage Hardcore Dj you have heard? 
HMS for me haha!?! Pure brutal!! RIP HMS!!

Haha heard a few.  I DJ'd after The Speed Freak in Scunthorpe for Hard Drive once.  Thought I'd be clever dropping more purist techno after a gabber DJ and crowd parted like the red sea when I put my first tune on.  S.W Cooperation - Get To Your Place.  Everyone's place was to fuck off of the dancefloor that night DJing after Gabber.  Found out he was behind Biochip C though and he did some mental slower tracks as well under that guise, very talented.  

 

 

Whats the best gig youve ever played and why?

Had some absolutely mental ones but easily my first ever international gig, that fell on the date of my 24th birthday and was for Q Dance for Defqon 1.  Everyone was really supportive and I had lots of new material to play, and was nice to drop Shogun 1 to the Dutch.  What a birthday.

 

 

Whats the strangest thing youve ever seen at a rave?

Someone on the dancefloor at The Grove in Seaton turning their keys with their eyes closed thinking they were unlocking their front door.  I asked "You alright mate?" to get a reply of "Fuck me mate I thought I was unlocking my front door".  That has to be up there.  Also my (lack of) attempts at mixing in the early days were pretty strange as well... least I can admit it. 

 

 

What is the rave scene like down on the south coast?(pre covid)..

There's loads of music enthusiasts, very talented producers and DJs here so there's still some nights, but sadly there aren't that many venues that can hold the capacity so like anywhere sadly the scene is a fraction of what it was when I started going out.  Even more so now post covid!

 

 

Your well known for your collabs with Nick the Kid... How did this come about?

Met Nick at a free party near Exeter in 2002 called Lunatech, liked the set he played and then went on my own to his Hindsight night in Exeter that Dec.  Got the coach up and it finished at 1 so I went to dance academy after when I got back to plym at 2.  Really enjoyed the music, so went up with some mates from Plym often to Hindsights, met nick a few times, gave him some of my very early really ropey tunes and we liked a lot of the same music and were both cubase users so worked with each other.  Dreams was made, and somehow ended up getting signed to Drizzly one of our fav labels so we were mega stoked.  This was actually before I started mixing as that came after Production he was one of the first to book me.  I worked with Nick lots over years and we've played a lot of sets b2b and had a hell of a lot of fun in doing so.  Every time we meet up we always have a laugh.  His HTE label is going strong and fair play he works his socks off. 

 

 

So your quite a well known and skilled producer... When you go into the studio.. can you talk us through your process? Do you have ideas down before? or is it a more organic scenario?

Ah thank you, It varies on my mood that day.  Sometimes I listen to music before I go in, but then find I end up taking influence from what I listen to and go 'ah what can I do to sound like track X today' works.  When I engineer for others I ask them to bring 4/5 tracks that they like so I can get a similar vibe and listen to their ideas.  For my own stuff it could also be I buy a sample pack and cut up some loops and play with some synths. I try to get the best out of very limited equipment and some very bodged set ups.  You should have seen the laptop I made some of my biggest tunes on that make me cringe now.  It would take 30 mins to export a track then i'd forget to unmute a synth.  Everyone here took the piss out of me for about 4 years for making tracks with some decent synths on a monitor that had a cone that was bent and a monitor screen that was so small.  You'd be surprised at the tunes that somehow come out of it but all I can say is many thanks to Jon Doe for turning my premaster WAVs into something amazing.  He's saved the day a good 300 times now.

 

 

Many people know you in the Hardcore scene, even though you dont produce straight 170+ bpm stuff.....  what draws you to this side of things?

Probably how pitched up I play things, I used to tweak my decks to go to +16, also enthusiasm and how fast I talk.  I'd say it's more likely the latter.

 

 

So whats going off in the world of LOUK? I suppose you have 100s of tracks ready to go since lockdown has hit right?!

I did produce a lot during the first lockdown but now my daughter has my studio room and old office as her bedroom I haven't hardly made anything at all.  I bought a Polyend Tracker recently and made some techno jams but after making about 200 tracks in the past 5 years I'm glad of the break.

The last question was abit of a joke tbh... covid has probably hit the scene hard in that people aint meeting up and sharing ideas and concepts.  But we must take the positives yeah?! tell us a positive thing from the last 6 months!?!

Hearing Daisy say 'Dada' for the first time is up there.    

 

 

So how healthy is the Techno/Hard Trance scene at the moment?

Aside from the lack of venues, both are very healthy.  I'm sending out lots at work from both genres.  Quite funny actually as some EPs have crossed over and I've sent techno to hard trance DJs and vice versa.  I spoke to Justin from German Trance this week who's setting up his labels again, that's welcome news.  I'm still pressing vinyl on my Syntax Error label (albeit techno) but from some old hard trance producers.  Release 001 had a track from Michael Wells/Technohead/GTO and 002 had a track from Andreas Kraemer.  There's one on 003 by two friends from Rotterdam called Erik Pijl and Stephanie Noordermeer that everyone likes in the feedback because it's proper trancey.  Check it out!

 

 

Further on that tip - which producers are doing it for you at the moment?

I've got my crossover head on here so from the techno world Surgeon, Dax J, Stranger/TAFKAMP, SHDW & Obscure Shape and in the trance world Renegade System, Scot Project, Stoneface & Terminal, Tasso.  JK Walker is back producing stuff again which is amazing news too!!

 

 

Also to new producers... what tips and advice would you give them?

I have 3

1) Don't be afraid to take inspiration from others, as everyone does and if you are stuck for an idea and want to learn your Sequencer (I hate the term DAW).  I spent hours in the early days copying Out Of The Blue by System F, and Junk Project - Beats Bring Silence, Pablo Gargano - Everyone's Future etc to learn from for my own tracks.

2) Also there are a bunch of free plug ins that I use on nearly every tune, have done for years.  You don't need to spend thousands!  When lockdown happened I linked to a load of resources for producers, here you go: http://www.louk.co.uk/selfisolation/

3) If you are having a day where what you are doing sounds shit, take a break or even return at another day.  I've done it many times.  You'll thank yourself.   

If your were stranded on a desert island and could only choose 5 records to take... which would these be? Can you explain why and provide links for our listeners?

Depeche Mode - The Singles 81-85 - Huge fan of Depeche Mode but most importantly their early work.  
Madness - It Must Be Love.  Mine and my wife's first dance, and plus what a band. 
Sunbeam - Outside World - A track that's brought happiness to so many people, next level.  
Vapourspace - The Cold Air / Gravitational Arch Of 10 - everyone loves Gravitational Arch Of 10 (even though it was meant to be called Gravitational Arc Of Io), and it's a belter and a half but I love the ambient tracks on the other side, especially this one.  Synths are unreal!
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - I'm stuck on a desert island may as well enjoy the weather and chill out!!

Putting all those in youtube will provide links to listen.

 

 

Of course up North (dj sets wise) we know you from Uprising... Can you remember the first time you heard an Uprising set? Of course the mid 90s sets from Kenny Sharp must have made an impression?

Yep.  I did my foundation year at Bradford Uni, but spent nearly every weekend in Leeds going to nights like Cypher, Tekfresh, Northern Lights etc and for various other reasons as Leeds was 100000x better and like a fiver to get to.  Sadly I just went there the year The Orbit closed which was a fucker.   The record shop there The Disc sold Uprising CD packs and I bought one with M-Zone and Frantic on it and another with Topgroove and Jon Doe.  Listened to those lots and got more over the years.  Kenny is someone I heard a bit later on but he's played some absolute beasts over the years, and made some gems and is again another legend!

 

 

Your good mates with Uprising resident Jake Nicholls.... How did this develop?

A mutual friend (DJ Invader) told me years ago I play similarly to Jake, and in the days of Myspace I looked him up and followed him.  We sent each other many mixes.  He put me onto Brian and very kindly sorted out a booking and that was the first of many.  Still remember my first set at Uprising in 2008, where my mate Ralph drove up to Sheffield in his 106 and it took about 6 hours from Plymouth.  Made it just in time.  Jake is without a doubt one of the nicest people in this whole scene I've met, he is ridiculously knowledgeable about the music scene and I love his influence from many genres.  He DJ'd with me in Holland and at Nature One oozes enthusiasm.  He's become a really good friend coming to my stag do in Berlin and also we went to each other's Weddings and I mished all the way to Doncaster to play at his 40th.  Wouldn't do that for many people.  His mrs always says she gets lost when we talk to each other as we both speak 1,000,000 miles an hour about music.  

 

 

Alot of people say an Uprising crowd is abit... shall we say... rough... Is this true compared to other events you have been too?

Haha no not in the slightest, i've been to moody raves at Slammin Vinyl where in the DnB arena knives were being pulled and people were being mugged, And when I lived in Birmingham people were getting shot outside nightclubs.  What the fuck is that about on both counts?!  Plus I've played in the Ukraine, don't think that will happen again in a hurry.  I will say this the Uprising crowd know their music far better than most in Europe.  I remember playing there once and someone asked me if I was going to drop my new tune I had made and uploaded to soundcloud that afternoon that night, and said they listened to a mix of mine and could ID the really rare tracks.  

 

 

So what equipment are you using these days? what djing and studio gear do you use?

Of course!  My studio equipment is currently at a few friends houses as I've let them borrow synths and speakers as they are learning to make tunes while I take a much needed break from engineering.  But it was an Access Virus Ti Snow, A Roland JV2080 I borrowed off my mate, An SSL2+ Audio Interface, A Behringer Pro-1, Behringer TD-3, An M-Audio Oxygen 49 Controller Keyboard, Alesis M1 MK1 Monitors, A TC Electronic June 60 and a Midas DM:16 Desk.  That and a PC running both Cubase 9.5 and Renoise.  That's all I used for production really.  DJ wise both my wife and I mix and we have a pair of 1210s and a Behringer Mixer.  When I play out I mix on CDJs though.

 

 

What are your thoughts on vinyl vs cd/mp3? I love having hard copys of tracks but you cant beat having a stick full of tracks verses lugging a crate of vinyl around yeah?

Mate i'm still pressing vinyl and still buying records on discogs when I send out pretty much everything on MP3/WAV and probably will never play a vinyl out again except for at home.  You can't beat it.  Like both formats to be fair but agree I can pick up a record and tell you pretty much where I was when I first heard it/bought it and something about it.  Hard pressed to do that with an MP3!

 

 

So can you talk us through your mix? why did you pick these tracks?

Yep, many tracks on here greatly influenced me but quite a few of them I haven't put on mixes.  Or they were tracks that were on tapes/sets I donwloaded and listened to repeatedly the last 20 years and only recently found names.  One was from a Mauro Picotto mix from 1998 that got ID'd the other week.  Also I put the last track of my first ever Uprising set on there (High Voltage - Bombs Away), and I tried to do a mix of various tracks in the hard trance world that just blew me away, it includes early productions from M.I.K.E/Push and Vincent De Moor under other names.  Plus Sunbeam still sounds great the 908,000,000th time I listen to it.  Hope you all enjoy!

 

 

Awesome dude!! Many thanks for your mix!  Shout outs here please?! 

Yeah of course, to yourself for doing this interview!  To Sammy, Darcie and Daisy for always being there, to Jake & Hannah, Mark and Mick, Nick and Flick, Tony Horgan, Bri, Kenny, Ben Invader and to all my friends and family, to Tom, Ian and all the promoters who first gave me a chance and anyone who has taken the time to get in touch over the years, who've let me release their music and/or put up with my dodgy mixing.  

 

LOUKS Trance & Techno mix from 90s to present!!

Kai Tracid - Tiefenrausch (A.S.Y.S Remix) [Tracid Traxxx]
Ricky Le Roy - One Day (Big Bass Mix) [BXR]
Marco V - Tolerance [Free For All]
2 Emme - Colours [Underground]
V-One - Dead Cities [Bonzai Trance Progressive]
Lars Hohler - Dreamland [Planet Earth Tunes]
Sidewalk - Oasis [Funny Vinyl]
Repulsor - Double Action [Drizzly]
Mr Hyde & Joe-X - Oxygene [4th Dimension]
Oliver Lieb - Subraumstimulation [Data]
Dual Mount - Touch Me [Tesseract]
CJ Bolland - See Saw [Mole]
Next Generation - The Earthquake [Ipnotika]
Marcos & Jay Walker - Night Finder [Active Media]
Zombie Squad - A New Decade [Zombie]
Sunbeam - Outside World [Suck Me Plasma]
Maurizio Braccagni - Megamix Maranza [Brainstorm]
High Voltage - Bombs Away [Sys-X]
Les Diaboliques - Querelle [Lunatec]
Quick Reverse - God's Reason [Bonzai]

 

Kev Gees 90s Tehcnodrome 2 fingered salute tracklist!!

Negative Burn - Gates Of Hell
The Raven - A New Hope!
Don Diablo Vs The Raven - The Arrival
The Brutalist - The Voice Of Your Conscious
Mastervibe - Friday
Matrix & Wargroover - Neutron Bomb
Tieum - You LMA
Mastervibe - Alienz
The Outside Agency - Break It Down
Mastervibe - Power Of The Herb
Tieum - HP
Hellfish - Techno City
Tieum - K1000 Vs Ner
Clarkee - I Am God Here
Diplomat - Cool & Deadly
Technological terror Crew - The Ripper (Remix)
Men In Black - Guitar Man
Overcast - Attack

Geecast 5 - Kev Gee & Riddler

The nights are drawing in and there's a shiver coming down the spine of the world as the Geecast launches another foul mouthed tirade of sonic swear words at your earlobes!

YES!

That's right! This month is a belter! Hitting your face like a punch from a prime Mike Tyson!

Prepare to be amazed as Geecast head honcho Kev Gee lulls you into a false sense of security with his usual nice melodic starter followed by the main course of rotten, mouldy, moth eaten Hardcore & Hard Drum & Bass!!  And for your pudding we have the Legendary Dj & producer Dj Riddler ready to give you the monty python after 8 mint sketch (youtube it kids!)

And of course no Geecast is complete without a few words from the co conspirator himself.

So download, share, listen far & wide!! We are now available on Deezer, Spotify, Youtube, Tune in radio and more!!

 
Hello Mr Riddler!

How are we today! I hope youve served us up a nice sweet tasty sickly mix of Hardcore & Gabber?
I'm good thank you mate, and yes, about 1 hour 30 of suitably grinning good times deng lined up. Some retro tracks that I always loved, working through to newer/recent tracks that have ticked the boxes of late.

So can you talk us through the Riddler world? Who were your main influences when you first started out?
As a young lad at my first raves I always enjoyed Clarkee, Paul'O, Brisk, Scorpio, Producer etc.. dj's along those lines that I felt played with a bit of an edge. I loved the way Fergus and Mzone played across the board too, techno, happy, hard trance, gabber etc.. just great sounds all fused into one with balls, a real lightbulb era. When lownoise and Theo came to Doncaster warehouse, they really changed things, fantastic mixing and unique tune selection, it was a real contrast to the other DJs I was hearing at the time.

Can you remember your first rave? who was playing, where was it etc?
It was Doncaster Warehouse back in the day, me & my mate Sy Shillito (RIP) went to see Carl Cox & Producer, an amazing night.

You started out like many of us in the early to mid 90s. Can you remember the first hardcore record you bought?
I bought Prodigy, Messiah and other 'early rave' 12's, but proper hardcore as we know it was Ultraviolence ‎– I, Destructor (The Lenny Dee Mixes) still amazing. After hearing 'that' Sterns tape things seemed very different.

If you had to go unto a desert island & could only take ONE Hardcore record, what would it be?
Haha that's probably the hardest ever question, for any genre as there are so, so many! I wouldn't know where to start with that one 😂 

Are there any records you missed out on that you wish you had bought at the time? And now think "FGS why didnt I buy that?!"
Maybe some of the early Thunderdome ep's as they're amazing and now worth a small fortune.

What drew you to the djing side of things?
Fascination for the tunes I was hearing on tapes and in clubs, crowd reactions to certain tunes and the way they sounded when mixed together was completely captivating and magical. 

Can you tell us what equipment you had in your first set up?
A pair of second hand worn old belt drives and a really old 4 channel mixer with mega worn faders 😂

 
Your known for playing fast balls out but melodic HARD Hardcore! What drew you to playing that side of the 'core rather than the harsher stuff?
It probably stems back to the early Dutch tracks, Dwarf/Babyboom era. There's a euphoria and release in hearing an uplifting melody, vocal, breaks or cool synth stab with a massive kick drum all over it 🤗 

Your a resident for long running Hardcore night Uprising. How did that come about?
From going to events when it started in 95' and as I look back, and later on getting to know folks on the old site forum. I played a few sets and was asked to be resident a little after that, which was fantastic and a real life changing scenario. I'm really grateful to have been given the opportunity to be part of a night that means so much to me.

 
The scene is going through a really bad time at the moment and I think its fair to say that the modern UK (happy) Hardcore scene is pretty much dead.  What mistakes do you think have been made, compared to in Europe were the scene is huge & wont be doing anytime soon.
The main consideration of event success in Europe is that they're all easier to access, many countries all linked together allows for huge attendances. That and the music is generally seen as more credible there, with adverts on tv for gabber albums and nights etc.. I think over here we've had it pretty good for a small island, its hard to say where things could be improved as some of the ideas that work in european countries may not work so well here. We've had promoters that have happy main rooms, darker/harder backrooms and vica versa but financially times have been hard in recent years which have undoubtedly played a part in the downturn of attendances. The uk hardcore sound has dominated main arenas where years ago there was much more variety of styles, I dont think that helped retain clubbers interest as they got older, its hard to say. Some of the fantastic R.O.A.R podcasts discuss this topic in much greater depth. There was a fascinating documentary from Annie Mac called 'Who Killed The Night?' that highlighted how many clubs had been lost over the past 10+ years too, the smoking ban also, all contributing factors. The book by Dave Haslam 'Life After Dark' is definitely worth a read and covers lots of nightclub background stories and histories/lifespans. I think its really hard to compare the two scenes as they're different, although I know what you're saying. 

 
If you could go back in time to any era of Hardcore, what years would it be & why?
The mid 90's for sure, 94/5/6 some of the best tunes ever made were being released, many of them classics now. It was all so new, fresh & exciting.

Have you any tracks ready for release in your Riddler guise that we should know about?
There are a few that I was working on with my mate Triple XL for our Thorn Industries side project, some good ideas that we've to finish working on when everyone's allowed out to socialise again. 

 
Do you think the scene will ever recover from the scourge of Coronavirus?
I really would like to say yes. I think it'll be a completely different experience on the other side of it. As long as we can go out again somehow, we always need that release don't we, and that feeling will be hugely amplified.

Which media do you most enjoy playing? Vinyl? Digital?
Vinyl is amazing and where our hearts are, but it became harder over time to find a club with a pair of technics, and then many quality tracks didn't get a vinyl release so as with many others we were funnelled into the digital realm. The digital realm has offered loads of scope though, cue points etc.. taking all your tunes with you without the heavy bag was a winner from day one.
 

Are there any producers out there who you really admire?
In no order or year preference, Speedfreak (so many aliases and clever tracks) Scott Brown (ridiculous quality consistency and for all of those timeless bouncy tracks in the 90's) Buzz Fuzz, Whitepasta, Menace & USD, Lenny Dee, Twins Artcore, D Passion, Tellurian, Promo, I dont play much of his stuff but KRTM is amazing, so much detail, Detest is another for the detail. Devastate, Triple XL, Dolphin and Tones too, just fantastic at what they do. This is another tricky question, there are stacks of amazing producers I really rate, the list could go on & on!
 

Which label(s) do you enjoy playing the most?
Mokum was and still is a favourite, and maybe an obvious one, but they've really been consistent in quality output. There are so many labels covering harder sounds though. Rave Muzik, Rotterdam, Traxtorm, Tcher No Beat, KNOR, Ruffneck, Area 51, ID&T offshoots/sub labels were always interesting and fun too. Paul'O, Brisk, Fergus and co always spoiled us with loads of that tackle back in the day. So many to choose from. 
 

Can you talk us through your mix? tell us why you chose these tracks?
I wanted it to flow at a decent pace, and progress through the years. Starting at 1993, and moving through the years with many of my favourite hardcore tracks right upto the sounds of now.
 

Thanks for your mix!!  Any shouts?
No worries mate, thank you for the invite, it was much fun! 
I hope everyone enjoys it, I know we all really all miss hearing sounds like these through a big system.
Shouts to all of the usual suspects, lifelong friends and anyone who has ever enjoyed any of my sets over the years! 😀

The set includes tracks from;

Myself
System 3
Stormtrooper
Weirdo & Sim
RMB
Buzz Fuzz
Lenny Dee
Kutski & Joey Riot
Peckerhead
Thorn Industries
Re-Style 
+ 

Kev Gee!

Kev Gee's Tracklist

1 Intro
2 - Micron - The Moment You Realised Everything Was A Lie
3 - Current Value - Dispelling Fear
4 - Meander - Operation
5 - The Outside Agency - Here Be Dragons
6 - The Outside Agency - More Primitive
7 - Strobcore & AK Industry - Invisible
8 - D-Fact - Lord Of The Underground
9 - Katharsis - Psychosis VIP
10 - Max Shade - Autopsy
11 - Deathmachine - Sonar
12 - Mastervibe - Coming Home
13 - Mastervibe - Blood Clot Jungle Techno
14 - Dj Producer - All I Want (2017 Instrumental Dub)
15 - Detest - My Art Is Destruction
16 - Lenny dee & Malke Feat APE - You Cant Stop Us
17 - Savage - Deceive 
18 - Frenesys - Demolition
19 - Hellfish - Single Use Weapon
20 - Hellfish - Toilet Break
21 - Micron - Smithsonian Cover Up 
22 - Micron - Social Media Slave
23 - Outro

Geecast 4!!! Im too old! (and sexy!)

WELCOME BACK FOLKS!!!
After a short Hiatus and a while chilling & spreading corona all over the UK & Europe im pleased to be back with you miserable bastards back home!!
And what a sight you are!! You sexy Bastids!
As im too sexy for my shirt (so sexy it hurts) I was just too sexy to share this months Geecast with anyone ELSE!!
Selfish? too fucking damn right!!
So whats in store for you this month? ( My birthday month!!)
WELLLLLLLLL!!
Listen & find out! Press play or click download & listen whilst you work it on the catwalk!!
And if you think you are sexy enough to appear on a GEECAST episode then drop me an Email @ kevgee1976@gmail.com or message via Facebook!

PS - No dicks pics. Although bobs and vagene is ok. 

PPS If you are one of those rich people that can afford Apple products then you can subscribe to my podcast just by searching for "Geecast!" in the podcast section! And each new episode will download automatically!! How cool is that!?!

Tracklist below!!
1  - End.User - Storm
2 - Technical Itch - Paradox
3 -  Splinter Cell - Apocolypse
4 - Shadow Sect & Lucy Furr - In The Shadows
5 - Deathmachine - Perimeter
6 - Lowroller - My Style
7 - Densha Crisis & Tymon - Garlic
8 - Jake Nicholls - Excessium (White Pasta Remix) 
9 - Ophidian - Demimonde
10 - Savage & Hallucinator - Savages
11 - Ophidian - The Pheonix 
12 - End.User & Aaron Bianchi - One Of The Brightest Stars In The Sky
13 - Hellfish - Deck Fuel (2019 Remaster)
14 - Dj Producer - Underground Funk (Xaturate Revision)
15 - Micron A.T.I.P
16 - Xaturate & Miss Hysteria - Rotten
17 - Savage - Simple Evil

Geecast Episode 3 Featuring Rampage!!

Welcome back folks!! Its time for some more motherfucking Geecast Ya'll!!
And what a monster of a 2 hour mix we have for you today!! Featuring the sounds of Barnsleys hardest (thats music kids) DJ! And of course we have ME for the first hour playing some more storming sounds that you wont be hearing in a covid infested night club anytime soon!
But enough of me!!
Lets chew some PHAT beats and whilst listening to it, you can read up on what makes this lad tick!!

So mr Rampage!!
Welcome to GEECAST!!!
Thanks for having me :) I remember the original shows you used to run way back when, they always stuck out as what even is this stuff, never did i know that one day id be down the same path. Remember sat there with laptop listening t a live stream was some serious time ago maybe 1314 years ago and you did a shout out to gabberdeen, what a stupid thing to remember hahahahaha

 

Hows you feeling today?
Im feeling great today, ok im lying it was a pretty rough start to the day, yesterday was the first BBQ with guests we have had this year and fair to say i had a few, then a few more, and a few more than that hahahaha ended up live playing hardcore techno and some old 90s harder edge hardcore till about 2 this morning. How times change that this is now a heavy night hahahaha what happened to the good old days of weekend parties :( but yeah paid for it this morning.

So why did you name yourself after an old videogame?! Its a classic by the way!!
Its a pretty long story but i never had a DJ name, i then started playing out and at first i was called DJ Stevros, that is a story within its self. Me and a couple of lads decided to run a little night in a boozer a friends mum worked in and we called it hardcore rampage. We only did a few but the name rampage kind of fitted the lifestyle i was living, it was always very hectic and i was always on the rampage so it just stuck.

 

So tell us about yourself! Were did things start for you in the filthy world of rave?
Growing up i was into skater punk music, i moved to Barnsley and one of the first lads i met over here (MC Winston B) was mcing and well networked and he introduced me to it. I was only really into Gabber and some Hardstyle stuff, i frist attended a proper rave in 2005 halloween at adelphi and that was it, all down hill from there

 

When did you first get interested in DJing?
With Winston and Jinx been only a few friends that i knew i kind of wanted to fit in? deano had left his decks and vinyl at mine and i started to have a play around, i asked him to teach me and he said it was something that couldnt be taught and im glad as it gave me even more reason to learn. It was on some numark belt drives turn tables about 16 years ago i think.

 

Ok so, everyone knows that every DJ starts off with shitty equipment... What was your first set up?
i had some kam belt drives that when you touched them they stopped hahahaha and a numark mixer that had a built in kaos pad sampler, i always found it funny sampling mcs and then dropping random lyrics when they put mic down and watch peoples heads fall off hahahahaha

 

When did you feel brave enough to start sending demos out?
I cant fully remember when but i do remember that i sent my very first demo to rasper, i found a copy years later and cried myself to sleep.

What was your first gig and were was it?
i honeslty cant remember my first booking at some one elses event, whe i moved to barnsley town centre i met up with a new set of lads and one of them siad he could get a venue, i was quite well connected and said i had equipment and knew alot of djs ect and that is how Hardcore Holics first started around 2005/6

 

Do you still have the flyer? most djs collect flyers of thingselves the egomaniac wankers!
No mate i havent kept anything its all been lost over the years.

 

So Hardcore... What styles do you play?
I didnt make my name for hardcore funny enough it was with Reverse Bass Hardstle, i did really well with it to be honest got to the semi finals of the bionic dj comp but i dropped out as i wasnt too happy about the way the final was going to be ran and then i entered the zodiac DJ comp and got to the semis with them, i ended up as a resident of sorts there anyways as did alot of other djs that entered and between us and other event organizers we started a new breed of djs and mcs.

I have always been into millennial Hardcore, but now im more of a fan of 90s 909 kick hardcore and industrial, its hard to really explain the stuff i like its like a massive cross between frenchcore, gabber, uptempo and drum and bass, it falls under the category if you want to be anal about sub genres of "crossbreed" but do find myself playing lots of different genres now.

 

Admit it... you just wanted to dj to look cool for the birds didnt ya?!
It all started as i just wanted to fit in, and suppose i did, i have good friends from all over the place now and that is more important than the music the scene anything.

How would you describe your djing style?
I like to think its smooth i love long mixes and transitions, im not a fan of choppy choppy or scratchy scratch, i like to mix over every drop cut for samples but nice and smooth and steady usually, but then again thats all out the window when your 10 beers in.
Youve been djing for some time now, so what tips would you give to a young DJ just starting out?
If you wanting to make money, your in the wrong game, if you dont like politics dont bother, i kind of wish id stayed a raver as everything changes when you start hunting for bookings. Then if hou still want to carry on just enjoy it, its rough at first the nerves the jitters, learn to channel that to positive enery and youll have a blast :) ooow and always try to do bookings sober you might think you sound absolutely amazing 3 bags deep, chances are you wont be booked again hahahahaha

 

What are you thoughts on MCs? Alot of DJs seem very marmite to them tbh?!
Before i answer this it is my opinion as i hard head, i find that if you into uk hardcore or makina then your going to love 125 mcs screaming down the mic over every vocal and want to be 15x louder than the music, or you could just save some money and not have a dj and just 783 mcs a night??? Yeah im not an mc fan, i like hosts space is my favorite in all honestly then ribbz shocker ect ect

 

What Equipment do you use nowadays?
ive had all sorts over the years and its funny how things go around so i had kam belts, then a few pairs fo 1210s then none for a bit then sold my vinyl and bought some ndx800s to keep up with the digital era, then pioneer 100s then 1000s then 900s then 2000s then a pioneer rb and now im back to my 1210 fully customised with an allen and grief i mean heath 43c with timecode to serato

 

Do you collect vinyl still? how big is your collection?
I am addicted to vinyl, i dont even know how i have a roof or family left, im worse now than i have every been and i think its because there has been so much ive wanted over the years that now i have a little more spare cash im buying them now. As i write this the misses has asked me to put that you cant message me asking if i want to buy your vinyls, i just have too many to buy and the list is huge and ill run out of paper and money

 

Ok so your guest mix is a classic millenium Hardcore mix.... Ophidian - Butterfly is a sure fire banger isnt it?! talk us through the mix abit? Why did you choose these tracks?
This is a mad one, when you asked me if i would like to put up a mix it wasnt going to be this genre at all, i very rarely play this stuff anymore, but it goes back to when i came away from reverse bass this is the style i went to before finding crossbreed, The opening tune butterfly vip is one of my all times favorites, i remember DJ Kel-Y playing this and that was it i still to this day can not get it out of my head, the kicks the piano riffs are just insane! There is a reason Ophidian is god and its because of tracks like this!

Whats your GO TO track? that you know will get the crowd going?
Thats a tough one as i dont DJ out anymore i hung up the gig headphones a while ago, i have a toough family life and with work and everything i just dont fins the time anymore so i just DJ for me, it my own space and place where i can disappear and just leave the world and propblems behind, for that little amount of time i have no worries, no problems nothing just me and the wax. Now if you asked what my favourite tunes to play are it would probably be
ophidian - monster - crossbreed
jimmy the sound - blown up - hardstyle
hyperact - best friend bouncy techno

Talk us through how you plan a dj set? Do you play off the cuff? Or do you have an idea going in what to spin?
if i do live sets thats very rare these days i like to plan the first section its is usually the lighter and happier stuff then goes deep and dirty from there, at home i dont care i play what i want becasue its just for me :)

Whats your thoughts on the future of Hardcore? Were do you see it going in the next few years?
I hope that we go back a little in time i dont like the way hardcore or hardstyle has progressed at all, it is all very samey mainstream stuff that have short intros and outros, i do like this festival hardstyle with silly vocals and crowd interactions. I would love to see bouncy techno make a come back its awesome 90s hardcore (not happy) was amazing

Thanks for your mix mate! I really enjoyed listening to it!!
Cheers dude its not the cleanest, it was done on vinyl (serato) but it has some of my favorites from that era moving on to some harder stuff at the end :)
Shout out time!! - Who do you want to say thanks to?
I want to shout to a few scene related people
Winston B and Deano - for showing me a whole new scene and planting the seed that has cost me so much money it is unbelievable, on to mista devlin for letting me come help at audio hallucination and then we really pushed that wide open hitting near on capacity every event and showing the local scene that you dont need the same old yorkshire line ups to fill venues, to James Lee (Jim) for well just being a legend to Johny Humpries for saving my life (a story for another time) Bucky for pushing my name and believing in me with zodiac and then the misses that puts up with my gear everywhere all the weekends i went out and she stayed at home looking after the kids and more recently for letting me spend every spare penny i have on vinyl - Wax addiction is real!!
Cheers kev and next time you will get the rougher crossbreed that i did plan on doing for you this time
Steve - Rampage

 

Kev Gee - 175+ Or Go Home!! (tracklist)
1 - Kenji Kawai - Making Of Cyborg (Remix)
2 - Technical Itch Vs The Panacea - Semisation
3 - Deathmachine - Magnestism
4 - Somniac One - Thunderbones Revenge
5 - Splinter Cell - Mechanical Mindz
6 - Vein - Defilers Note
7 - The Outside Agency - The Opposites
8 - Max Shade - 666
9 - Broken Code - Subconcious Mind
10 - Splinter Cell - Apocolyse ?
11 - The Outside Agency - Opposites
12 - Vein & Gancher & Ruin - Evil Breed
13 - The Satan - Destroy Everything
14 - Syndrome - The Hand Of God
15 - Hellfish - Fuck Em Up!
16 - Akira - Pute
17 - Striker - make it clap

 

Rampage - Millenium Hardcore Mix!!

(Tracklisting to follow!)

 

Geecast Episode 2 Featuring Dan Dryant- The Classics!!

Hello Geecasters!
Its time for Mays installment! And what an episode it is!! This month we feature the sounds of Midlands DJ Dan Bryant! And of course the sounds of ME!! Kev Gee for the first hour! This month im playing some stuff from the 90s!!
I hope you all enjoy it!

Please comment and share!! and download!!

Dan has been quietly building up his considerable deck skills over many years and with a pretty solid and record collection of various HARDcore sounds!! You want Trancecore? You got it!! You want some Dutch Fucking Gabber? Well here have a slice... You like that? You want some American Industrial Strength shit? Choke on it BEEATCH!!
In Geecast style we had a word with Mr Bryant to see what makes him tick (in a not very Tourrettes way) Although that would be cool!!

Hello Mr Bryant!! Hows you doing? Thanks for putting forward this Geecast mix!

So can you tell us were your love for Hardcore began? were did it all start off for you?
Alright Mr Gee, thanks for having me on. I'm well thanks, hope your good also. Crazy times at the moment!

I'd say my love of hardcore started with growing up in the 90s surrounded by all the rave sounds, I first bought a prodigy tape (out of space) at the age of 8 from hmv, thought I was the bees knees haha.

Can you remember the first rave you went to? were was it and how old were you?
My first taster of raving came after everything closed in town on nights out.. Off to the warehouse. Many many moons ago, 18 haha.

I guess that started off the bug right?!
The gabber bug really started for me when I attended a total bedlam night with a couple friends that were djing.. Some great times around that era.

So Djing. Did you always want to get into that side of things?
The djing side of things came as a proggresion really, I was quite deck shy to start with. Maaaany hours locked in my deck room with supplies and a piss bucket sorted that though haha.

Can you tell us abit about your mix? Why did you pick those tracks?
Yeah sure, its a reflection of my preferred style to play and to listen/rave to. I like to play progressive aswel, as I feel this is what I would want if I was on the dancefloor.

Do you get to play out anywere (pre covid?)
Thankfully I got to play at Rehabs birthday event in feb . played b2b with DJ Dstroy which was an absolute honor. Great set and loved every minute.

Can you tell us what equipment you use? (DJing and if so production wise.)
The setup I'm using at the moment is quite cheep and cheerful really, ive got a trusty djm 600 mixer and a pair of Gemini mdj 900's.. Does the job for me. Looking forward to replacing my old 1210s asap though.

What are you favourite labels and why?
I'd say over all my favorite labels are mokum, ruffneck, Rotterdam records, ruffbeats ect. I love those old dutch sounds. Depending on mood or wherever my sets progress I love the harder stuff aswel, industrial strength, bloody fist, strike, beast, Deathchant and such.

Who is your favourite producer of all time?
My favorite all time producer has to be Lenny Dee. I think Ophidian stands out above the rest for me also but Lenny Dee spans such a massive timeframe with his work and so many great releases!

Who is your favourite DJ of all time?
My favorite DJ is Bass D but that's a close call with DJ Panic and DJ producer. Producer always impresses me with his cut and scratch style, but unfortunately I prefer his days of playing events like big nasty dragon, tearing the old dutch stuff a new one. Bass D and panic are always a go too for me if I want to listen to a quality early dutch hardcore set.

Finally do you have any shout outs?!
I like to give a shout to all of the Rehab crew, especially Jonjon and Sami. A great little event going from strength to strength, giving a brilliant platform for myself and others to play the music we love. Cheers guys.

And thank you Mr Gee for having me on, take care and catch you soon mate.

Thanks for submitting the mix!
Kev Gee

 

Tracklistings:-

Kev Gee - Technodrome, North & Tomorrows World Classics

1 Syphax - At War
2 Dj Fuckface, Dj Chrizz - Suffer
3 Monty & Jay Pressott - R U On Drugs ( Jake & Jays Remix)
4 The Brutalist - The Voice Of Your Conscious
5 Omar Santana - Bone Bastik
6 Men In Black - Guitar Man
7 Chosen Few - Name Of The DJ (Buzz Fuzz Mix)
8 Leviathan - We'll Tear Your Soul Apart
10 Mastervibe - Power Of The Herb
11 Wargroover - British Nightmare
12 Robert Wagner - Listen Carefully
13 Don Diablo Vs The Raven - The Arrival (1 & 2)
14 Technological Terror Crew - Purity Of Oblivion
15 The Speedfreak - Freak Tonight
16 Tieum - Destruction (Radium Remix)
17 Tieum - Funky Shit
18 Tieum - Turn The Key & Go
19 Hellfish - The Crippler (Filters Of Fury Remix)
20 Syndicate - Appetite For Destruction

 

Dan Bryants Mix:-

1. Bardot viva le revolution
2.De jongens van zuid rotjeknor
3.Lunatic asylum chaos effect
4.Pralizer bizarcore
5.Technohead Mary Jane
6.Duo pennotti the beat goes
7.Technohead passion 3
8. Lenny Dee and DJ edge silence of eternity
10. Chosen few the break
11. Buzz fuzz d leria
12. Skorp and Pila mindcontroller
13. Project x Mary go hard
14. Dano and nico master machine
15. Negative burn gates of hell
16. Ectomorph mindblower
17. Ceasefire who's afraid of noise
18. Lenny Dee forgotten moments
19. Short circuit get a little deeper
20. Critical mass psychotic break
19. Riot squad nonshlen tustokken
21. Somebody from Rotterdam god damn Rotterdam
22. Mc drokz and count negative death of a zombie
23. Jeremy throw
24. Nasenbluten blows t the nose
25. Short circuit take me to the top
26. Clarkee I am god here
27. Mutoid fucking mind

Geecast2.0 Episode 1 Featuring Jake Nicholls!

To listen to the mix please scroll to the bottom & hit the play or download button!

And why not read through the interview whilst your listening?

1st hour I play what ever the fuck I want! The second hour is the guest mix from Mr Jake Nicholls!

On todays Geecast we are delighted to welcome Jake Nicholls & his unique blend of Trance & Techno. For those that dont know Jake is from the UK & has played all over Europe. He has a growing discography of productions & remixes for labels including Joyride, Hard Trance Europe & High Fish.
As well as his Trance & Techno. Jake also djs under an alter ego as 'The Riddler.' Where he plays hard but uplifting Hardcore & Gabber.
He is also a long running resident of legendary UK Rave night Uprising which is based in Sheffield, which has been hosting events since 1995.

So Jake, thanks for your mix!! Can you tell us. How did you start out on your Underground music journey?
No worries mate, thanks for asking me, I really enjoyed it!
Its hard to pinpoint, but it must be some time around hearing the early Prodigy & Messiah tracks, the Experience album and hearing Fantasy FM (Blame, Music takes you always stood out for me, timeless)
One of my good friends, Simon Shillito (r.i.p) was an amazing source of good music right from second school, we always swapped tapes & went to events when we were young

So when you first started out. Was there any intention of getting into the djing & production side of things?
I didn’t have intention of playing out, just wanting to learn more about the music, absorbing dj sets & understanding how it all worked, mixing tracks etc.. the whole scene was truly captivating back then. No internet or social media made the search for good events and tunes 100 times more rewarding.

When you first started producing. Did you find it easy? Or did you slowly learn things as you went along. What was your first track that saw a release? And when did you start making it?
Frustratingly Ive never found it easy, the ideas come to me quite quickly but transferring them all into a track is something else. Sketching out in the daw can be rewarding, but the arrangement is always a hard slog I find. Im grateful to know many talented engineers who I’ve worked with over the years, who have helped breathe life into my ideas.

Are there any artists that you like to work with on production? Co-producers that you find easy to create great music with?
Nick Coles (Nick the kid) is awesome in the studio, a really fast workflow & we gel really well on ideas, top bloke.
Wayne (Triple XL) is another force in the studio. Extremely versatile but I think that’s due to his appreciation of so many banging styles. And of course could never forget Dave Devastate, studio genius & a joy to make tunes with.

What is the process involved in creating a track? Example - is it just going in the studio & playing at stuff until something sticks? Or is it that something just pops in your head whilst watching TV and you just have to get it down before it leaves you?!
Ideas can come from anywhere, elements of a track I already like, a soundtrack, samples from films etc.. getting them to work within a track is another. I write down and save what I can as & when. I remember having the same idea in my head each time I woke for a week with Impossible Dream (2003) that was a positive sign & all the ideas/elements came together so well.

What equipment do you use for DJing & Production?
For dj’ing these days its the industry standard Pioneer all the way. Everything is considered & the quality is there, such fun to use. For production its cubase.

Do you have any upcoming releases that we should know about?
There are few concepts in progress that will hopefully see the light of day.

Can you remember your first DJ gig? were was it & did you get a recording?
I helped a friend in one of town centre pubs, playing eurobeat, pop/house & club tracks etc.. and slipping in bits of rave when he went outside for a tab. The proper booking was at a smaller club in Doncaster, where I had a proper playlist of then trance. Sadly no recordings were made.

You’ve played abroad at events & including Ibiza. How does the European crowd compare to the UK?
Im grateful to have played outside the UK, the crowds have always been really up for it and enthusiastic Ive found. In the UK I predominantly play at rave events where its a case of the harder the better, outside the UK has been mainly clubs & club nights, a different trance/techy sound.

You’ve been dj’ing and producing for well over a decade now & built up quite a following. Did you ever think looking back that you would end up dji’ng all over the world & producing records for some of the best hard trance labels?
Not at all mate, it’s been such a wild ride, a dream come true in many ways & the most fun. Ive met some amazing people along the way, my wife included, and many others of which are now dear friends.

Are there any djs that you like to play B2B with? I would imagine that trance isnt really a genre that lends itself well to B2B sets.
Thats true, it doesn’t always work that well but Topgroove is always a winner for a good B2B, as is Nick the kid for some wicked sets in England and Ibiza, Louk, and Bobby Hardgroover too. All on the money for coming up with the goods, and knowing what and when.

Your blend of trance & techno is certainly unique. Do you have to wade through lots of websites to find that track which hits the right spot?
Cheers mate, it can be time consuming to locate the right track that work well & tick the right boxes, but rewarding and worthwhile though.

What are your opinions on digital vs vinyl. nothing beats crate digging right?!
It doesn’t at all, some of my happiest days have been spent in record shops. Playing out a new release was always amazing, they had such longevity whereas now nothing is sacred for long before its been remixed time & again before the month is out, which is a good and bad thing I guess. On the flip side having digital media is a godsend when playing abroad, taking all your best tunes in the hand luggage is fantastic.

And expanding on that. What are you thoughts on losing record shops?! Half the fun used to be going down to your local record shop every week & meeting like minded people whilst finding that "tune" that no-one else had. What record did you find whilst digging that is your most prized possession?!
It’s the saddest result of the digital age, knowing that they’ve mostly all gone leaves an empty feeling. I guess with the transfer of new music to streaming, mp3 sales etc.. it was in the pipeline but still, the reality is a shame. Any Jam & Spoon record was always a happy find. Hands On Yello was a special find at the time, seeing it on MTV then finding it at Rhythm Nation on Saturday morning. Good times.

There are some great producers & djs around in your scene. who do you rate the most?
There are many, but those that standout are Louk with his Hidden Agenda techno guise https://www.discogs.com/Hidden-Identity-Melodica-Remixes/release/13624643
Locally, Jamie Trax is making good waves, he’s really established his sound & come so far, it’s great to see. For sounds that I play, Im a massive fan of Chris Menzi (Switzerland) ConnecteD (Sweden) Nostic (The Netherland) Dizmaster (Denmark) Roby Rage (Italy) S.H.O.K.K (Switzerland) C.O.L.D (Germany)there are so many really good producers out there right now. I would be great to see a resurgence of this sound back in the raves (once all the chaos has subsided)

Are there any young producers & djs who you really rate?
Chris Grabowski aka C.O.L.D and Greg (Dark Sector) are both under-rated producers who create fantastically fresh quality music.

To producers & djs just starting out. What advice would you give them?
Stay true to your sound and persevere, anything worthwhile takes time.

Social media is now playing a bigger slice of things these days with people "buying" likes & having slick photos & ads. Do you ever wish things could go back to just being how good you were at mixing & tune selection? How do you think things will change in the next 5 & 10 years?
In many ways I do. Back in the day a dj was a dj & wasn’t expected to be any more. It was and still is a task in itself sourcing tracks and considering everything that goes into making a good set (John 00 Fleming has touched on this a lot in his videos and live chats/posts)
These days a constant feed of updates through a strong social media presence is expected, whilst many event flyers are hard to absorb without great scrutiny through a barrage of artist logos, in most cases overshadowing the branding of the event itself. Im unsure what the future will hold, but it all looks set to continue.

Finally moving onto the mix you have submitted. Can you talk us through the process of how you selected those tracks & what do you look for in your selections when your building a set?
I wanted to work through some favourites that have always stood out for me, and that still sound fresh into some more upfront trance/techno, and a few current pay/harder psytrance elements towards the end. Strong rhythms and emotions are important, and an interesting set structure, something I’d like to dance to myself.

Do you have a fav track off the mix that you like more than most? why is that?
That would be Delta Lady ‘Anything you want’, I’ve loved that since I first heard it in 1993. A wonderful hypnotic groove & good feelings all the way, still sounds so fresh to me.

When you dj, do you try & put as many tracks as possible in? or do you like to blend & ramp up the BPMs slowly?
It depends on the crowd, the set Im booked for, so many factors. Its always nice to be in the zone & work through a good few sounds/genres during a set.

And finally thanks for submitting your mix!! Would you like to give some shout outs!!
Shouts to all my good friends for the years of support, the amazing events & great labels Ive been involved with, you all know who you are ;)

Thanks!!
Kev Gee!!