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Seven Ways to Love...Hardcore Techno!

Can't get enough of “Frequency.” So intense. I imagine that if God piddles around on the keyboard while ordering up some horrible natural catastrophe, it probably sounds like the main riff on that one.

I started out with Yolk and 2 Bad Mice, creators of two breakbeat obsessed records...both almost jungle. Cola Boy's “7 Ways to Love” is definitely not 'Hardcore'...but they couldn't resist throwing a funky drummer loop in their poppy take on house. As you can see from the Isotonik clip, a lot of these songs were climbing up the UK charts. Sharing space with standard chart fodder like Wet Wet Wet and—gasp—70's Queen. Over here in Southern California they were all underground, save the few that got play on MARS FM, the only [struggling] radio station to really champion this music--aside from late night programs and college radio. Human Resource's “Dominator” was one of those tracks MARS overtaxed the radio waves with. Then again, it was issued as a single more than 20 times in 1991 alone. That tune and the remix of "Nightmare" by Holy Noise represent Rotterdam in this little gathering. I'd say a 'darker' techno issued from that city at the time...but it's not as if this 'darker' sound is lurking behind an ominous tree making you feel unsettled. It's more like 'evil' attacking you from all directions.

'Hardcore' got written off as repetitive and annoying by non-believers. I think these sample heavy tunes are full of surprises that attempt to raise the energy level and pull the rug out from under you(If anybody ever bothered to put a rug down at a rave). They work very hard to please. Were you expecting to hear a fluffy A-ha sample amidst the hard breakbeats of “Bish Bosh?” Did you think the one and only “Dominator” would actually take the time to kiss himself, lip smacking sounds and all? What about that choo choo train Joey Beltram put into that track's remix...where's that coming from? A lot was pilfered from older dance tracks and hip hop. If you want to, “feel the house music steady steady pounding,” in “Hold it Down” your should probably take the record off the turntable and put on “I'll House You” by the Jungle Brothers. But, musically, that sample fits perfectly. And it's even been re-sequenced and munchkinized...not just thrown in. Hope that satiates any of you who are still shaking your head in disapproval.

Ok. Exciting stuff. Didn't dig too deep there but the old anthems got me all worked up. I'm going into Bio-Digital free form--maybe some love ballads--then I'm going to take a break. Need to come down.