Hardcore Vibes: UK Hardcore News & Reviews [November 2016]

No matter what’s happening in your world – or out there in the big wide world – music has the power to make you feel like everything’s going to be OK! So, grab your headphones and check out Alive At Night’s current favourite tunes from the UK Hardcore scene!

Just lately my day job has really been taking a toll on the rest of my life. Like, what is a weekday evening and who needs them anyway? When I leave work I need music to lift my mood, clear my mind, bring a smile to my face and make the challenges of the working day seem like a distant memory. I crave those high BPMs in combination with an equally high feel-good factor.

On days like this, I need tunes like “RAVE OK!” by Nanobii. Often preferring to stay out of the spotlight and be represented online by an avatar, I think maybe Nanobii is just like so many of us ravers – the quiet person with different coloured hair and an awesome soft toy collection displayed around your home because these things make you happy, just like music makes you happy.

Also bringing the feel-good factor right now is “Another World,” the new release from Technikore ft. Emi. “Another World” is the follow up to the amazing “Just Be,” which has become one of the biggest UK Hardcore tracks of the year so far and secured Emi’s place as one of the leading vocalists in the UK Hardcore scene.

Since bursting onto the scene a couple of years ago, Australian artist Summa Jae has been teaching her home city of Brisbane a thing or two about UK Hardcore! Whilst keeping her finger firmly on the pulse of the UK scene, Summa Jae has also been working on some hot new productions of her own. Summa Jae’s latest track, “Skinny Love,” in collaboration with Buzzman and featuring vocals by Verity is out now on Futurecore.

So many brilliant albums at the moment are coming out on CD releases only. Going to the effort of buying a CD almost seems unusual to some of us in these modern days when digital download is the norm. CD’s do however give you something to hold onto long after your hard drive has crashed (not that you’d ever let that happen before you’ve run a backup, right?). Not to mention, you can also go on an online CD shopping binge late at night, forget by the next morning and then one day have a lovely surprise parcel of music waiting at the door when you get home from work!

The next couple of tracks are from newly released CD albums, starting with Al Storm’s “Dark Shadows 3”, the latest instalment in this dark and creepy album series. If your Halloween just wasn’t hard enough, or maybe if you’re just so into American Horror Story and The Walking Dead that somehow everything in your life needs to be blood-spattered and slightly undead, this is the album for you, starting with Al Storm’s “Werewolf” (Jekyll’s Intro Remix).

As the perfect antidote to that werewolf bite, the new album from Thumpa’s Rebuild Music, “Like A Phoenix,” is by contrast like waking up from a nightmare and finding that the sun does still shine and realising maybe your cat doesn’t want to eat you after all. With a very strictly limited edition run, this particular CD might already be a collector’s item by the time you read this, so don’t hang around if you want a copy! From broken beats to trance melodies and everything in between, “Like A Phoenix” covers the full range of Freefrom Hardcore sounds, including this track “Shattered” by Nomic all the way from the Freeform heartland of Finland.

Sticking with Freeform for a moment (‘cos I really like it!), Remane is back, this time working with Drew Deravative from the USA on this wicked new UK Hardcore / Freeform crossover track, “Reaktion.”

Go Hard Digital is a new label providing a global platform for some talented UK Hardcore artists who you just may not have discovered yet. The label’s first release will be the Macks Wolf and Clarkey remix of Avi8 “The Forgotten Star” which is a mighty fine remix indeed. Following hot on its heels will be the catchy vocal number “Great Escape” by rising stars Bassline Animals in collaboration with one of the hottest artists of this year, Alex Prospect.

Did I almost get through to the end of this article without mentioning Darren Styles? Almost but not completely to the end because I simply could not go past his remix of TNT ft. Popr3b3l’s “I’m Raving”.

The Darren Styles remix of “I’m Raving” isn’t just going to be an anthem of its day, it’s going to become one of those tunes that will stay on every DJ’s USB for years to come and will be “that tune” that gets played at the end of the night and at the end of every mixtape.

If you think you’ve heard those lyrics before, you’d be right, they’re pretty famous. In fact they first appeared when Shut Up And Dance released “Raving I’m Raving” in 1992, which was a clever rework of Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis”!

It’s November already so probably time to start making some plans for New Year’s Eve. If I were in the UK, I’d be picking up a ticket for the One Big NYE event bringing the scene together at the O2 Academy in Leicester. A roll call of every DJ you might possibly want to see in the new year with including Gammer, Klubfiller, Dougal, Hixxy, Chris Unknown, Fracus & Darwin, Stonebank and tons more. Plus for those who don’t want to stop ticket-holders also get entry to a free party on New Year’s Day too! Check out the event details on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/202098376870696/

Thanks for reading! I hope a little bit of UK Hardcore has brightened up your day!