22 Jan 2016 
Posted by Cassi Catsaros
Meet Neophyte Records’ secret weapon… Furyan!
Charley Schrijn, or better known as Furyan has been making waves in the scene for quite some time now, critically acclaimed as one of the most promising names in modern hardcore. His top-notch productions have allowed him to not only become a key player in Neophyte Records but also collaborate with the likes of Nosferatu, Kasparov, Neophyte, Tieum and many more!
2015 marked a huge year for Furyan, who released a handful of remarkable tunes including “Rugged,” “The Reckoning” and “Slapeloosheid” and 2016 is expected to be just as great for this young prodigy who has just dropped his “Wrath” EP. We were lucky enough to catch Furyan for an interview to speak about his views on hardcore, his adventures with Nosferatu and some of his goals for this coming year!
– Hey Charley, thanks for this interview! First of all, can you give me a little recap of your 2015?
Hey! Thanks for having me.
A big part of my year was shaped by November and December 2014. I really wanted to kick things up a notch, so I set some goals and plans for myself; which resulted in the early 2015 release of my ‘Bombshell EP.’ After listening to the Neophyte Records year mix, I noticed I produced the most tracks out of all of the artists on the label (9 official releases and some free tracks) in 2015.
If someone would have told me five years ago that I’d be releasing so many tracks on Neophyte Records in one year then I’d say they were absolutely crazy ha-ha! If you set goals, put your mind to it and work your ass off, everything is possible.
Last year I also played at Dominator for the first time which was definitely one my milestones! Besides that, Ground Zero mainstage back-to-back with Pandorum was very cool and also the #TiH act at the Defqon.1 after party together with Alien-T was one to remember.
– You’ve just dropped “Nightfort” with Kasparov which is taken from your brand-new EP “Wrath.” How has the response been on this track?
The response has been very good! I actually haven’t seen anything negative on it yet, which is great of course. It’s always fun to work with crazy Bas (Kasparov) ha-ha!
– You also dropped your collaboration with Bodyshock “Murder,” can you tell me a little more about this track and what it was like to work with Bodyshock?
I think we both have a unique view on hardcore and that’s exactly what you hear in this collaboration. Bodyshock screeches and pumping sequence, Furyan kicks, break and edits and of course the perfect lyrics by my homie Alee. Expect another collab later this year!
– What does the release of the “Wrath” EP mean for you as an artist?
Wrath is 1 of the 7 deadly sins… Expect the rest of those sins in 2016!
– You’ve worked alongside Nosferatu a lot recently, can you tell me about the #jebentzelfterror and #jebentzelfmellow concept?
Ahh yes, Nosferatu. First off, he is definitely one of my biggest all-time heroes in Hardcore, so it’s pretty weird (in a good way) and cool to produce tracks with him! The #jebentzelfterror and #jebentzelfmellow thing was really spontaneous. We were broadcasting a studio session and Erwin did something that sounded a little dull, so I said: “It’s a bit mellow,” and he replied: “you’re mellow yourself.” It sounds little lame when I explain it right now but if you check out the video’s on our Facebook pages you’ll get it, ha-ha!
A couple of weeks later we had another session and during a broadcast Erwin accidentally looped a kick twice at the normal speed, so I was like: “Wow, sounds like terror!” and of course Erwin replied: “you’re terror yourself.” People started to reply with those #jebentzelf tags and a meme was born.
Oh, maybe you’ve seen the #jebentzelfmellow #jebentzelfterror t-shirts? They will be available soon!
– Your first releases were on Rotterdam Records; can you tell me a little bit about this label & concept?
Remember the Thunderdome remix contest for Neophyte & Drokz’s “Sloop Die Speakers?” Ok, maybe not ha-ha! Well, my first track “Inevitable” was my entry. They didn’t respond (too bad) so I replaced the Drokz vocal and tada! My first release on Rotterdam Records…
– You’re now one of the key names on Neophyte Records, what does it mean to be a part of this label?
Being a part of Neophyte Records was one of my goals since I began producing Hardcore on a serious level. You have Neophyte (of course), Evil Activities and Tha Playah and I always related myself to their sound. The Neophyte Records standard is the highest possible; it was a real challenge to reach that level and to find out my own potential. It’s been (and still is) a tough road to achieve the standard, but I’m definitely at home here.
– Within your discography there’s a lot of variation in tempo. Is there a reason why you choose to explore the spectrum of BPM’s rather than sticking to a certain speed?
It depends on my mood… Lately my tracks such as “Rugged,” “Dynamite,” “Slapeloosheid” and “For What?!” are a little faster. I guess I’m hyped up lately! 😉
– Uptempo hardcore is becoming more and more popular; what are your thoughts about it?
I like some uptempo tracks and sometimes I play music from Brutale or my own uptempo productions such as “For What?!” and “Dynamite”.
– Just a little throwback, can you tell me about how you got hooked on hardcore and became interested in production?
I think it began with the Thunderdome CD’s. The last edition I bought was #19 (I download the rest… just kidding!) From 1997 I started listening other genres such as house, rap and hip-hop and in 2002 I became a resident DJ in a nightclub where I mainly played jump and early hardstyle.
You can say that I didn’t listen to hardcore for maybe 5 years… *SHAME* *tringeling* *Game of Thrones*
Then a good friend of mine played “Earthquake” by Art Of Fighters and Tha Playah’s “Rotterdam Nightmare” and I was like: “FAAAAAAK!!!!!!!” I can’t describe the feeling I had hearing those tracks, but for sure it re-ignited the fire and excitement whilst listening to hardcore and more importantly, inspired me to begin producing it.
– What are your opinions on the hardcore scene today and some hopes for the future?
Hardcore is getting harder and harder nowadays and to be honest I do miss the energetic massive-party tracks. I also feel that the genre needs more huge epic melodies within the tracks. It doesn’t have to be necessarily “happy” or “euphoric,” I guess energetic is the right word for it.
– Can you tell me about any upcoming productions or exciting news for 2016?
Oh dear… It’s pretty hectic in the studio. For now, I only can tell you there are collabs in progress with The Viper, Nosferatu, Synthax, Pandorum, Icha and Neophyte, alongside some remixes and solo’s in progress. As you might have seen I’ve signed with Most Wanted DJ; check out the artist roster and I’m sure you can figure out which artists I’m working with.
– One of my favourite tracks by you is “Teknology,” it’s got such wacky sound design and is quite progressive – what was the inspiration behind this track?
Funny you mention that track. I’m born in the 80’s and I actually still listen to music from that period. I wanted to produce a track with that specific 80’s vibe and sound but with a hardcore-twist. The vocal “technology” is from “The Six Million Dollar Man,” a TV series from an even earlier period, the ’70s.
– What are some of your hopes for hardcore’s future, its scene and music?
The “party-vibe” has to come back… I played in both Scotland and Moscow a few months ago and both places had that kind of vibe; the party people were such beasts, I loved it! That’s something I mainly miss in this wonderful place called The Netherlands – I guess we are a little spoilt.
– Can you give any advice to hardcore producers on how to create big, powerful atmospheres?
Use a lot of reverb with 300ms pre delay!
– Early rave or modern hardcore? Go!
Oehhhh that’s is a difficult one. I really love both… But ok, I’ll go with modern hardcore, because I produce it myself and it sounds awesome. 😉 But then again… early rave paved the way for modern hardcore as we know it…
– Finally, what are some of your personal resolutions for 2016?
Wake up early (that’s difficult for me sometimes ha-ha, fuck you PS4!) and clock-in as many studio hours as possible. I just moved to a bigger studio, so it really feels like a fresh start. Other resolutions are keeping a positive mind, achieve the goals I’ve set and work hard for the things that matter most and I’d love to say the same for others!
Peace.
– What did you have for breakfast?
Cruesli with milk and nesquick!
Big thanks to Furyan for this interview – we wish him the very best with this coming year! For those who haven’t yet checked out his brand new killer EP “Wrath,” it’s available for download and streaming HERE. Stay tuned to Alive At Night as we will be watching the Hardcore scene with an eager eye!
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