Magazine
Thunderdome - Breaking Barriers
Thunderdome - Breaking Barriers
Released: 18-12-2010
Label: ID&T / Cloud 9 Dance IDTCM2010019
After every kick-ass Thunderdome party, a kick-ass double-cd is the next thing that follows. Continue to release your energy at home or where ever you want. Play it often and play it as loud as possible.
After giving the tracklist a quick look, we can conclude that the “breaking barriers” theme has been prolonged at the cds. Mainstream tracks are varied with industrial and breakcore tracks. We see a fresh and original tracklist, chosen with care, with mostly previously unreleased tracks on cd and some known tracks (Gamma release, In the Shadow, Detonate, The Industry, Simbiosis, Live and Loud, Abandon, Electro Shocking and Industrial Cooking Spray).
‘Barrier One’ starts off with an convincing intro by MC Justice, followed by the first (of many) dark track by SPL & Triage called “Valhalla” released on Hollow Point. This dark industrial drum & bass track sets the tone. Day-Mar gives us two schranz-techno inspired tracks called “Black Widow” and “Spinnekop”. In between Tymon entertains us with some distorted and terribly abused sounds. And it’s all just a start of what still has to come.
The tracks are mixed at high velocity and before you know, you’re further down the mix than you expected.
During “Hypnotize the Weak” we encounter the first break of this mix, sinister and full of beautiful sounds. Tymons bass kicks in splendidly afterwards. This guy’s a master in creating energetic tracks full of frustration and aggression. Nonstop pounding bass drums and squeaky synthesizers attack your eardrums.
The Italian demolition squad called Meccano Twins keeps up this vibe with their genius “Gamma Release”. This track blows you off your feet with heavy kicks and a terrifying speedy mutilated synthesizer melody.
Tommyknockers “In the Shadow” honours its name. Stay out of the light and be consumed by this track, heavy as hell.
There’s quite a style break between Tommyknocker and DJ D. His track “Live 4” is almost like happy hardcore with the Eros Ramazzotti sample and uplifting melody. After “Detonate” it’s time for the guys from Enzyme. The title “Poop” is quite childish, but the track itself does give us a smile. Distorted synths and a standard kick are accompanied by ‘Beavis and Butthead’ samples and actually sound great.
Can anyone explain why the old version of “Make you dance” is added to this mix, instead of a more recent remix by Tha Playah or Endymion? Supposable, it has to do with the theme ‘breaking barriers’. Early- or present hardcore…it’s all hardcore, so why not mix those tracks as well?
At 15 we hear a new track of D-Passion. A straight forward track in the style of MOH-records instead of The Third Movement. Though the bassdrum is really great. The Next track called “Simbiosis” has been remixed by Obscurity successfully. It hasn’t lost any of its power yet and fits in perfectly in a present time mix.
“Keep going” by Kasparov is a nice track but what’s really interesting is the next track by N-Vitral. Blunt stomping basses and pitched up synths turn up the energy level again. Waky waky people! Secondly this track is the start of the dark and doomy end of ‘Barrier One’. Negative A, Catscan vs Predator and Ruffneck & Ophidian all give us class A tracks, hard, full of distortion with stretched samples. But also with catchy melodies and surprising soundscapes. Just enjoy. Especcially “Dyprax & Angerfist – The pearly Gates”. Damn, what a creative explosion with its breakbeats and screaming synthesizers. The first mix is ended with the mainstream track “Neophyte ft MC Alee & Miss Twilight – Live and Loud”. Hopefully the second mix will start loud.
Welcome to ‘Barrier Two’. The title “Carefull with that Axe” promises a lot. It’s a unconventional slow breakcore track loaded with low stretched guitars and noises. An original start though. The three successive mainstream tracks contain amenable melodies of which the melody of “Fucked up” sounds the best. The mix is slowly building up. “Promo – Unafraid” is a great track with a nice speed and harmonic synthesizers. The cross over to “Channel Zero” comes a bit as a surprise, but the breakbeats are impressive combined with the low tones. It’s the first track in a row of dark drum & bass tracks. “Channel Zero”, “Feind”, “D&B Terror” and “Larum”, form one solid block of broken beats and skin creeping sounds. Excellently mixed.
With Negative A & Counterfeit we’re getting a somewhat more industrial sounding track. High on speed, pounding like a jackhammer. And so do the basses in “Abandon”. This track rips your brains apart with its beats and glues it back together with the atmospheric interlude. One of the best tracks going around in the scene right now.
After the up-tempo mainstream track “Electro Shocking (Dyprax Remix)” it gets really freaky again. The DJ Producer and Deathmachine shake the room with broken and repetitive beats. Dark noises and heavy percussion fill the air.
The next track is from the still unreleased Ep Enzyme K7 10. Synapse and Ruffneck teamed up to produce another killing track. Hell, what those guys do with the low stretched synths. We like! (Royal plural ;-) )Track 16 is a known track by The Outside Agency and Tapage. Not very subtle, just say primitive, but o so effective. Especially the acid like synthesizers give this track a nice twist. Hellsystem is an artist who has developed his own energetic style during the past years and has always something special up his sleeve. However this time his track has been remixed recognizably by Angerfist. Keeping up the tempo and giving us no time to rest. At 18 we are finally given the theme track “Breaking Barriers”, containing original vocals, dark sounds, ear damaging broken beats and a fucked up speedy tempo. This is continued by “DJ radium – Big Noise”. The track inspired on Queens “We will rock you”. This track just rocks! After oldie “Fucking Hostile” it’s time for “Putney”. Catscan and Outblast have joined forces which resulted in a big wall of sound. “Lekker Belangrijk” is a great energetic track with speedcore influences and a massive hammering bass drum. ‘Barrier Two’ ends with the old time (1996) favorite “Bust that Ass”. Speedy, up-lifting and just totally whack.
This new Thunderdome double-cd is quite different than what you would expect from previous editions. There’s no distinction between styles within the mixes and more styles are used to point out that there are no barriers between the harder styles in dance music. It’s all Hard!!!-Core. Enjoy.
Tracklist
Barrier One
1-1 Justice - Breaking Barriers Intro
1-2 SPL & Triage - Valhalla
1-3 Day-Mar - Black Widdow
1-4 Tymon - Pain Tripper
1-5 Day-Mar - Spinnekop
1-6 Negative A & Counterfeit - Hypnotize The Weak
1-7 Tymon - Ambush
1-8 Meccano Twins - Gamma Release
1-9 Tommyknocker - In The Shadow
1-10 DJ D - Live 4
1-11 Anime - Detonate
1-12 Nosferatu & Ruffneck - Poop
1-13 Bodylotion - Make You Dance
1-14 Endymion & Meccano Twins - The Industry
1-15 D-Passion - Searching For Tomorrow
1-16 DJ Sim - Simbiosis (DJ Obscurity Remix)
1-17 Kasparov - Keep Going
1-18 N-Vitral - Return Of The Lofi Death Crew
1-19 Negative A - I'm
1-20 Catscan Vs. Predator - Repartition
1-21 Ruffneck & Ophidian - Elegy (Nothing Can Last Forever)
1-22 Dyprax & Angerfist - The Pearly Gates
1-23 Neophyte Ft. MC Alee & Miss Twilight - Live And Loud
Barrier Two
2-1 Counterstrike - Carefull With That Axe
2-2 Nitrogenetics Vs. Rayden - No Heroes
2-3 The Wishmaster - Dance
2-4 Noize Suppressor - Fucked Up
2-5 Counterfeit - Chasing Payments
2-6 Promo - Unafraid
2-7 Broken Note - Channel Zero
2-8 Donny - Fiend
2-9 Drokz - Drum & Bass Terror
2-10 Gancher & Ruin Feat. Traimer - Larum
2-11 Negative A & Counterfeit - Ritual Killing
2-12 Ophidian - Abandon
2-13 Outblast & DJ D - Electro Shocking (Dyprax Remix)
2-14 The DJ Producer & Deathmachine - 10 Years Of Influence
2-15 Synapse & Ruffneck - Vows Of Doubt
2-16 The Outside Agency & Tapage - Industrial Cooking Spray
2-17 Hellsystem - Shut Up And Die (Angerfist Remix)
2-18 Negative A Feat. MC Justice - Breaking Barriers
2-19 Radium - Big Noise
2-20 Lenny Dee - Fucking Hostile
2-21 Catscan & Outblast - Putney
2-22 J-Roon & Kosmix Ft. MC Justice & Da Mouth Of Darkness - Lekker Belangrijk
2-23 Drokz - Bust That Ass
