 Note: You must be registered in order to post a reply.
To register, click here. Registration is free.
| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| trippnface |
contains lols and head scratching !
http://nesthq.com/interview-gammer/ |
| djDMS |
Yeah, American events and crowds are so much better than the shit he has to put up with here. All those UK fans coming out to see him every week, paying his bills.... |
| jordesuvi |
quote:
Originally posted by djDMS:
Yeah, American events and crowds are so much better than the shit he has to put up with here. All those UK fans coming out to see him every week, paying his bills....
Don't misunderstand. Literally verbatim he said "I think the most potent energy you're going to get from our music now is in the USA."
Nowhere does it say "American events are better than UK".
What he says in fact logical since the crowds at raves in the US are younger, therefore naturally more energetic.
Plus hardcore is relatively new for popularity in the US, and Gammer explains why.
I don't see where lols and head scratches come in. Looks like a solid interview to me. |
| Vladel |
quote:
Originally posted by jordesuvi:
quote:
Originally posted by djDMS:
Yeah, American events and crowds are so much better than the shit he has to put up with here. All those UK fans coming out to see him every week, paying his bills....
Don't misunderstand. Literally verbatim he said "I think the most potent energy you're going to get from our music now is in the USA."
Nowhere does it say "American events are better than UK".
What he says in fact logical since the crowds at raves in the US are younger, therefore naturally more energetic.
Plus hardcore is relatively new for popularity in the US, and Gammer explains why.
I don't see where lols and head scratches come in. Looks like a solid interview to me.
I think it's the part about claiming to take back the name Happy hardcore because that's what it is.... No mate it isn't. The only similarity to what hardcore is now is the speed, there's nothing happy about the stuff he makes now. It's dreary, whiny and far too trendy.
|
| trippnface |
quote:
Originally posted by jordesuvi:
quote:
Originally posted by djDMS:
Yeah, American events and crowds are so much better than the shit he has to put up with here. All those UK fans coming out to see him every week, paying his bills....
Don't misunderstand. Literally verbatim he said "I think the most potent energy you're going to get from our music now is in the USA."
Nowhere does it say "American events are better than UK".
What he says in fact logical since the crowds at raves in the US are younger, therefore naturally more energetic.
Plus hardcore is relatively new for popularity in the US, and Gammer explains why.
I don't see where lols and head scratches come in. Looks like a solid interview to me.
for me it was stuff like :
1 ) "So who are the main characters other than yourself that are continuing to push it forward right now?"
"I?d say, the main, main guy, without any shadow of a doubt, is actually Darren Styles "
kinda dodge the question a bit? how abouta fracus & darwin or shimamura err storm? maybe a shout out to the j core scene in general which is proving far more happy hardcore than most of em ;p if it is about "happy hardcore" and how much he loves it i would think he would throw those kinds of things in.
i havent heard darren styles push anything " happy hardcore " for a good while honestly . and now people are gunna get fussy cuz we are actually talking about uk hardcore which i guess is going to be generally interpreted as "happy hardcore" now. at least by him? this the kinda shit that makes my head hurt xp
"The last three years he?s actually played the bassCON stage at EDC Las Vegas"
not sure how this is relevant to who is pushing hardcore "right now" . especially since i think we can agree those sets were not remotely "happy hardcore".
2 ) "Do you have to deal with a lot of haters? "
"what we don?t really get is acceptance ? and I can understand why. When people hear the music and its 170 BPM, four to the floor, and its really flipping fast and crazy? people listen and just say, ?I?m not really sure about that.? "
dude; WHAT?
i have never seen anybody at a hardcore show not getting the **** down; knowing exactly why they are there. people ARE sure about that. it's hardcore. it is literally what we just bought tickets and CD's to hear. i am "not sure " about shitty trap beats and other whack elements in the middle of a euphoric dancefloor smasher though ( mumbled agreement )
are we trying to impress someone else besides hardcore fans?
3 ) "Do you remember when you started seeing stuff like DDR pop up? Was it cool to see those sounds becoming an element of pop culture in a way?"
" I remember the first Hudson Mohawke track I heard, TNGHT?s ?Higher Ground?, it had just come on the radio and I was like, ?This sounds like a nutty kind oldschool track with a trap beat over it?. I didn?t even know what trap was at the time. I found out that he grew up with happy hardcore as well and he?s taken that influence in his music "
i must be deaf; sounds like straight up festival trap music to me. not so sure about happy hardcore influence in his music... can certainly here HIS influence in gammer's music though ;D.
4) "How would you describe one of these nights, let?s say the perfect night? Where is it? What does it look like, who?s playing, what?re they playing? "
"When you go to a hardcore rave, particularly in the states, it?s intense, you?ll not see anything like it. It?s the classic thing with the kandi kids, the whistles and the horns, that?s all there, but it?s the fact that when the drop comes in they don?t just do that initial cheer, they?re screaming all over it, they don?t care if it?s a guy or a girl singing the track they are singing their hearts out along with it. "
definitely not going to look like that with the kind of set darren styles played at the basscon stage at EDC the last 3 years... the reaction he is speaking of is the pure glorious uk hardcore candy kid party. you simply cannot achieve that with big room or trap; THAT crowd is not there for THAT sound. so he knows the different crowds want different things at different times; and will garner different reactions; but will still just play whatever he feels like; when he feels like?
5) What?s one track that consistently goes off every time?
For me, it?s Elysium by Scott Brown. No contest.
AGREEEDDD
like a smooth talking politician at some points there haha. at least imo from my perspective. i like to over -analyse and take things pretty seriously though ;) . especially my hardcore ;p
|
| latininxtc |
quote:
Originally posted by jordesuvi:
quote:
Originally posted by djDMS:
Yeah, American events and crowds are so much better than the shit he has to put up with here. All those UK fans coming out to see him every week, paying his bills....
Plus hardcore is relatively new for popularity in the US, and Gammer explains why.
LOL no. Hardcore in the US has had peaks in popularity on and off. We did after all have the Happy 2B Hardcore series. Moonshine would not have invested so much in the series (7 editions in total) if it wasn't popular to begin with.
And the reason why it seems "new" to Americans is because there is a high turnover fan base for the genre. Yes you'll have those like me who have enjoyed hardcore for 15 years and still don't get tired of it, but those people are few and far between, especially speaking in terms of just being part of the fan base and not a producer/DJ and/or promoter for the hardcore scene. US ravers have ADD when it comes to EM genres, and tire easily and will move on to the next big thing.
The majority of the UK fan base is in it for the long run, for better or worse. They invest way more money following the genre than Americans do. Lucky for them it's more convenient, but you won't see the type of variety on a weekly basis at events in the US as you do in the UK. |
| djDMS |
Of course I was exaggerating, but I felt I just needed to make the point.
|
| Impulse_Response |
I'm not sure what he meant about the US having better sound systems. I've only been to two events here, and I haven't been to any in the UK, but at those two events I actually attended the sound was terrible. It was particularly bad at Hardcore Essentials 2 in Nashville. |
| d2kx |
Excellent interview. And just as expected, the very same people that made me want to contribute to USH.net or this forum less and less over time again didn't really understand what Gammer was saying. |
| latininxtc |
quote:
Originally posted by Advather:
I'm not sure what he meant about the US having better sound systems. I've only been to two events here, and I haven't been to any in the UK, but at those two events I actually attended the sound was terrible. It was particularly bad at Hardcore Essentials 2 in Nashville.
Yea North American sound systems at raves are some of the worst because of the heavy focus on bass. But since Gammer's current stuff I overloaded with heavy bass/dub riffs I cam see why he would think it sounds amazing. |
| latininxtc |
quote:
Originally posted by d2kx:
Excellent interview. And just as expected, the very same people that made me want to contribute to USH.net or this forum less and less over time again didn't really understand what Gammer was saying.
Oh yes because a German would be more qualified to tell us Americans and British that we didn't understand what the Englishman was saying...
 |
| Claxton |
I thought it was a good(ish) interview. I thought that he could have pushed more names and I think that those at the top of the scene could practice what they preach much more but on the whole, what he said was ok.
I really don't think it matter what we call the music. Just because he calls it 'happy hardcore' it doesn't need to sound exactly like 97 happy hardcore. It's just the evolution of a genre. It's just a label. Also happy hardcore is probably the best term to use to people from outside the scene. No one knows what UK hardcore is.
I don't think it's wise to over analyse what Gammer writes. I think sometimes it doesn't come across as he intends.
|
| warped_candykid |
He bypassed mentioning any of the long runners who were actually making happy hardcore in the 90s: Hixxy, Al Storm, Chris Unknown.
Or any other long standing artist: Fracus, Darwin, Kurt,, ReCon
Happy Hardcore had its day in America during the Happy2bHardcore era. Like Latininxtc said, it's hard to find actual fans of the genre who are still active listeners from that era.
I will agree with him on the fact that 'UK Hardcore' is a rather irrelevant term. It's always came from the UK. Happy Hardcore is the genre, it's just today, it's an evolved sound of the genre.
On the flip side, I can see how the term has been around since 2002-ish, and has developed its own sound towards the name. I just like the term Happy Hardcore :P
|
| Elliott |
Styles and Gammer have formed their own two-man uber top tier these days but even though they're receiving unprecedented mainstream exposure, it's irrelevant to the wider hardcore scene because their music sounds nothing like anyone else's. For fans of the older sound, the popularity of Styles and Gammer is actually bad news. |
| Elliott |
quote:
Originally posted by d2kx:
Excellent interview. And just as expected, the very same people that made me want to contribute to USH.net or this forum less and less over time again didn't really understand what Gammer was saying.
I'd like to apologise on behalf of all of us with opinions that don't coincide with your own.
|
| Samination |
Wow, never knew how Gammer knew Dougal. I thought that Dougal just picked up some random kid and started making music :P
trippnface: that "haters" thing could be a reference to USH or us here :P |
| Claxton |
Well you guys have completely miss understood the haters answer.
He says that there isn't actually that much hate in hardcore but people from outside the genre don't really accept it. He doesn't talk about anything at all to do with Hardcore fans in that answer.
I think you guys are deliberately looking for negatives before you've even read the thing. |
| Claxton |
quote:
Originally posted by Elliott:
Styles and Gammer have formed their own two-man uber top tier these days but even though they're receiving unprecedented mainstream exposure, it's irrelevant to the wider hardcore scene because their music sounds nothing like anyone else's. For fans of the older sound, the popularity of Styles and Gammer is actually bad news.
This does concern me. I think Gammer & Styles (because of their growing influence beyond hardcore) could be more effective at representing the scene as a whole and bringing more new fans in. That said, it's always been the same (perhaps the reason numbers are down) and they are still potentially a gateway into the genre for new people.
That's how people get into something new right? Enter through the top and then delve deeper once involved? |
| jordesuvi |
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
1 ) "So who are the main characters other than yourself that are continuing to push it forward right now?"
"I'd say, the main, main guy, without any shadow of a doubt, is actually Darren Styles "
kinda dodge the question a bit? how abouta fracus & darwin or shimamura err storm? maybe a shout out to the j core scene in general which is proving far more happy hardcore than most of em ;p if it is about "happy hardcore" and how much he loves it i would think he would throw those kinds of things in.
i havent heard darren styles push anything " happy hardcore " for a good while honestly . and now people are gunna get fussy cuz we are actually talking about uk hardcore which i guess is going to be generally interpreted as "happy hardcore" now. at least by him? this the kinda shit that makes my head hurt xp
Agreed, he had a brilliant opportunity to push other names, but it's to be almost expected that he'd prefer to push TWR. But he's close-knit with Rhythmics and nanobii and didn't mention them, so I didn't look too much into it. Plus yeah, at the moment Darren Styles is pretty much the main guy, he's not wrong.
Happy Hardcore as a term will always stick, that's what it's always been called throughout the years in conjunction with UK Hardcore, and more recently, Hardcore Rave.
Yeah, there's stuff like "Get This Place", "We Stay Young" that is without question melbourne bounce at 170. Perhaps we'll create a new sub-genre title for someday (IYF calls it "melbcore") but the stuff from TWR that includes melodies is always happy.
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
2 ) "Do you have to deal with a lot of haters? "
"what we don?t really get is acceptance ? and I can understand why.
dude; WHAT?
i have never seen anybody at a hardcore show not getting the **** down; knowing exactly why they are there. people ARE sure about that. it's hardcore.
are we trying to impress someone else besides hardcore fans?
It's not about trying to impress anyone, but it's no secret that those who look at the scene from the outside in don't tend to like it. There's always some weird look I get when someone see's me jamming to a Darwin remix (no-one else I know IRL likes hardcore).
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
3 ) "Do you remember when you started seeing stuff like DDR pop up? Was it cool to see those sounds becoming an element of pop culture in a way?"
" I remember the first Hudson Mohawke track I heard, TNGHT?s ?Higher Ground?, it had just come on the radio and I was like, ?This sounds like a nutty kind oldschool track with a trap beat over it?. I didn?t even know what trap was at the time. I found out that he grew up with happy hardcore as well and he?s taken that influence in his music "
i must be deaf; sounds like straight up festival trap music to me. not so sure about happy hardcore influence in his music... can certainly here HIS influence in gammer's music though ;D.
I'll admit I'm a little puzzled on that one too, other than the vocal I dunno where the influence can be heard.
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
4) "How would you describe one of these nights, let's say the perfect night? Where is it? What does it look like, who?s playing, what?re they playing? "
"When you go to a hardcore rave, particularly in the states, it?s intense, you?ll not see anything like it. It?s the classic thing with the kandi kids, the whistles and the horns, that?s all there, but it?s the fact that when the drop comes in they don?t just do that initial cheer, they?re screaming all over it, they don?t care if it?s a guy or a girl singing the track they are singing their hearts out along with it. "
definitely not going to look like that with the kind of set darren styles played at the basscon stage at EDC the last 3 years... the reaction he is speaking of is the pure glorious uk hardcore candy kid party. you simply cannot achieve that with big room or trap; THAT crowd is not there for THAT sound. so he knows the different crowds want different things at different times; and will garner different reactions; but will still just play whatever he feels like; when he feels like?
I can imagine the big festival sets are a little more scripted, but for a hardcore show I'm sure the DJ would read the crowd and play according to the type of hardcore they're getting the best reaction from.
Otherwise yeah, I didn't really look too much into it. I don't think Gammer is the type to throw in subliminal hints and messages.
I also don't want to see people just hate on the interview "just because it's Gammer". As Claxton points out:
quote:
Originally posted by Claxton:
"I don't think it's wise to over analyse what Gammer writes. I think sometimes it doesn't come across as he intends."
"I think you guys are deliberately looking for negatives before you've even read the thing."
|
| trippnface |
i actually thought it was an insightful interview as well. don't get me wrong; gammer has a place in my heart. i bought that new cd literally for CD 1. that is hardcore at it's prime to me. i will pump that shit forever.
and i suppose using happy hardcore as the blanket term for our music does make more sense. i am just very used to distinguishing happy vs UK in the US cuz everyone is pretty genre dumb and you have to be very specific. at the same time though we can't call shit from 95 "happy hardcore" ; then call some 2006 shit "happy hardcore" then call his new trap crap " happy hardcore. it does not work, and it is confusing. every other genre has 4 or 5 specific dedicated subgenres with producers & dj's that focus on their style and never even make the other styles. why cant hardcore be as specific? why does it need to be some huge amalgam with this shit mixture where we don't even know what is coming next anymore. ? ( eg PSY; i can find goa; dark; prog; hi tech; etc. completely different producers for all and they don't touch the other styles generally. people like SPECIFICS. why doesnt hardcore get it?
who cares if other people do not like hardcore? is that not the point?
that said; i don't understand this huge identity crisis and multiple personality disorder hardcore has. seriously. no other rave genre has this many problems constantly trying to reinvent itself. why? there is nothing wrong with hardcore or the people that listen to it. |
| trippnface |
mthfkr just proved my point again
" Sorry but that track is an insult to Happy Hardcore. Where are the driven 909 drums, old skool stabs, euphoric pianos..."
gammer: In the 90s
LOL. he doesnt care WHAT happy hardcore is. he just wants to say whatever he is making is happy hardcore. gammer wants to lead & shape the scene ; that is clear.
it is like when i told breeze to label his shit right and the he labeled it
"newcorecuztheoldcoreisaborecore" these peeps just have serious ego issues .
your opinion should be their opinion; or god forbid!
what do we know as multiple year fans and supporters of their music?
clearly nothing |
| djDMS |
Let's not get into the 'haters' thing again.
There's a big difference between bashing somebody for the sake of it (now known as 'doing an Elliott') and occasionally disagreeing with something an artist does.
Rarely, somebody does or says something that forces me to comment, but normally I just don't bother.
In future, I will be hiring Claxton to write my comments. He gets it! |
| Vladel |
These guys say they are the only ones pushing hardcore. The problem is, they are pushing hardcore to be everything else and not let it evolve on its own. Look what happened to dubcore, it collapsed and now they are trying to push something else and it's not working. Styles and gammer can't bring new folk to the scene because they are too removed from it, the best thing they could for hardcore is leave and make some commercial shit that is what they are trying to turn hardcore into. |
| trippnface |
quote:
Originally posted by Vladel:
These guys say they are the only ones pushing hardcore. The problem is, they are pushing hardcore to be everything else and not let it evolve on its own. Look what happened to dubcore, it collapsed and now they are trying to push something else and it's not working. Styles and gammer can't bring new folk to the scene because they are too removed from it, the best thing they could for hardcore is leave and make some commercial shit that is what they are trying to turn hardcore into.
100% unbiased synopsis.
reality makes us haters |
| Mortis |
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
mthfkr just proved my point again
" Sorry but that track is an insult to Happy Hardcore. Where are the driven 909 drums, old skool stabs, euphoric pianos..."
gammer: In the 90s
This comment really annoys me. I like 90's happy hardcore more than most, as people who know me will know but to suggest people make modern music with outdated sounds and techniques is unrealistic.
You would never ask a director of a big budget movie to use a Super 8 or a CD cover art designer to use a pencil and paper. But people still demand that musicians use sounds or synths that are 20-25+ years old to make modern tunes. They'll quite happily use download or streaming services to listen to tunes on their Iphone but they want artists to use outdated mediums to make the tunes. It's stupid. The limitations on say, the Alpha Juno compared to a soft synth, are just too great.
What I think needs to be done to retain the "happy hardcore" tag is to use modern sounds and techniques but use them to keep the vibe of the older styles alive. The Japanese are doing this at the moment and it's working really well. Hardcore was pretty much a laughing stock of the dance scene in the mid 90's, numbers at events dropped and the scene pretty much died off so when it started to ditch all the 90's sounds and get a bit more serious at the turn of the century it seemed to gain more acceptance and numbers at raves increased again (obviously numbers are down again but that's more to do with licensing laws and the state of the club scene as a whole, not just hardcore). If it where to stick with the quarter of a century old instruments if would die off altogether. Their's nothing wrong with a bit of the old sounds here and there but to suggest you make a modern tune to be played in clubs using just solely those things is illogical.
At the end of the day, people complain that the music isn't what it used to be, they stop listening. New fans start listening based on the current sound and start complaining when the sound evolves again, they then leave the scene and new people start listening. Rinse & repeat. |
| Samination |
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
why does it need to be some huge amalgam with this shit mixture where we don't even know what is coming next anymore. ? ( eg PSY; i can find goa; dark; prog; hi tech; etc. completely different producers for all and they don't touch the other styles generally. people like SPECIFICS. why doesnt hardcore get it?
Because, IMO, diversity is better. I like how an Hardcore producer can damp his creative brush in different colors and mostly get away with it. But compared to Psy/Trance, Hardcore is a shared name for lots of different musical styles. Punk and Rap also share that name, aswell as dutch and industrial.
For the better or worse, I like Hardcore because it can take inspiration from other genre's and make it work. Most of the time :P
But I'm more thankful to Bouncy Techno than I am to British Hardcore. If it wasn't for BT, we would never have had a happier dutch style, makina, j-core. Hell, British Hardcore would probably still be a drum'n'bass like genre today... also, I actually hate bouncy techno :P |
| Smoogie |
Why had Gammer remixed a Justin Beiber song?
He must have lost hundreds of man points doing that!  |
| Ken Masters |
quote:
Originally posted by Smoogie:
Why had Gammer remixed a Justin Beiber song?
He must have lost hundreds of man points doing that!
I'd love some man points! How does one go about scoring such a thing?
Belches at the dinner table? Building the flat pack furniture without instructions no less?
|
| a2 |
quote:
Originally posted by Vladel:tyles and gammer can't bring new folk to the scene because they are too removed from it, the best thing they could for hardcore is leave and make some commercial shit that is what they are trying to turn hardcore into.
not only them, 90% uk/happy hardcore today sounds like 170 bpm house/pop/trap tracks
very sad |
| Cyrax |
quote:
Originally posted by Ken Masters:
quote:
Originally posted by Smoogie:
Why had Gammer remixed a Justin Beiber song?
He must have lost hundreds of man points doing that!
I'd love some man points! How does one go about scoring such a thing?
Belches at the dinner table? Building the flat pack furniture without instructions no less?
I think having sex with a mother and daughter at the same time would qualify for a LOT of man points
|
| Samination |
quote:
Originally posted by a2:
quote:
Originally posted by Vladel:tyles and gammer can't bring new folk to the scene because they are too removed from it, the best thing they could for hardcore is leave and make some commercial shit that is what they are trying to turn hardcore into.
not only them, 90% uk/happy hardcore today sounds like 170 bpm house/pop/trap tracks
very sad
then you know nothing Jon Snow! |
| Vladel |
Styles and gammer will never be respected outside the scene while they are trying to copy everything else, best off just being hardcore and being known for that I'd say. |
| jordesuvi |
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
"i suppose using happy hardcore as the blanket term for our music does make more sense. i am just very used to distinguishing happy vs UK in the US cuz everyone is pretty genre dumb and you have to be very specific. at the same time though we can't call shit from 95 "happy hardcore" ; then call some 2006 shit "happy hardcore" then call his new trap crap " happy hardcore. it does not work,"
Meh, I rarely, if ever hear a trap based hardcore track anymore. I think it was just a tiny experimental phase some producers went through.
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
"who cares if other people do not like hardcore? is that not the point?"
In Gammer's words:
"We don't seem to get that much hate... what we don't really get is acceptance - and I can understand why. When people hear the music and its 170 BPM, four to the floor, and its really flipping fast and crazy... people listen and just say, "I'm not really sure about that."
"And that's what Happy Hardcore is all about! It's like the most outright rebellious genre standing in rave because its neither trendy nor socially acceptable. That's the honest beauty in it that I wouldn't change for the world."
quote:
Originally posted by trippnface:
"i don't understand this huge identity crisis and multiple personality disorder hardcore has. seriously. no other rave genre has this many problems constantly trying to reinvent itself. why? there is nothing wrong with hardcore or the people that listen to it."
It could have easily been resolved.
Happy Hardcore for the 90's sound
UK Hardcore for mid-2000's Squad-E sounding stuff
Hardcore Rave for the recent evolution of hardcore.
However, I believe YouTube music promoters, nanobii and Vau Boy are factors here. They've all labeled the music as happy hardcore and since it's a pretty easy way to describe the music, it's a term that's going to stick around and it does work as a great umbrella term.
Sure, elitists within the genre will title a hardcore track under whatever specific sub-genre they want but to everyone outside of the genre it will be happy hardcore.
Since that is literally what the genre is, happy and hardcore.
It's the same way someone might not know the difference between Euphoric Hardstyle and Rawstyle.
Or the same way someone might not know the difference between Progressive House and Trance.
The list goes on, etc.
|
| trippnface |
quote:
Originally posted by Samination:
quote:
Originally posted by a2:
quote:
Originally posted by Vladel:tyles and gammer can't bring new folk to the scene because they are too removed from it, the best thing they could for hardcore is leave and make some commercial shit that is what they are trying to turn hardcore into.
not only them, 90% uk/happy hardcore today sounds like 170 bpm house/pop/trap tracks
very sad
then you know nothing Jon Snow!
mthfkr got stabbed!!!
tune in next time !
hahaha |
| trippnface |
i really enjoy all of your insights. i might sound like a bitch but this is one of the few places i can have a serious discussion on hardcore with people i know love it as much as i do :p <3 |
| Vladel |
What i want to know is if he is going to punch anyone in the face that won't call it happy hardcore  |
|
|
