Total Fear? well... perhaps not... but I'm still scared.

[Hakka.]

Where the hell is this music going? it's like a car that's been running for an empty tank for a while now...

perhaps I'm being a little harsh but I just can't shake this feeling that suddenly nobody will be making hard trance as they have just overloaded themselves and have no idea's. Just feels that every track I listen to I have 20 already just like it. There good tracks... but nothing new... it only get's harder. Which is good in one way... but bad in others.

Rat's I can only keep going... the search must continue... it's getting harder now. Very hard.

[Hakka.]

Also... it's getting so public that the tunes don't surprise anyone. I was asked last night before I played out if I would be playing certain tracks - some of which I have only just got my hands on... it's again scary that the soul of your set is probably nothing that will surprise the clubber but purely there for different clubbers to tune id by memory and then discuss with each other... not that anything is wrong with that... but it does cut an element of the fun out (a little).

It's like telling a joke that everyone's already heard recently... they laugh still as it's quite funny... but not that much as they have already heard it!

:)

Rant.

hehe...

Any thoughts people?

[djfase]

yeah you are right man, i just hope that someone will do what the italians done not so long ago,and produce something really fresh. We do need something new, and its the underground scene where it always starts

[epidemic001]

if the clubber knows our tunes before we even "get our hands on them" then we must ask ourselves are we really underground or just think we are because we dont buy the latest issue of mixmag to select our tunes.

I believe a nice little quote from Mr Di Caprio applies here -
"we all try to do something different but wind up doing the same goddamn thing"

If you wonna be different then the obvious thing to do is ignore the whole hardstyle sound all together, its flying faster towards commercialism than a speeding bullet. Its like Mark said, music is 100000 times easier to get hold of these days with the internet & we cant just really on our one stop shop (i.e. germantrance.com) to provide everthing we need & expect to wow the crowd later that month with the same tracks they probably got at the same time as u.

They might not admit it but it seems that the big UK labels & DJs watch our scenes more closely than we realise & are alot quicker to pick up on anything they see they can take for themselves. Giving Hardstyle its own name was a VERY big mistake in my books with regards to getting a sound stolen by them.

[Hakka.]

I know what your saying... and I'm not at all saying anything is right or wrong about this... but what I am saying is that as a result the increased accessability to music it takes away a bit of the fun from DJ`ing as far as I am personally concerned.

I don't know if your comments are precisely aimed at me or just generalised but there's a few statements I'm not too happy being pinned against me... so put a response up. Its nothing personal at all so please don't feel I'm saying you are not allowed to think what you want or having a go - it's just a reply based on ironing out points you have made which either you have made or I've just interupted you to be making throuh no prujedice as being a judgement about me.

"if the clubber knows our tunes before we even "get our hands on them" then we must ask ourselves are we really underground or just think we are because we dont buy the latest issue of mixmag to select our tunes."

I feel this is an unfair statement. For example, I don't go out of my way to only buy from labels or tunes which I feel is underground or producer etc... - I simply buy what I like the sound of and can make use of for the effect I want to achieve. Perhaps I should of explained the circumstances a bit better. Basically a certain vinyl sales shop sold a copy of Wildstyle Generation Part 2 before it's release date to a clubber I know who has no interest in using it for DJ`ing purposes... - DJ`ing is about entertaining and if the very musical tool which a DJ uses is being released earlier to joe bloggs for profit then I feel the let down and I love it when I hear a track or mix which is for first time that is brillaint and is of the style/genre I love. Sorry if I'm just taking your point to personally but I just wanted to clarify my position.

I also don't really have major issue with "thinking I'm underground" or "whether I am buying tunes which are really underground" or "thinking I have the latest tunes" which I feel is being insinuated slightly.

"if you wonna be different then the obvious thing to do is ignore the whole hardstyle"

I don't want to be different - I just want to be myself and play what I like, which I do. If I can be pigeon holed or stereotyped that's simply just circumstances. And being that my set's uploaded on web or from times I have played out has been Hard Trance I'm not sure where your advice regarding "Hardstyle" is really relevant to me?

"Its like Mark said, music is 100000 times easier to get hold of these days with the internet & we cant just really on our one stop shop (i.e. germantrance.com) to provide everthing we need & expect to wow the crowd later that month with the same tracks they probably got at the same time as u."

I am really not happy with this statement at all. I visit three local vinyl shops regulary, I have various accounts with online vinyl shops, I contact record labels and producers about there productions/mixes, I read reviews done by Simon Pitt, Soundfixation and Louk (who all review for various websites and magazines for tunes over many diferent labels)... I spend A LOT of time looking and listening in a variety of places for music I like and I find it almost insulting to be pegged as far as I read your words as simply a person who buy's researches and buy's records from one source which I should realise can easily provide anybody the same information and service. So basically I'm just upset at a comment which I feel is trying to belittle the effort I make to researching, listening to and purchasing new tunes as being a sort of an easy, lazy and effortless one dimensional thing that's on par with access for joe public as it isn't and you have no facts to make such assumption.

"They might not admit it but it seems that the big UK labels & DJs watch our scenes more closely than we realise & are alot quicker to pick up on anything they see they can take for themselves. Giving Hardstyle its own name was a VERY big mistake in my books with regards to getting a sound stolen by them"

For starters nobody has "stolen" hardstyle. It DIDN'T BELONG TO ANYONE! :) - It is an expression of a electronic dance music style and is for anybody who wants to listen to it which is you, me, Judge Jules, my gran, your gran, my mate who got wildstyle generation part 2 earlier etc... This point of a genre being stolen by a big dj or label is worse if anything than me simply saying that access, information and purchasing of records before there offical release to public is hindering the chances being able to offer a fresh sound of a genre to have healthy balance with the music you play.

In my opinion... hardstyle being popular or having a name of "Hardstyle" are not the biggest reasons to seeing so much focus and attention to it... it's received so much interest because it was born under the microscope for all to see! - at the point when Hard Trance was saturated... and before it has had to chance to build up a following like other genres have in the past it's had 10000 attempts to produce it, easy access to it and where it's been the natural follow through for your harder edge trance music that it's seen even more attention. Hard Trance took time to become established... it grew underground and saw some of it's best moments in proudctions during this time (i.e Scot Project...) before peaking end of 2001 and throughout 2002. Today Hard Trance is massive... it spans over a huge selection of sound tracks to point where the "harder edge" is now popular and Hardstyle has been born. Technology and internet access per house hold has increased a huge amount to only give less opportunity for something to naturally develop, grow and mature in to something more of it's own than just a somewhere to go as it's a easy business target or challenge away from a very full looking Hard Trance market.

Again... please read this with open mind and not as criticism and I've tried my best to diplomatically point out and explain things I've feel that were unfairly cacluated, prejudged or whatever.

:)

[Voorheez]

If you're playing to an educated crowd who know your music then the focus becomes totally on your mixing and crowd reaction skills. It's not a bad thing - of course it's nice to have a few surprises, but i'd be very suspect of someone who relies totally on having tunes as cards up their sleeves.

[Hakka.]

Haha... I'd be more weary of people who take advantage of poor pieces of fruit to take on horrible missions for humans...

lol... remember the grape? lol...

[Addict]

Jesus Hakka that was deep. I know how you feel. I get that feeling sometimes when you think music isn't going anywhere. Its cause you love the music you listen to and you don't want it to end... ever. Then there's all this hype written everywhere that the sounds gonna go commercial and die. BOLLOX. You still go out clubbing, you still have a wicked time, your still playing what you like who gives a toss if a few Judge Jules drones are listening to the same music as you, granted when you find out they're playing "Hard Bass Power" at Godskitchen its a little upsetting, but we just keep on going. It is definitely getting harder to find something new and keep it a secret shhhhhhhh.

[Chazbloke]

........granted when you find out they're playing "Hard Bass Power" at Godskitchen its a little upsetting......

no way! please tell me that's hypertheticly speaking?

[K Front]

yes it is good to have set of tunes that no one has really heard, but at the end of the day a lot of them are going to get found out sooner or later and we have to move on and try and stay one step ahead. Also like voorheez said, ppl would concentrate on your technical ability more if the tunes are familiur, this is a good thing (if your a good dj).
But i know what hakka means aswell, but i think you just have to keep searching for your tunes, get the ones you like, and play em.

[Addict]

Yes Hypowatchimicallit speaking Pheeewwww! Thought that looked bad when I wrote it but they don't let you edit anymore.
And you wouldn't catch me dead in Godskitchen

[Chazbloke]

Yes Hypowatchimicallit speaking Pheeewwww! Thought that looked bad when I wrote it but they don't let you edit anymore.
And you wouldn't catch me dead in Godskitchen

just had to double check, although it wouldnt have surprised me.

[epidemic001]

hakka!

My post wasnt directed at you personally I dont know you so therefore wouldnt know how hard you try to find tunes. You just started a subject and I thought i'd ave my say

"if the clubber knows our tunes before we even "get our hands on them" then we must ask ourselves are we really underground or just think we are because we dont buy the latest issue of mixmag to select our tunes."

I think i was talking about myself there more than anything mate, after reading your comment about clubbers knowing tunes before you even play them out (which u have now told the full story).

[Hakka.]

fair play to you mate.... I was a bit worried that it was aimed at me specifically but's that cool that it was not aimed like that.

[epidemic001]

nah not at all sir

i'm not quite sure what i was tryin to point out or say to be honest. Think I just wanted to say something an was typing whatever came to mind.

so are we still lovers then? :D