Who the hell is Hellraiser? Frantic & Laboratory present Hard House Academy’s 5th Birthday preview
Reported by benz
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Submitted 11-09-05 21:21
October 22nd 2005 sees Frantic and Laboratory come together for Hard House Academy’s 5th Birthday, with a main room line-up especially chosen by Lab4 to bring us what they think are the world’s most innovative and exciting hard dance performers. Looking across the list you will probably know most of the names, but then there’s one that really grabs your attention: Hellraiser. Who is he I hear you ask? Why is he making his UK debut at this event I hear you ask? Well you’re about to find out...
Hellraiser belongs to that rare breed of DJ who believe the visual aspect of DJing is of the utmost importance, and isn’t content with just sitting behind the decks nonchalantly. He grew up listening to and watching legendary rock and pop artists who were performers in the true sense on the word and who could command a stage with a natural, effortless ability. Their styles had a great influence on him, and by the time he started DJing out at the age of 16 in his native Melbourne, Australia, it was evident to those around him that he was more than your average DJ.
He has always played music which is hard, dark, fast and intense (befitting his name of course), but has evolved from his hardcore techno roots to encompass a musical spectrum that covers a range of moods and emotions. After Lab4 saw him play in Australia, they immediately took an interest in him and his full-on style of DJing, and decided that they needed to get him over here to show the UK what he’s all about. Be warned, this guy is definitely NOT for the faint-hearted! Intrigued? I certainly was, and after having talked with him I can say that I am now even more so. Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you: DJ Hellraiser!
From what I have seen and heard, you are far from your typical hard dance DJ. What formed your introduction to music? Did you always have a passion for the darker side of music?
I can’t even think back to the moment that I was introduced to music for the first time. My first memories consist of me sitting in front of the television at the age of four watching video clips for artists like Devo, Adam Ant, T Rex (Marc Bolan) and other glam rock artists. In the 80s I was constantly getting inspiration by the theatrics that metal artists like Iron Maiden, Kiss and Alice Cooper would use on stage during their performances and I guess that might be where my love for darker music came from. I have only ever liked music that had a darker undertone, and I guess that lust for darkness combined with my love of onstage theatrics is how I got to this point. I admire any artist, DJ, or producer that is willing to push the envelope that little further to entertain a crowd and make things more exciting and interactive.
When and how did you discover clubs and dance music? What was the first full on dance music track you heard, and how did it make you feel when you heard it?
Humanoid — ‘Stakker Humanoid’ was the first true ‘rave’ track I purchased back in 1988 and I was totally blown away by the amazing soundscapes in it, it was unlike anything I had heard before and it wasn’t too long after that I wanted to learn how to mix and bought decks and a mixer. Hearing ‘Stakker Humanoid’ and the Roland TB303 in other old acid tracks started my addiction to the 303 acid sound — to this day it still is a signature sound to my sets — hard, dark, and dirty!!
When you first started DJing was there much of a DJ culture in Australia or was it something that hadn’t really caught on yet?
I remember when I first started DJing in Melbourne and the same set of DJs played at almost every party that was on because there were really only a handful of DJs that drew a crowd, although I knew so many people that were practicing as bedroom DJs that wanted work. It’s a totally different story here now because our scene is thriving and new talent is arising in Australia, which is wicked.
You started playing out at a mid-week night called Thunderdome in Melbourne in 1994, aged just 16. What was this party all about, and what did you learn from it? Was it this that really got you noticed and got the ball rolling?
Thunderdome was at a licensed nightclub and I was only 16 so I thought that was fairly cool at the time being an underage DJ playing in a licensed venue. It was a night that was nothing but intense hardcore and gabber, and on that night I learnt that Melbourne had a very small following for music between 200 and 250 bpm especially when the city was mainly into uplifting German trance at the time. After I finished my set, even though there was only about 80 people there a promoter told me he liked my music and stage presence and then asked me if I wanted to play a main time set at an event he had coming up (which I said yes to instantly) and I was able to play my more banging but slower acid and hard trance and from then I continued to get more and more bookings.
What kind of music did you play back then? Has your style changed much over the years? What do you play now for example?
I started out playing only pounding dark hardcore and gabber, but shifted to the mid 90s Belgian sounds like ‘The First Rebirth’. The whole time I had been buying records I had been collecting acid tunes so I eventually started playing that stuff out and when the acid/hard trance labels like Tracid Traxxx started I immediately fell in love with the heavy kicks, chunky basslines, crazy sounds and everything that was released for a while had an ominous overtone in it. Now I play hard trance, hard acid, quality hardstyle, a little pounding hard schranz techno, and usually a hardcore track or Aphex Twin’s ‘Come To Daddy’ sometimes can make an appearance toward the end of my sets.
To help clarify, what are your top 3 tracks of the moment?
My top three tracks at the moment would have to be Dana – ‘Back In Time’, Brennan & Heart – ‘Acid Revenge’ (Future Tribes remix), and Derb – ‘Coole Sau’ (Dj Isaac remix). I always change what my most listened to tunes are depending on what mood I am in, so it will probably be totally different next week or even a couple of days later.
How long have you been producing for? What has been your career highlights so far with respects to your releases?
I have always messed around with synths and owned a few old analogue bits but never did anything with them. A few years ago I met my partner at the time Ben ‘Sanders’ Ellis and it wasn’t too long before we realised we had very similar taste in music that we got into the studio together and concocted our bizarre and twisted first release, ‘The House Of 1000 Corpses’ under the name ‘Ad Nauseam’ and got signed to Überdruck records from Germany. We worked on a few other bits and pieces for a while and then in one night we ripped together filth fuelled 303 acid track called ‘The Outer Limits’. I sent it to Frank Ellrich (aka A*S*Y*S) and he showed it to Kai Tracid and within one night we had the track locked in for release on Tracid Traxxx, it was a double A side EP called ‘Warmduscher Battles Dj Hellraiser’ and had a track by Kai Tracid on the other side and got pressed on limited clear orange vinyl. They were definitely highlights, but every time another step is made in the production area it’s a highlight for me.
When you produce, do you try and reflect the sounds you play in your DJ sets or do you aim for something a little different?
The productions on Tracid Traxxx and Überdruck records so far have been exactly like some of the sound you will hear in my sets, but you will notice a pattern of horror film influences in the titles and in the tracks because we wanted to put a part of us in the music we made so we chose horror films and television because we absolutely both love horror and we have been working in the studio so a lot more releases are on their way soon.
You will be making your UK debut at Frantic and Laboratory present Hard House Academy’s 5th Birthday, in London on October 22nd. How excited are you about finally getting the chance to do your thing over here?
I am absolutely blown away it! I can’t wait to come over and party! I am so thankful that my great friend Kym from Queen Of Clubs Management and the mad boys Adam and Lez from Lab4 are giving me this opportunity to play at such an amazing event that I know is something very special to them. It is still sinking in that I have been given a spot at such an amazing event as my inaugural set to the party goers in the UK, but I can’t wait because I have always been told such great things about the UK by DJs that have come to Australia from over there.
How did you get involved with Lab4? When did they first hear about you?
I was booked to play at a series of parties that I play regularly in Melbourne and Lab4 was the main act so I met Adam and Lez there, and also had met Kym who runs Queen Of Clubs Management when she toured both Yoji Biomehanika and Proteus to Australia for their debut tours. Following that, my fiancée was the driver for Lab4 to an outdoor festival in Melbourne — it has to be one of the most hilarious and memorable nights and days I have had — Lab4 then requested that I support them on their ‘None Of Us Are Saints’ CD launch tour around Australia which was total madness and went really well for everyone involved.
What can we expect from your set? Why should we come and see you play? Give us the hard sell…
Well, I’m the best at being my own critic, and not the best at boasting about myself so the hard sell is really hard to do… you won't be sorry though!!
Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years’ time? What are your ultimate ambitions?
I have so many different ambitions and goals, and I want to pursue every single one of them even if they seem mad to me as well as everyone else. I definitely want to keep on DJing and performing in Australia and overseas, and I hope the production really takes off because a lot of work is being put into it. I’m the kind of person that has a new goal every time I achieve one that I had, so I think I will spend the rest of my life within the perfect balance of chaos and order that I have always lived in.
And finally, if we were to find ourselves in Melbourne at a loose end… what would you recommend to us on a cultural tip? And what about if we want a damn good party?
Melbourne is a city that is almost made out of art pieces. Everywhere you look in the city there is an art piece or some type of performance art going on and usually 24 hours a day, so if you like art then Melbourne would definitely interest you. Our party scene in Melbourne is amazing and there are so many different clubs and events on weekly that you could go to numerous places in the one night, but if I had to tell someone where they would hear mad music and have a mad night in my opinion I would point them to Bass Station for an awesome club night that also holds regular events with acts from all over the world (voted best dance club in Australia) and for a mind blowing party I would direct them straight to a Pharmacy event. Pharmacy always have an array of the most popular dark and hard acts playing from all over the world, and they have an atmosphere that can only be described as spine tingling.
Thanks to Kym Newman for the pics.
HHA
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On:
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Saturday 22nd October 2005
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At:
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Brixton Academy [map]
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From:
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20:30-06:00
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Cost:
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Limited £14+BF Early Bird Tickets
£17+BF Saver Tickets
£20+BF Standard Tickets
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Website:
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www.franticuk.com
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Ticket Info:
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Frantic HQ 07949 618 035/ amanda@franticuk.com
Ticketweb: 08700 600 100 / www.ticketweb.co.uk
Clubtickets: 0870 246 1840 / www.clubtickets.co.uk
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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HHA is 5!
18 SOLD OUT Events
80,000 Clubbers
200 DJs
10 Live PAs
Funktion One Sound
The Biggest Stage in Hard House!
The Only Dance Event that Always Sells Out the Biggest Club Venue in London!
That was then, this is now! The 5th Birthday will celebrate HHA's legendary HISTORY, but will also embrace the FUTURE of Hard House clubbing…prepare yourself to experience Laboratory - Experiment 3!
After months of secret negotiations Frantic have invited and secured the most innovative brand in Hard Dance to join forces with them and share in taking over the massive Main Arena to help celebrate HHA's 5th Birthday!
Laboratory is the brainchild of the World's No 1 Live Act and only takes place once a year. Each Laboratory Experiment focuses solely on DJs and acts which have been handpicked by Lab4 to create a complete journey of styles throughout the event, and who they believe will rock every single clubber to their foundations! Both Yoji Biomehanika and DJ Proteus became "Best Hard Dance DJ" in consecutive years in the UK after their initial exposure at the first two Laboratory events. Experiment 3 will be no exception. This Laboratory event has more exclusives than even we thought possible:
- Lab4 will play an exclusive 90 minute 'People's Choice' set that has become the focal point for Laboratory events. It will also be one of the most jaw-dropping performances in their 11 year career...LAB4 LIVE EXTREME will also be recorded for the third Lab4 Live double album in the Laboratory series, and marks an exciting new chapter in the Lab4 legacy. So come along and make some noise!
- Japanese sensation Yoji Biomehanika will play his ONLY London gig in 2005!
- James Moss will play his FIRST ever HHA HYBRID SET with decks, effects, and live sequence mixing!
- Rising Australian superstar, Hellraiser will DEBUT at his first ever gig in the UK at Lab4's request!
- One of Laboratory's signature oversized robot friends will reappear from the shadows for the first time at Brixton Academy!
- Cally & Juice will be take on the infamous ONE LOVE performers! Angle grinding is back!
- Mark EG will also be rocking his FIRST ever HHA crowd!
The stage design, sound, lighting and decor will be designed specially by Frantic and Laboratory to give you a next generation, digitalexperience! Laboratory will take place on a purpose built stage the likes of which you have never seen.
Sound quality will be better than ever! For the first time ever we will be using the mighty new Line Array soundsystem, normally found on the outdoor stages at Glastonbury, Reading and other rock festivals. Powerful ain’t the word!
Nowhere rocks like the Academy. This is HHA. This is Laboratory. This is the FUTURE of HARD House!
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Flyer:
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