HELLFISH & PRODUCERBastard Sonz of Rave Record label: Planet Mu (UK) Format: CD Release date: 6 May 2002 Tell Mike Paradinas that hardcore techno is past tense and he’d probably laugh himself silly. After he wipes the tears from his eyes, he might tell you with pride that Hellfish & Producer’s last collection of tracks (Constant Mutation) was one of Planet Mu’s biggest sellers. Numbers don’t lie, folks. Besides that, these two make the genre fun again. Last time we hung out with this dynamic duo, a majority of the tracks were solely from Hellfish. This time around, we get to hear more of DJ Producer’s perspective. It’s rather interesting to compare their styles. Producer’s material seems more breakbeat-oriented, reaching back to the early days of hardcore. You can hear the golden age of rave influence on cuts like “Witch Hunt” and “A Journey of Force.” Hellfish’s style is more abrasive, and you can expect the sounds to be constantly tweaked and messed around with (perhaps due to his seasoned background in turntablist tactics). “Toilet Wars” and “Professional Psycho” are prime examples of his blistering techniques. So when these two get together to make hardcore techno, it’s all-out mayhem. “Theme From F**k Daddy” will attest to that. Phone the neighbors and wake the kids – good clean fun at over 200 beats per minute. {steve crognale} |