musical journey pt5

It's time to leave all the jolly breakcore tracks behind, focusing on some grittier sounds. Last week we had our fun with mangled pop songs and raging breakcore, this week we're going to slow things down, but only just a little. Bring on part 5 of the music list 100, already marking the halfway point.

For reference, here are links to the previous parts of the list: 01-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40

This week's list will take a lengthy stroll past the early darkcore experiments, mixing industrial sounds with techno influences and straight hardcore rhythms. From there on we'll keep with the darker sounds for just a little longer as we descend into the harder trance/club regions.

1. 041. Nosferatu - Unpredictable

   check the Nosferatu album
   

   This track is about all about *oomph*, *ngggg* and *bang*. Simple and boldly straightforward, lightning fast and banging all the way through. Extremely pleasant hardcore track.

2. 042. Sandy Warez - The World Of Noise

   check the Sandy Warez album
   

   Putting distortion where it belongs, Warez is a very solid entry in the Schranz genre, bringing distorted hardcore and techno a step or two closer together.

3. 043. Void Settler - Gnomes Tinker With Time (Hellfish Rmx)

   check the Void Settler album
   

   Hellfish meets Void Settler. A dream team of experimental darkcore, though in the end it's really Hellfish's sound that wins the battle. Great cut, paste and break hardcore with a good solid punch to it.

4. 044. Armageddon Project - Morning Star

   check the Armageddon Project album
   

   The early highpoint of the darkcore revival. Trippy, bouncy and highly energetic hardcore, bringing a more complex and rhythmically challenged sound to a deceased genre.

5. 045. N-Vitral - Opticunt

   check the N-Vitral album
   

   N-Vitral rose together with the darkcore revival, though he was never really a part of it. Dark, pounding and revved hardcore sounds with streaks of pure industrial shining through.

6. 046. DJ Hellfish & The DJ Producer - A Journey Of Force

   check the DJ Hellfish & The DJ Producer album
   

   The true innovators of the second hardcore revolution, bringing their UK sound to a broader audience. A duo that mixes hiphop, industrial, broken beats and techno with a solid dose of hardcore to create their unique sound.

7. 047. Catscan - Demonic Speed

   check the Catscan album
   

   Keeping with the grungy techno influences, Catscan brings bleepy, shrieky, deflated hardcore tracks with a good layer of distortion and melodic background waves. It might sound lifeless at first, but it sure isn't.

8. 048. Labyrinth - Demise Of The Living/Departure Of The Dead

   check the Labyrinth album
   

   A Void Settler side project that crosses over into so many electronic sub genres that it becomes really hard to define. There are equal amounts of hardcore, IDM and trance in here, mixed to a unique flavor of its own.

9. 049. V-Two - Progressive Future

   check the V-Two album
   

   A little diversion for Airwave, acclaimed Belgian trance DJ. Awesome progressive trance track, pounding beats and great melodies. And representing the crossover to a more club/trance-oriented section of the list.

10. 050. Aquaplex Meets Junk Project - Brightness

    check the Aquaplex Meets Junk Project album
    

    Pumping trance/club classic, carrying a darker and harder sound than usual, but bearing all the other qualities of a solid but accessible dancefloor banger.