Haunted Rave Music - The Doomcore Techno Guidebook

There is something I always considered highly fascinating about the various Hardcore sub-genres that began in the 90s.
A lot of these genres are virtually unknown to almost everyone. Yet the people involved in these miniature scenes are often willing to dedicate their lives, their free time, their desire, their creativity, their well-being and sanity for their favorite passion. Be it as fans, producers, DJs, promoters, writers...
There is no prospect of fame, their is no inclination to become rich, no respect to be earned by mainstream society, and "groupies" (of any gender) are nowhere to be seen as well - yet these people go on, for years and years, decade and decade.

To use a quote from a British TV show here: "Without hope. Without witness. Without reward".

There are pocket scenes that have a whole history, genealogy, evolution, ecosphere - yet are totally unknown to the outside eye.

And, amongst these, one of the most extreme cases is the genre known as "Doomcore Techno"
The genre existed in "four decades" now. Hundred of producers added their creations to its gene pool. Entire labels and parties committed themselves to the Doomcore sound.
Yet, outside all of this... rarely anyone knows this genre exists, or how it sounds.

It's neither just a "weird categorization" of a style. In music, media, or art, sometimes terms and names are invented to describe a trend or trope, even though the general population could not care less (i.e. who, outside the sphere of journalists and film buffs, can tell "Neon Noir" movies apart from "Neo Noir" movies?).
But that isn't the case here.

Doomcore is an extant and distinct genre, that has many characteristics that sets it apart from other styles like "Industrial Hardcore" or "Dark Techno".

So, to shed some light into this dark corner of the music scene - this book was created!

History of Doomcore Techno - The 1st Generation: PCP

History of Doomcore - The 1st Generation: PCP

The history of Hardcore is quite opaque. For example, there is still some debate on what were the first Hardcore tracks (see here or here).
Luckily for us, things are much more clear when it comes to Doomcore.

The Mover - In Deep Rage (1991)

The subgenre of Doomcore was created by PCP aka Planet Core Productions. For the first few years, PCP was more or less the only label that released Doomcore.
They might have even coined the term.
By the mid 90s, the PCP mail-order service already classifies and advertises a few of its vinyl releases as being "Doomcore".
And the "doom" motif is recurring in the world of PCP. Doomed bunker loops, doom dancers, doom supporters (take care!).

The label made it clear that they produced doomed techno, doomed hardcore... doom-core!

Now that we're through with the linguistics, let us listen to the sounds (like the giant would have said).

The Mover - Gatecrusher (1991)

"Frontal Sickness" by the Mover (aka Acardipane) was released on PCP in 1991. Yet it already had the full blueprint for the Doomcore genre mechanics.
Minimalist, dark synth melodies that barely have more than 3-4 chords (or notes). Slow, deep drums. Technoid percussion.
An overload of reverberation that sounds as if haunted spectres are talking (or reaching) to you.
A stripped-down, raw aesthetic - no complicated FX setup, no epic singing, no guitar riffs or "big" elements (i.e. things that happened in a few other Techno / Hardcore Genres).
The sound is almost as reduced as in lo-fi Black Metal.

But, of course, this doomed minimalism is extremely effective - and even suitable for huge space arenas.

Program 1 - Betrayer (Pow!) (1992)

The next one's a bomb.
"Louder than a Bomb" was planted and timed by Program 1 in 1992.
This release adds "Hardcore" beats to the doom template.
Especially noteworthy is "Betrayer". Checks all the ingredients for a rumbling Doomcore track: disharmonic "three chord" synths, hard kicks, horror samples. Pow!

1993 then sees the release of "World's Hardest MF" by The Leathernecks (actually a remix of a "Louder Than a Bomb" track).
And this shows the ultra-distorted industrial edge of our Doom genre.

Freez-E-Style - Enter The Gates Of Darkness (1994)

And then we "Enter the Gates of Darkness" with Freez-E-Style in 1994 - this will even convince those aficionados for whom "Frontal Sickness" was still too close to Techno (do such people exist?)

These were all "aka Acardipane" productions - but there were other shakers on PCP as well.
The double-sided hammer "Purple Moon" / "Understand" by Miro became another template for the Doomcore genre (deservingly!)

Miro - Purple Moon (1997)

And Doctor Macabre unleashed a Poltergeist that even haunted the big Gabber festivals in the 90s (and today).

These were just some examples - the PCP catalogue is full of dark, sick, twisted sounds.
So better take care, doom supporter!

The Mover - Changing Platforms (1993)

Program 1 - World's Hardest MF (Leathernecks Remix) (1993)

Rat Of Doom - Before The Breakdown (1995)

Reign - Light and Dark (The Next Dimension) (1996)

Dr. Macabre - Poltergeist (1996)

Reign - Hall (Huge Mix) (1997)

History of Doomcore Techno - The 2nd Generation: Labels & Artists

We talked About the 1st generation of Doomcore here.
Now let's look at the 2nd wave of producers and labels.

With other sub-genres of Hardcore, like Speedcore or Breakcore, there were often instances of coevolution.
Artists who retrospectively said "I thought *I* invented this sound - I was not aware that other producers around the globe were already doing a similar thing".

This ain't the case with Doomcore. We mentioned that PCP was the first generation. And the second direction was directly inspired by PCP and tried to build on their sound. This was openly acknowledged and communicated.

So, the Doomcore bloodline can be traced straight back to PCP, in all cases.

Now let's dive into this "New Wave of Global Doom".

Things To Come Records

TTC was set up by Oliver Chesler, who had made himself a name in the Techno and extreme Hardcore scene already, using monikers such as Disintegrator, Temper Tantrum or DJ Skinhead (Yikes! A scary name).
Rumor says he set up the label because his music became too "slow and doomy" for Industrial Strength Records.

Either way, the first releases saw him teaming up with his brother, later to be followed by Miro from PCP itself. He already did some stuff on PCP at an earlier date, TTC was distributed by PCD in Europe (the PCP distribution service), so the transatlantic bridge had been set up.

The second release spawned 3 (!) world-wide underground hits: "Mission Ecstasy", "Flesh is the Fever" (which turned the Dutch Gabber scene around - in terms of speed) and "One Night in NYC" (which hit #1 in the German Dance charts).

At the turn of the Millenium, the label changed its direction more towards Techno music and Electro-Clash.
Chesler aka The Horrorist is still a successful producer today.

Arrivers - The Things To Come

Black Monolith

Apart from Chesler, Robert Skinner was another huge PCP addict located in the East Coast area of the US of A.
He set up his own label, too.
There is a lot of variety here, and you will also find Oldschool, Gabber, even Acidcore releases.
But the Doom is strong with this one. And quite some "early Doomcore" classics were put out by this record label.

The Outside Agency - Metal Slug

Atmosfear

Set up by DJ Pure, who was / is one half of Ilsa Gold.
Also connected to the London Hardcore underground scene around Dead by Dawn and the Praxis label.
DJ Pure's aim was, and I quote: "the idea of combining sounds from 80s underground movies, new wave, and industrial culture with techno and electro" and to establish a "combination of the sobriety, melancholy and darkness of the 80s with the ecstasy of the 90s [...] that operates between dark electronic listening and dance music."

Most Hardcore-Heads might know this label for "The Lockdown", which was used as an intro to the second edition of Manu Le Malin's "Biomechanik" series of mixed compilations.

Current 909 - The Lockdown

Crossbones

Crossbones was part of the free party / teknival scene in the UK. They were keen supporters of the PCP / Doomcore sound, and set up their own labels, and even a distribution service.
The first label was "Last Tomorrow Recordings", which was followed by a string of others.

Definitely one of the biggest projects in this 2nd generation; and the sound system + label family was host to many legendary producers and DJs such as Face Hoover, Kenny Kramp, or Ms. Bones.

Face Hoover - The Beginning Of The End

Fifth Era

Fifth Era values its secrecy and likes to tell its own story, and we respect that, so we won't say too much here.

Neuroviolence / Zero Tolerance

Jason Mendonca gained his share of fame with the satanic Black Metal band Akercocke.
In an earlier life, he was a Techno and Hardcore producer.
And there is some PCP-influenced Doom sound to be found, too, both on his own "Zero Tolerance" label or with his akas, such as Lorenz Attractor and Neuroviolence.

It requires some digging, as there is a lot of "regular" Techno and Core in the same spaces as well.

Actually, the most "doomy" release - the final one on Zero Tolerance - never saw the light of day.
It combined PCP-like sounds with howling wolves and opera singing (yes, really!)
Guess it was doomed from the start.

Lorenz Attractor - Shadow Fax

Dark Invaders / SGC

A Doomcore project out of Frankfurt, the former home of PCP itself!
Various artists and producers were involved here. SGC was the main label, but there were also releases on outside channels, and there was a strong live presence. The Dark Invaders were known for their performances at underground parties, which were more elaborate than most of their peers.

One of the few projects that kept the Doomcore torch burning in Dark Germany itself during these days of the second generation.

Dark Invaders - Troops Of Doom

Black Blood / Frontline of Sound

Definitely the most obscure one in this early Doomcore listing.
Black Blood (whose artist name was taken from an earliest PCP release) did tracks on labels like Brutal Chud or Exitus, and also had his own Frontline of Sound label.
Very visible attribution to the PCP influence (is "Steven Sick" a nod towards Dance Ecstasy's "Steve Shit"?).

He did few pure-bred Doomcore sounds, though, most of it is hybrid tracks with Gabber, Industrial Hardcore, or even Speedcore. Still, I think this concept was worth mentioning.

Quite a unique sound.

Black Blood - Hinter Dem Vorhang Der Dunkelheit

This was our look back into a doomed past.
There were also other 2nd generation projects, and we make no pretense that the above listing would be complete.
But it's all worth checking out!

The Horrorist - Into the Moonbeam (Arena Mix)

Current 909 - Golden Dawn

Lorenz Attractor - Complexity Crisis

The History of Doomcore Techno: The 3rd Generation and Beyond

After the 1st and 2nd generation, the "genie was out of the bottle" and couldn't be put back in (or maybe it was a dark djinn?).
The ghost of Doomcore spread like wildfire around the world. A myriad of labels, projects, even parties were set up - solely dedicated to the doomed souls of the Hardcore Techno scene.
Most or these faltered quite quickly and disappeared again.
Hence we will cast our (evil) eye on those that lasted a bit longer, preferably to this day.

As mentioned, there are *a lot* of Doomcore labels.
So this is just a tiny selection out of these.

Hellfire

Hellfire was set up DJ Darkside, who has been around the Hardcore and Doomcore scene for a long time.
This label stands out as it almost exclusively dedicated to vinyl releases, in a time when most others have gone digital.
Hellfire is a home to some very high profile names, like Dr Macabre, FFM Shadow Orchestra or The Horrorist.

Hellfire Records · HFR010 A1 1.2.3 FUCK YOU DrMacabre / Original Clip

▲NGST

Technically this isn't about a label;
Angst is a project by FFF, who was one of most successful 2nd generation Breakcore artist.
No breakin' here, but darkness through and through.
This ain't some poser-aggressive big bassdrum shit; the sound is more introverted, there is influence by ebm, 80s industrial, black ambient and even shoegaze.
Angst classified their music as "doomgaze" accordingly.

Doomcore Records

Doomcore Records was set up in the cold, dark harbor city of Hamburg, and had over 200 releases since its inception.
Famous artists and newcomers have released side 2 side on this label, and the musical styles are all over the map, too; as long as its rhythmic, repetitive, and wakes up the dead.

Doomcore Records · Naos - Multi-Armed Form

System Shutdown

Another Hamburg project (the doom must be strong in this city).
There are few releases, but they keep coming steadily at a timed pace, and they are all the better because of this.
These aren't just tracks, the releases are often tied into multi-media experiences with videos and spoken word(s), and extensive myths and lore are drawn around each object.

Doomcore Initiative

A quite young label with some very strong releases.
Not much is known, but the people involved in this project are scattered around the globe. Maybe bound by a vow silence?
The releases themselves are esoteric and dark.

Dead Zone Communications / Future Dust Division

The DarkCreator was a player in the original Dutch Gabber scene, so he is a true veteran of hard sounds.
The labels are not about Gabber though, it's Doom- and Industrial Hardcore all the way.
Almost every release hosts some quality music, so it's definitely worth checking out.

Nethercords

Nethercords is run out of "down under" by Tyrant X who, according to his bio, is "a disciple of Lilith and Hecate".
And that's exactly what you get here; haunted and occult sounds that make you feel as if you have stepped into the nether worlds already.
Most releases center more on Industrial Hardcore and Techno; but Doom will be met, too.

Noisj

Noisj was *the* label of the 2010s Industrial Hardcore scene, with releases popping out almost every other day.
The schedule is more paced now, but it's still surfing the tide.
In total, there are lots and lots of styles on this label; Gabber, Hardcore, Oldschool... and Doomcore too!

Dark Impact

Sublabel of an Italian label dedicated to more contemporary Hardcore sounds.
But as the name implied, this ain't mainstream, but all about the dark side of the core.
Industrial Hardcore, Dark Techno, Doomcore...
There is steady output, the music has high production values, and the releases are strong in general.

Dark.Descent

Host to a family of labels and sublabels; most are about hardcore-techno-acid sounds, but there are some pure doom releases too.
Again, this is an already veteran label which is still quite vital.
Worth checking if you are willing to do some digging.

Pre-History: From Industrial Goths to Doomcore Techno: Tracing a Dark Bloodline

I always like to say that Doomcore actually predates the advent of Hardcore, even that of Techno. A tongue-in-cheek statement, of course, but with more than one grain of truth.

The reality is that the types of synths, sounds, melodies, chords, arpeggios that are used in Doomcore tracks had been around in the 80s already.
Electronic music and electronic experiments where vast in that decade; and while you had euphoric poppy Cindy Laupers and Limahls on one side, darkness ruled in the valleys that led into the underground.
There were "scenes" such as post-punk, goths, industrial, ebm, minimal-wave that often bled into each (yeah and a lot of these "terms" came only in major use after the 80s had long ended). It is astonishing to me how similar some of these synth-tracks were to what we call Doomcore now. All they would have needed was a straight 909 and some percussion.

Was this a case of "parallel evolution" (if somewhat time-shifted) or is this really the root and origin of Doomcore?

Well, there are at least a lot of artists that claim this earlier sound as a source of inspiration - including The Horrorist, Marc Acardipane, Current 909 (many non-doom producers as well - such as The Speed Freak, Xol Dog 400, Taciturne)... so there definitely is a thread there... a dark and blood-stained thread.

But regardless. The "Electronic Doom Music" of the 80s is able to stand on its own as well, with its powerful, punishing beats and haunting, tenebrous sentiments.

So let's look at 10 tracks from this occulted realm now:

#1. Anne Clark - Contact