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Hardcore Underground - The Story So Far
Hardcore Underground was born in the summer of 2006 when we teamed up with Vibealite (whose faith and determination in helping us should never be forgotten) to release the first in our series of compilation CDs. It was a steep learning curve for ourselves and Gary, who eventually set up the label Krafty Recordings just to release the album, and it was not without its trials and tribulations. We worked long hours and even ended up shrinkwrapping every single copy of the album ourselves, but eventually the CD hit the streets on time and on budget, on October 30th 2006.
We wanted to put a compilation on the shelves that was exactly that; a compilation. Not an artist showcase, not even a label showcase, but an album that crossed stylistic boundaries without compromising on quality. Hardcore has been a hotbed for emerging talent in dance music in the last five years, but that talent has not always been nurtured and supported in the way which it should. We wanted "Hardcore Underground Vol.1" to rectify that problem too. The bottom line; to just put a good album in the shops that represented hardcore at its best and in all its various forms.
HU1 was largely acclaimed by the raving public, and there was always a plan to complete another volume with Vibealite. However with relocation issues and expensive monthly events taking their toll on a promoter who had already invested so much in the scene, this was simply not possible in the end. We shopped around for a backer. At a time when money was scarce for our artists and ourselves there was no way of releasing the album without financial help. Finally we teamed up with a new company, OneFive Music - run by two experienced members of the hardcore scene, and HU2 was finally possible some 12 months after the first CD hit the shelves.
2007 was a bad year for Hardcore by the time November rolled around; Amato and Resist had just gone under, losing most of us thousands of pounds (and the really unlucky ones tens of thousands). OneFive Music was not unaffected by the events of that time, and before the year was out, the company who had financed and overseen the release of HU2 was in dire straights. Communication with the company became a problem and eventually they folded without a penny finding its way to us or any of the artists involved in the project. All units of the album quickly sold out, but because the parent company was in liquidation there was no way of quickly repressing the CD. As a result HU2 has become somewhat of a collector's item, not neccessarily a bad thing I suppose. HU2 represented to us the need to be self-sufficient, to keep everything within our control. We had to make some compromises to get the CD in the shops (anyone who follows what we do might have found our female cover star somewhat of a surprise). We vowed that if we had to put in all that work and effort for nothing again, we would at least call the shots on everything like we had first time around, and put together the project exactly as we wanted it.
Financing HU3 was going to be an issue, but we worked hard and secured funds to do it eventually. Not long before it was to have been announced, we learned that Brisk & Ham were planning a new "NG.V4" album and they expressed an interest in fusing the projects to secure one really exciting compilation. So a fourth CD was added to the line-up and we chose new packaging, a new colourscheme and worked our socks off to get the album out as soon as we could. There were issues as always, but as Hardcore Underground finally put out its first entirely solo project, we had the uncompromised product we wanted. HU3 hit the shelves in April 2009 and received almost universal acclaim.
HU3 was a success, but by the time it hit the shelves a lot of the material included had been hammered on the DJ circuit for up to twelve months, and before the ink was dry on our first sales statement we knew we could do better. We resolved to raise the funds and step up the overtime in the studio to get a fourth volume out before the end of 2009. With the addition of Radio 1's Kutski and Freeform heroes Oli G & Lost Soul, HU4 was finally completed and released on October 19th 2009. Its hard to remember the last time an album received such universal acclaim, and HU4 definately represents the closest we've come so far to producing what we believe to be the perfect compilation album.
Maybe one day we'll write a much more in-depth story about our projects, then you can really laugh at our misfortune and learn more about the really stupid things we've done (try looking for a catalogue number on the HU3 packaging for e.g...). The bottom line is this though; we believe Hardcore needs to put quality and originality first, and that it needs to embrace all its various styles if it is to evolve and survive into the next decade. There's a place for quality whether it's freeform, breakbeat-based, or whatever. Good music should never be sidelined. We always hope to improve on what we've done before and if we can't, it won't be through lack of trying.
The HU brand has expanded greatly over the last 9 months and we're now trying to apply our ambition and outlook towards music to our events and single releases too. Fundamentally we just love rave music in all its glorious forms, and we want to know that we've always tried our best to do it justice. Quality and variation; we'll always strive for that.
Your support and feedback is appreciated, always.
CDJay & Fracus
Our Latest Compilation CD:
'Hardcore Underground 4'
Our Latest 12" Single:
'We're Getting Faster'
I'm happy reading this story, about the fact that HU was alive, over the 2007 problems! I'll support you people ;)
I've got massive respect for you guys and what you stand for. You were fighting to keep the scene alive, whilst others were slowly killing it. (And are still trying). I've so much optimism that UK Hardcore in it's entirety can & will go from strength to strength now.
Keep up the good work HU :)