I Hate Breakcore

by **NightTerrorRecordings** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 10:58 pm

from : http://nightterrorrecs.blogspot.com/200 ... -with.html

Recently Alec Empire found some time away from his hectic schedule to be interrogated by Matt Bleak / NTR about the early days of Digital Hardcore / Breakcore, his thoughts on the current Breakcore scene and also about recent projects of his! So, Without further ado...

NTR : Hey Alec, thanx heaps for taking the time to do this interview!
First of all, the early days of DHC (Digital Hardcore)..it seems like there were a lot of similar things going on in different parts of the world at the very same time. We had Bloody Fist in this country and there was DHC in Germany and stuff going on in other parts of the globe also. So who got in on it first? A lot of people can't seem to agree on where what we now know as breakcore originated...did you invent breakcore? Or was it just a global phenomenon that simultaneously started in various parts of the world?

AE: Breakcore was done first by us. Clearly...We made the decision in the winter 1991/92 to step away from Techno and speed up breakbeats up to 170 BPM. Another goal was to push the limits in terms of programming those rhythms. The crazier the better. For us it was a political thing because the 4 to the floor bass drum became a symbol for mainstream dance music and was absorbed by the neo nazi movement. They started using techno to make their ideas seem more modern and get kids interested in fascism. They even declared techno as the 'true German music' which of course is stupid but in this environment we had to distance ourselves. So we wanted to use breakbeats which were rooted in Afro-American funk music in the late 60ties and 70ties. Also they symbolized the civil rights music and radical political groups like the Black Panthers. We believed that music can carry a lot of hidden information and it has a political effect on people's minds, the way they think. The Berlin based sound system 'Bass Terror' did the first raves with this style of music. Empty warehouse spaces, run down houses in the former East of Berlin. Force Inc Records in Frankfurt pushed the sound. First Breakcore record came out in Spring 1992 "Alec Empire - SuEcide Pt.1", some people say that "Alec Empire - Yobot EP" was the first, it came out a few months earlier...in my opinion this EP demonstrates the step into that direction and it is somewhere in between hardcore breakbeat, Detroit techno and breakcore. Atari Teenage Riot played a lot of music in that direction live, but the first record was released much later, early 1993. But I got to say that Bloody Fist was putting out great stuff, and in my opinion it never mattered as much who was 'first', it is about moving into the future and making exciting music. People need to give Bloody Fist and all the others big respect because all of the different labels and producers were so important, especially because they built their own scenes in each country.

NTR: One of the things that originally attracted me to DHC and Atari Teenage Riot was the ideology behind the music. Do you still stand behind all of the things you said when you were in ATR or have your viewpoints changed since the demise of ATR and now you have branched out into different things?

AE: I still have the same opinion...we still live in the same system which is based on the wrong ideals in my view. So of course time moved on , but the problems just got bigger. I don't feel though that I have to repeat myself and write more songs about the same issues though. But when I find it important to add something, I do it.

NTR: What is going on with DHR the label nowadays? It seems to have gone quiet for a while. Any new releases on the horizon? Any new signings?

AE: The DHR scene died with Carl Crack in 2001. After that nothing was the same anymore. We focus on releasing back catalogue since then. We won't sign new bands.

NTR: What do you think about the current breakcore movement? Do you listen to much breakcore at all these days? Any current breakcore artists or acts that you find interesting?

AE: I feel very loyal to the scene but think that nothing really tops what we did back then. The original idea was to have this intense physical music...if one does breakcore with a laptop, it's not breakcore...it's somebody faking breakcore. Breakcore must be done with hardware samplers and ANALOGUE desks to achieve the harmonic distortion which is essential for this type of music. The most important part of this music which separates it from the rest is the political meaning. If it doesn't stand in this context, it's a waste of time. A problem that the scene has to solve is that real breakcore doesn't work via mp3 because the digital compression of mp3s suck out the energy of the music.

NTR: I understand that you did some soundtrack work for the German movie 'Chaostage'...for people who don't know what 'Chaostage' is all about could you fill them in?

AE: The story of the film is based in Hanover in the 90ties . It's a city in Germany where all punks from the country used to come together and rioted for no reason. Just to spread chaos and anarchy. The film is controversial because the lead character kills a cop and gets away with it. Many critics in Germany didn't like that. There is also a scene where a Neo Nazi is shown who earns money on the side with gay S&M sex, so that scene is very heavy...this fat hairy guy shits on the Neo Nazi, pisses in his face and so on...some people left the cinema when it was shown...I love it when films can still cause these kinds of reactions. There were also actual riots at the premiere because the cinema was sold out and about 200 punks couldn't get in anymore...police came and so on...it all added to the excitement...The film has many of my favorite German actors in it. It was a great project to work on...real fun because the director Tarek is awesome and pretty much gave me a lot of freedom because he wanted someone who could merge punk with electronic, atmospheric music...and that was me...

NTR: So what is new in Alec Empire land these days? New projects? Upcoming performances?

AE: We just finished a two months tour in Europe - it was great...stage invasions, huge moshpits and a lot of noise...Now we have a lot of recording to do...various projects, Nic Endo is mixing her new album, I am finishing the new Alec Empire album...we might release an unreleased Atari Teenage Riot song next year...and of course various other collaboration projects...I am doing something with Dillinger Escape Plan, remixed IAMX, the collaboration with CX Kidtronik will come out in the next months...I am writing songs/beats for The Big Pink right now...we are constantly working...it's exciting!

NTR : Well thanks very much for taking the time to answer our questions Alec and best of luck with all of your new projects!

by **divtech** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:23 am

if one does breakcore with a laptop, it's not breakcore...it's somebody faking breakcore. Breakcore must be done with hardware samplers and ANALOGUE desks

lol

by fap* » Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:23 am

.

he should have just said that he was out of original ideas and that reflecting on the past was his only way making himself still feel important.

.

by **cuttingagent** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:27 am

lol, don't tell me how to make cores, fascist!

by **cuttingagent** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:56 am

i find it interesting that he says all this stuff about how what he did back in the day was better than what anyone else does now, and also says stuff about moving into the future of music, etc. it's kinda obvious that distortion does not behave exactly the same way in the digital realm, but, so what? while many people may be haphazardly throwing whatever through distortion, there are still enough people deep in the lab finding new and interesting ways to use it. i feel split because ATR was what got me into the noise game way back when, yet alec now makes totally boring music and bitches about people using laptops when seriously, how many people can afford an all hardware/analogue setup these days? this just reminds me of the same gear fascists that try to big up themselves over using strictly vinyl and talking shit on anyone who doesn't also use strictly vinyl. who was telling kids how EXACTLY things should be done when ATR started out? did they listen?

i also find it odd that alec decided to interview with matt bleak, seeing as he's a sour cunt and all =P

by **NightTerrorRecordings** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:27 am

Yeah I don't agree with what Alec had to say about laptops either, but hey, he is entitled to his opinion. I still have mega respect for his earlier work with ATR and his earlier solo stuff, and him not liking laptop music is not going to make me like that material any less! I really enjoyed what he had to say about the early days of digital hardcore / breakcore though, and was pretty blown away by him saying that they invented breakcore! But like he said who did what first is not that important. Still, this has got me really intrigued and I am now very keen to seek out other figures from the early breakcore scene and see what they have to say about the old days! Peace.

by **cuttingagent** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:32 am

well, i had always thought that they more or less invented breakcore, not that it really matters, i know george washington carver invented peanuts, but there were plenty of others at near around the same time finding new and exciting ways to hear peanuts through effects chains. and im enthusiastic to read any more interviews you might do with the other old chaps from the whatevercore scene.

by **NightTerrorRecordings** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:01 am

I always thought it was John Quincy Adams who invented peanuts, thanks for setting me straight! Yeah I am hopeful that there will be more interviews with ye olde breakcore practitioners of yore in the very near future, so stay tuned!

by **cuttingagent** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:12 am

that's silly. you're thinking of quincy jones.

by **Alec** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 5:55 am

"i find it interesting that he says all this stuff about how what he did back in the day was better than what anyone else does now"

I said "we", not "I"...and I was talking about all producers putting records out from 1993-2001. That is a slight difference.
Also this interview was about the past...this is why I talked about the past. I don't see my work from back then as relevant or 'important' at all, that's why I moved on long time ago - I feel I have done my bit back then.
(When do you ever hear me talk about that time? right not all, because noone really cares that much anymore)

And yes, a hardware sampler and an analogue desk is way cheaper than a laptop with software....just trust me on this, if the laptop guys would do the same music but would produce it with these tools, it would sound much much more powerful over any PA.

calling me a fascist because I say my honest opinion in an interview, doesn't improve your music at all.

the original 'breakcore' was done like this, nobody keeps you from creating your own genre name ....call it fruity loops macbook ableton mp3 core or whatever...

jesus...I'm glad I am not part of that scene anymore...

and for the record I do like some laptop based music, but I just wouldn't call it breakcore...that's all...

all the best,

Alec Empire

:SMBMario

by **divtech** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:02 am

i think everyone just a little butt-hurt here because they still want to call the music they like breakcore

whatever that music is vs what alec said are/could be two very different entities
its a good thing no one cares bout labels around here...

i hate breakcore, i love (insert label here).

by **djtheblade** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:25 am

I'm not sure at what point the term "Breakcore" came in to circulation as such, or even who started using it to begin with. When I read back over older DHR literature I only ever see references to the Term "digital hardcore", only in more recent times do I start to see this older proto-Breakcore music being referred to as Breakcore, and certainly only now do I hear the likes of Alec claiming to have created the genre along with his crew. As for Laptops versus other hardware I see no rational argument taking shape: I honestly feel that music produced on a laptop is capable of being just as innovative, just as aggressive and distorted, and just as honest as music produced using any other medium.

I think the laptop era has bought along new possibilities, it was inevitable. Just as musicians grew away from the Harpsichord, so they did the analogue/drum machine setup. Laptop music is just as varied, if not more (You've got anything from the classic DHR sound to jungle breaks, Gabber, Glitchy IDM, Industrial rock, splittered Snares style stuff etc) which probably wouldn't have been possible if musicians refused to tamper with the new items being made available to them. I'm not sure what moopoly Alec has on the term Breakcore, or whether he genuinly has any right to insist that laptop music lacks the correct riot frequencies or whatever. I've heard DHR loyalist music that is produced in homage to the original DHR stuff and even sounds indistinguishable from it, but was actually produced on a Laptop (See Marionette's 'Terrorhate', see Hoonboy, Hypnoskull etc). All I'll say is that in my opinion, much of the music that we hear today, from big names to bedroom producers, is Breakcore in soul and in essence, because most people still don't understand it and because it still doesn't give a fuck, just like it didn't back then. I'll continue to refer to Abelcain, Xanopticon and Donna Summer as Breakcore regardless of what technology they are using to make these oh so inaccessible sounds, and i'll continue to refer to The Destroyer as a Breakcore record.

by **PEPCORE** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:59 am

He can stick his hardware samplers in his anus for all i care.

Breakcore is up to everybody's own interpretation, we can probably agree on one thing though, if breakcore was alive it would most likely be a gay entity.

Also start listening to good music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQpNGk5VtoQ
:mrgreen:

by **Ruffatron** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 12:16 pm

djtheblade wrote:I'm not sure at what point the term "Breakcore" came in to circulation as such, or even who started using it to begin with. When I read back over older DHR literature I only ever see references to the Term "digital hardcore", only in more recent times do I start to see this older proto-Breakcore music being referred to as Breakcore, and certainly only now do I hear the likes of Alec claiming to have created the genre along with his crew. As for Laptops versus other hardware I see no rational argument taking shape: I honestly feel that music produced on a laptop is capable of being just as innovative, just as aggressive and distorted, and just as honest as music produced using any other medium.

I think the laptop era has bought along new possibilities, it was inevitable. Just as musicians grew away from the Harpsichord, so they did the analogue/drum machine setup. Laptop music is just as varied, if not more (You've got anything from the classic DHR sound to jungle breaks, Gabber, Glitchy IDM, Industrial rock, splittered Snares style stuff etc) which probably wouldn't have been possible if musicians refused to tamper with the new items being made available to them. I'm not sure what moopoly Alec has on the term Breakcore, or whether he genuinly has any right to insist that laptop music lacks the correct riot frequencies or whatever. I've heard DHR loyalist music that is produced in homage to the original DHR stuff and even sounds indistinguishable from it, but was actually produced on a Laptop (See Marionette's 'Terrorhate', see Hoonboy, Hypnoskull etc). All I'll say is that in my opinion, much of the music that we hear today, from big names to bedroom producers, is Breakcore in soul and in essence, because most people still don't understand it and because it still doesn't give a fuck, just like it didn't back then. I'll continue to refer to Abelcain, Xanopticon and Donna Summer as Breakcore regardless of what technology they are using to make these oh so inaccessible sounds, and i'll continue to refer to The Destroyer as a Breakcore record.

i can't agree more on this.

plus (and this is just a personal opinion) what's with the distortionlove? much killer shit ar NOT based on distortion.
does any break forced thru a distortion unit qualifies as breakcore, with the political concept behind it and all? coz this way, needle sharing are on this side of the river, the way alec puts it.

by **BOKO91** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:42 pm

Is that the Matt Bleak who got banned from this forum for upsetting loads of people and being a complete douche?

I Hate Breakcore

The music we love to hate!

Alec Empire Talks To NTR About Origins Of Breakcore!

Alec Empire Talks To NTR About Origins Of Breakcore!

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