Hardcore Techno Day 2024 for Club Music Lovers! - Hardcore Techno from Japan

August 5 has become the national holiday of entertainment, HARDCORE TECHNO DAY. It is officially recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association. This time, I would like to talk about hardcore techno from Japan, which I have not dared to mention so far.

*Look at these past articles here! ↓↓

• 2023 Edition (REMIX/BOOTLEG/VIP/FLIP)
• 2022 Edition (DL S3RL)
• 2021 Edition (INTENSE HARDCORE TECHNO)
• 2020 Edition (HAPPY HARDCORE)
• 2019 Edition (UK HARDCORE)

Now before I get to the main topic...this has become a regular occurrence,

THE DAY OF HARDCORE IS BACK!!!!

Yes, THE DAY OF HARDCORE, which had not been held since the Corona Disaster, will be held at Shibuya CIRCUS with FREE admission!
Whether you’re interested in hardcore techno or not, even if you are not interested at all anymore, let's go to this event since it’s FREE! In addition, the first 300 people to arrive on the day will receive a limited edition CD, THE DAY OF HARDCORE VOL. 15, so be sure to check this out as well!

THE DAY OF HARDCORE 2024 #TDOH2024 - TwiPla

Time to get down to business!

About HARDCORE TECHNO in Japan

For the history part, there is a very good book titled History of Japanese Hardcore Techno published by MURDER CHANNEL. This is also a gorgeous book that comes with a bonus CD, so if you are interested, you can purchase it.
*This book is not sold at Sound House.

DJ Sharpnel is one of the composers who cannot be left out when talking about HARDCORE TECHNO from Japan.
He is still very active in the industry and is scheduled to perform as a DJ at THE DAY OF HARDCORE 2024 as I mentioned above.
His main genres of music are Speedcore and GABBA, but the genre that makes him who he is is "J-CORE".
Nowadays, there are many music genres that have Japanese styles such as JPOP and JXX, but J-CORE tends to be recognized as a genre that encompasses all genres.
In addition, "nerdcore" genre was also popular in markets such as Comiket, which are somewhat distant from so-called clubs. For more information on the history of this genre, please refer to the blog below, where famous J-CORE artist DJ TECHNORCH explains it.

J-CORE Cultural Revolution

So, what are we going to talk about this time? Well, let me tell you....

Of course I'm going to talk about my favorite Japanese HARDCORE TECHNO music!

So, this is kind of sudden but I’m going to start a long story about myself.

■ DJ TECHNORCH - Japanese Hardcore

A mashup-like sampling of Japanese culture mixed together. The low, heavy GABBA kick sticks out, and the culttic sutra is a pleasant favorite tune.
DJ TECHNORCHI's music has a mismatch of Japanese-style floating melody and the authenticity of the low frequency range, which is one of the charms of his music. I remember buying the best-of album and playing it heavily. Also, this is a complete aside, but I have the first edition of the banned album Sugoi Kimochi Ii Mairudo and it is my treasure.
It is now sold as "Sokutsukimochi Ii Mild" with a slightly milder jacket. The pictures in the first edition are not for viewing, so I'll say no in advance!
Other songs I recommend for an introduction are "Prime Minister's Award ~The World~", "Shoujo IN ~Virgin In~", and although this is not HARDCORE TECHNO, "Boss On Parade", which is catchy but cultish at the same time, which is the best.

■ DJ TECHNORCH - Boss On Parade (DJ Sharpnel Remix)

I have selected some of DJ Sharpnel's works that are particularly easy to listen to as an introduction. (Sorry to all the fans. m(_ _)m)
The original song has a medium tempo of 150 BPM, but with Sharpnel's help, it quickly transforms into a lively J-CORE sound!

■ PSYQUI - Your voice so... feat. Such

Here's an anthem for you. It is a Future Bass x HARDCORE TECHNO song from FÜGENE (MEGAREX) with a cool synth sound, characteristic vocal chops, and a rousing chorus like J-POP.
Speaking of THE DAY OF HARDCORE in the East, the DJ Shimamura Remix version and the M-Project Remix version, both produced for the 20th anniversary of "Rave Taisen," a HARDCORE TECHNO party in the West, are also clearly the best.
While retaining the catchiness of the original, each has a sound that is unique to each trackmaker. My favorite is the M-Project Remix version. The intense bass drop part contrasts strikingly with the opposite main drop part.

I will reveal the time when I listen to the main song, but I would like to mention one more anthemic song for which many remixes have been made.

■ KO3 & Getty feat. TEA - Can't Stop Raving

KO3 and Getty, two up-and-coming trackmakers, have teamed up to produce this UK HARDCORE TECHNO track. The EP released with this song had 7 tracks including the original version, which was an extravagant spec.
I remember that it became a movement for a while as more and more artists added their own remixes. Please try to find your favorite remix version!

■ m1dy - Kamikaze

Sorry for the wait. It's now time for my favorite Extratone. To be honest, "Tokyo Style SpeedCore" and "SpeedCore Dandy" are m1dy's most popular songs, but this time I chose this song based on my own style. I think this was the song that made me fall in love with Speedcore. I remember that I bought and listened to every album by m1dy after that.
I also recommend AKIRADEATH, Kobaryo, and RedOgre (Red Oni), the masters of domestic Speedcore. I really recommend them.
By the way, at DJ parties, the music is often described as "live" due to its excessively fast BPM. This is why the poster for THE DAY OF HARDCORE also says "Live PA". Thank you for your understanding.

Now, what do you think of the various songs we have introduced? I would have liked to have introduced more, but this blog is going to be endlessly long, so I'll leave it at that!