solipsistic NATION solipsistic NATION No. 162: Digital Hardcore Recordings

When I launched solipsistic NATION I had a list of people I wanted to be guests on the show. One was Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto and another was Amon Tobin. I've slowly been making my way down the list and today I'm happy to cross Alec Empire of Digital Hardcore Recordings off that list!

One of my favorite memories of Digital Hardcore Recordings was when I was working alongside a kid who played Korn constantly. I think he was on a mission to assault my ears with what he considered the heaviest and angriest music he knew. I put up with it for a while but after a couple of days I got fed up with it and when it was my turn to play some music I dialed up some Atari Teenage Riot. I couldn't have wished fro a better reaction from him: he fell off his chair in shock. He was simultaneously stunned and laughing hysterically at the intensity of the music that was bludgeoning his ears! Ah, the simple pleasures in life.

I have to be honest, though, my initial reaction to Atari Teenage Riot was pretty much the same. Back in the 90's there was really nothing else like them out there and while I liked it I couldn't make sense of it at first. But like it I did and I started digging up everything I could find that was released on Digital Hardcore Recordings. Atari Teenage Riot will always have a special place in my heart but I also became a big fan of The Curse of the Golden Vampire, Hanin Elias and pretty much anything Alec Empire puts out.

While most of the stuff on Digital Hardcore Recordings sounds as fresh now as it did when it was first released, time, and Alec Empire have moved on so this week's show serves as a kind of a document of the history Digital Hardcore Recordings: how the label and Atari Teenage Riot began, how people reacted to the band and the label and Alec's new label, Eat Your Heart Out.

I'd like to thank Alec for being so generous with his time. I figured I would count myself lucky if I was able to interview Alec for 15 minutes but instead Alec gave me 90 minutes and the opportunity to answer any question I asked him. Thanks, Alec!

1. Atari Teenage Riot "Destroy 2000 Years Of Culture"
2. Alec Empire "We All Die"
3. Interview with Alec Empire of Digital Hardcore Recordings
4. Ec80r "We Need A Change!"
5. Christoph De Babalon "My Confession"
6. Interview with Alec Empire of Digital Hardcore Recordings
7. Hanin Elias "Nizza"
8. The Curse Of The Golden Vampire "Ultrasonic Meltdown"
9. Interview with Alec Empire of Digital Hardcore Recordings
10. Bomb 20 "You Killed Me First"
11. Alec Empire "1000 Eyes (Radio Edit)"
12. Interview with Alec Empire of Digital Hardcore Recordings
13. Killout Trash "Straight Outta Berlin"
14. Patric C "Snuff Out"
15. Interview with Alec Empire of Digital Hardcore Recordings
16. Sonic Subjunkies "Central Industrial"
17. DJ Bleed "Deaf Dumb And Blind"
18. Interview with Alec Empire of Digital Hardcore Recordings
19. Shizuo "Sweat"

Atari Teenage Riot - Destroy 2000 Years of Culture