Review by Rammish:
Loftgroover Presents Speedcore - Double CD package (Harmless Records).

"Prepare for the ride of your life!" is the promise made by Loftgroover at the opening
of this double CD package which should give you a basic idea of whats to come. If
you like Speedcore (a.k.a Gabber) between 180 and 300 bpms then this CD is for you!

Note: Speedcore used to be called Gabber (or Gabba) but the "scene" was accused
of being racist and sexist (which was mostly media misunderstanding) and had to
reinvent itself. Hence the phrase Speedcore.

One of the best things about this package is that there are some rare older tracks
(from 1992) as well as new tracks (up to 1998). This gives you a perspective of
where this music has gone in the last six years and where its going in the future.
The stand-out tracks for me were: Alles Naar De Kl--te, The Necronomicon, Fly,
Blows T' The Nose, and Arcade X-Perience. In addition, there are three non-techno
tracks eg. Morbid Angel This Means War which fit into the speedcore catergory but
might disapoint more hardcore technoheads. The only thing that I didn't like which
might annoy a lot of people is the fact that the thirty-six tracks which appear here are
all mixed together. Loftgroover's mixing is not perfect and this also means that your not
completely sure where one track starts and another finishes. This isn't too much of a
problem but some DJs and collectors of techno might want to give it a miss.

To conclude, I would say that these CDs represent the best collection of
speedcore that I am aware of and with over two hours of banging sounds I would
recommend it to any Speedcore fans or anyone who likes their music hard and fast but
doesn't know if Speedcore is their thing. Try it - you might like it.


Venue profile by L:

The Rising Sun Arts Centre in Reading is one of the town's
favourite venues for local bands. The centre has a performance
space seperate from the bar (which sells a good range of
organic beers) and is well known for being easy going and
friendly with loads of atmosphere. The Venue is small which adds
to the intimacy and is run by volunteers who are in it very much
for love and not money.

Regular monthly events such as Local Bands Night,
B. J.s Jammin' Club and Freestyle provide a platform for local
bands and D.J.s whether they're young bands just starting out
or more established bands who enjoy the venue. The Rising Sun
puts on local bands as part of a wide programme of music
including international performers and surreal events you just
wont find anywhere else. It all adds up to an open and up for it
space dedicated to making things happen.

Bands wanting more info call Cathy on 0118 9860973
(at Wired Recording studios) and ask about Local Bands Night.
or send a demo to: Cathy Francourt The Rising Sun Arts Centre,
30 Silver St, Reading, RG1 2ST.


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