The first time I heard “Boom Dubi Doom” was at a rave earlier this year. No Left Turn was a few tunes into his set and my initial reaction was, “this guy plays FAST…even for UK hardcore”.

At first I laughed out loud when I heard the tune (because of the vocal, which I recognized from countless eurodance tracks on youtube), but then I looked around at all the kids losing their minds to it. A friend was quick to point out that my foot was tapping and all of the sudden I was hooked and couldn’t get the song out of my head!

Nothing revolutionary; it is a banging, cheesy, and relentless tune that pounds the hell out of any dancefloor. I particularly enjoy the breakdown, which practically screams for the DJ to pull out some mad cutting or a bit of a scratch session. This is what UK/happy hardcore is all about.

Certainly one of the best hardcore releases of recent memory, Kniteforce hits the mark with this epic double pack. Always one to provide variety, Luna-C has compiled some absolute stormers on this release:

The Sky is Falling is a much faster release than the usual Radiophonic breakbeat greatness. This hip hop-sample heavy tune really hits the mark. Although still a breakbeat track, this track can easily be incorperated into an old skool gabber or slower hardcore techno set with the same successful results.

Spitting in Ya Eye; an interesting marriage of jungle, ufo sounds, and beach blanket bingo. The future of jungle? The past? I have absolutely no idea, but I love it and so does the dancefloor.

With Analog Ass “Mr. Kniteforce” himself drops a tasty portion of banging acid hardcore that only Luna-C can provide. Epic synths lead up to a fantastic breakdown; why can’t all UK hardcore sound this fun and fresh?

The Wicked Smiles (remix) is a banging update to an already exceptional bit of breakbeat hardcore (in my opinion, anyways). For a man who has admitted to not feel fully comfortable creating banging tunes, Luna-C certainly does it with flair.

Most Uplifting (Darwin mix) was already released in the paper-for-not-so-really-vinyl CD, this gem of a remix finally gets the wax it deserves (there is a God). Darwin provides a quality update on an essential Kniteforce stormer. Rolling, bassey, ravey…need I go on?

With Babylove, Twilight Dance strikes again with a slice of breakbeat, r&b-esque sampled glory.

Styler Style (remix) is a remix, nothing drastically different from the original but still fun.

Bongo Bong (Sike remix)…personally, I find this remix a bit of an improvement on the original tune. Not as good as the Luna-C and Bexxie mix but still a lot of fun. An enjoyable hardcore breaks tune with a good bassline and extra vocals (I’m always a sucker for extra vocals in remixes).

An essential release? Definitely. Anyone who thinks modern hardcore is dead or stale needs to drop this on their turntable and turn up the volume. Here’s hoping that Kniteforce will continue with vinyl releases of this quality, variety, and originality.

I have to say that I am really surprised nothing has been written here as of yet. I’ve always felt that there was a void left in the UK hardcore scene when Justin Time/Helix left. If any of the new breed of producers can successfully fill that void I believe it to be Darwin. Be it happy or dark, freeform or breakbeat…Darwin can create some fresh and high quality UK hardcore. I find more and more of his tunes finding their way into my sets and making an impact with the crowds.

People are always saying that the UK hardcore sound is stale (currently), but with producers like Darwin in the fray there will always be a bit of room for originality and excellence in this particular genre.

Well done and keep up the good work, Darwin, it’s appreciated!

I honestly don’t really rate the a-side of this record. "Inside Your Mind" is a well made, but standard, trance-based UK hardcore with a female vocal. Personally, I find the vocal rather weak and have never had the urge to play it out but know others to enjoy the tune.

The REAL treat is on the flip. “We Want Your Soul” is a dark freeform-esque stormer that utilizes a great build up and a pair of killer samples. One sounds like it was ripped from a stand up comedian’s act (possibly Bill Hicks) and the other will be familiar to anyone who got down to Adam Freeland’s tune of the same name (I still rate the Ed Rush & Optical Remix) a few years back. An excellent example of dark & stompy UK hardcore.

When I bought this record I had no idea that it was considered “hardstyle”. I heard a sample of the a-side (Nowhere To Hide) and thought that it was a nice little hardcore tune. Great breakdown, evil sample, creepy synth, good kick…yup sounds like Dutch hardcore to me. I guess it’s a little on the slower side, but I’ve definitely bought tunes on The Third Movement and Industrial Strength at the same tempo. Whatever you want to call it, I dig it. Nothing revolutionary, just well put together and fun.

The b-side, on the other hand, is not really my cup of tea.

An interesting side note about this record:

Luna-C held an online poll on the Kniteforce forum (if memory serves me right) to actually vote which mix to be the A side. Most people voted for the U-Clan remix (hence the pressing) but I remember Luna-C stating he personally preferred the Uplift remix. Speaking as someone who voted for the U-Clan mix and after a few years, I can now see why Luna-C would have said so. Banging yet still breakbeat, taking from the old hardcore sound but still sounding fresh…Uplift’s is a monster of a remix. It really touches on the whole Raw Elements style that was coming out at the time (which I loved). Personally, I still find myself playing the Uplift mix from time to time but never bother with the U-Clan mix. Go figure…

In my opinion, this is the definition of “freeform” where UK Hardcore is concerned: experimental, banging, acid, and with just enough vocal. Both sides are absolute monsters and have always torn up any dancefloor I have ever played. Ten years down the line, these tunes are still miles ahead of the sped up hard trance that they call “freeform” nowadays. In my opinion, Trixxy belongs among the lost hardcore alumni of Justin Time and DJ Demo; amazing talent that was lost to lesser sub-genres due to a lack of support, funding, and bad timing. A crying shame.