Interview with Natrion

 Natrion`s podcast, Soundcloud and Facebook

So Natrion, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do for a living etc.?
My real name is Rik Coenen, born in Geldrop but I live in Maasbracht, Limburg now. I'm currently studying IT, which is going pretty well luckily and before this I've done a one year producer/audio technician study and tried Game Design at the University of Utrecht, but quit that after a year.

I`m assuming that the producer/audio technician study was a real benefit to your producing career?
Yes, definitely! Before I started that study I got stuck at a certain level a bit and it was hard to get a better sound. With that study I learned a lot that has helped me and, since I've done it, things have gone pretty fast as well.

You probably started producing a long time before you decided to do that study. Can you tell something about how you got into hardcore music and when/how you started producing it?
I started listening to hardcore around age 13 or 14 or so. Before that I listened to metal and hiphop like Linkin Park, Rammstein, Eminem. I still like those artists now. But at some point I got into contact with early hardstyle and I really liked the adrenaline boosting melodies in there. At that point I still thought hardcore was just a bunch of loud kickdrums without any melody. But I found out later that it had those melodies as well, and that was a golden combination for me!

The funny thing is that it took a while before I appreciated non-mainstream, but currently I'm mostly into industrial hardcore. The producing started when I was 15. I had a lot of ideas for tracks, usually pretty stupid ideas, like making a hardcore remix of a certain song. But I really wanted to do something with it. So I could either message a professional producer about my ideas, who probably wouldn't even bother with them, or start producing myself. And that's how it pretty much started.

Your taste seems really broad. So when i ask which tracks (and/or artists) inspired you as an artist I can probably expect a long and diverse list?
Well, mentioning every artist that has had some influence on my music would make a very long list yeah, so I'm not gonna bother with that. Over the years I have developed a very broad taste indeed. So my influences can reach from normal hardcore, to trap, to classical music, to pop, to metal, to hiphop, anything really. There are more genres I like than genres I don't like. Those creepy atmospheres in my tracks might have influences from Rammstein and Slipknot, while the structures might have influences from Linkin Park.

There are some artists though who definitely play a very big role in my sound and that I really respect. First of all that's Void Settler. I think he has had the biggest impact on how my music sounds nowadays. Before I knew his music, I made normal mainstream around 170 bpm. But when I found out how weird hardcore could sound, my music slowly developed to lower bpm's as well. I am experimenting with how far I can go before it wouldn't be called Hardcore anymore. I'm currently working on a track that`s 70 bpm and I am also working on one thats 40 bpm. Both can still be classified as hardcore I think. Besides Void Settler, I also really like DJ Hidden/The Outside Agency's music, which is also dark and experimental. And finally Ophidian, who is also one of my favorite producers. Those last two artists have been especially inspirational when it comes to the horror-like influences in my music.

You mention the horror influence in your music, and which artists (amongst others) inspired you in creating horror-like tracks. But where does this love for the dark come from?
Ah, it's the demon that possesses me that tells me I need to make that music. Or wait, sorry, he tells me I wasn't supposed to say that. So let's just say I just got a dark personality or something. No idea why I prefer dark music, it just seems like I do. I'm much more of a night person than a day person. At night everything is more quiet and peaceful.

For as far as I know you have not done any live performances yet? Is there any reason or thought behind that or is it just that you have not had the chance to perform before an audience?
Well, both a bit. First of all, no one asked me to perform on their party yet, so that's one reason. Besides that I'm not sure if I'm ready yet. So far I've mostly focused on producing. I only started practicing mixing a bit for my Horror Show, but I should actually practice with real CDJ's.

I'm also not sure yet what I want to do with my live performance. It might be just spinning records like other DJ's do. But I'm also considering doing something special. I have a background in IT and am very interested in technical informatics as well. I'm thinking of making my own unique program or device some day. So I can do something unique on stage. I've had some ideas already, but I still have to think about what I really want to do with such a thing.

I should also keep in mind what the audience wants, when they come to see me. I could for instance make some sort of machine, with which I could create new music on stage. But I have to take into consideration that when I come to see an artist, I expect to hear some of my favorite tracks of that artist as well.

Pretty ingenious idea. Should I picture this as a combination of a live set in combination with a Sonar-like device, just as Noize Suppressor uses sometimes?
I'm not really sure what Sonar was again. Wasn't that one of those electrical drums? But it could be something like that, or maybe something else. I'm not sure if I should do the rhythm parts live, since nervousness doesn't work very well on my feeling of rhythm. But maybe with enough practice I could get over that.

In the past you were always able to showcase your music and your taste in electronic music through your radio show over at HardSoundRadio. But i read that they are going to stop broadcasting. Can you tell what that show meant to you and, more importantly, if there are any plans to continue your show (in any form) elsewhere?
I'm still considering the possibilities at the moment. I might be able to do it for another radio station or I might turn it into a podcast. For the moment I`m happy with the extra time I have on my hands, because I don't have to chase after mixes or think about which artists I have to contact for my show.

But it was a lot of fun. I've received great guest mixes and I was able to increase my network quite a bit. I have been discussing doing collabs with some of the artists that I featured on my show, so that's really cool. It was a good opportunity to grow as an artist, in practicing presenting, mixing, networking and also getting my name out there. And I also really liked the opportunity to promote upcoming artists and new releases.

I had created an environment in which my experimental music would fit well. My music can go from 110 bpm to speedcore in one track. I was able to use all my tracks for the show and I don't think I would be able to display the same amount of diversity on a party, since everyone would probably be standing still then. That is also how the horror show began in the first place. I told the owner of HSR I would make a diverse mix for him, but I decided to make an entire show of it instead. I really had no idea how that first mix would be received. So I was very pleasantly surprised that people did seem to like it, and a lot of people found it a shame that the show had to stop. This is of course a huge motivation to continue the show in some form.

Well you must certainly have a lot of extra time to pour into your personal career now that your show will stop. For as far as I can see we might see inventions, collabs, and perhaps a new show or podcast-series. Is there anything else we can expect from you in the (near) future?
Besides my horror show it has been pretty quiet around me lately. My last EP on the Noisj sublabel Dream Machine is from February. But people who have listened loyally to my horror show, or my other mixes, might have noticed that I've got a lot of new unreleased tracks hidden away here. I've actually been secretly working on an album, which will have a themed story to it, inspired by artists like Void Settler.

I'm not sure yet when it will be done, but I've gotten pretty far with it already. Unlike my previous releases this album will be more focused on industrial hardcore, although it does have its experimental stuff as well. In the meantime I have finished some other tracks, which don't fit the story I want to portray on that album. So there might be a new release coming on Dream Machine soon. On which I will also feature a young upcoming talent that I mentored a bit.

And besides that I'm also doing some collaborations with a childhood friend of mine who's a rapper, named Michaël Gabriël. Some of my tracks already have hiphop influences in them and I found out that actual rap over it sounds surprisingly cool! Off course the tracks will still be 100% Natrion style, so you can expect something dark, experimental and distorted! You can hear one of the tracks I did with him already, it`s in the podcast I did for Forward Observers.

Sounds like you are diving headfirst into new possibilities and that we will probably hear a lot more from you soon. I`d say that this is a wrap for this interview, besides the inevitable last question. Do you have any epic last words to close off this interview?
Yes, definitely, the sickness has to spread much further. Epic last words... Ehm... Kids remember to always eat your vegetables? No, this one is for all the upcoming producers: Fuck borders, do something cool and new and shock the scene.

Interview with Krauser

Krauser`s podcast, Facebook and Soundcloud

Let’s start at the beginning, can you give some info about yourself? Where are you from and what do you do for a living etc.?

Well I am Kjeld Hooijmaijers, 23 years old, live in Raamdonksveer, and I study International Event, Music & Entertainment Studies. Besides my study I work at the hardstyle label Theracords. I started doing bookings & events there, but right now I am the artist manager of the label. You might also know me from the monthly Hardcore Top 40, that me and my buddy Nils Holty do, and is broadcasted on Q-dance Radio. And more importantly, for this interview at least, I’m also known under my Dj name ‘Krauser’.

It sounds like you are pretty busy, is this also why we only know you as a Dj? Or are there other reasons why you are not a producer?

Yes and no. I found out that I wanted to work in the music industry when I was in high school. At first I thought that I wanted to do something in the technical spectrum of the industry, like producing, sound design etcetera. But after a while I found out that I could not translate the ideas I had in my head into actual music. So I asked myself the question ‘Do I want to spend more time preparing, practicing, and hoping that I will be able develop my skills enough? Or should I maybe do something else?’. I chose the second option, because working behind the scenes was appealing much more to me: if I could not be the artist on stage, then maybe I could be the guy working behind the scenes to get the artist on stage. I kept Dj-ing of course, and I still do because I love playing records. But I don’t think I’ll be able to make a living off of that any time soon, so it’s more like a XL sized hobby. 

Do you have the intention to give producing another shot in the future, or is it not necessary for you to develop yourself in that particular direction anymore?

Well I don’t have those plans at this moment, because I am far too busy with other stuff. But the idea is always there in the back of your head though. Certainly now that I spent more time behind the scenes, with people that could teach me so much about producing. Before that I had to figure everything out myself, now people can actually learn me how to do some proper DAW work. My Defqon booking also created a real impulse to pick it up again. How awesome would it be to play your own tracks on a stage like that? In the end I didn’t manage to make something for the gig, but it keeps making me think about it. So never say never because a release might happen eventually, but not in the near future.

Speaking of which, how did you experience your sets at Defqon? Must have been an incredible feeling to be able to play at a party like that?

Well it was a bit of a shock when they asked me to spin there. In a positive way of course, haha! I think any Dj, no matter how big or small they are, dreams about a booking for a huge event like that. So did I, even though I didn't think that those kind of stages where in it for me since I consider myself to be not good enough to perform there. But luckily I was wrong. That whole weekend was  a madhouse. I am satisfied with how I performed. There was a surprisingly big crowd in the Silver area for my opening act, so that made me feel even better! I’ll remember that weekend for a long time. 

I have listened to your Defqon Silver set, but I was still quite surprised when I received your podcast for Forward Observers. You put a lot of different genres in that mix, do you play the same broad spectrum of genres on stage?

I like a lot of music, not only hardcore music. If you do not produce your own tracks, you have to find other ways to stand out from the crowd. I chose to incorporate multiple genres in my mixes to do that. One of the reasons for this is that I have been a resident DJ at the late Fear.FM for like 1,5 years. And I had to hand in a hardcore mix every week. So I figure people would be tired of my hardcore-only mixes after those years, and I wanted to give my new mixes  something original for the listeners. So that’s why I started incorporating other genres in my online mixes and podcasts as well.It`s a bit different on stage though. When you are on stage you have to factor in the concept, the genre and the timeslot of the event. I cannot open with an electro house track if I am booked for the Silver area on Defqon. People there expect industrial hardcore. But a Wavolizer track could work in a set like that, because it has that hardcore vibe in it. So I can’t play as broad as I do in homemade mixes, but I do try to keep it fresh. 

That sounds obvious from your point of view, but at the same time I also have the idea that a lot of party visitors do not appreciate surprises in livesets. They visit a certain kind of party and a certain kind of stage, and they want to hear a certain kind of music. Is that something you recognize?

I cannot say much about that from the perspective of a DJ, people that visit me know who I am and what I do. So the people that attend my set know I could do more than just the style or genre that is played in that particular area. But I do recognize what you are saying in a more  general way of speaking. I can, for example, get really annoyed by people who’re jumping on N-Vitral right now because he changed his sound and performance. These are all people that prefer his older sound over his new one. Those people are entitled to their own opinion of course but in the end, the artist chooses what he produces and spins. Personally I think that it is really cool that he drops a ‘regular’hardcore track in his sets every now and then. Or take Amnesys for example, last year at Defqon I heard him play a Prodigy track and a Zardonic track. I think it’s great if an artist does that from time to time, but there are always people who want straight up hardcore. There is nothing wrong with that, but I personally think that it is really cool to put little twists in your sets like that. 

Do you think that it`s also one of the reasons that we do not see a lot of new headliners these days? Organisations and visitors prefer to stick to guaranteed quality, safe and predictable? Or are there other reasons behind this?

Well the scene has obviously become a lot more professional nowadays, the bar has been raised quite a lot. Years back the scene might’ve been just about the music. You could be a great producer or a great DJ but either skill was enough back then. Nowadays you need to have strong productions and you need to know how to DJ. Apart from that you need to have a recognizable look, your social media has to be good and interactive, your logo has to be appealing etc. So by today’s standards, it`s a long way to the top if you only know how to make good tracks. 

What is your opinion about this development?

If you're good at it it`s much more fun. It offers a lot more and pushes people to get themselves in the picture online and do interesting marketing campaigns. I am an internet addict, like the rest of the world, so if your social media allows you to get a strong and pure bond with your favorite artists it’s a perfect match of course. There is almost no way to get closer to your fans, except if they would come over to your house every day for a cup of coffee, but that ain’t happening of course haha.

On the other hand I do feel that it is a shame that some acts with huge musical talents go unnoticed, they do not stand out, because their branding is not up to par with the industry`s standard. I see a lot of artists, not only in the hardcore scene, that deserve a lot more than they get. So in short: this development works both ways. It can make your big, or it can kill you. 

You mentioned N-Vitral and Amnesys earlier, can you tell us which artist have been inspirational to you?

The ‘homo musicalis’ Ophidian, for his ability to really master all hardcore related genres. And like I said before, Amnesys for his truly unique take on mainstream hardcore. And last but not least The Outside Agency for their diversity within the darker side of hardcore and for giving birth to the immensely popular crossbreed genre. If we are talking about other genres then I should really mention KOAN Sound, Porter Robinson, Asa, Wavolizer and Black Sun Empire: artists that do their own thing and have fans that accept that. 

What can we expect from Krauser in the (near) future?

I am on the line-up off Convoi Exceptionel, an event by Dither. So that is going to be a very enjoyable experience! And I have my traditional yearmix coming up. A mix with 100 hardcore tracks from this year that I personally loved. Mixed by hand obviously because I do not like to make it easy for myself haha. It’ll be out before the end of this year, so I hope people will look forward to that! 

So just one more, very original, question to close this interview. Do you have any epic last words for us?

Last words are for fools who haven't said enough! #okdoei