Driving in my car does give me plenty of opportunities to scroll through Soundcloud and Mixcloud to find hidden gems. Of course for UK Hardcore/Happy Hardcore the place to be has got to be The History Of Happy Hardcore channel on Soundcloud! And they uploaded a CD from 2008, which I nearly forgot about completely! Hardcore Til I Die, does that ring a bell?
This was the only CD of the compilation series I bought. They did 2 follow up mix albums, but I never got round to buy them. Maybe I'm not that Hardcore enough? (or my wallet isn't filled with thousand pound notes?). Whatever the reason, it remained the only one. And it packed a punch! Bloody Nora, this was so sick when I listened to this for the first time. Blew my mind away!
This was released during UK Hardcore's golden years. I'm not having a go at the present day Hardcore sound, but it's so damn different. You cannot beat the sound coming from those labels that ran the mid 2000s to late 2000s. Early 10s it all changed. It's not the same anymore, is it? Just listen to this album and compare it to the current sound. It's so different. Boy, I miss the old sound.
Anyway, this mixed (and one unmixed CD) compilation was mixed by Re-Con and Squad-E. I've not been following what goes on behind the scenes, but what has happened to these legends? They used to throw bangers into the scene on a regular basis. And now they've gone quiet?
Anyway, I've said anyway now three times. But let me show you the tracklist. It will bring a tear to your eye, on how quickly things have changed in just 10-11 years,.
CD 1: Mixed By Re-Con
01. Mike Di Scala - Intro
02. Styles & Breeze vs Re-Con - Love Garden (LoveSick Crazy)
03. Re-Con & Unknown - Show Me Now
04. Re-Con - Bam-Uchi
05. N-Force vs Darren Styles - Right By Your Side (Re-Con Remix)
06. Re-Con - The Power
07. Ultrabeat vs Darren Styles - Discolights
08. Re-Con - God's Child
09. Beatplayers feat Laura McAllen - Piece Of Heaven (Re-Con Remix)
10. Mix Factory - Take Me Away (Re-Con Remix)
11. L&S - Get Laid (Re-Con Remix)
12. Hypasonic vs Jorg Schmid - Doesn't Matter (Dougal & Gammer Remix)
13. Re-Con & Gammer - Live On & On & On & On
14. Manian - Hold Me Tonight (Re-Con Remix)
15. Ultrabeat vs Hypasonic - You Will See (Re-Con & Squad-E Remix)
16. Bass Bumpers - Music's Got Me (Re-Con Remix)
CD 2: Mixed By Squad-E
01. Squad-E & Whizzkid - Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
02. Re-Con & Squad-E - Can't Buy Me Love
03. Alex K - Long, Long Way From Home (Squad-E Remix)
04. Cascada - What Do You Want From Me? (Squad-E Remix)
05. Rezonance Q - Sweetheart (Squad-E Remix)
06. Discotronic - Tricky Disco (Squad-E Remix)
07. Ultrabeat - I Wanna Touch You (Squad-E Remix)
08. Squad-E - Turn It Up
09. Squad-E & Storm - Operator
10. Killa Deejays feat Sarah - Lucky Star (Squad-E Remix)
11. Breeze & Squad-E feat Justine - Another Smile
12. Hypasonic - Get-A-Way (Squad-E Remix)
13. Dave McCullen - Rave Heaven (Squad-E Remix)
14. Sy & Unknown feat LouLou - Just Can't Get Enough
15. Squad-E - Lost Without You
16. Squad-E - Stay
CD 3: The Best Of HTID
01. Hixxy - More And More
02. N-Trance - Set You Free (Hixxy Remix)
03. Paradise - See The Light (Styles & Breeze Remix)
04. Re-Con & Squad-E - 1000 Kisses
05. Love Decade - So Real (Styles & Breeze Remix)
06. Hixxy & Styles - The Theme
07. VooDoo & Serano - Overload (Hixxy & Re-Con Remix)
08. Re-Con - Right Here Right Now
09. System F - Cry (Re-Con Remix)
10. Apollo - Dance (Re-Con Remix)
11. D:CODE - My Direction (Squad-E Remix)
12. United In Dance feat Jenna - Shining Down
13. Clear Vu - I Adore (Styles & Breeze Remix)
14. Styles & Breeze - You're Shining
Come on. You cannot hide your enthusiasm for this compilation! I know it's an golden oldie, but still holds a lot of memories for all of us ravers. This is what made me love UK Hardcore, and I nearly made love to it. Just look at the records, and say you don't feel nostalgic! Come on, try it!
The CDs are nicely divided, so it's easy to talk about each of them. The first one was mixed by Re-Con, and he used a lot of his own productions (so did Squad-E), and I get this 'Clubland' vibe from the records. Happy and cheerful, and a bit Clubland-ish. Lot of melodies, and vocals. Especially the record he made with Gammer. Bloody hell, can't stop singing (or skip this record), it's just that good!
The next disc was mixed by Squad-E, and he starts off with a banger. His mix contains the most appealing records to me, especially Cascada's song, Sy & Unknown's mega record, but it's the one he did with MC Whizzkid that destroys you completely. I get the 'after sex' feeling with this record when its done. Delighted, that's the word I was looking for.
The last disc is just the classics. HTiD's finest records (up to 2008). And what's not to like? Clear Vu, Apollo, Paradise, N-Trance, Hixxy, etc. This CD is fire.
I can only give Squad-E, Re-Con, and HTiD credit for this mindblowing album. Memory lane? Yep, I've arrived there. If you want to join me there, just check out the three CDs here (under the info section!).
DJs: Squad-E, Re-Con
Genre/Style: UK Hardcore, Happy Hardcore
CD Info: Hardcore Til I Die (2008)
CDs: 3 (three)
Length CD: +/+ 3 Hours
Tracks: 46 (fourty-six)
Label: Universal Music TV
Product Number: 1781171
More Information: ----------