Promo | Thunderdome 2024 | Omega

Martin van Zeelandt / TCD
2 days ago
3 min read

A true Hardcore fan will know Thunderdome, and will also know the legendary location in Antwerp, called 'Sportpaleis Antwerpen'. It has held some amazing events back in the day, and for the die-hard fanatic, we've all devoured Thunderdome - Global Hardcore Nation, the actual live CD. Or is that just me? They've had some amazing events over the years, and last year, they had the honour of having Thunderdome, stretched over two days: Omega and Alpha. And the Omega side was solely focussed on the early stuff, which is my cup of tea.

Alpha was more focussed on the 'newer' stuff, but give me Omega all day, every day! Franky Jones, Rob & MC Joe, Critical Mass, Buzz Fuzz, Leviathan, Panic & The Viper, Marc Acardipane, Ruffneck, Bass-D, Neophyte & Tha Playah, Ophidian, Lenny Dee, The Darkraver, and of course the main man, DJ Promo. A huge fan from the early days, I cannot resist seeing anything Promo related on Soundcloud or YouTube. And I'm blessed to have his Thunderdome 2024 set on both platforms.

To return to such a magical place must have been amazing. I am jealous of those who witnessed either Omega or Alpha sets. Tickets sell out quicker than ever before. But that's for good reasons. Thunderdome is just dope AF. And they've been pushing the boundaries since day one. I do appreciate they give new artists a platform to perform their skills on, but I am one of those fans who reverts back to the 90s, when all these artists dominated my life. And of course the Hardcore scene. And Promo has been a top notch DJ and producer since day one. Obvious choice to have him perform.

What did he play? Well, only the best!

Bountyhunter - Whoops w/ Jones & Stephenson - The First Rebirth (Mashup)
Promo - The First Rebirth
Promo & X-Ess - Vicious Circle
Promo - King Of Pain
The Masochist - Killing Scum (Promo Meets Shaolin Mix)
Catscan - The Agency
Promo - Patterns In Chaos
Hardcore Borthers - Lost Minds
Promo - Among The Best
G-Shock - Demons (Promo Remix)
Promo - I Come Correct
Promo feat Digital Boy - Serious Damage
Promo - Airwalker (OMI Remix)
Promo - Phreak Ya Speaka (N-Vitral Re-Phreak)
Promo - Cold As Stone
Promo - Falling In Love (With Music) (Gabber Mix)
Promo - Cheating Bitch
Promo - Wayz Of The Underground
Promo feat Brian Acardy - Beat Ya Brain Again
Promo - Shut Up!

What a fantastic set. He always delivers, never disappoints. Promo is always the king, not just of pain, but of Hardcore. Come on, name me one individual who had this much success with at least 95% of their back catalogue, and whose tracks can be considered classics. Not many come close. Promo is ahead of them all, by a mile.

He's the obvious choice to have a set at Thunderdome. Only a few days ago did I review his and Catscan's opening set at last year's Thunderdome, which was an epic set, but this one is even better. More Promo, the better.

The tracks are solid as a rock. Not so much 'Airwalker', but the same logic applies here: it might have been because Thunderdome took place near Christmas. But it's not Promo's best song. But that's the only negative when it comes to Promo. The biggest negative, is the MC. Holy Christ, is he annoying. I still wonder why we have MCs just blurting out lines when no one needs them. A set like this one does not need any MCs: the crowd knows the songs, as they are all made by a legend himself. And the MC just ruins it a lot. Shouting ''DJ Promo'' does not help: everyone knows who's behind the decks. Can we just stop having MCs? They are as useless as toe fungus.

Sorry for the short rant, but MCs aren't needed. You only need DJ Promo and his awesome back catalogue. And big ass speakers. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh, and of course wicked lights. Stroboscopes. But you know what I'm saying.

I'm going out on a limb here, and I'm going to give 'Demons' the title of best record in this set. Pure banger, no nonsense. Promo's filthiest record (in this set). I truly love it.

Can't give it 5 out of 5. The MC is just boring AF.