Today I've got a special mix for you all. Answer my next question with a simple 'yes' or 'no', and I will give you the answer immediately: do you like Happy Hardcore? If the answer is no, please leave this page right NOW! You read the title of this review, you saw the image, which includes the words 'Happy' and 'Hardcore', and you still answer no? How dare you? If you answering with 'hell yes', then you've come to the right place. But if you don't know what Happy Hardcore is, you've also come to the right place.
So, about this mix. It's mixed by Si Thompson, and it contains most records of Hardcore Underground latest Happy Hardcore CD which is called 'Happy Hardcore Underground Volume 2'. Their first instalment was released back in 2019, and this second instalment seems to hit all the targets: happy? Yes. Hardcore? Yes. 2021 twist to the sound? Yes. But what makes this album so special?
It is an unmixed, digitally acquired album only, and it's got the biggest UK Hardcore producers on it, like Fracus, Darwin, Jack In Box, Entity, Haywire, and more. And it's Happy Hardcore, what else is there to like? It's a fresh take on the much loved sound from the 90s, but made in the 20s. And without a shadow of a doubt, these producers know exactly how to make Happy Hardcore great again! It is like it has never left at all! Happy Hardcore lives on and on, it cannot die!
Si Thompson's mix, as mentioned, contains most of the records, and the question is: is the mix worth your time? Well, let's dive straight into the tracklist, and you know which records he mixed together in this 70 minute long mix:
Darwin & Jack In Box - Give Me The Sunshine (Intro Mix)
Fracus - I Got This
Fracus & Entity - Feel Alive
Daniel Seven - B The 1
Fracus & Haywire - Another Life (HHU2 Mix)
Darwin & Dy5on - Lights In The Sky
Fracus, 3Star & Projekt feat Haywire - I'll Be The One
Darwin & Jack In Box - Lovetoy (BK Edition)
Happy Tunes - Rushing On Pink Champagne (Jack In Box Remix)
DJ Evo -Coco's Return
Jack In Box & Darwin - Sometimes (HHU2 Mix)
Entity & Darwin - Retro Riddim (VIP)
Darwin & Jack In Box - Where I Belong
Fracus - Blatant Influence
Jack In Box vs Fracus - Nine Tea Four
Fracus & Darwin - Dance Tonight
Ravegenix - What You Need
Time Rhythm - Just Release Me
If you are an oldskool Happy Hardcore lover and you look at this tracklist and wonders who the hell these producers are, don't you worry my son: it is time for you to hear the next generation producers, those that are keeping the Happy Hardcore sound alive and kicking.
Is it Happy? Sure hell it is! The boys at Hardcore Underground have composed yet another wicked album, and it's one you should definitely check out. I am really impressed with Jack In Box, seen his name before, don't know who's behind it, but he surely knows how to make a wicked Happy Hardcore anthem (or two). Of course I know how good Fracus and Darwin are, and they don't need no introduction. Nor do Entity, Daniel Seven, Haywire, and the list goes on.
Si's mix is ok. Sometimes he's a tad too eager during his set. He makes jumps here and there, and cuts to the next record, when it's not needed. All in all a good mix, but maybe tone the eagerness down 1% and it should all be fine.
Without a doubt you hear the HU sound in most of these records, and they've all been anthems and a half, but which one stands out the most? It's the most messed up one: one that starts funny, and you feel that it's going to be a jokey record, but when it hits, it hits you hard: 'Coco's Return' by DJ Evo. Funny as hell, but when the piano bits kick in, there's no way of hiding: the breakbeat element takes over everything! Super anthem.
I do love so many things about these anthems: the piano sections, the vocals, the happiness... we need more of this!
Really impressed with the album and really enjoyed this mix.Worth checking out!
DJ: Si Thompson
Genre/Style: Happy Hardcore
Mix Info: Si Thompson - Happy Hardcore Underground Vol. 2 Mix
Length Mix: 01:08:35
Tracks: 16 (sixteen)
Download/Listen (via Soundcloud): LISTEN HERE
File Size: unknown
File Type: unknown
Release Year: 2021
Audio: Stereo
Sample Rate: unknown
More Information: Hardcore Underground - Official Website