It's Tuesday today, and I was awake quite early. WFH had become my normal standard, but I needed something hard and rough to get me through the day. Obviously I can immediately go to Youtube and listen to some Splittercore, GPF Piep Kick core, or anything above 1000 BPM. The urge to go onto that path wasn't there, I did wanted to hear something hard, but yet with a lot of melody and harmony. What I did was, go to Youtube, and just clicked on first randomly generated video. And how funny is it, that this first one was a Tha Playah dedication mix, full of tracks by this legendary and mighty producer, all tracks from 2008 until 2014.The set can be found on a Youtube channel called 'HardSets, and it was mixed by the channel owner.
But come on, Tha Playah does not need an introduction. Much loved and appreciated producer and DJ in the Hardcore scene. He's been working hard over the years, and has earned his place on the mainstage. His sound and style is so refreshing, and certainly uplifting. A nose for producing. He knows what the crowd wants, and gives them everything their heart desires. Full on melodic Hardcore, what else would you want to hear?
The years selected for this dedication mix were the years I slowly started to appreciate Tha Playah more and more, but it was way before 2008 when I was first introduced to his sound. But definitely the 2008 to 2014 years were glorious, to say the least. During these years he released many dancefloor anthems. All loved and embraced by the raving community. And it's not just his own productions which have gained notoriety for being excellent, his collaborations with artists such as The Viper, Neophyte, Ophidian, Tommyknocker, Nosferatu, Promo, and many more, have all been fully embraced! The man has got talent, that's for sure.
And let's not forget the remixes he has made! Bloody hell, some of them are even better than the originals! And that says a lot. (you can picture me being a huge fan of him, and you are absolutely right!).
He might have embraced the Joker's facial make up/smile, but he's certainly not a joker! More like Batman, ruler of the Hardcore scene!
So which anthems did HardSets use for this appreciation mix? Well, these:
Tha Playah - On The Edge
Noisecontrollers - Unite (Tha Playah Remix)
Tha Playah & Nosferatu - Requiem Of The Fallen
Angerfist - Temple Of Disease (Tha Playah Remix)
Tha Playah & E-Life - Lead The Way (Harmony Of Hardcore 2013 Anthem)
Tha Playah - Walking The Line
Tha Playah - Why So Serious?
Hellsystem - Blood (Tha Playah Remix)
Tha Playah - Bling Bling (DJ D vs Nitrogenetics Remix)
Ophidian & Tha Playah - Illusions
Tha Playah - Hit 'em (Evil Activities vs The Viper Remix)
Mad-E-Fact - The Hustle (Evil Activities & Tha Playah - Wasted Minds 2014 Edit)
Promo & Tha Playah feat Snowflake - Open
Tha Playah - Bounce Back
Nosferatu & Tha Playah - Fade To Nothing
Tha Playah & Tommyknocker - The Easy Way
Tha Playah feat MC Alee - Menace To Mankind (Official Syndicate 2013 Anthem)
Tha Playah & Neophyte - Still Nr. 1
Tha Playah - Clockwork
Noize Suppressor & Tha Playah feat MC Rage - Victorious
Tha Playah & MC Alee - Always Right
Angels Of Darkness - Cold As Ice (Tha Playah Remix)
Tha Playah & Neophyte feat MC Alee - The Ultimate Project
Evil Activities & DJ Panic - Quiet Dedication (Neophyte & Tha Playah Remix)
Art Of Fighters - Artwork (Tha Playah Remix)
Evil Activities feat Panic & MC Alee - Never Fall Asleep (Tha Playah Remix)
Neophyte & Tha Playah - Snitcher!
Men Of Steel - The Future Is Ours (DJ Panic & Tha Playah Remix)
Tha Playah feat MC Tha Watcher - Eternal (Official Masters Of Hardcore 2014 Anthem)
The Viper & Tha Playah - Fearless
Tha Playah & Neophyte - I'm In A Nightmare
Neophyte & Tha Playah feat MC Alee - Tijdbom
Tha Playah - I Call The Shots (2012 Remix)
Tha Playah & Neophyte - Great Success
Tha Playah - My Misery
HardSets have selected a wicked bunch of Tha Playah tracks. Be it his own productions or remixes. But these do take me back to those glorious years. Sadly never saw Tha Playah perform, but I'm guessing it must be an experience, something you will talk to your grandkids about.
But on a serious note: if you have been to a rave where Tha Playah played, how was it? Must have been ace, right? Or is it even better than anything you have ever experienced? So jealous of everyone who have seem him. I'll just have to make do with this dedication mix, which in itself isn't a bad thing, right?
The tracks, well, no need to discuss them. Fucking solid. Hard as nails. True late Millennium/Early 10s Hardcore sound. And the good thing about this mix, is the realisation that some tracks are old! 2008 is 13 years ago! Think about that?! Some of these records sound so fresh, and like they were only made the other day, not 10+ years ago! Surreal that is.
The mixing is good, but there's room for improvement. Maybe too eager at certain moments. Not a bad mix, don't get me wrong, but tiny errors here and there. Would have been a 5 out of 5 if it was perfect.
Best track? That was difficult. Because my most favourite Tha Playah record is in this mix, but it's a remixed version of the original ('Bling Bling'). But I'll go for a quirky anthem 'Great Success'. When it was released, it meant nothing to me, but now it just feels right. Hard and funny, that's what I like (that sounds so wrong on so many levels).
DJ: HardSets
Genre/Style: Hardcore
Mix Info: Tha Playah - Best Hardcore (2008-2014)
Length Mix: 01:21:35
Tracks: 35 (thirty-five)
Download/Listen (via Youtube): CLICK HERE
File Size: unknown
File Type: unknown
Release Year: 2015
Audio: Stereo
Sample Rate: unknown
More Information: Tha Playah - Official Website