I am not from Rotterdam. You might not be able to 'hear', but if you were to speak to me, you could hear that I speak with a softly spoken voice, and the emphasis is on the letter G, which is soft. Compared to the people from Rotterdam and that side of the Netherlands, their letter G is spoken a bit more harder, rougher. But I do have a connection with Rotterdam, as I have family who lives there. But I've never been partying in Rotterdam, especially at what is known to the gabber community, as the gabber temple of Europe: de Energiehal.
I know of its existence. Well, before it was demolished. And I had a quick look on Wikipedia, and this place has got a rich history. Opened in 1995, closed in 1999, To the people who know de Energiehal, they know its history, but to me, a gabber, I know the place because of the music and the legacy surrounding this place. Especially the raves that took place there. But let's not underestimate the tunes that were made, which fit the atmosphere of the venue extremely well.
A hall is always best to have raves in. The atmosphere and the reverberating sounds just makes the music stand out even more. According to a few documentaries I've seen, the sound was like a wall of sound coming at you. And the songs played at this location suited that feeling extremely well.
Imagine having a wall of sound coming at you! That's just insane, right?
It became the place to go to, if you wanted your Hardcore fix. It didn't last long, as it was demolished before the Millennium hit. But every story I hear and read, underlines the importance of this specific location to the raving community, especially those who lived in or surrounding Rotterdam, or who just went to this place to experience what ravers experienced. Word of mouth spreads quickly, right?
I was too young, and only started raving in 1998. Before I had the chance, it was taken down. But at least we've got the music, that resonated in de Energiehal. This CD was released in 1997, and I have seen this one before. Someone only uploaded it onto Soundcloud the other day, so I thought I'd jump on it, as I really like the music that's on this disc.
United Gabbers Of Rotterdam - The Intro
Holy Noise - The Nightmare (Power Mix)
Euromasters - Noiken In Die Koiken (Hoi)
Bald Terror - Drummachine (Remix)
DJ Rob & MC Joe - The Beat Is Flown (R'dam Most Wicked Remix)
King Dale - Fuck Face (Too Fast For Mellow Remix)
Lenny Dee vs DJ Paul - Anti-Procrastination
Neophyte vs Bodylotion - The Mix
Neophyte - Komen Wij Uit Rotterdam
Neophyte - Recession
Bodylotion - Mellow Moenie Mauwe
Eraserhead - Life Is A Mystery (Forze DJ Team Remix)
Darrien Kelly & Scott Brown - Geleihoofd
Nightraver - We Are From Rotterdam
Bass Reaction - Technophobia (Original Mix)
Hardhead - Tu Tu Tu (Gabber Mix)
Rotterdam Terror Corps - Megarave (Z-Vago Remix)
Bass D & King Matthew versus Distortion & MC Raw - Raveworld
Dr Z-Vago - Big Decision
Rotterdam Terror Corps - In De Energiehal Mix
Rotterdam Terror Corps - We're Gonna Blow Your Mind
Rotterdam Terror Corps - The Horror
Rotterdam Terror Corps - We Are The Gabbers
Rotterdam Terror Corps - Sound Of Madness
Rotterdam Terror Corps - Hardcore Motherfuckers
United Gabbers Of Rotterdam - The Power Of Rotterdam
I don't know what happened, but the tracklist didn't come out the way I wanted it to be. Click here to see the tracklist and the correct numbering sequence.
I've been listening to this CD from 6am, and I'm feeling the Rotterdam vibes coming at me. I might not have been from Rotterdam, but you can clearly distinctively tell a record was released on one of Rotterdams many labels, or was hugely influenced by the sound coming out of the scene in R'dam. They had this sound, a bit rougher and tougher. A bit more on the Housier side. But yeah, it was distinctively Rotterdam-ish.
I was a fan of the music coming out of Rotterdam, It wasn't always the finest kind of music, but it got people on the dancefloor. A great example of that is 'Noiken In Die Koiken'. Or 'Mellow Moenie Mauwe'. They were even known by those that didn't like Gabber music. But they were funny songs.
On this disc there are a few mixed together records, and a few unmixed songs. I do love the Neophyte vs Bodylotion mix, and the RTC one too, but it's the standalone records that do more to me. And of course did I pick 'Raveworld' as my favourite. Come on, it's an easy choice.
Not a fan of 'Fuckface' or 'The Power Of Rotterdam'. Or 'Tu Tu Tu'. Not the finest songs that came out of Rotterdam.
That's enough Rotterdam for me. A nice CD to have, and it's got some classics on it. ''Komen Wij Uit Rotterdam''? You might, not me mate!
Did they know the place was going to be demolished only 2 years later?
Artist: Various Artists
Genre/Style: Hardcore, Gabber, Happy Hardcore
CD Info: The Best Of The Energiehal
Length CD: 01:15:29
Tracks: 18 (eighteen)+
Release Year: 1997
Label: E-hal Records
Product Number: HAL 001
More Information: n/a