Happy Christmas everyone! I hope today is a good day for you all, and you've got people around you who love you, and you share this day with all them and stay safe, showing the finger to COVID. And if you are into Hardcore music and you are a tad fucked up by the amount of Christmas tunes coming at you via your TV, radio, or social media, let me introduce you to 1994's Hardcore edition of the legendary Thunderdome CD compilation. A CD dedicated to Christmas. A concept so darn good, it slowly moved into obscurity soon after its release.
Now I must admit, Christmas Hardcore can sound absolutely awful. So horrible, it is cringeworthy bad. You would only listen to it once during the year, and it might be Christmas Day itself, you still feel sick inside. So bad. Such a cheese fest, but deep down inside you couldn't give a flying fuck. It's Christmas, and you want to have fun. Why not put a bit of Hardcore into the mix?
Stuff the turkey with some Hardcore music, and it should become slightly tastier. It could be that you are not a fan of Hardcore. In that case, please go somewhere else. If you do like Hardcore music, you might want to give this album a go. But I'm guessing you've already heard this album before, right? This is a well sought after album, if you are a Hardcore connoisseur. I don't know the exact amount of albums sold of this specific edition, but I do remember a few years down the line many requested a copy of this, seeing as it is as rare as a blue moon on a Tuesday afternoon.
You have to remember that this CD was released during the early years of Hardcore, and no one really knew which direction it was heading to. This could have been the big break, an opportunity. Sadly, it wasn't. Not many Christmas Hardcore CDs were released over the years, and I'm guessing that the reason behind it, is the fact that the music can be seen as cheesy. How cheesy you might ask? Well, just look at the tracklist, and you will know instantaneously how cheesy this CD was/is.
The Prophet - Sick Christmas
DJ Sim - What You Can Do For Others
Lenny Dee & Ralphie Dee - Brooklyn X-Mas
Donner & Blitzen - Frosty's Dance
Adropin Project by Genlog - Silent Night
Alec - Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Northpole Gangster - Bethlehem Riot
Critical Mass - Let's Be Jolly
Buzz Fuzz - ... And A Wappie New Year
The Silverbelly's - Santa Comes Tonight
Funny Gabber Freaks - A White X-Mas
Scott Brown - Megaloid
PCP - Holy Jungle Mess
Ilsa Gold - Euter Of Vienna
X-Mess - X-Bell
Simstim - Back To Bethlehem
Buzz Fuzz - Christmas Can Be A Bitch Sometimes
3 Steps Ahead - It's X-Mas
The Prophet - Gabba Bells
You see, just looking at the tracklist you can spot a similarity. The titles can be extremely cheesy. So wrong, but oh so right. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it's because of the fact that today is Christmas, and it is so suitable. The rest of the house are listening and watching TV, and I don't want to. I'd rather listen to Christmas tunes. Hardcore Christmas tunes to be precise,
It is nice to see that they tried in 1994 to make this work. Some big names do appear, like Buzz Fuzz, 3 Steps Ahead, The Prophet, Lenny Dee, DJ Sim, Critical mass, PCP, Scott Brown, Ilsa Gold, and more. Again, this was before Hardcore exploded, and became all around us. It was an experimental phase. And as funny and cheesy as it might have been, these producers probably did their best to make their tune as fucking hard as hard can be. And festive at the same time!
But are the tunes any good? Well, yes and no. Some tracks are so horrible, it makes your ears bleed. But on the other hand, some are just pure awesome. The Silverbelly's' song for example. Perfect record. Or what about X-Mess' 'X-Bell'? Limited Christmas influences, but still good enough to rave to during the festive season.
I only ever owned two Christmas Hardcore albums, this one, and the Rave The X-Mass CD. Both equally as good/bad. Depends on how cheesy you want your music to be. Do you want to rave hard? This might not be your thing. If you want to rave and have a laugh at the same time, and take life not so serious for roughly an hour? This might be your thing.
Merry Christmas everyone, and have fun! Stay safe. And don't forget: Christmas Hardcore, not just for Christmas. But awkward when played throughout the rest of the year.
Artist: Various Artists
Genre/Style: Hardcore, Gabber, Happy Hardcore, Breakbeat
CD Info: Thunderdome - The X-Mas Edition
Length CD: 01:7:31
Tracks: 19 (nineteen)
Release Year: 1994
Label: Arcade
Product Number: 9902234
Listen Here: Youtube Video
More Information: Thunderdome - Official Website