Producer's Diary: Writing the Hamburg Hardcore Anthem

I originally wrote the Hamburg Hardcore Anthem back in 2020 - in the midst of the lockdown.
It became a sleeper hit, was shared all over the world, and now there's even a remix album and music video.

So, how did this track come to be?
As the name says, it's an anthem for the hardcore techno sound of Hamburg. And I think this city really has a distinct sound to it.
So let's get the low down started.

1. The Drum

There's always a certain type of drum I associate with Hamburg parties, and you will know it if you went to the earlier Nordcore or Resident E events.
Reverberated, bass-heavy and of course heavily distorted. Yes, this goes for a lot of "Gabber drums", but it's colder, more metallic, monotonous in Hamburg. These ain't drums to enjoy yourself at a festival to. These are kicks to go insane in a smoke filled squat basement to.

2. The Hoover

A driving force in many tracks.
But in Hamburg, the hoovers were no longer connected to their bouncy / happy hardcore roots. They were as driven as the rest of the machinery.
Inspiration here were tracks like "Dead Man" by Nordcore, or the Industrial Terror Squad, which were on heavy rotation at Hamburg Speedcore parties.

4. The Synth Melody.

This city always has a taste for melody in its tracks. And that really stood out in the 90s, were most tracks were either drums+hoovers+pop samples on the more commercial side, or sheer noize on the other end.
The melody I used was a nod to "Attached" on Fisch 17, Zekt - Barracuda (not a direct reference, but northern cold, too) and multiple other tracks.

4. The Rave Signal

Oldschool Hardcore was always a player in the city. But also throw-backs to Oldschool sounds by more modern producers.
And this is what these sonar sounds are about.

5. The Acidline

Acidcore was also played out a lot in this doomed megalopolis. Just check some of DJ Dean's recorded sets (before he switched the Gabber life with that of Hard Trance).

6. The Percussion

Not a 909. Because the triangle of German Hardcore cities, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Berlin, often ignored the 909 (unlike the likes of Rotterdam, New York, and Milwaukee).

7. The Vocals

Sh-sh...! Can you keep a secret?
I didn't re-record the vocals for the track... instead I cut them out of my own voice in the intro to the Hamburg Hardcore Radio show. Which first aired 20 years earlier.


So, as you can see, I tried to mix up a bunch of very different styles that defined the Hardcore Techno scene and parties right here.
In an attempt to create a true anthem for the Hardcore Sound of Hamburg!