BnB Review: Two Decades Of Hardfloor

Written by Youri Jozee

Acid -

Acid dons Hardfloor have been rocking the 303 for two decades, which is celebrated in the form of this 3xCD package chug-full of Hardfloor classics. Let’s put it to the test…

First, let’s take a brief look at the duo’s past. Hardfloor members Ramon Zenker and Oliver Bondzio met in ’91, after which they went on to drop a huge batch of acid-fused techno tunes on labels such as Sven Vath’s Eye Q and Harthouse. Among their most notable releases is the Acperience EP, a nasty grooving chunk of acid that grew out to become an industry classic in the early nineties. However, Hardfloor is far from a 90s artifact, as they’ve continued to release EPs on a variety of labels, while also indulging in remixing artists such as Depeche Mode, Yello and New Order.

Now let’s take a closer look at this package. Although it does not feature any track from their most recent album Two Guys, Three Boxes, we do get two previously unreleased cuts in the form of Eternal Tweak and T.D.O.H. Individually, the three discs do not differ very much from each other, as they each shift from raw, analog acid to techno-fused cuts and even some electro swirls here and there. In other words, let’s focus on this release as a whole. The first and most important question is: ‘is it any good?’. Yes. Yes it is. In fact, if you’re an acid head (like us), then this one is not to be skipped. Now you may think that the acid sound is pretty limited, as it usually revolves around the typical bass noise extracted from the 303 and filthy 909 beat sequences, but this release proves that this isn’t necessarily true. Some tracks lean on fast-paced, techno-styled grooves (Strikeout, Hardfloor Will Survive, Tugger) others are more downtempo (Frozen Spotlight, Dubdope), but the far majority draws on that merciless acid house sound from the early 90s. And that brings us to the biggest strength of this release: on each track, Hardfloor manages to add unique twists to the extremely hard rocking 909 drums and the twitchy yet melodic 303 bass, with the end result being a collection of totally awesome, sharp-edged basement rockers covered in dirt. Just as we like it.

Our verdict:
This is the kind of music they’ve invited the stroboscope for: It’s manic, raw, tinitus-inducing but first and foremost it’s made for clubbers to go ape on. Hardfloor has provided a superb overview of their best tracks of the past two decades and while not each track may have the winning formula, the majority is just very much worth listening to. Top stuff.

Hardfloor presents 20 - Two Decades of Hardfloor by Carousel PR

Rating: 8.2/10
Label: Hardfloor
Release date: June 13^th, 2011

Tracklist:
CD 1:
01. Trancescript
02. Murano
03. So What!?
04. Strikeout
05. Skill Shot
06. Groupie Love
07. The Trill Acid Theme
08. Alphabetical
09. Fish & Chips
10. Who Spends Money On Candygirls & Chocolate
Chips?
11. Dog In The Manger

CD 2:
01. Reverberate Opinion
02. Melorec
03. T 2 Da C (Tribute)
04. Da Revival
05. ....Me too
06. Into The Nature
07. Dubdope
08. Extra Ball
09. Acperience 1
10. Cube ²
11. Eternal Tweak (Previously unreleased)

CD 3:
01. Soulful Spirit
02. Itz Not Over
03. Hardfloor Will Survive featuring Phuture 303 (Club Mix)
04. Lost In The Silverbox
05. Devils & Donuts
06. Frozen Spotlight
07. Tugger
08. Mahogany Roots
09. Confuss
10. T.D.O.H. (Previously unreleased)
11. Industrial Raze