- In Scotland, as the old rave slogan goes, hardcore never dies. Long after the various strains of UK hardcore reached their mid-'90s peak, Scotland persisted in its love of hurtling breakbeats, hoover synths and chipmunk vocals. A new generation, you could argue, is still working through that legacy, which surely informs the oftentimes rhythmically frenetic work of the Numbers and LuckyMe crews. Further north, Clouds have cut 'n' shut vintage hardcore with abrasive modern influences from across the spectrum of IDM, techno and industrial.
This compilation is curated by Clouds (Calum MacLeod and Liam Robertson) and ostensibly brings together tracks by their mates from Perth and Dundee, but you wouldn't be surprised to learn that I Care Because You Don't was the work of Clouds themselves. It certainly sounds like them, albeit in a slightly more playful and experimental mood.
The boisterous, eclectic tone is nailed in an early run of tracks. "Berzerkerz (Hardcore Young Team)" is a piece of rolling-breaks, rave pastiche, throughout which a sampled voice complains, ironically, "and that's the reason why the hard stuff's played too much." More surprisingly, "Let's Bone 2 Drone" is a beatless sonic meltdown, while Clouds' own "Blood Skating" is typically brutal. In three tracks, you skip from cheeky humour through laptop-noise to fierce dance floor functionality—without, it must be said, much in the way of gravitas or fresh ideas. Indeed, from the proto-jungle mimicry of "Berzerkerz (10 Pound Banger Mix)" to the rhythmic helter-skelter of "Fantasy Fire Bitch"—part Kid 606, part Aphex Twin—these tracks are wild and confrontational, but only within what are, by now, cosily familiar parameters. The edges are serrated on these tracks and the sound design is harsh, but there is no genuine threat or sense of revelation in this OTT nostalgia for an unremembered past. I Care Because You Don't is rollicking good fun, but entirely risk-free.
Tracklist01. DJ Hesburger - Roll Up Your Sleeves, Welcome to the Dance
02. Space Yourself! - Maximum Respect Goes Out To You All
03. Pure Genius Kang - Turtleneck X
04. Dance Company - Berzerkerz (Hardcore Young Team)
05. Boa Dona An Taus - Let's Bone 2 Drone
06. Clouds - Blood Skating
07. Pleasure Quest - Gubbed
08. General. Oscillator - Medieval Polyphonic Ringtone
09. DJ Bandit - Msn Hype
10. Space Runner JP - Nissan Diesel
11. Unidentified Fleeing Object - Flesh Gordon
12. Clouds - Don't Sweat The Technique
13. Jane - Fuck Your Alliance
14. Dance Company - Berzerkerz (10 Pound Banger Mix)
15. Space Runner JP - Fantasy Fire Bitch
16. An Introduction to Fantasy - ¥1,100,000,000