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Hixxy - Be My Raverbaby

Author: 3D
Monday, February 23, 2009

Highly influential in the early-’90s happy hardcore scene and the mastermind behind the Raverbaby label, Hixxy is definitely one of the biggest players in the hardcore scene. In Sydney for Godspeed, 3D had a chat.

You’ve travelled the world putting on and playing shows, sold millions of records, and have been nurturing new talent for a decade; where does the motivation come from to keep expanding on what you’ve already laid down-
I’m really lucky to have had such a long love affair with the hardcore scene; the music and people in it still really excite me – so I find it easy to get involved with, and push forward with, as many different aspects as I can. Sometimes it can be hard trying to squeeze it all in the 24 hours a day I have; I can be working from 9am and not leave the office until 10pm if we have event stuff to organise, and on top of that try and squeeze in studio time, and gigs at the weekend… oh yeah, and sleep sometimes. I’m not complaining though my job is pretty damn cool.

Are you still consistently being impressed by breakthrough production-

Yeah, there are a lot of new producers who are breaking through at the moment, which is always a good healthy sign for any scene. Hardcore’s biggest problem is it needs more DJs, MCs and producers to break through but there just aren’t enough that seem to get that buzz out about them, like Re-con, Squad-e and Gammer have all done.

What has been catching your ear lately- Anyone we should be keeping a lookout for-

Technikore is definitely one to watch for; we are working on a few projects together for Raverbaby and I probably say Stylus & Audio Junkie.

From your time spent here, how have you found Australian audiences-
Dangerous! I love everything about the place, people and sounds. It’s amazing to get asked to come over and see that big tunes back home are also big over here. The crowd reaction, especially at Sydney, is always electric and the noise they make for you is something else which always makes the hairs on the back of my hair stand on end.

It’s renowned that you were once an avid hip hop listener. Can any of your production characteristics now be traced back to those days- Do you still get into hip hop-
Unfortunately probably not, hardcore and what was hip hop has evolved so much the two styles don’t have much common ground now so I’m not sure if the two styles would mix. I still get my hands on bits from the US whenever I can, and also luckily know quite a few of the UK boys in that scene so I’m always nicking CDs from them.

Technological advancement is always a hot topic amongst producers. Have you greeted the progression with open arms- Any thoughts you’d like to get across-
I love it now; it’s been made so much easier for producers and for new people to get into producing. It probably has helped more people try producing because it is a bit easier to pick up now. I personally found it all very daunting when I first started producing; there was so much to learn and even once I had learned how to use the kit, it still took me ages to produce a track.

What traits have the hardcore scene held consistently since you became involved- Has the vibe stayed the same, or has it evolved with into something different-
I think it’s definitely gotten louder; the crowd reactions and atmosphere have always been a massive part of it and it’s what makes this scene so unique.

WHO: Hixxy
WHAT: Plays Godspeed’s Eighth Birthday, Sydney Showground
WHEN: Saturday 7 March
MORE: powerhouseproductions.com.au

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