At Masters of Hardcore 2017, long-standing pioneer Outblast closed an awe-inspiring chapter of his life and ceased his career as a DJ and producer. He stepped onto the Masters of Hardcore mainstage one last time and he said farewell to his fans and colleagues during his tremendous final performance. 5 years later, we were beyond proud to welcome this legend back for an ‘Exclusive Resurrection’ performance at the 25th anniversary of Masters of Hardcore. We decided to have a little chat with the man himself about his exclusive reappearance on stage.
5 years ago you decided to cease your career as a DJ and producer, and gave your final performance as Outblast at the 2017 edition of Masters of Hardcore. What did this moment mean to you?
It meant the world to me! I was a Masters of Hardcore artist for over 20 years and there was no question where I had to end my career. It had to end it where it all started.
What made you decide to do an ‘Exclusive Resurrection’ set at this year’s edition of Masters of Hardcore?
To be honest I really doubted and my first reaction was no. Personally I am not a fan of artists who endlessly keep on quitting and returning. I feel it’s better to burn out than to fade away ;). But of course, you only celebrate 25 years once and when your inboxes flood with messages and requests you feel honored. I had to act on the wish of those people and of course I needed to show my gratitude to Masters of Hardcore.
You have had a long and prosperous career as a DJ and producer, can you tell us more about the role Masters of Hardcore has played throughout your career?
The founders of Masters of Hardcore, Bass-D & King Matthew, discovered me when I just started producing. They helped me greatly by putting out my first tracks and they taught me a lot about the industry. From there I evolved in the studio and at the same time got more involved as a creative mind and A&R manager. Masters of Hardcore was the essential foundation throughout my career and gave me the opportunity to grow as an artist and as a man.
I think it is safe to say Masters of Hardcore has been a big and important part of your life. How did you see Masters of Hardcore evolve in the past 25 years?
Masters of Hardcore started in 1995 as a small underground club event in Zaandam and I visited those events as a die-hard hardcore fan. When all the major players left hardcore to die because there was no money in it, Masters persisted in their mission to protect and serve hardcore music. The club event evolved into a stadium event and from there into the most important hardcore gathering in the world.
Now, with major event in the Netherlands, countless tours all over the globe and the biggest hardcore record label known, Masters is indeed the world’s leading hardcore brand. In contrary to other big events, Masters of Hardcore is serving the scene since its birth, year in year out and in that perspective is the longest living hardcore event in the world.
Can you share your story about your first ever performance at Masters of Hardcore?
That dream became reality on the 30th of September 2000. Until that date I did my sets in my own bedroom and small underground youth centers all over the Netherlands. Bass-D called me and told me I deserved a spot on the line-up.
I had to open the night and although he didn’t force me anything, he did advise me to be smart in my record choices. In those days hardcore deejays had a wider gamma of hardcore styles to fit their needs and there weren’t that many ‘specialisms’ as we have nowadays. I remember I played a set starting with some slower Underground Construction records, gently moving to Miro, Horrorist, my own track ‘Communication’ and Acardipane stuff. From there we moved to B-side gems from the big Dutch and Italian labels. Bass-D complimented me afterwards and told me it was the perfect start of the night. I seriously looked up to him (and still do) and I was so proud.
What is your best Masters of Hardcore memory?
Oh my god, that’s a tough one because there are so many!
My debut in 2000, ‘The Freakz come out at night’ edition in 2001 where ‘Masters Symphony’ was released and of course ‘The Voice of Mayhem’ in 2010 together with my hardcore brother Danny (Angerfist) are some of those unbelievable memories. Another very special memory is the ‘Underground Vendetta’ edition in Beursgebouw. For that event Bart (Catscan) and I teamed up under our ‘Base Alert’ alias and produced ‘Zoo’. Actually ‘Zoo’ was the very first Masters of Hardcore anthem but not officially named anthem in the title. Bart and I always complemented each other in the studio and had a unique connection. When we finished ‘Zoo’ we were in ecstasy and we knew this track was a very special one. That same feeling of hardcore euphoria that we experienced in the studio took over the people who visited ‘The Underground Vendetta’ in 2004. What happened that night when I played ‘Zoo’ live was something out of this world.
At how many Masters of Hardcore editions have you played?
All of them from 2000 till 2017 and 2022.
What is your all time favorite Masters of Hardcore anthem and why?
I think the most well known and ‘biggest’ is the ‘Voice of Mayhem’ which Angerfist and I produced in 2010. The impact of that track was beyond imagination. Like always, Danny and I produced that track in 5 full days… 3 of those days included around the clock FIFA sessions, the 4th day the track was produced and the 5th day I always had to leave early because we got sick of each other’s jokes (or was it only him getting sick of mine?? I can’t remember LOL).
In my opinion the most ‘underrated’ and best-produced anthem is ‘Eternal’ by Tha Playah in 2014. It is not that people didn’t like that anthem, but I feel it should have been embraced more intensely. The emotion, skill, creativity and diversity in that track, can only be done by the grand master Jim.
What is your ‘Magnum Opus’?
5 years ago I ended my career with the track ‘Die Hard’ and teamed up for one last time with Angerfist. I guess that, as my last track and the message that it holds, this is my magnum opus. For the breakdown I sampled the speech of Kobe Bryant (may he rest in peace), which he did when he ended his career. The speech had so many reference points to my career and fitted the track perfectly.
We think everybody would like to know the answer to this question: can we expect more from Outblast after this performance?
Never say never but I would advice you to expect absolutely nothing. I did this one time for my hardcore family and only to celebrate 25 years of Masters of Hardcore.
Last but not least – any final words for those who are reading this?
By the end of the last century all hope was gone and all the acclaimed ‘leaders’ left our hardcore to die. Masters of Hardcore refused to accept defeat and became the last stronghold for DJ’s, artists and true hardcore believers. From the ashes we created a new world of hardcore, stronger than ever before.
As years pass by, the facts of hardcore history fade. Pass the Masters of Hardcore legacy on to the next generation and tell them to pass it on to the generation after them.
It was an honor to enter the stage for just one more time.
You are the best!
Marc
Thank you to Outblast for this interview, and of course for his spectacular performance at Masters of Hardcore – Magnum Opus. We will certainly remember it for years to come!
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