Stinger is a name with a huge repertoire. He has a ginormous history and contributed more to the hardcore and terror scene than most people would know. But why should we do the talking for him? Arjen, tell us more about yourself and take us on a journey!
“I started as a raver in the hardcore scene. What really contributed to my career is that I’m lucky to have met the right people, especially in my days as a raver. I have worked for a lot of big names in the scene. For example, I worked for RIGE back in the 90s. At that time, I did some small things for them at the Megarave Market at the legendary Energiehal for instance. I also worked for ISP, the organizers of the well-known Hellraiser events in Amsterdam. And finally I used to work in a record store with none other than DJ Akira.”
“Meeting Ian a.k.a. DJ Plague also helped my DJ career a lot! We both started around the same time playing at bigger events. And when he moved to the Netherlands, things really blew up big time!”
Rememberable parties
“At the time that I was still a raver, the first big parties I went to are the ones I remember the most. Think about events like Thunderdome, A Nightmare in Rotterdam, Megarave, Hellraiser 1993 (The Immortal Cosmos) and obviously the several Mystery Land events.”
“As a DJ, what really stands out are of course the bigger gigs I had at parties like Dominator, Masters of Hardcore and Thunderdome, during their 25th anniversary. Also the gigs I did overseas make me proud. But of course, I also had a great time at smaller events, both as a visitor and as an artist. Smaller events are (most of the time) more intimate and intense, that makes them special.”
Being unique in a ever-changing world
“I like to combine different styles and don't follow or copy the current trends. I could have made more popular styles like frenchcore, uptempo or raw, but I never wanted to. Not because I don’t like this music, but that’s just not it for me as an artist. I did work with people from these scenes, but I never made it a steady thing for myself.”
“I also don’t want to get stuck in one way of doing things. This is maybe one of the reasons why I didn’t build up a bigger fanbase, but I do not feel bad about that. Maybe I should’ve done things differently? Haha.”
“Nowadays I’m more into the old 909 sounding percussion, Juno synths and guitars. Mostly because I grew up with this sound. I can’t really identify with a lot of new stuff. There are several great artists doing amazing things, don’t get me wrong, but it's just not it for me.”
“For the future I really want to work with a lot more artists and do a terror anthem for a bigger event. Ah, and of course I will keep working on my CORE IN ONE label. I also like to stream DJ sets and I will be doing a lot of them in 2024. Keep an eye on my Twitch and YouTube channel to stay tuned!”
The connection with Speedcore Italia
“Recently I made the decision to sign at Speedcore Italia. I already know the people behind Speedcore Italia for quite some time and I really like the artists on the label and the people behind the scenes. So you can say, this was about to happen sooner or later.”
“Besides that, which label nowadays still does terror, speedcore and a bit of industrial on such a big scale? Sure there are bigger labels with terror artists in their roster, but that’s it pretty much. So the decision to sign here was easily made.”
Catch me at the party
“During events, I like to walk around and network with everybody. So during Deadtown, I will be between the people, but obviously I also go into the area to see who’s playing. And to the visitors of Deadtown, I want to say: have a great time, stay hydrated and keep looking for different styles. The more you like, the richer you get music-wise.”
Stinger will be playing during Deadtown 11. Do you want to see his first set as part of Speedcore Italia? Get your tickets now. Also, check out Stinger’s artist page for more information.