Innovative: Hardcore from The Hague to Brooklyn

Written by Mark Verhoeckx, December 2011

2011 was a good year for Bas Tetteroo and Frank Wirds. The duo behind Innovative finally received recognition for their hard work. The great Lenny Dee gave the likeable lads from The Hague the opportunity to release their musical work on the legendary label Industrial Strength Records and to develop themselves to become the ultimate industrial hardcore act for the future. Partyflock went to The Hague and talked with the two gentlemen about the land of limitless opportunities, Lenny Dee and their dreams for the future.

Let’s get to know each other. Who are you?

Frank: My name is Frank Wirds, I represent 50% of Innovative. I am 28 years old and I come from Rijswijk in The Netherlands. I produce music and work as a product specialist for an asset-management company. In that last capacity I worked and lived in New York for the greater part of this past year.

Bas: My name is Bas Tetteroo, I represent the other 50% of Innovative. I was born and raised in The Hague in The Netherlands.

In my daytime job I am a balloon arranger, and when I am not making balloon arrangements I help my colleagues in the party shop. After all, life is one great party!

How did you come up with the name Innovative?

Frank: First I would like to tell how the duo which would become Innovative was formed. Bas and I have been friends for more than ten years. If I remember correctly we met at Mysteryland 2000.

We have always been active in the hardcore music and party scene. Bas deejayed at various parties under the artist name Defile and I’ve released several tracks as The Negotiator.

I always listened to his earlier (unreleased) productions and visited his sets, and he visited mine. It all took off when Bas purchased a midi controller in 2007 and started experimenting with it one afternoon in my house.  We had so much fun that I purchased the exact same controller and we could double the fun.

By uploading more and more samples, kicks and loops, we discovered we had enough material for a 30 minute set. At that same time I had agreed (in cooperation with Z-Events) to host a venue as ‘The Negotiator’s birthday party’ at the good old AStA and so we decided that this would be our first live gig together.

Bas: We had been producing tracks for quite some time and since our live act and musical cooperation went so well we decided that we also wanted to produce music together. This was also a great impulse for our creativity, because we exchanged ideas and I needed someone who pushed me to finally finish the tracks I was working on.

Our name Innovative originates from two sources:

1. We suspected that the form in which we started performing was rather new and uncommon.

2: We had gradually started making tracks which were characterized by a lower number of beats than today’s hardcore. And our tracks also incorporated elements and rhythms from other styles such as house, techno and drum-‘n-bass.

We like to say our music has a lot of ‘swing’. Considering all this, we came up with the name Innovative.

Why did you decide to purely do this as a live act rather than a DJ act?

Bas: Since Frank spent most of this year abroad in the States, I did a DJ set at two gigs. However, I am more of a vinyl DJ and I do not yet master the art of deejaying with CDs. Turntables have become very hard to find at today’s parties, and our tracks have only been released in a digital format. Therefore we are working on a new act in which we try to combine modern deejaying with a live performance.

The great advantage is that this will enable us to play our own music and tracks of other artists as well. Working together is what we enjoy most, and that is the main thing.

Frank: Actually it has been a natural development. It started with fooling around with the controllers in the studio and eventually led to our first gig at the Asta. And I also must admit that deejaying is not my main strength. However, it is the most rewarding when we perform together and we really complement each other.

You are both quite experienced party freaks. What was it like to be on the other side all of a sudden?

Frank: You can say that again. I started listening to gabber music when I was 8 years old and started going to parties when I was 15. It is fun to see how things can develop over time, both relating to parties and how you experience them and relating to what you want to achieve. I still enjoy it and nothing beats the feeling that you get when you see other people dancing to your music. Nothing can be more rewarding than that.

At the same time it is sometimes hard to control the party freak in me, at times I just want to be in the audience and go crazy during our sets. Deep down, we are both still party freaks. At the latest edition of Harmony of hardcore we did our set and two hours later Armageddon Project vs Tymon had a gig in the same room. And of course we were in the front row, going crazy.

Bas: When I went to parties as a young brat, I looked up to my favorite artists. They were my heroes. As you grow older, this admiration fades and you start to see them more as normal human beings who are just doing something that they are good at. But they are still my heroes.

And now we stand there with them, which is of course great! It is awesome to see people go crazy to your music. Each gig is a boost to go on.

And I also still enjoy being in the audience when my heroes are on stage. Just like Frank said.

Recently you signed a deal with Industrial Strength Records, label of hardcore legend Lenny Dee. How did you meet him?

Yes we signed a deal with him and of course we are very proud of this! Actually it dates back to the time when Frank, as The Negotiator, and his partner Wesley (Partyraiser) released No Negotiations on Industrial Strength Records in 2006. Back then Wesley was the main contact, but of course I (Frank) also met Lenny at parties. And I saved his e-mail address.

When we had finished 5 tracks of which we both agreed that they really reflected our personal sound, we knew that there was only one label which was open-minded enough to release them. Also, we really liked the other styles that have been released on this label over the years.

Just before we wanted to send our tracks, N-Vitral had seen our performance at Harmony of hardcore, and he was very enthusiastic. We asked him which would be the best label for our tracks. And the first name he came up with was Industrial Strength Records.

The rest is history. I sent an e-mail to Lenny saying he would soon receive our demo.

Less than two weeks later Lenny replied saying “Luv it!” and he proposed a release date. I can guarantee you that this did not go unnoticed by my colleagues at the office.

Bas: I also enjoyed that I could show my parents that all those years of messing about on my kick drums finally paid off. They have put up with my "noise" for years, but it was for a good cause.

What is it like to work with Lenny Dee?

In one word? It is great! After all, the man is a living legend. He worked from a country where hardcore was a very small scene and he just kept going. For this alone he deserves deep respect, given his eventual contribution to the hardcore scene. To me it is therefore a great honor that my music will be released on his label.

The role of Lenny's wife Jules should not be underestimated either. She is one of the driving forces behind the label and she is a great help on the non-musical side.

We learn a lot from Lenny’s feedback on the tracks we give him. He gives us total freedom regarding the direction we want to take with our tracks. He never intends to leave his personal mark on our tracks, but he always gives useful feedback about the musical arrangement of the tracks etcetera.

Frank spent some time in New York for his job this year. This gave him the opportunity to go into the studio with Lenny to produce a track together. The energy and drive of this man when he talks about hardcore, plays it and listens to it are an inspiration.

Frank: I have a nice anecdote about Lenny. I first started producing music after an ex-girlfriend had given me the ‘Magix Music Maker by Lenny Dee’ cd-rom as a Christmas gift. This was the start of my passion for producing music. And now, more than ten years later, there I was on a Saturday afternoon in a studio in Brooklyn with Lenny Dee himself to produce a banger track together. This is what I call ‘the full fucking circle'!

The first few minutes in the studio I had to pinch myself. Is this for real? But as soon as you start with that first beat, you are working together with the same goal and you forget that you are working with a celebrity.

Talking about producing, I listened to your latest digital release and it sounds great and varied. How do you stay innovative?

Frank: Thanks for the compliment and for noticing the variation. It’s very important for us that our tracks are varied. We do not want people to know exactly what they can expect when they listen to our tracks for the first time. Ideally, a track should have a good inner drive, regardless of the track's pace and the influences incorporated in the track.

Bas: In our tracks we try to combine elements from different styles with the 'hardcore sound'. I think this makes the music more interesting. Hardcore is more than just straightforward beats, and we try to express this in our tracks.

Frank: Exactly, we produce what we want to produce and do not limit ourselves to a certain pace or genre. Of course our tracks do have a certain style origin, which you could call industrial hardcore.

The track ‘Lost’ on our latest EP is a good example. It begins with a techno drive, then a female (house like) vocal, then a very cool dub-step break, followed by a more mainstream melody line, which is considered tricky by many, but with a typical Innovative kick drum.

We particularly discussed the melody line as this is a ‘love it or hate it’ part of the track for many people in the industrial scene. But it is moments like this that we think, 'Fuck it, we are Innovative so we do things different than what you might expect'. This is not because we want to be arrogant, we just want to be different. We are convinced that this track will be a success on the dance floor.

Frank, you’ve spent quite some time in the US for your job lately. Apparently the hard-dance/hardcore scene is very much alive over there. Did you notice that as well?

Yes that’s right. I will return to New York within a couple of days,  but as of 22 December I will be back in the Netherlands where we will start working on our new act!

But, returning to your question, I must say that New York was a bit disappointing. Of course this is entirely based on my personal experience. There are enough clubs that play techno and house. And I heard some dubstep in both Boston and New York. I think that the releases of David Guetta with leading US pop artists have opened up the dance scene in the States. I am glad that this has happened, because until recently US nightlife was mainly dominated by R&B and rock music. I think that the combined releases by Guetta have made the gap smaller.

During my stay I went to several parties in Brooklyn. Matt (Satronica) and Lenny both had several gigs in Latin America and also some gigs in nearby states. I also went to a party in Brooklyn where Lenny Dee and Frankie Bones performed. And it was awesome! There was a true underground vibe and everyone was totally ‘into the music’. The whole experience gave me a Club r AW-feeling. All types of music were played in various DJ sets. Progressive house, techno up to a smashing set by Lenny. Lenny’s set started with hard techno and ended with NYC speedcore. Anything was possible, the crowd went bezerk! This is a big difference with most parties in the Netherlands, because no matter how you put it, we are spoilt over here with all the parties that are organized.

You have two digital releases now, what is your view on the digital era?

Bas: Nothing beats the feeling of having something tangible such as vinyl or a cd, therefore we are thrilled that one of our tracks is on the QORE 3.0-cd. The digital era does open more doors for new talent. And there is so much new talent out there! It also offers artists more freedom, because you can now market your work at lower costs. And you no longer have to buy a whole record if you like just one track. I will never throw away my records because of the nostalgia and good memories attached to them. For me, mp3s or wav-files do not have the same sentimental value. But in the end it is all about the music. And when the music is good, it’s good regardless of whether it is released as mp3, wav or on vinyl.

Frank: Nothing beats the feeling of holding a real vinyl record in your hands when your track is released. Regarding the low start-up costs I only partly agree with Bas. It is true that it offers more opportunities for talented people, but because the costs are so low and everyone can set up an internet label, a lot of crap enters the market as well.

A big advantage, on the other hand, is that you can reach a much bigger target group.

Also, thanks to the digital era, modern techniques and specific equipment, the possibilities are almost endless. And this makes it great fun to work on our new act. Hopefully the audience will be just as excited as we are.

Who are your examples? Who do you look up to?

Bas: Our prime example is the Armageddon Project! I don’t think I have to explain that. The records they made have been so important for the further development of industrial hardcore. They were new, fresh and super cool. And I also want to mention Promo with his Files, Marc Acardipane and his PCP records and the older stuff by Nosferatu and Endymion.

And The Outside Agency, Mindustries, Ophidian,N-Vitral, Broken Rules make nice records as well.

Frank: Besides Lenny there are too much names to mention, but that is a cliché. Armageddon Project is also my number one example. In my opinion, the releases of these guys, and currently just Matteo, are all high-quality tracks. Off course, taste is personal, but this is really how I see it. Their tracks have a lot of depth and variation. And so far, no-one has been able to match the drive of their kicks. I also have a lot of respect for Promo. Together with Ophidian he is the most versatile producer.

Within the more mainstream hardcore I've always been a great fan of Nosferatu, as a producer and as a DJ. But this was mainly in the days of the Gangsta/SIN releases. Other artists that I admire for their own specific sound are The Outside Agency, Broken Rules, N-Vitral and Mindustries. So, you see that we have a similar taste for music, which is positive for our cooperation.

All artists have something that they are particularly proud of. What do you consider your main achievement so far?

Bas: I am particularly proud of our gig at P.O.R.N. This was the first time that we combined our own tracks with our live act. The venue was full and the audience simply went bezerk. Our best festival gig was Harmony of hardcore. This festival has everything that a good festival should have, and it is great to fill one of the tents with your own act.

Frank: I would like to mention two achievements of which I am proud for totally different reasons. Harmony of Hardcore 2011 was great. It is a great festival which has advanced rapidly in recent years. Armaggedon Project was one of the headliners of this festival. To be in the same line-up with them was a dream come true in itself. But on top of that, there was a huge audience for our set which made it a great experience.

And I would also like to mention Audio Active. Although we were still relatively unknown, we were booked to do our live act in Paard van Troje in The Hague, and this is a place which holds many memories for us. The sound was good, and the response from the audience during and after the gig made it a memorable performance.

What are your plans and dreams for the future?

We have so many dreams and plans. The most concrete plan for the future is the release of new tracks. The track that we produced with Lenny will be released in 2012 on Industrial Strength Records.

And we are still working on a track for the Industrial Trauma compilation series, following the first album that was released in 2011. And of course we are working on many more tracks which will be released in 2012.

And we are renewing our live act, so be prepared for a totally new gig. We are looking forward to Hacking the Machine on 24 February in Rotterdam, where we will do our new act for the first time. From January 2012 on, we’ll start a new podcast “An Innovative Month Mix”, which each month will be a mix of classic industrial hardcore bangers and newly released tracks. The podcast can be checked out @ http://www.rave-o-lution.nl/index.php/online-mixes.html.

Frank: We have many dreams. I love the festival season and I would love to perform our new act at all of the larger festivals. If I have to mention one in particular, my first choice would be Club r_AW. I could not attend the first edition because I was in New York, but I liked the basic idea of QORE 3.0. I could not be there, but one of our tracks did make it onto the compilation album of the party so that was a big consolation.

Bas: I don’t think that we will ever make it to number one in the top 40, so my biggest musical dream has already come true: a release on a renowned label! And I also dream of playing at the parties and festivals that Frank mentioned. And once we have performed at all of these festivals, we just dream on.

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