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Hardfloor (Germany)
Acid, House and Techno changed the landscape of the German music scene ever since the end of the eighties. Producer Ramon Zenker (born 11.11.1969) and DJ Oliver Bondzio (born 7.29.1976) were ahead of this new movement right from the start. In 1991 they formed Hardfloor and had their first success with the release Once Again Back/Drug Overlord on the well-known label Eye Q. Only a few months later Hardfloor released their Hardtrance Acperience EP on Sven V￤thﾴs cult status label Harthouse. This EP made them famous for their innovative sound far beyond European boundaries, the song Acperience 1 , which even made its way into the UK charts, is still one of the milestones of Techno culture. Only one year later the first long player TB Resuscitation was released, followed by other great and successful Albums such as Respect (1994), Homerun (1996), Best of Hardfloor (1997) and All Targets Down (1998). In 1998 the popular label K7 released their tenth X-Mix-Compilation called Jack The Box . K7 managed to persuade Hardfloor to do the track listing and mixing of this album. On this compilation Oliver and Ramon present tracks that have influenced them the most, especially sound wise. This sound is called Acid House and the instrument that comes to mind immediately is the TB 303 built by Roland. The TB 303 is the centre of the Hardfloor Sound, but breakbeats and Trip-Hop elements spice up the audio experience of Hardfloor, finally resulting in the separate project called: dadamnphreaknoizephunk . Hardfloor managed to gather a huge fan base in the land of the rising sun. They had their first gig in Japan in 1994 and ever since Ramon and Oliver keep on returning every year to celebrate with one of the most enthusiastic audiences of the world. As a special thanks for the Japanese fans Hardfloor often release Bonus Tracks, not available in other countries. They also remixed tracks for many Japanese artists and contributed a track for play station-game: Ghost In The Shell . Of course many other states all over the world are glad to welcome Hardfloor in their clubs. Australia, the USA, you name it. Oliver and Ramon played the big festivals: Tribal Gathering (UK), Universe (UK), Arivika (SWE), Mayday (D), Time Warp (D), Nature One (D) und Quart Festival (NOR). Apart from working as producers Hardfloor are very requested remixers for international pop acts in the likes of Depeche Mode, Mike Oldfield, New Order, Human League, Mory Kante and Anne Clark, as well as more underground style techno acts like Robert Armani, Secret Cinema, A Guy Called Gerald or the Rising High Collective. After a slightly longer break in which Oliver and Ramon produced the two dadamnphreaknoizphunk albums Take Off Da Hot Sweater and Lost & Found , hardfloor founded their own label in 2003: www.hardfloor.de. Since then www.hardfloor.de released: HF001 Alphabetical , HF002 Da Revival (licensed and remixed by Brique Rouge for France), HF 003 Soulful Spirit , HF004 Murano as well as the exclusive Japan 12 HFXX Acid Energy . Now, the present 12 HF005 Groupie Love is out in stores. This is the first appetizer for their forthcoming new album 4 Out Of 5 Aliens Recommend This . The duos 6th long player contains exclusively new and unreleased material. The album features a wide range of tracks varying from the trippy Cube 2 , the deep Lost Souls , the groovy Groupie Love to club burners like Who is Jack? and T2daC , as well as Who Spend Money on Candygirls and Chocolatechips? , a downbeat acid track in the style of dadamnphreaknoizephunk . This new album will be presented live between March and August in locations all over the world.
One of the most popular and well-known German techno artists, Hardfloor is comprised of Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker. Forming in 1991 as the German acid and techno scenes were just beginning to solidify around artists such as Sven Vath, Pete Namlook, David Moufang, and DJ Criss, Bondzio and Zenker came together at the behest of a mutual friend. The former already an established DJ and the latter a successful studio producer, Hardfloor released the 11-minute "Acperience" single soon after deciding to inject a bit of bombast into the German scene. Utilizing since-standard compositional tools like long, melody-driven buildups and elaborate percussion breaks, the track became an instant dancefloor anthem and made Hardfloor a sought-after name for remix and production work. Although the pair recorded briefly for the Eye Q label, most of the group's work has come out through Sven Vath's influential Harthouse imprint, including a number of full-length releases and a consistent schedule of 12-inches and EPs. Although the pair have since evolved from the more simplistic floor-movers of their earlier work, incorporating elements of hip-hop, electro, breakbeat techno, and post-acid house styles like trip-hop and intelligent dance, the group remains committed to the smoldering edge of acid, with 909 and 303 sounds comprising the lion's share of their recognizable sound. Hardfloor remix credits include Mike Oldfield, the Shamen, and Mory Kante, and both Bondzio and Zenker also release their own and others' material through their respective Jakpot and No Respect labels. The duo adopted the alias Da'Damn'Phreak'Noize'Phunk for the 1999 acid-breakbeat adventure, Electric Crate Digger. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
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