Having missed out on the poll last year by seven places, Dutch noise warrior Warface makes his debut against the backdrop of a world that indeed seems to be facing war. Quips (and geo-political problems) aside, with gabber seeping into the world of underground techno, Warface’s sound — which mixes familiar elements from the world of EDM, high-pitched pop vocals, computer game-like melodies, with pounding, distorted hardstyle kicks — reflects a similar turn towards harder, more aggressive music on the main stage.
Check ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ for a trip into the bushes from which it sounds like there’ll be no return, or his face-melting 160bpm set from Intents Festival 2017 (labelled on SoundCloud, we’re guessing ironically, ‘Warmup Mix’) to hear an artist less bothered about his Spotify plays than tearing the audience a new one.
Often performing in a trademark mask that’s part Darth Vader, part World War Two soldier, there’s no doubting that Warface looks the part. And having mobilized his troops, this year his campaign was successful.
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