Digital Hardcore

German DJ Alec Empire, disillusioned with the fading politics of German rave culture and the rise of the Right Wing among German youth, began creating an aggressive strain of overtly anarchist techno called Digital Hardcore. His band, Atari Teenage Riot, with political ranters Hanin Elias and Carl Crack, created a platform for political slogans with metal and punk guitar samples and distorted Techno beats, mixing the style and politics of hardcore punk with the dance beats of hardcore techno. Empire started Digital Hardcore Recordings to get this pent-up sound into distribution, releasing artists EC8OR and Shizuo. His signature sound soon extended beyond his label, a trend much endorsed by Empire, who encouraged others to "make their own riot sounds."