The Producers
As true dissidents within the hardcore scene, The Outside Agency has always had its own unique sound. The motivation to be different yet effective was already evident on the very first releases on Mokum in the late 90s. When hardcore suffered a drastic change in direction shortly thereafter, the two members of The Outside Agency (DJ Hidden & Eye-D) no longer felt that they could operate without restraint in the genre and started focusing their attention on drum & bass. Some years later hardcore had transformed yet again, and this time they were very pleased with the direction it had taken. They quickly started producing and playing hardcore again with renewed vigor. After a string of successful releases on several international underground labels such as Black Monolith Records and Otaku Records, Cardiac Music offered them a chance to start their own label. This resulted in the founding of Genosha Recordings, which is now widely seen as one of the most influential labels in underground hardcore. With their parallel success in drum & bass their production techniques and ideas, as well as their DJ-sets started, to flow over into one another more and more. This continued crossbreeding between drum & bass and hardcore ultimately led to the start of a sister label to Genosha: One Seven Five, a label aimed at hardcore/drum & bass crossbreeds. This label, which has seen The Outside Agency collaborate with some of the biggest names in hard drum & bass, became the most respected label of its kind almost overnight. Although their main focus currently lies with Genosha and One Seven Five, The Outside Agency will still occasionally produce for other labels, such as Enzyme Records and Hong Kong Violence.
The DJs
The Outside Agency is a style unto itself, and as DJs they are not easily put into one specific category. The reason for this is that their DJ sets are a mirror image of their work as producers. They will deliver a perfect blend of dark and industrial elements and can do so at almost every conceivable speed. The Outside Agency’s DJ-sets always contain a lot of their own exclusive and unreleased material, and when given free reign their sets can incorporate anything from old acid to breakcore. They can bring it fast and they can bring it slow, but one thing is certain: their own unique blend of dark industrial hardcore will always be at the center of the performance. The Agency’s diversity has so far delivered them gigs all over the globe. Some of the their most important gigs have included such distinguished events as Thunderdome, Hellraiser, In Qontrol, Nightmare Outdoor, DefQon, Decibel and Mystery Land.
