Twelve years after making their debut at Hard Bass, Minus Militia returns to the GelreDome this Saturday to close the night once again. Crypsis, Radical Redemption and Chain Reaction are also responsible for this year’s official anthem, but that’s not all. In the latest episode of PLAFONDDIENST, Crypsis reveals that they have even more new music ready for their performance. “We also have a few new Militia tracks lined up for Hard Bass.”
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The history between Minus Militia and Hard Bass goes all the way back to 2014. That year, Crypsis, Radical Redemption and Chain Reaction joined forces to create a live act that made its debut at the event. Since then, the trio has released three albums and performed on stages around the world. According to Crypsis, however, that very first performance played a major role in Minus Militia’s success.
“When we started, we had no idea what kind of impact it would have. It was only later that the whole Minus Militia hype took off, with us performing all over the world, from America to Australia. Hard Bass was the starting point for that massive hype surrounding Minus Militia.”
The iconic ‘Welcome to Hard Bass’ sample
For the return of Hard Bass, Minus Militia was asked to produce the official anthem. According to Crypsis, the three didn’t have to think twice about accepting the opportunity. When creating the track, they wanted to bring together several recognizable elements from the event’s history. “When we sat down together, we knew we definitely wanted to include that classic Minus Militia sound. But of course, that iconic ‘Welcome to Hard Bass’ sample had to be in there too.”
Previous Hard Bass anthems also found their way into the production. According to Crypsis, small fragments of tracks by artists including Hard Driver and Headhunterz have been incorporated into the anthem. “We secretly worked in all these little snippets. Everything came together really nicely and I have to be honest, I’m super happy with the result, man.”
“No messing around, just full throttle”
But the anthem isn’t the only thing Minus Militia has been working on. During the preparations for Hard Bass, the trio has also been creating other material, meaning fans can expect more than just familiar tracks from their existing catalogue this Saturday. “We obviously haven’t been sitting still with the anthem. But besides that, we’ve also got a few Militia tracks ready for Hard Bass. So we’re just picking up where we left off.”
That’s quite a difference compared to their very first performance. Back in 2014, Minus Militia had so little music of their own that Crypsis, Radical Redemption and Chain Reaction had to include solo tracks in their set. With three albums now under their belt, there’s plenty of material to choose from.
During the final half-hour of Hard Bass, everything will come together in a fast-paced mix of old and new tracks. “It’s the final half-hour, so we just have to go full throttle. Lots of tracks in quick succession, in a proper Militia mix, just like we’ve always done and what people expect from us. No messing around, just full throttle.”
And of course, ‘Mop Mop Gas d’r Op!’ won’t be missing either. The track, which created a memorable moment at Hard Bass in 2017, will once again be part of the set, Crypsis confirms. The closing performance therefore promises a combination of recognizable classics and brand-new material.
In the latest episode of PLAFONDDIENST, we take an extensive look ahead at the return of Hard Bass. Besides Crypsis representing Minus Militia, we speak with Jort from B2S, Niels from B-Freqz and Coone about their history with the event and what they have planned for this Saturday at the GelreDome. The full episode is available to watch and listen to now via your favorite podcast platforms.
