Max HeyraudWe team up with Life Festival ahead of the festival next week to chat with some of the artists playing to hear about their go-to dancefloor weapons. Next up on the series, IMNOTYOURMATE presents 5 ecstasy-laced hardcore and hard dance weapons.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or deaf, you’ve probably heard of the Belfast price of hardcore, IMNOTYOURMATE. Kyle Cooper has cemented his name as one of the most exciting prospects coming out of Belfast’s hard-edged club scene in recent years. Honing in a rave-soaked sound, that leans into the hardcore-influenced warehouse scene that dominated Belfast warehouses in the late 90s and early 00s. There’s a certain air of poise and tenacity surrounding IMNOTYOURMATE that comes with a DJ that’s been around the block.
Having played frequently for Belfast’s most prominent techno party DSNT, IMNOTYOURMATE was given the opportunity to stretch his legs and play peak-time sets from an early age. Quickly establishing a sound that was deep-rooted in his hometown’s rave legacy. No gimmicks, no frills, no trends, just hardcore business, and wall-to-wall bangers. Kyle now acts as the poster boy for Irealnd’s hard dance scene, embracing the roots of the genre far before it became trendy. With standout performances at AVA Festival, Life Festival, SWG3 Glasgow, and more, IMNOTYOURMATE has become a crowd favourite on dancefloors across Ireland.
IMNOTYOURMATE selected 5 of his essential festival bangers ahead of her return to Life Festival.
Vinylgroover, BK – Microwave (Original Mix) [Riot! Recordings]
This is one of my fave warm-up tracks to get a crowd riled up, I played it at Life 2022 and it went off, I’ve played it in nearly all of my sets since.
Organ Donors – Mach 2 (Shuse & Ryoji Takahashi Remix)[Audio Surgery]
This is such a festival track, top-class Hard Trance Euphoria! Played this at AVA 2022 while the sun set over the docks, such a memorable moment, the breakdown teleports me back to that feeling, crowd screaming, goosebumps.
Hardstyle Guru – Nasty (Fuck Mix) [Dance Pollution]
This is a classic peak-time hardstyle big hitter, a tough one to scroll past. The vocal in the breakdown, the big nasty synth, absolute hammer, Hardstyle Guru is a god.
Di Face – Pump it (Original Mix) [Contrasena Records]
This track never fails to pump the vibe and get people moving more. It’s a great bridge track to go from jumpstyle stuff into hardcore.
DJ Paul Elstak – Luv You More ( DJ Pauls Forze Mix) [Rotterdam Records]
I tend to finish all of my sets with a bit of happy hardcore and this is one of my all-time faves, such a classic. A proper hug to your mate and tell them you love them, track.
Thanks for the invitation to do this, it was fun, and despite how hard it was to choose just five, it actually helped me find a few forgotten weapons that I’ll be pulling out at Life, so thank you! Absolutely buzzing to be back playing Life this year, it was one of my top gigs last summer, have so many heaters packed for this year, it’s going to be a mad one!
You can purchase tickets to Life Festival here.
