Guardian of the Crates, Enemy of Clown Mashups
NIKAJ is the kind of DJ who doesn’t just own records—he appears to live inside them. A vinyl-first (though not vinyl-only) devotee, he’s been collecting, trading, and obsessing over underground music since 1989, back when scene-building required stamps, envelopes, and the patience of a monk. What began with grindcore, death metal, and crustcore eventually escalated—naturally—into hardcore, techno, terror, and gabber, where he has remained joyfully entrenched ever since.
Best known for labels like Pure & Obscure, Gabberet, and the gloriously multi-genre Mainstream Pollution, NIKAJ wears many hats: DJ, label runner, curator, producer, and archivist. While he runs labels, he’s quick to admit it’s not about power or prestige—it’s about freedom, crediting producers properly, and releasing music without having to ask anyone’s permission. DJs who don’t post tracklists? Consider yourselves silently judged.
NIKAJ’s heart beats loudest for early ’90s hardcore and gabber—simple, brutal, and straight to the face. Albums like Ultraviolence – Psycho Drama sit atop his personal canon, alongside labels such as Mokum, Rotterdam Records, Bloody Fist, Industrial Strength, Deathchant, Terror Traxx, Reload, T3RDM, Enzyme, Drop Bass Network, Force Inc., Strike, and a small mountain of obscure 1993 releases only found by people who really, really meant it. His record collection, not only gabber but also techno and terror, hovers around 1,500 pieces: it’s less a library and more a historical archive with opinions.
Despite his deep nostalgia, NIKAJ isn’t stuck in the past. He actively seeks out modern artists who honor the old-school sound without sanding off its edges, releasing their work through his labels purely for love—not profit, because there isn’t any. His approach to DJing ranges from instinctual hardcore barrages to meticulously planned multi-genre sets, especially on collaborative projects like the bi-annual Mixmarathon, where structure, restraint, and mutual respect matter—and where jumpstyle, uptempo, happy hardcore, and trend-chasing nonsense are politely shown the door.
Outspoken, principled, and relentlessly DIY, NIKAJ believes DJs should find an audience that matches their taste—not pander, posture, or mash up classics for cheap applause. For him, the underground survives the same way it always has: passionate people, strange sounds, stubborn independence, and just enough obscurity to keep it honest. Up next? More Mixmarathons, tribute sets, label releases, and a continuing mission to preserve, challenge, and lovingly argue with hardcore culture—one record at a time.
Quotes from N.I.K.A.J.:
“I don’t believe in sitting down, and believing I am great in what I’m doing. I look to what I can improve in order to make it better. There are too many middle-of-the-road DJ’s who think they are fucking awesome, but they’re Copy-pasting Clowns with no love for the music.”
“We DJ’s are just taking advantage of the hard working; not rewarded producers. Just add a fuckin’ track list, you lame ass punks; that’s the least you can do.”
Article written with AI, edited by Charm Dreier. Sources include Nikaj Scheres, and this interview:
https://hcbxcast.blogspot.com/2025/10/hcbxcast-vol-70-interview-with-nikaj.html
The Gabber Elders 