Global hard techno powerhouse Verknipt is launching its brand new record label ‘Verknipt Records’ on Friday March 15th. The venture will be a partnership between Verknipt and fellow Dutch music company Be Yourself Music.
Hard techno’s popularity has surged in recent years, at least partly due to Verknipt’s early adoption of the sound. Ever since, Verknipt events have proven to be a hotbed for talent, launching several artists into superstardom within the genre. Now, through Verknipt Records, the brand will be able to nurture talent even more, laying the groundwork for hard techno’s next generation of idols. At the helm of Verknipt’s global operations is Mer Hajbarati, adding; “There really isn’t a label in hard techno with a platform as big as ours yet, so we’ll be able to add huge value to the artists we sign to Verknipt Records. Launching this record label felt like the next logical step to keep moving the needle within our industry. We’ve got so much planned for the next couple of years, this is just the start of it.”
Starting with Luciid’s latest belter, Verknipt Records will be releasing a new track every three weeks well into the summer. Bunker Buster ticks all the boxes of a guaranteed crowd pleaser, complete with distorted kicks reminiscent of the early days hardcore sound. Even before its release, the record has already made its way onto some high-profile USBs, garnering support from I Hate Models, Nico Moreno and 999999999 to name a few.
Luciid, the brains behind the very first release on Verknipt Records reiterated his excitement for the project, saying: “I am honoured to have "Bunker Buster" as the spearhead track for Verknipt's new record label. Without a doubt this label will be groundbreaking, and it deserves a radical track to kick it off.”
Verknipt Records is a collaboration with Be Yourself Music, which has been responsible for a multitude of hugely successful releases and acts in the past. With the addition of Verknipt Records to their roster, the label officially adds hard techno to their offerings, ringing in an exciting new chapter. Dick de Groot, Be Yourself Music’s founder explains the move from their perspective: “As hard techno is one of the fastest growing genres in electronic music, setting up the Verknipt Records label together with Verknipt was a logical step for us. With our years of expertise of music exploitation and our knowledge of the harder genres in electronic music, combined with Verknipt being the biggest brand in hard techno we create a strong platform together for the music and artists who we will be releasing on the label.”
Operating out of Amsterdam, Verknipt has rapidly grown into the undisputed frontrunner in the hard techno genre. Through their many international events, Verknipt has established an unmatched global foothold. In 2024 alone, Verknipt will be hosting events in their native Netherlands as well as Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Turkey, drawing over 300.000 visitors, up from 155.000 in 2023. Most notably, Verknipt will be hosting the world’s largest hard techno rave to date, for 40.000 people in the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam