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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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May the Forse be with you: Andy Forse sets sail for the Magnetix & HarderFaster Birthday Boat party
Reported by HF Editorial
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Submitted 02-09-09 20:57
When Andy Forse won the Best up-and-coming DJ trophy in last year’s HarderFaster Awards, many had never heard of this young upstart. Yet slowly but surely he’s been working his way up the London dance music echelons, culminating in his biggest set yet, when he warmed up for psy trance deities Ace Ventura, Astrix and Xerox at HOMmega @Matter last month. A resident of Magnetix, he’s been busy getting his pirate suit ready for a big weekend as the Magnetix crew join HarderFaster this Saturday 5 September to celebrate their first and our eighth birthday on the high seas. Once we managed to get him to sit still long enough, it soon became apparent that there’s more to this talented psy trance fanatic than just a pretty face…
Magnetix Beach Party, 31 July 2009 @414 by Vixta
You first really got into dance music at 17 at the Viaduct in Vauxhall. Was this your first contact with dance music? Can you remember what the first record you bought was?
I wasn’t really into music until I hit my teens, I liked high energy heavy metal, stuff like Metallica, System of a Down, and anything you could headbang or mosh to really. I liked the intensity of metal music at the time, stuff you could throw yourself around to. My first dance music record was probably Basement Jaxx — ‘Rendezvous’, a bit of anomaly in my collection at the time. I started clubbing when I was 16 after a mate dragged me to Karma @ The Viaduct, a club that was barely more then a bar, a soundsystem, and a pile of bricks, but the nights there were crazy. It was pretty eye-opening and I became a regular there as well as places like Trade and the 414; I had just left home and was on an epic adventure discovering this crazy new world of parties — it was a great time.
You started working on the scene was as a promoter for Milk. What made you get into promotion?
I had a brief stint working at The Viaduct when Milk hosted one of their parties there. Their promoters were a great bunch of people who I really warmed to and decided to give them some support, with basic promotion, flyering etc. They had a friendly team and their parties at the 414 are some of the most fun I’ve been to. Being involved in music and promotion has always primarily been motivated by the people I meet and work with; if it wasn’t for the crazy bunch of individuals I see week in week out it wouldn’t be half as much fun.
Milk threw some awesome parties back in the day. What was your favourite and why?
One of my favourites was a Christmas party of ours, we got an additional colour laser set up and put on a visual production, which for the 414 was pretty stunning — the place was rammed with an incredible party atmosphere! Unfortunately we relied a lot on The Fridge to supply us with numbers, which when it closed down took a lot of our crowd with it. There were so many good parties there, Ali Wilson and Jacob Moss used to rock the place in the days when they played hard house, it was a breeding ground for some talented artists.
Chemistry, 31 May 2009 @Club Colosseum by Annaleigh
What inspired you take that often irreversible leap from promoting to DJing? When did you first start learning to mix and how long did it take before you felt comfortable playing out?
It’s not necessarily an irreversible leap. There’s a lot of skills and qualities that transfer between the two and can compliment each other. You understand how to bring numbers to an event as a DJ and promoting is a similar thing on a bigger scale. I enjoy promoting because it brings people together and I like the thrill of entertaining them once they’re under your roof.
I bought my decks about five years ago. I initially bought 1210s then a pair of CDJs. Everyone likes to think they can do a better job than the DJ so I thought I had to challenge myself to do it. Anybody can just throw tunes together, but I believe it takes something else to actually create something original. I’ve been mixing about four years and I guess I plugged away with it for about a year before I started producing demos. I cringe when I listen to some of my old stuff now, but I had some definite ideas of how I wanted to do things and what I wanted to achieve. It must have been about a year and a bit before I was playing out. My first set in a club was Byte at the Purple Turtle playing psy trance, although I did play hard house at that time.
I first saw you play at the HarderFaster DJ competition, just two years ago when you then played hard dance. How long had you been playing out at this stage and how did it help your career?
I had just stepped off a plane from Ibiza, it must have been my second or third set in a club and I wasn’t sure whether to play hard house or psy, so played it safe and played hard house. I’d been getting on it for a good couple of weeks and thought I’d stick to my tunes I knew the best, a mistake in retrospect for gambles pay off sometimes, but the winner April well deserved it.
You’ve since gone on to win Best Up and Coming in the 2008 HarderFaster Awards. This must have been quite an honour?!
I was pretty shocked really, still being so new to things I found it really encouraging. A lot of people have been very supportive and I’m very grateful to everyone who’s come to a gig, downloaded a mix or generally encouraged me over the years.
HOMmega, 14 August 2009 @Matter by Sarah_G
Who or what have been your greatest influences over the years? And who would you consider them now?
Musically, my biggest influence has to be Trade, it really ingrained the importance of progressing and building a set into me, to experience a party that seamlessly took you from house through funky techno, acid trance and hard house has been so important. Music technology is on the DJ’s side these days, and it’s getting easier to mix, so you really have to go out your way to create something original and interesting because it’s getting to the stage where anybody can whack two tunes together. So old hard house was a very formative influence, beautiful melodies juxtaposed to dirty hoovers like yin and yang, dark and light. In the music I like now I always look for musicality, a strong groove and twisted or moody element to it, those same things I found in old hard house I now see a lot of in psy trance, just a new improved version in different packaging.
To name names, influences came from Pete Wardman and Ali Wilson from the hard scene and then I got into some of the harder Israeli stuff like Astrix. It’s been great to play on the same line-ups as Pete and Astrix, thanks Paul and Jo from Party Proactive!
More recently I’ve been influenced by Sinewave, Fromen Ory, loads of stuff from Liquid Records, Nano, Mutagen, 24/7, Neurobiotic. I’ve also got into progressive, like Gaudium, Liquid Soul and some of the Zen Mechanics progressive stuff. I like Iboga, Iono and the Further Project Recordings label looks promising, I’m really liking their debut ‘London Landscapes’ CD put together by Hamish and Bedouin.
You now play full-on psy trance and prog. What made you fall for psy trance and start playing it out?
Well essentially I was only really interested in the old-style hard house, I spent a lot of time backdating my collection finding old classics like RR Fierce, Tony De Vit and Choci. It started to get to the point that when I looked for new records to buy I could only find a couple of tunes a month that I actually really like and would want to play. I’d been listening to Astral Projection, 1200 Mics and a lot of Goa, and it seemed like an obvious switch to make. I wanted music that had a lot of musicality, melodies, drive and ferocity. Hard house doesn’t have that any more to me, psychedelic trance does. The variety in psy trance is just breathtaking, now I have to limit myself to when I search for music online because I could so easily blow my bank balance in a day. Psy trance is huge and in every corner of the globe, there are so many different styles for different moods; you can create incredible journeys and take people’s minds to another level.
Magnetix, 29 May 2009 @414 by Vixta
In a relatively short period of time you’ve got a fair few sets under your belt, including residencies at Magnetix and Planet Angel and sets at Party Proactive and HOMmega @Matter. What’s been your favourite party to play at so far and why?
My favourite set has to have been my debut set at Planet Angel, simply for the fact I had hardly any experience and was catapulted to playing the main room at Hidden for one of London’s most exciting trance nights, I had been to their party once and went away and created a demo of really fluffy psy trance with a bit of trance — there aren’t many mixes I record that I can say I’m truly happy with, but this one I hit the nail on the head big time. At that time it still felt so weird having everyone looking at me, it was very disconcerting. My palms were sweaty and I chose an awkward first tune, screwed up the next mix and had to let it fade out and press play with my head down, focusing… a few minutes later I looked up from the mixer I had been concentrating on so intensely to see a sea of heads bobbing up and down. It was an unbelievable feeling and I nailed it completely, it’s unlikely you’ll ever hear me say that about any gig again as I’m too self critical! Amazingly they invited me straight back to play closing set at their next party. I love the PA crew and the vibe they create; it’s a very special party.
Of course it’s right up there with my set at Party Proactive in May as Proactive is one of my favourite events. They have an intelligent music policy and I was very proud to be playing for my favourite party especially as I was on the same line-up as Pete Wardman, Jacob Moss and the other Proactive residents.
HOMmega at Matter last month was an incredible step up in terms of my profile: warming up for Ace Ventura, Astrix, Xerox and Dejavoo was a massive privilege and the set up and the sound were incredible.
As well as being a resident of Magnetix you also promote and help put together the line-ups. What’s the ethos behind the party and what do you have in the pipelines for the rest of 2009?
Magnetix is all about showcasing the very best in all styles of trance music. We’ve got the boat party this Saturday 5 September and the Halloween party on Friday 30 October to plan for, the line ups are sorted. Our residents are the very best in London: Phil Lankester, Jurrane, John the Baptist, Ashley James (when he’s around) and of course the delectable Dean Zone, who is always the life and soul of any party.
We just put on four parties a year and put a lot of effort into them. As the Magnetix promise states, we’re not content with just booking a few DJs and turning up, we always make an effort with decor, having recently turned the 414 into a beach and now I’m about to don my pirate costume for the boat party on Saturday. Arghhhh, land ahoy me hearties! But seriously, our October party is already shaping up nicely, we’ve got the wonderfully talented DJ Moon, MDA and Spherical and a host of other talent and tunage…
As well as DJing and promoting you also do the occasional interview for HarderFaster.net, such as the recent interviews with Astrix and Sinewave and do music reviews for Dream Creation magazine. What DJs and producers have caught your attention recently?
I like writing and really enjoyed the interviews I’ve done. It’s a great way of getting to know people and learning about what they do. A lot of the industry is about networking and it helps me to do that. And it keeps me busy and my brain engaged! I’ve got a couple of HarderFaster interviews coming up which I’m really excited about — watch this space!
Dream Creation magazine does a lot to push psychedelic music and artists and being such an underground scene it’s very loosely held together. With such a bunch of fun-loving hippies it’s really good that someone can come up with something like that and get the artists into gear to get some decent journalism done. By doing music reviews I’m able to link up with fresh new music and artists which as a DJ is a major bonus. Anyone interested in psy trance should check out the latest online version of the mag here: www.dream-creation.co.uk Stuart (aka DJ Kaptain Kairos) is a cool bloke and I really admire what he’s doing. Long may it continue!
For the harder end of stuff EVP and Beardy of Wildthings Records are doing great things. I’m playing a set for ALAN at Hidden on 23 October with Jai from Phar Psyde Records and it’s going to be a good opportunity to get myself together and leather it out big time. Conrad from Atom has been playing some really fresh stuff, it’s been really solid. I saw Moon again at the first Sounds of Sunrise and was very pleased we’d already booked her for Magnetix. Playing back to back with Pan at the first Chemistry was great, his tune selection is immaculate. I also really like the latest Liquid Record compilation — they’re inevitably going to put on a great production at the second room at Matter in November — plus of course Laughing Buddha and all his stuff.
Being a promoter of Magnetix means you’re constantly hearing the latest demos. What up-and-comings do you reckon we should be keeping our eyes and ears open for?
Our Magnetix resident Ashley James has been producing some really good stuff under his Distant Touch alias. James Lawson and Micky Fallout’s Outlaw alias has a track on the way, ‘I’m Telling You Man’, which I’ve heard a preview of and it’s sounding good. There’s some exciting stuff I’ve got my eye on such as Dejenga (DJ Mif and Sinewave’s new project) and I’ve also enjoyed Mark Day’s mixes and really like some of Ped’s progressive mixes. Playing back to back with Ped at Psy-n-tific last week was great fun.
Some critics reckon psy trance has become too commercial and you’ve just played for HOMmega, surely one of the most commercial psy line-ups in a club in London for long time?! What do you think about the alleged commercialism of the psy scene? Do you prefer psy in a club, a squat or somewhere else?
Psy trance is such good music it will hit the mainstream, it’s inevitable. As an artist you have to go with the flow and identify with different audiences and I want to get heard by as many people as possible. I think music is about bringing people together wherever that may be. I would usually rather be in a squat or underground party as I tend to find a lot more in the vibe and the creativity of the event, but if people are exposed via commercial events to psychedelic trance then it’s a doorway into a magical new scene for them, I don’t think anybody can argue with that. As for my ultimate preference, festivals win the day, out in the open with nature and thousands of other people who wanna party.
Who or what are your greatest sources of inspiration?
My friend and house/techno DJ/producer Jack Michaels of Grin Recordings, we went to school together and found each other again randomly out partying one year! He’s a complete legend with so much talent, enthusiasm and energy, I’ve learnt a lot of skills from just watching him, he’s constantly at the top of his game and he is as kind as he is crazy, I know he’s going to be a huge success in years to come.
Astral Projection’s early stuff really converted me — I absolutely love some of their earlier stuff!
DJ Mif aka Matt Kyriakedes of Mutagen Records is a real force to be reckoned with. He’s got bags of energy and is a one man walking psy trance encylopedia.
I find Pete Jones from Planet Angel a source of inspiration as someone who follows their own path, follows an idea and a vision to its creation. There is also a human rights activist called Ken O’Keefe who takes inspiration to a whole new level. I really believe in issues as important as the environment and the imminent threat of warfare and the level of consciousness towards these issues in the psy trance scene is something that attracts me to it, for example the work the Synergy Project, now Luminopolis, try to do. Ken has done more to raise awareness of the environment and Israel/Palestine than could be expected of anyone. I really respect anyone who follows their convictions with that level of voracity and drive.
With Pan (Chemistry ) at HOMmega, 14 August 2009 @Matter by Sarah_G
What are your top five tracks of all time?
Juno Reactor — ‘Jungle High’ (Our House mix)
Choci and EC 1 — ‘Give it to me’
Astral Projection — ‘Nilayha’
Tony de Vit — ‘I Don’t Care’
Solarstone — ‘Seven Cities’ (AVB remix)
What are your current top five tracks to get the party started?
Ejekt — ‘Cataclysm’
Sonic Species — ‘Drums at Dawn’
Liquid Soul — ‘Adrenalin’
Polaris — ‘Zion’ (Sinewave remix)
Rastaliens — ‘Space Addicted’
If money was no object and you could throw a party anywhere with your choice of DJs/live acts, where would it be and who would you book?
For pure self indulgence I would have a festival in Richmond Park... create a divine ecological balance between the park and the party and have everything from the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra to Fearsome Engine in the best programmed line up of artists with the most incredible variety anybody has ever seen. Although if money was no object I’d go to the moon hehehe.
Party Proactive, 30 May 2009 @Area by Annaleigh
What goals do you have for the next five years? And beyond?
I have recently started to pick up the basics of production and hope to continue to develop those skills. I would like to continue putting on events and keep building my music collection into different realms of electronica. I’d like to play bigger and better events, get some festivals and international events under my belt. But I most of all hope to keep it fun and keep meeting lots of creative, inspiring people.
You’re playing on at the forthcoming HarderFaster/Magnetix boat party alongside Scott Attril, Kristian vs Ashley James, Prozak vs Sati, Darren Tate vs Dale Corderoy, Jurrane and a fine crew of musical shipmates. What can we expect to hear on the deck over the afternoon? Any clues as to what you’ll play?
I might play something a bit proggy, some psy-breaks — but ultimately it’ll be uplifting daytime music for people to get their groove on to. Boat parties are great for their enclosed, intimate environment and on the ones I’ve been on there’s always been an electric atmosphere and plenty of crazy party people.
Boat parties are renowned for their up for it vibe and hardcore crews. What tips you do have for surviving the boat on 5 September?
Bring a cutlass, some rum, plenty of parrots and a smile. (Entry with rum not guaranteed, please donate to crew.)
What do you have coming up for the rest of 2009?
I’m playing for an exciting event called ALAN (Awareness & Love All Nighters). It’s run by a guy called Jon Davis and his objective is to bring people together and raise awareness about some of the pressing issues our planet faces, whilst at the same time bringing a mix of the most wild music possible like breakcore etc. I’m proud to be working with such a creative and innovative guy, I’m sure he’s going to go far. Any money raised at the party at Hidden on 23 October goes towards the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.
I’ve the Mutagen Records and Atom Productions party, South African Connection, coming up next Saturday (12 Sept), where I’m looking forward to playing alongside Spencer (Sinewave) again, Phyx from Timecode Records, Dark N Devious (Mif and Sutekh’s collaboration), Conrad, Zeus and a whole lot more. Join my group on FaceBook for details. I’ll also be at my first proper festival of the summer at Waveform that weekend to party myself silly and help Steve Benton and the ParallelPR crew (www.parallelpr.co.uk) out with the press office.
I've just been booked by Dino of the A.T.A.R.I. Project to play a new prog party on September 26th at the Factory, then later in the year there’s the Magnetix Halloween party on Friday 30 October which has three awesome headliners — can’t wait! That’s followed by my debut at Freedom at the Medussa on the Saturday night: luckily that’s in good staggering distance from my new flat as it definitely promises to be a big weekend. I’m overdue to record a new mix for the masses as well, so that’s also on the cards in the next month or so.
Thanks for your time Andy and look forward to seeing you on the boat!
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For regular updates about Andy's gigs join his FaceBook group here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=27003894048&ref=ts
Photos courtesy of Annaleigh, Sarah_G and Vixta from the HarderFaster photo archive. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Magnetix & HarderFaster Boat Party
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On:
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Saturday 5th September 2009
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At:
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The Pride of London [map]
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From:
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15:00 - 21:00
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Cost:
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£14 early bird tickets
£17 advance tickets
£20 standard tickets
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Ticket Info:
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Very Limited £14 Early Bird tickets are on sale now exclusively at Moreonthedoor
£17 Saver Tickets will be on sale once these have sold out
£20 Standard tickets will be available after
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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On Saturday the 5th of September 2009, London’s freshest and most exciting small party Magnetix will be launching their birthday celebrations from London’s Festival Pier - aided by the UK’s biggest independent clubbing website, HarderFaster.net - bringing you a party like no other!
For the first time in their histories, Magnetix and HarderFaster take to the River Thames aboard The London Pride to celebrate their Second and Eighth Birthdays respectively.
250 like minded souls will enjoy some of the biggest stars the UK Dance Music scene has to offer alongside some of the hottest up and coming talent spread over two decks of music on a custom built party boat! There might even be some caek.
Sailing through one of the finest city’s in the world with some of the best artists and DJs the planet has to offer, we ask you: can you think of a better way to spend a summer’s afternoon, and all for as little as £14?
With that thought firmly planted, we are very pleased to announce the full line up and details for what is sure to be the party of the summer:
Magnetix & HarderFaster.net present: The Birthday Boat Party
On the Magnetix deck leading from the bow is none other than Riot and Traffic Tunes head honcho Scott Attrill, - AKA Vinylgroover - renowned for his many productions including his recent hit album "Bass Junkie".
One half of live Psychedelic live act Dejavoo and Antiworld resident - Kristian will also be joining us for a very special set alongside returning Magnetix resident Ashley James.
We are also very proud to welcome back Planet Angel and Magnetix resident Jurrane, who has been busy in the studio since being signed to John Askew’s Discover Dark label.
Cohesion promoter and Free Spirit Records boss Prozak will be joined by Oneness resident Sati in bringing us a glimpse of things to follow at Cohesion, the official after party at Club 414. Beach lovers will also note we also have the mastermind behind the Trance on Thames parties joining us - Pathfinder!
Lastly we have Magnetix resident Dean Zone, who will be joined by Matt Thomas, one half of Welsh duo SHOCK:FORCE for a one off exclusive that is sure to knock your socks off!
Things get even better down on the lower deck as HarderFaster presents to you trance supremo and all round legend Darren Tate performing an exclusive back to back set with his Mondo Records partner Dale Corderoy!
Of course the TT Tag team of Adam Symbiosis and Miles Gorfy will help whip up a storm as only they know how to!
Wrapping things downstairs will be the lovely Sarah Goodson and Magnetix resident and winner of the HarderFaster.net Best Up and Coming DJ award for 2008, Andy Forse.
So there you have it, two decks of the finest DJs playing the finest music, taking you not only on a musical journey but also through the city of London on the best party boat the city has to offer, just 5 minutes walk from London Waterloo Rail, Underground and Bus Station!
But wait - that is not all - as all ticket holders will be eligible for £5 entry to Cohesion at Club 414, the official after party and will receive the latest in the series of Magnetix CDs, plus the usual excellent décor, sound and lighting you have come to expect.
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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