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Thought hard trance was dead? Then think again. With outfits like Kamui flying the flag, the sound has some life left in it yet. Though they’re barely in their early 20s, the German duo of Dominik Felsmann and Patrick Scheidt can already look back over more than 30 releases over the past five year on labels like Tracid Traxxx and Overdose. And while the tougher edge of hardstyle may still rule with an iron fist over the world’s larger hard dance events, it’s a small handful of acts like Kamui who are making sure that hard trance lives to fight another day.

Witness their recent smash hit Electro Slut for an example. Grabbing the traditional hard trance sound by the balls and literally smashing it together with electro and techno, the results are something that’s certainly fresh, new and exciting – while still packing enough of a kick in the nuts to obliterate any dancefloor. “The kind of music that most of us would call hard trance is what was out in 2001-04. It was quite impossible to go on developing that specific hard trance sound, the consequence was overkill,” says Dominic. But along with his partner-in-crime Patrick, he’s making sure that hard trance is actually worth listening to again. “It might take some time but within the next 2-3 years, a facelifted hard trance will definitely come back.”

And while they’ve already become regulars at Australia’s Pharmacy and Transmission parties in recent years, it’s possible we’ll be seeing a whole lot more Kamui in the immediate future. Alongside his profile as a hand dance don, Dominic is leading a double life as a student who’s studying International Business, and he’s chosen Australia as the location for his six-month internship. “Coming to Australia is always a bit like coming home, as it’s a cool country with cool people, and it’s just always lots of fun to go there… There’s always so many in the crowd who really know about us, who know a lot of our tracks, and that’s something which is really special for us.”

With the next installments of the Pharmacy and Transmission events due to land this weekend, ITM’s Angus Paterson talks to Dominik Felsmann from Kamui.

Catch Kamui ripping it up this weekend…

Friday 27th June – Pharmacy @ QBH, Melbourne
Saturday 28th June – Transmission @ State Sport Centre, Sydney

And check out the clip for Kamui’s massive Electro Slut single…