Ophidian

Born in the Netherlands in 1981, Conrad Hoyer develops during adolescence a practice of electronic composition before bringing the name Ophidian to prominence at the end of the 1990s within the orbit of Ruffneck Records, then within Enzyme Records from 2001. His music is rooted in Dutch hardcore, with an approach that blends industrial hardcore, darkcore, breakbeats, ambient textures and constructions closer at times to drum and bass or breakcore. Ophidian often works on contrasts between rhythmic violence, dark melodic lines and detailed atmospheres, which distinguishes a sound more narrative than strictly functional. His discography includes the albums Blackbox (2003), Betrayed by Daylight (2005) and To Sing of Desecration (2007), to which the later Main Sequence EP (2018) is added. In parallel, Conrad Hoyer has used several aliases, including Meander for breakcore- and ambient-oriented productions, as well as Trypticon, Cubist Boy and Raziel. Ophidian also founded the Meta4 label in the mid-2000s and develops a regular presence on European hardcore scenes, from Thunderdome to Ground Zero, including many festivals and specialized events. Among his collaborations and notable projects are works with Hamunaptra, Tapage or Endymion, in a career that remained tied to the experimental margins of the hardcore scene.