Shizuo

David Hammer distinguishes himself from other Digital Hardcore performers through an especially frenetic stage persona in his Shizuo guise, which further reveals the workings of a wider-ranging producer equipped with a distinctly comedic outlook. Shizuo cuts such as "Sweat" and "Emptiness" overflow with the blistering breakbeats and defiant stance that define DHR standard-bearers Atari Teenage Riot, yet Hammer weaves in additional ingredients drawn from Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and audio snippets lifted from The Six Million Dollar Man. Born in Berlin after formative time spent in London, Hammer crossed paths with Alec Empire; once Empire launched Digital Hardcore Recordings and secured substantial proceeds from a collapsed record contract, Shizuo emerged via a 1995 appearance on the Harder than the Rest compilation that also featured Empire, Atari Teenage Riot, EC8OR and fellow contributors. High on Emotion arrived as an EP in February 1997, with the inaugural full-length Shizuo Vs. Shizor following later that year and securing U.S. release through Grand Royal.