Los Angeles-based DJ, producer, audio engineer, and visual artist HELLBOUND!—aka Vince Tascione—is leading the charge in North America to revive the early rave sounds of acid and hard techno. A genre dominated by European names, he’s continuing the work started by that late i_o through a string of hard thumping releases and the curation of a recent hard techno compilation for Space Yacht Records.

The veteran producer had already achieved a solid level of success as a touring bass music act. And his command of crystal clear sonics and intelligent sound design is well-honed. He says, “The only genre that's truly exciting me is techno and hard techno. It’s all I listen to, because that's what's really inspiring me.” As one of hard techno’s fiercest stateside champions, he’s on the precipice of dominating the genre.