Rebelmatic Keeps the Underground Loud on DCxPC Live Vol. 50

Rebelmatic Turns Hardcore Punk Into a Groove-Driven Affair on Live at Main Drag.

Brooklyn band Rebelmatic describes its sound as “James Brown in a mosh pit,” and it’s hard to beat. The band throws hardcore punk, metal, funk, hip-hop, and soul into the same songs, and the result is heavy but still danceable. DCxPC Live Vol. 50: Live at Main Drag captures all of that on stage, where this kind of music makes the most sense.

Rebelmatic started in 2008 and has spent the years since mixing genres that most bands keep apart. They’ve played AFROPUNK and Punk Island, shared bills with Pure Hell, Death and Slick Rick, and picked up fans in Bad Brains, Fishbone and Run-DMC. That list tells you roughly where they’re coming from, but they don’t sound like a copy of any of them. You get hardcore’s speed and anger, metal’s weight, and a rhythm section that clearly grew up on funk and hip-hop records.

The groove is what holds it all together. Plenty of bands can play loud and fast. Fewer can make you want to dance while they do it. Underneath the noise, the bass and drums keep a steady swing going, and that’s where the funk and soul come in. The punk and metal side brings the power. Put the two together, and the James Brown comparison starts to make sense. You’ll be moving your hips as much as your head.

“James Brown in a Mosh Pit”: Rebelmatic Turns Up the Heat on Live at Main Drag.

The set was recorded at Main Drag in Brooklyn. Creature is on lead vocals, Alkatraz plays guitar and sings backup, Karnage plays bass and also sings backup, and Ramsey Jones is behind the drums. A band like this depends on four people reacting to each other in real time, so a live record suits them better than a polished studio take might.

There’s more to Rebelmatic than volume. The band draws heavily on Black music traditions and pairs them with a punk attitude that feels urgent. Resistance, community, and staying positive come up again and again in what they do. That gives the anger a reason, and it’s a big part of why they stand out from hardcore and metal bands that stick to one lane.

The last couple of years have been busy. In 2025, the band put out the album Black Hole Eats the Tornado, then followed it with Sting the Devil in 2026, plus a handful of singles. Live at Main Drag keeps that run going, and it also happens to be the 50th entry in the DCxPC Live series. The DIY label has spent years recording underground bands, and Rebelmatic fits that crowd perfectly.

You won’t find this one on the big streaming services. It’s out on vinyl and Bandcamp only, limited to 200 copies pressed on ecomix graphite vinyl. That makes it a nice pickup for record collectors and anyone who likes their money going straight to the band. It also means you have to go looking for it, and that feels right for a band like this.

If you’re new to Rebelmatic, this is a good place to start. They mix sounds that don’t usually get along, and somehow it all sounds like it belongs together. Fans of Bad Brains, Fishbone’s wild funk or hip-hop with real bite should check them out. And if they ever play near you, this record makes a strong case for leaving the back wall and heading into the pit.