# Activator

Canonical: https://www.hdrr.info/artists/activator

- Genres: Hard Techno
- Tracked releases: 161
- Latest release: 3 Jul 2026
- Spotify followers: 14,903
- Spotify popularity: 36/100

Activator is the harder-styles alias of Italian producer Manuele Tessarollo, a hardstyle mainstay from 2001, retired with farewell shows in 2019, and revived in the 2020s alongside his techno main project T78.

Activator is the name Manuele Tessarollo answered to for the better part of two decades. From 2001 the alias carried Italian [hardstyle](/new-hardstyle-releases) across Europe's harder-styles circuit, a career that ran parallel to compatriots like [Technoboy](/artists/technoboy) and produced a catalogue HDRR tracks at over 160 releases.

### The farewell

The turn came through techno: Tessarollo launched [T78](/artists/t78) in 2015, founded Autektone Records a year later, and watched the new project's '#onlybombs' sound take off. Activator's release schedule wound down after 2017, and in November 2019 he made it official, playing his final shows as Activator and ACTI to dedicate himself fully to techno.

### The revival

Then [hard techno](/new-hard-techno-releases) happened, and the wave T78 helped build made room for the old name. Activator resurfaced with remix work on Autektone in 2024 and has been properly back since: 'Rave Shit' (2025), 'Machinegun' (2026) and a remix for [Fantasm](/artists/fantasm)'s 'Sparta' (2026), which currently leads the alias' Spotify catalogue in HDRR's tracking. With 16 tracked releases in 2026 alone, the revival is no cameo.

### Two names, one arc

Few artists get to retire an alias and reclaim it on better terms. The revived Activator sits exactly where Tessarollo's two careers meet: hardstyle's kick discipline, techno's rave energy, one producer behind both.

Every new Activator release lands on the [Hard Techno Release Radar](/playlists/hard-techno-release-radar) the day it hits Spotify. The full tracked catalogue is listed above.

### FAQ

**Who is Activator?**

Activator is the alias of Italian producer Manuele Tessarollo, who produced and played hardstyle under the name from 2001, becoming one of the Italian scene's defining exports alongside a stack of side aliases like ACTI.

**Is Activator the same person as T78?**

Yes, Tessarollo launched the techno project T78 in 2015 and founded Autektone Records in 2016. As techno took over his career, Activator's releases wound down after 2017, and in November 2019 he played his farewell shows as Activator and ACTI.

**Is Activator active again?**

Yes, the alias returned in the 2020s, starting with remix work on Autektone in 2024, and has been fully back since: HDRR tracks new Activator titles like 'Rave Shit' (2025) and 'Machinegun' (2026), with 2026 the alias' busiest year since the revival.

**What genre is Activator?**

Originally Italian hardstyle; the revived Activator operates where hard techno and the harder styles overlap, fitting the rave-driven sound of Tessarollo's Autektone label.