20 Nov 2014 
Posted by Cassi Catsaros
4 BIGGEST “RAVER” MYTHS BUSTED: PART IV
By: Cassi Catsaros
After many fantastic responses from my last 3 successful attempts to pick out common misconceptions about ravers, deconstruct them, and kick to the kerb – I have decided to shake it up for the last time and explore the more personal side of the hardstyle scene. The community. For those of you who are just joining me, “Welcome.” I’ll give you a quick rundown of what exactly this article is about, as well as the past 3 I have written.
As an avid hardstyle listener, lover and un-stereotypical raver, I set out on a range of social experiments to bust the common misconceptions about “ravers” and the hardstyle scene as I am becoming quite tired of fellow civilians picking up the genre and squashing it into the pavement. My ultimate aim is to abolish these dim social “rules” claiming that certain genres of music classify you as more or less superior in social standing and also inform readers about this amazing scene that I am involved in.
So for those of you who just tuned in, I recommend you go and read:
I think that were ready to proceed…
Now according to the generally close-minded f*ckwits of society, ravers have been stereotyped as “drug taking, feral and troublesome” and the music itself has been described as “sounding the same and headache worthy” and well, I have pretty much gone out and proved these uneducated civilians who have left their head sitting in the 1950’s to be extremely wrong in their judgements.
MYTH #4: THE HARDSTYLE COMMUNITY SUCKS.
These statements keep getting more and more ridiculous, however this could be a good thing as I have more and more to say.
I’d like to begin by drawing on a little experience of mine.
I was introduced to the scene only two years ago when I decided to attend Defqon.1, 2012 for the very first time. None of my close girlfriends that I grew up with agreed to attend the festival with me, so I decided to tag along with a group of my guy friends. My very first introduction to the hardstyle scene, and as soon as I walked through the gates of the festival, I could literary feel the bass vibrating through my feet. I instantly absorbed the vibe around me, a carefree and happy vibe, one of no judgements and false pretensions. Regardless of the fact that I only knew a few songs here and there, nobody seemed to really care about my lack of musical knowledge at the time. I observed that people were friendly and welcoming, and let me also add that I have never seen so many people go that crazy over hearing their favourite songs play out in open air. That is what I call pure dedication.
From that day on, my musical priorities changed as hardstyle climbed it’s way up to the number one spot on my list. Although the music is catchy beyond belief, the community behind the hard bass is so unique and welcome to anybody with the same musical interests.
Every day more and more individuals are joining the hardstyle family and are instantly accepted and introduced to so many other like minded individuals who also get wet over the beautiful kick and bass. I myself have even made friends with complete strangers on the internet who live overseas solely because of our shared musical interests. Being able to form relationships with people based on one common love leaves me without any words to say other than: magical.
I am not the only one who feels as though the hardstyle community shares an unyielding bond, even ask Wildstylez, who had every single fan, fellow friends and other producers stick up for him when deadmau5 accused him for stealing his chords key in the song “Straightforward”.
The real question is, who stuck up for deadmau5? …
……..
(sound of crickets)
……..
No-body really…
That is just a small amount of solid proof that the hardstyle community shares such a special, unbreakable bond.
Maybe if MY words aren’t solid enough, and just because I absolutely love interrogating strangers, I set out and asked some fellow ravers about their opinions on the hardstyle scene, the bonding they have with others in the scene, and also their connection they feel with the artists.
1. What do you love most about hardstyle music?
Harrison: The amazing emotional range that the genre delivers – it can make me genuinely happy or make me want to punch a wall to the beat (in a good way of course!)
Dimitra: What I love the most about hardstyle is regardless of the mood I’m in, it picks me right up! And something about those hard raw drops sends me crazy! I can’t describe how much I love it!
Tom: I love getting home from school and hopping on the computer to see new updates and tracks, I can listen to it anywhere and it’s such a great feeling to listen to your favourite tracks and then go out to a rave and hear them pound on a huge speaker system.
2. What do you love most about the hardstyle community?
Harrison: How accepting and welcoming everyone is. All of the rumours of the scene being populated with undesirables and people on drugs all of the time is a gross miscalculation.
Dimitra: The hardstyle community, wow where to start?! Well I can start by saying absolutely amazing! The community looks so rough from the outside but really they are all there for the love of the music! When I first started going to hardstyle clubs and events I went alone for ages! Every week I made new friends and the connections grew and grew and now I have the best hard dance family ever!
Tom: I have hardly met any members because I’m under 18 but I already feel like I’m part of a family with similar interests. I can’t wait until I’m 18 next year so I can head off to Masif every weekend and have a good time.
3. Do you think that artists are in touch with their fan base in a positive way?
Harrison: Yes I definitely do. I make silly YouTube videos for Hardstyle DJ’s and they respond amazingly well. Frontliner even made my video his official preview for his remix of “Shivers”.
Dimitra: Hmm, yeah I think that they are in touch in a positive way I mean the artists love what they do and they keep pumping great tracks out! As if that isn’t positive!
Tom: I feel that the producers & DJ’s are good at keeping in touch with the audience. I generally notice that hardstyle artists reply to people’s posts and also make videos, status updates a lot more personalised than musicians from other genres. It seems like all the others are caught up in their fame and don’t focus and what put them in the position they are in, which is a downside. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a lot of other genres but hardstyle has a certain affect on me which I will never stop loving.
4. At festivals, do you feel like you belong to something?
Harrison: Funnily I feel like I should not belong – but the music does seem to unite all sorts of people from a bunch of different backgrounds (it sounds corny but I really can’t describe it)
Dimitra: Yes! Sydney hardstyle family! At every event I feel like I belong! But there’s always some dickheads around at every event but nothing to worry about because you’re there for the music and nothing else!
Tom: As an under 18, I don’t get many opportunities to go out to festivals, but the few times I’ve have been (Supernova, Re-Con, Goodlife) I manage to see the same familiar faces and dance with people that I don’t know outside of hardstyle. Honestly when I’ve gone to some in the past, I’ve looked at so many people waiting out the front or in the line and think “I’m going to get bashed in here”, but I get inside, everybody is cool and genuinely there for the music. Even though I can’t go to the adult events, every time I read artist announcements I can’t help but get excited just to know that some top artists are coming over to Australia to play for us. It makes me feel amazing, hardstyle is something that has become a big part of my life, and won’t be leaving any time soon.
Another bond that is unbreakable is the bond between artists and their fans.
From giving a simple reply to fan mail on Facebook, to being more than happy to take a photo with you at a festival, to being lucky enough, like myself to even get to know some of these guys who are the magic behind the music – I can confirm that these artists are 100% dedicated to showing their fans a great fucking time.
Unlike other money hungry and disconnected producers, hardstyle producers make it clear that they’re thankful for every single fan, every single cheer and every single piece of fan mail that they get. Just so you think that I am not just talking complete and utter shit on how dedicated and down-to-earth the artists are, I decided to ask some well known producers in the scene about their thoughts on the hardstyle scene, their fan base and also the overall vibe at festivals. I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with the king of raw-style, Joey Van Ingen, AKA Radical Redemption (signed with Minus is More), Belgian talent Lander Deloffer, AKA Outlander (signed with Dirty Workz), Fabian Schmidt AKA Omegatypez (signed with Fusion), and the well loved Australian Carlos Fernandes MC D who keeps us hyped up at Masif every weekend.
So sit back, relax and familiarise yourself with this amazingly growing scene.
1. What drew you into hardstyle, the scene and producing the music?
Lander: At the age of 14, there was a big “jump” scene here in Belgium and every Saturday night one club would broadcast on national radio so yeah, basically I spent every Saturday night listening to it. At the age of 15, I had my first track played in a club which was the first “highlight” for me. As time went on, I discovered Headhunterz with “The Sacrifice”. When I heard that track for the first time I was like “Oh my god… This is it… this is f*cking great!” From then on I basically was 100% focussed on hardstyle, I began making a few EP’s and well apparently I did a good job on those EP’s because that’s how Coone discovered me. The day I got an email from Coone, everything changed (in a good way), and eventually I got signed to the major label Dirty Workz my career really lifted off from there.
2. What do you feel for the scene and love about hardstyle?
Joey: The most special thing, for me, is the whole ‘we unite’ vibe. Hardstyle lovers are really hardstyle ‘lovers’. They share the love for the music. Nobody wants to be in a fight, or whatever, just enjoy the music. The music unites people in so many ways, and that’s the most special thing about hardstyle and the hardstyle community!
Carlos: On a global scale I think hardstyle is finally being recognised as a legitimate power to be reckoned with. Hardstyle used to cop a bashing back in the day from other genres saying it was just toy music and were never taken seriously but we just kept doing what we love and the artists kept evolving hardstyle to what it is today. Now we’ve seen over the past year or so multiple headline artists from other genres like Tiesto and Hardwell that have played hardstyle or hardstyle sounding tracks in their sets or podcasts. It’s great to see that other artists from other genres are genuinely enjoying it and not only that exposing hardstyle to a fan base that would never have heard of hardstyle. It’s a win/win situation. In Australia, we’ve been fortunate to see the progressive growth of hardstyle to what it has become now. I think that this is due to a combination of:
• Local pioneers such as Nik Fish, Amber Savage but also Australian artists that have made it big in hardstyle such as Code Black and Audiofreq, Toneshifterz and Outbreak.
• Events supporting the genre like Transmission and also Australia’s longest running club Sublime back in the day. Now with the emergence of Q-Dance, HSU events, Powerhouse and also Masif Saturdays, the hardstyle scene has benefited by seeing a lot of artists we wouldn’t normally get to see every year.
• The crowd. A lot of artists say that nothing compares to an Australian crowd and I’d have to agree. The passion and love that they have for hardstyle music is unbelievable. They are definitely the driving force behind why hardstyle is what it is in Australia today.
3. Do you connect with your fans? How do you connect with your fans?
Lander: Well, I try to interact with my fans using social media. But I don’t always like the idea of it. I think some artists their “image and looks” eventually get more important than the music itself. Anyway, since there’s no way around, I have to stick with social media for now.
Fabian: Yes, I almost party every time after my set in the crowd and together with the crowd. I also do some private posts via my social media. Fans love that.
Carlos: I talk to my fans as much as I can. Ultimately it’s the crowd that keep me going. It’s awesome seeing the passion and the love they have for hardstyle because it’s the same for me. That’s what hardstyle is all about. For those that love it, it unites us and we feel a similar connection to it.
Joey: Well, it’s the love for the music, that’s the first and most important connection. Also the connection that matters most, in my opinion.
Every gig I try to make time for everyone, have a small talk, take a picture, that kind of stuff. That’s my way of appreciating their support. And, if I’m playing I always connect with the people on the dance floor. I really enjoy people going totally crazy on my music!
4. What vibe do you get from playing at festivals and parties?
Joey: For me, it’s always awesome to play, anywhere. I don’t mind if it’s in front of 100, 1000 or 10.000. It’s always awesome if the crowd goes f*cking mental!! I get a certain kick/adrenaline rush out of it. I can’t describe it, it’s just out of this world, hahha!
Lander: The vibe I get from playing for a great crowd is unbelievable, I can’t find the right words. It makes me feel so alive… The hour I usually play a DJ set is actually a really magical thing for me. Usually when I get right of stage I’m the happiest and most stoked dude alive. And it also gives me big boost of inspiration each time! To be honest I haven’t attended that many parties with other kinds of music, of course I do my research and stuff. But what’s special about hardstyle? The dedication, the family, the love for THIS music and everyone else who is participating in it. It’s a great thing going on.
Fabian: I can’t really describe it. You can see the people dance and cheer at you. It’s awesome to share your own music and help the hardstyle scene to make it even better. Sometimes it’s still like a dream. I love it. It shows me how nice it is to live.
Carlos: Overall feeling at events is generally crazy as hell. With Masif, that’s my home. It means a lot because when we first started we were a small club barely getting 50 people through the door. But it was the passion that Steve, Joe, Jase showed that kept them going and also trying to relay that through the music. Something that we continue to this day and it shows on the dance floor. With festival events like Defqon, Bass Control, Reborn/District 7 its generally the same thing. I love what I do and hardstyle so it’s that passion I put into every performance. I realise that as an MC we’re there to enhance not to be the main act, but it is a very important role.
5. Is there a certain stigma with the raw music that you create? If so, how has that changed over time? And do you think Holland is more accepting of the hardstyle genre compared to 5 years ago?
Joey: Well, there is a stigma on the whole “Hard Dance Scene” obviously. When I told my parents I was making hardstyle, they instantly started talking about drugs and so on. But if you look at Holland, you can see a certain shift. In Holland they also play Hardstyle on National Radio (sometimes). Hardstyle is getting appreciated by all audiences, there’s so much diversity at every party you visit. So yeah, Holland is more accepting of the hardstyle genre compared to 5 years ago, that’s for sure!
So there you have it, lovely testimonials from the guys who sit up all day and all night in the studio, making the magic that keeps us on the dance floor from 9 til’ 5 in the morning… Thanks guys for chatting with me.
I hope someday in the near future that hardstyle isn’t just looked at as an “aggressive, drug infused” genre of music and rather as something creative, beautiful and credited.
On a more personal note, I hope to begin writing on behalf of the hardstyle community, voicing many opinions, giving everyone the down low of events to attend and hopefully, help this amazing community grow and spread even further worldwide…
Over this 4 piece journey, I hope that I have made some jaws drop in disbelief, I hope that I have made many people smile, I hope that some of you are rushing now to subscribe to various hardstyle podcasts and I hope that I have convinced some parents to let their children use their credit card to buy Defqon.1 tickets….
I am Cassi Catsaros and the best is yet to come!
