Artist Of The Month – February, 2017!

January has come and gone in the blink of an eye; so believe me or not, but it feels as though our favourite time of the year is approaching the realms of reality. Although the Dutch winter is chilling to the bone, in a little over two months, we’ll be ditching hibernation-state as we shed off those winter layers and prepare for the opening of the treasured festival season!

In the world of the harder styles, 2017 has already become home to numerous shifts and developments. Some artists are referring back to the golden era, some suddenly feel as though their spirit belongs in Goa (alongside Astrix) and some have been waving the white flag and stopping the controversial ‘raw vs. euphoric’ war.

Accentuating on that last point, representing the month of February is one particular artist who’s shed the ‘box’ mentality and has been aiming to close the gap between opposite sides of the spectrum. Aside from that, our artist of the month is one of the most hard-working, genuine female producers in the entire Electronic music industry. Don’t be fooled by her long, radiant blonde hair, because this boss bitch runs circles around the boys! I’m indeed talking about Deetox, and today we’re going to spotlight and honour all of her achievements in Hardstyle.

Forget Hardstyle ‘princess’ or ‘diva;’ Diana Zwerwer is nothing less than an empress, and her title ‘queen of raw’ didn’t come about for no reason! Putting in the hard yards and learning the tips of the trade, the thing that sets Deetox aside from many female artists is that she doesn’t simply sit in the studio with a producer and say “oh, maybe you can add a screech in there” – instead she does it all herself. Setting a positive example for other females looking to pursue a career in music, she encourages them in the sense that great music and a solid work ethic is a hell of a lot more viable than good looks and savvy marketing.

Beginning her career back in 2010, this blonde bombshell worked incredibly hard to get things up and running. Slowly, but steadily, Diana began making a name for herself, primarily from competing in various DJ contests and by the time 2012 rolled around, she sparked the interest of Theracords, who signed her to the label. Her big debut “Once Upon A Time” was just the tip of the iceberg for Diana, who followed up with her subsequent release “Black Magic.”

After her initial releases, it became inevitable that Diana was so much more than a pretty face – she held the capabilities to sustain a long-lasting, serious career as her rise to prominence was nothing short of inspirational.

2013 was a game-changing year for Deetox, who showed her skills upon the wheels of steel at events like Emporium, Intents Festival, Dreamfields, Indicator, Decibel Outdoor Festival, Dream Village and Bass Academy amongst others. Spinning an eclectic selection of underground, raw beats, as well works from her own discography, Deetox quickly earned the respect of Hardstyle fans from her authentic ethos.

By 2014, she was not only a stand-out female in Hardstyle, but one if the overall leading names in the genre. Releasing hit-bangers “Street Movement,” “Do Or Die” alongside Delete and “Voodoo,” the improvement in these releases was undeniable as Deetox’s skills and knowledge went from strength to strength. Sporting a hectic performance schedule and an ever-expanding, global fan-base, this victory was only expected to multiply in 2015!

Dropping bomb-like tracks “Bring The Riot,” “Fatal” with Delete and “Rawness” with E-Force, her signature rough style placed her at the top of the ‘raw’ ladder as she scored her spot at eminent concepts like Qapital, Defqon.1, Q-BASE, X-Qlusive Holland and of course, the mother of all indoor events, Qlimax. Reaching the pinnacle of her career, her placement on the Qlimax line-up was merely an embodiment of her hard work over the years, as she proudly tore down the walls of the GelreDome.

Over the past year, Deetox has really knuckled down. Settling into her newly built studio, the ‘queen of raw’ stated that although she didn’t release many tracks, that she’s been heading down a new musical avenue. Revealing that she’s been following her heart and experimenting with more melodies, this new venture has culminated into overwhelming positivity that she received on her recently previewed track “Paralyzed” featuring Elyn. To be released on Hard With Style, it’s going to be an incredibly exciting journey for Deetox in 2017, as she’s one of the artists aiming to close the gap between ‘raw’ and ‘melodic’ Hardstyle.

With a bright future ahead of her, Deetox has also revealed that she’s recently collaborated with Break Zero and Sound Rush. Spreading her skills across Hardstyle’s spectrum, this unstoppable gal is set to turn over a new leaf in Hardstyle.

We’d like to congratulate Deetox on taking out our ‘artist of the month’ title. With her impressive career at its peak, it’s the perfect moment to spotlight her achievements, but before we wrap things up, we’re going to leave you all with a quote from Deetox herself, derived from an interview we did with her in 2016.

 “It seems as if some female DJ’s use their appearance as a prominent tool to gain popularity. This way of marketing does not suit me, as I personally believe this is the wrong way to go. I want to compete with men only through my competence as a DJ and producer. Female or men, people should be judged by their talent, not their appearances.”