Having transformed himself from the young “mystery talent behind the helmet” to one of Dirty Workz most valuable assets, Hard Driver has evidently proved his musical ability, seeing his productions go from strength to completely out-of-this-world. His career in music has been rewarding, full of experiences and is looking extremely promising for the future. But before we talk about the future, let’s take a little trip down memory lane as we celebrate achievements, experiences and more.

Many fans aren’t aware that Freek van Kempen, AKA Hard Driver initially kicked his musical career off by producing jump under the name ‘Fenix.’ His first releases on Dirty Workz generated a huge response and from that he became an established upcoming name in the scene. After a few years he began shifting his focus to hardstyle and when the time came to launch himself, he did it with a hidden identity and a whole new front of music. His early releases “World Premiere,” “Under Attack” and “On Fire” got the fans thinking, talking and listening to this mysterious new artist.

One year later, the identity of Hard Driver was revealed to the public eye and although the helmet was gone, this was definitely not the last that we heard about him. The melted disappeared and a fresh, sophisticated individual emerged and was ready to create some waves in the world of hardstyle. Breakthrough tracks “The Hunter,” “Rock Your Body” and “Came To This” made a huge impact on the scene and Hard Driver’s innovative approach to music was really beginning to pay off. Coming into the hardstyle scene and having to start from fresh is one thing, but it’s another to be able to climb the ladder to reach your own elite space within a short space of time.

2014 was undoubtedly the biggest year for Hard Driver with the release of this first solo album “Point Break.” The response was overwhelming, the album was amazing and proved that hardstyle could be hard and still retain a high quality.  The production of Point Break, was addictively energetic and had the ability to tear down a whole street of houses, generate swirling hurricanes but most importantly, when played live, magic happened. Highlights of the album were “Crank It Up,” “Bassdrops,” “#WUT” and “United From The Start” with Radical Redemption.

All music aside and down to the performances, one thing that stands out about Hard Driver is the fact that during his sets there’s no pretentiousness and his love for the music is felt at full force. He knows how to entertain the crowd, he always has a great track selection and his versatility allows him to practically perform anywhere! His music has taken him to perform at some of the most prestigious events such as Defqon.1 (Australia & The Netherlands), Hard Bass, Intents Festival, Reverze, Tomorrowland and this year he will be performing on the mainstage at Decibel in which he also made the anthem for.

So Hard Driver, congratulations with this month’s title, we can’t wait to see more of your performances this Summer and hear what you’ve been cooking up in the studio!

Happy July everyone!