07 Jun 2017 
Posted by Cassi Catsaros
Artist of the month – June, 2017!
Damn, it feels good to leave the house every day without having to grab a heavy coat and scarf. In the blink of an eye, the chilly mornings and premature sunsets have been replaced with extended days spent drinking wine at stunning terrace bars. Weekends are spent cherishing sunlight and great music at festivals with the company of your closest comrades. It’s a majestic time to say the least, and we’re only just getting started!
With the sun glimmering with radiance, this month we chose an artist whose shine is a solid contestant. In the past year, this particular dude has not only risen to great heights, but has also changed the face of Hardstyle with his hard-hitting and rough, yet accessible approach.
Possessing all the right assets to take out the gold in the kickrolling championships, June’s title goes to none other than drumming-machine D-Sturb!
Considered as one of the most skilled young producers, Jorrit Popkema, or better known as D-Sturb, has been on an impressive rise to stardom. In a scene that, at times, looks like a factory of carbon copies, it’s evident that this youngster has worked intently to construct a distinctive signature sound. Displaying a sharp and robust edge to sound design, D-Sturb has evidently struck gold with a formula that embraces thrashing kickrolls, striking melodies and larger-than-life atmospheres.
Back in 2012, a young D-Sturb had his initial Hardstyle encounter when he dropped his first release “System Overload” on Canadian imprint Dancetraxx Records. Although Jorrit was still in his teens, he released a remarkable number of productions and with each release he became more determined to evolve his skills.
By 2015, Jorrit’s foundations within the industry strengthened when he signed to eminent label Gearbox Digital. This period evidently marked a huge breakthrough for D-Sturb, as he made his mark with prevailing productions such as “Until It’s Gone,” “Trippin’” and “F#ckin’ Up The System.”
In the blink of an eye, it seemed as though D-Sturb was now the talk of the town – and it wasn’t without good reason – his kickrolls were dissimilar to anything we’d heard before! Quickly gaining recognition from the scene’s heavyweights, it wasn’t long until Jorrit’s fan-base exploded globally, as thousands of kickrolling enthusiasts jumped onto the bandwagon.
After releasing at Gearbox Records for just over one year, D-Sturb was offered a place amongst the elite team at End of Line Recordings. Signing to the label in 2016, he dropped a game-changing first release, titled “Ready To Roll,” a brain-bursting track that demolished the dance-floor!
In 2016, one of Jorrit’s biggest advances occurred when he dropped a devastating remix for Warface and Frequencerz’ “Menace.” Encompassing a refined arrangement of pounding kickrolls with pungent energy, it came as no surprise that this remix was one of the years’ biggest tracks. Following up this effort with monster collab “Focus” with Warface feat. Emese, the future of this young prodigy was looking bright as ever.
Leading the ‘talent’ cohort with fully-fledged productions, it came as no surprise that bookings began ‘rolling’ in, with D-Sturb’s agenda filling up at lightning speed. Gracing the decks at distinguished events such as Masters of Hardcore, Intents Festival, Dominator, Fatality, Supremacy, XXlerator Raw and Radical Redemption’s Militant Mayhem, D-Sturb proved himself during high-energy performances packed with the heaviest tunes.
Kicking off 2017 on a high note with a consistent stream of releases, D-Sturb has unveiled some remarkable tunes, including “Pull The Killswitch” with Warface feat. Emese, “Ancient” and of course, his recent Free Festival 2017 anthem “Wild Child” featuring Nolz. Setting a prime example for budding up and comers by churning out top quality productions, D-Sturb has set a whole new benchmark within Raw Hardstyle.
With the summer season in full swing, for those seeking out a brutal experience, you can catch the kickroll virus during gigs at Defqon.1, Free Festival, Daylight Festival, Dreamfields, Dominator, Fatality, Airforce Festival and Decibel Outdoor amongst others.
Big congratulations to D-Sturb for taking out our artist of the month title! To stay up to date on his happenings, be sure to hit him up at his social media links below.
