Live-acts: Setting aside the ‘artistic’ from the ‘overly hyped’

Nowadays in the Hardstyle scene, all we seem to hear about are two (or more) artists slapping on some masks or bomber jackets, making a handful of bangers and wowing the crowd by using Co2 guns during their performances. Sound pretty cool, right? Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that all of these aspects are concreted together by flawless marketing tactics.

Live-acts. They’re a real thing and are increasing in number and complexity within the competitive Hard Dance market. Live-acts or exclusive collaborations have always been a huge part of our scene; look at classic live-acts and collaborations such as Project One, Donkey Rollers, Second Identity, Hardheadz and even Wild Motherfuckers – these team-ups went down in history, especially Project One, who practically caused a tidal wave when their triumphant return at Qlimax and Australia’s Knockout Circuz was announced.

Fast forward five or so years and the notion behind live-acts has still remained as something exclusive and special, however a regular complaint always seems to arise that “the scene is flooded with random raw live-acts.”

I can most certainly see where these complaints come from, seeing as 2015 and 2016 has encompassed a booming growth of these collaborations and before you can stop me, the vast majority of their music is classified as raw.

So, who’s surfaced in the past two years? Well, aside from the inevitable NCBM, you have Public Enemies, Mean Machine, War Force, Hard Attakk, Delete VIP, The Warriorz, 3 The Hard Way, Notorious Two and who could forget about Freakz At Night, who dove head-first into disaster? Furthermore, the majority of artists (particularly raw) put on live performances too as guys like Warface and Radical Redemption have thrown down some unforgettable live acts.

I think I’ve made my point. There’s a TON of live-acts floating around, a lot more than five years ago and with any discussion there are pros, cons and explanations behind this development.

Why go live?

Other than the fact that two artists may feel certain chemistry in the studio, the most logical explanation I can come up with behind prompting a live-act is to remain a fighting force in the competitive scene or to re-vamp their career. With proper marketing and tracks that work on the dance-floor, these live-acts may just be more bookable than an artists’ solo alias which creates music that’s more listening-minded.

A trap that artists (and fans) fall into is thinking that if they slap on a mask, create ridiculously raw music and jump up on the decks and fist pump that they’ll rise to fame – this is simply cringe worthy. Sure, you may create a ton of hype in the short term, but when it comes to standing the test of time and going down in history like Project One did, it’s highly unlikely.

For artists who are already experiencing a booming solo career, involving themselves in a live-act may just be a new experiment or a way to boost their own creativity. This could be a possible explanation behind newly-formed Supremacy-anthem makers War Force.

Where live-acts go wrong

One thing that the observant and aware will notice is that live-acts are heavily based around marketing and visual representation. Sometimes the music sounds like absolute rubbish, however with the pristine veneer portrayed through social media, image and on-stage antics these acts can become quite successful. Music of a dismal quality is not what this scene needs, and as usual it’s the guys making thoughtful, intelligent tunes that are always left trailing behind. But that’s a different story. Furthermore, the over-marketing of these ‘projects’ can set an unrealistic standard for upcoming artists who are fighting endlessly to make a name for themselves. Fans are less likely to pay attention to something that’s not cool or shiny.

Take B-Frontliner for example; the concept of combining raw and melodic had immense potential; however without paying proper attention to the act, it fell underneath the surface a little. There’s no doubt that incredible things happen whenever B-Front and Frontliner take the stage, but with demanding solo schedules it seems as though their act took side-stage.

Another bad move that live-acts tend to make is focusing too much on their individual efforts. In a recent interview conducted with War Force as part of the Supremacy magazine, the guys were asked the following question:

There’s an overabundance of live-acts within raw Hardstyle. What makes War Force different?

“We’re actually not thinking about how many live-acts there are at the moment. At first we just liked making music together and besides that we also share a great connection in the studio, which you can hear within our tracks. Within live-acts, you can often hear a lot of sounds from a certain artist, however War Force is 100% War Force and we want to maintain that balance. We both aim to entertain people with our War Force sound and so far it seems to be successful!”

Raising an interesting point about live-acts containing a lot of sounds belonging to a certain artist, this is something that needs to be addressed. If artists are to create a live-act, it can’t merely be a glorified collab – it has to be a separate act that boasts its own signature sound.

And, where they go right…

Luckily for War Force, they’ve already got the right mind-set and creating a 100% War Force sound is something I have to commend them on. It’s extremely difficult for artists to team up and create a whole new identity when their solo career is so strong, so when they can execute this it’s only a good thing for the scene as it creates variety.

For a long time now, Gunz For Hire have been one of the most traditional and successful live-acts and there’s a good reason behind it. Of course you can hear strong influences of Ran-D and Adaro, however there’s no doubt that the quality in the music is exceptional. Another thing they had working in their favour was that they were one of the first live-acts of the modern era and combined with their accessible approach they ensure awesomeness no matter what.

Before you begin asking “where’s Minus Militia,” I’m getting to it. These guys have created an intense, world-wide movement that’s one of Hardstyle’s most prosperous assets. Yes, there’s a massive hype around Minus Militia and their fan-base can be comparable to an indoctrinated army, but rightly so, because their music is great and has allowed them to stand the test of time.

For a successful live-act to stay on the radar it’s a combination of clever marketing (not over-marketing), good music and an authentic approach to the cause.

Are Hardcore and Freestyle lagging on the live-act hype train?

To answer this question, yes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. From the top of my head I can’t even think of any Freestyle live-acts, however let’s keep in mind that the Freestyle movement is quite new and there will probably be some concepts popping up in the next few years.

As for Hardcore, we previously had The Supreme Team, however one of the latest live-acts is Scarphase. Consisting of Partyraiser and F-Noize, brutal forces and high tempos are ensured as this act demolishes every stage they play on!

However, it’s undeniable that the amount of live-acts is significantly lower in Hardcore and that makes me wonder… Is it the mind-set of the fans? Are they not as easily impressed by snazzy marketing tactics? Nonetheless, I feel as though there could be a lot of big developments for Hardcore and the amount of live-acts in the scene within the next year or so – I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!