May ‘Hardstyle’s Doomsday’ serve as a lesson for ALL

Some of us welcomed in the New Year with endless bottles of booze and other substances, others danced the night away at Freaqshow and Fatality, some were stuck being the designated driver for the night and the most unfortunate of us all watched their lives and careers crumbling into oblivion in the blink of an eye…

On January 1^st, as many were recovering from their New Year’s hangovers, big-shot producer and DJ Atmozfears took it to social media to air out some dirty laundry regarding his long-time friend and collaborator Energyzed. At first, the controversial statement may have appeared to be a really good troll, but as time passed and the post remained, the scene came to realise that this was no joke.

In the provocative post, Tim van de Stadt stated that Xander Mourits not only took projects from his computer, but also used Tim’s kicks without permission as well as operating his ghost-productions in an unprofessional manner. Comments rolled in, drama proceeded and once again, our scene exploded to reveal its very own Judgement Day.

A matter of hours ago, Energyzed broke his silence, as he took it to his public artist page to tell his side of the story.

Despite telling his side of the story, judging by the comments posted on numerous public forums and social media, it appeared as though the damage had been done. Although, saying this, there were still a handful of encouraging comments from fans wishing Xander the best and hoping that he can someday have his second chance.

Whilst Atmozfears and Energyzed we’re in the midst of this feud, it appears as though another ‘talent’ was operating his career in an unethical manner. Claiming to be selling kicks from top names such as Cyber and Wildstylez amongst others, numerous images displaying a screenshot of a private Facebook messenger chat have gone viral, and Deako since posted an official statement, however de-activated his artist page shortly after. Managing label Dirty Workz posted an update on Twitter, stating “(…) We have a Zero tolerance on dealing in intellectual properties. The present matter and that of any future matters has been taken up accordingly.” The label is yet to reveal the exact details of what will happen to Deako.

We’ll keep it short. We have a Zero tolerance on dealing in intellectual properties. The present matter and … https://t.co/tUt3PYIYQY

— Dirty Workz (@dirtyworkz) January 2, 2017

In amongst this massive implosion, it seemed as though Twitter was where the party was at! Numerous eminent names took it to the platform to express their anger with ‘talents unprofessionalism’ and theft, some artists even going as far as saying that our scene is falling apart. It was as if the warmth and glow of 2017’s entrance immediately took second place behind this drama that better resembles an episode of Days Of Our Lives.

Within all of these unfortunate happenings over the past couple of days, one very important question is raised – “What can we learn from this?”

The Hard Dance community is a very tech-savvy industry, and numerous members of our scene pride themselves on being ‘so professional’ or having their online marketing on point, however is posting impulsive statuses for the whole world to see classified as professional? We don’t know whether record labels were consulted prior to these statuses being posted, but maybe it would’ve been wiser to confide in the managing label and devise a plan to release official statements.

We have a large scene with millions of followers; everyone and anyone has read what was posted online and now the artists and record labels are left to pick up the pieces. Nonetheless, it is very easy to understand that these updates may have been published in the heat of the moment.

Another big issue that’s arisen during these circumstances is ‘cyber bullying.’ The majority of us don’t think twice before posting things online; it’s second nature to us and the notion of anybody seeing your name and reading what you wrote barely crosses our minds. Memes have been made, torments have been typed and arguments have occurred, but do we ever think twice about how this reflects on us as a person? Cyber bullying is not something that we should celebrate; it ruins lives and can have detrimental effects on individual’s well-being. Sometimes it is better to sit back and let the ‘adults’ handle this, but then again, we live in a world where people want their opinions heard and their comments liked.

Regarding the actual happenings of the situation, may this serve as a lesson not only for up and coming producers, but for everybody involved in our scene. For professionals and artists; if you are operating your business in an unethical manner, don’t expect to gain respect from those around you. If you are tempted to pursue a quick route to success, then one, being a music producer probably isn’t for you and two, take into consideration how quickly and badly it can all blow up in your face.

Secondly, we live in a digital world and with that come issues of theft and sampling, however how we handle these issues makes all the difference. I personally cannot imagine a world without Hard Dance music, and I’m sure that all of you can agree with that, which is why we have to celebrate the positive instead and leave these issues to be figured out by those directly involved.

For producers and DJ’s that find themselves stuck in a moral conflict; the best thing to do is consult your label or agency before making any rash decisions. Managers and other professionals are most likely to know how to handle these kinds of situations.

Finally, for everybody else, despite this unfortunate start to the year, let’s go back to the basics and enjoy our scene for what it is. There’s going to be both good and bad, but what you choose to focus on will make all of the difference…