“Motherf*cker, I’m about to get RAW!”
What Will Endymion Bring To The Table?

We are not going to sugarcoat it, raw hardstyle is damn popular and there is slowly more word of quite a few labels popping up from left right and centre that dedicate their sound to all things rough and tough. We can feel the force of this booming popularity to the point that artists are losing their creativity and others have been hit in the face with a fresh breeze of creativity accompanied by an incredible musical vision. When thinking of a pot filled with an endless source of creativity, my mind (and probably many of yours) float to one particular trio who have been making waves in the world of hard dance for over one decade.

Since the beginning of their musical career, these three creative gods who are best known as Endymion have jumped on an imaginary surfboard and have been riding an eternal wave (there are no proper beaches, let alone waves in The Netherlands) of creativity that has led them on an incredible journey through hard dance music. Back in the good ole’ days, Endymion were often referred to as the “Darkcore Explorers” then soon found their name as innovators within the hardcore scene as they experimented with anything of any BPM and their rule was if they loved it, then they would play it.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

In the past 1-2 years, if you would stand in and immerse yourself in Endymion’s live magic then you would have noticed their innovation taking yet another exciting turn in the harder sphere as (yes, they went there) their BPM began to shift and experimentalism shone through some fresh new hits such as “Antidote” with Ran-D, “Raging In A Dancehall” ft. Feral Is Kinky and “Pretty Much Fucked” with The Outside Agency (A track of 128BPM. Ohh shiiit, they went there).

When we were invited to Endymion’s studio for a chat about their most recent announcement to the public and about some deeper opinions about music and their vision, the trio stated that:

“As a great example of changing musical taste, most kids at the age of 5 years don’t like raw hardstyle and that obviously changes as you grow older and change as a person. This is exactly what happened to us, we are following our musical instincts and we feel more creative at 150BPM and not to mention there’s much more space for us to be innovative. One problem however, is the whole concept of BPM. It’s one simple mouse click yet listeners put two very different labels on it when comparing 150BPM and 170BPM. We have done so much already within hardcore, yet the scene is not as progressive as compared to the hardstyle scene. With absolutely no disrespect to hardcore, it has been a big part of our lives for such a long time, but at the moment we feel as though we have to do something different. There is so much more innovation to be done in terms of raw hardstyle and you can evidently hear that it is becoming a little empty these days and that’s why our sole aim is to put the musical side back in to it.”

To be quite honest, this shift was not something that was a huge surprise to many people who have been keeping their eye on Endymion and their productions over the last few years and those who experienced their set at Qlimax in 2014 would have heard their newly invented sound loud and clear. Stating that this transition has been happening for quite some time, Endymion went on to tell us that they wanted their announcement to be honest and they wanted to reach a whole new fan-base with their new music:

“Our sole aim was to be honest and although this was a difficult way to approach the decision, we feel as though it is the best way for our fans to know. We don’t want to give our fans false hope or say one thing and do something conflicting so even though this announcement is blunt, we feel as though it is the right thing to do. Yes, some fans have been angry about it but on the other hand there are many people who are not so surprised with the transition as we’ve never been the ‘hardest’ and we attract a pretty mixed crowd. For example, during our sets there’s all kinds of people watching us, such as raw hardstyle fans, people wearing Headhunterz shirts and hardcore fans too! There are a lot of new fans who have just turned 18 and they only know a few of our recent tracks such as ‘Antidote’ and ‘Raging In A Dancehall,’ they don’t know ‘Broken’ or ‘Abduction,’ so we have a still have that history with the older fans but we also want to reach out to new listeners and a new generation.”

Accompanied by their announcement, Endymion have also recently been floating onto line-ups for hardstyle events and come to think of it, they are no longer ‘those guys playing at the end.’ They revealed to us that their agency is working on getting their set time to fit appropriately around artists such as Crypsis, Adaro and Ran-D, right before the ‘really raw’ artists play. As this announcement has come as a shock to many fans, it has also been something that has been a long-time transition and in turn is probably a positive turn for Endymion.

Endymion – Jacks of all trades:

Starting from scratch with not only a new found sound but also a platform to showcase this sound and other like-minded artists to the world, Endymion have really got a D.I.Y. concept on their hands. As three people, Endymion have had their heads down for quite some time and as jacks of many trades the guys worked not only on the musical side of the concept but on artwork, the trailer, the website and well everything really. With the artwork and ‘wolf of the night’ logo proving to already be making it’s mark within the hardstyle scene, D.I.Y might just be the way to go!

**Did you know that Bas studied to be a graphic designer and that Endymion make all of their music videos?** (Yeah, either did we!)

As many of you have already seen within the press and also throughout social media, this label, concept, platform AND community goes by the name of “Nightbreed Records” and the sole aim is so cohere the hardstyle community further through the highest quality raw hardstyle.

                                              **Artwork for Nightbreed Records**

So we have yet ANOTHER label brought out, that’s almost old news…  But one swirling thought stays on our minds – how is Nightbreed different from the rest?

“Nowadays, it’s extremely easy to bring out your own label and release your own music freely” Said Bart who continued on to explain the process and striking uniqueness of Nightbreed.

“Nightbreed is more than just a label, we want a special feeling with the artists associated and we want to provide a platform for new artists to have their chance. Although upcoming producers may not be as technically developed due to their experience, if they have the right ideas and can produce something that hasn’t been made before then we are happy to take them on board and assist them with their techniques. When we look at some labels outside of hardstyle such as Diplo’s label “Mad Decent” or “OWSLA,” we see such potential in these kinds of concepts and so many opportunities – we wanted to create something like that within the hardstyle scene.”

In terms of upcoming talent on the label, the guys revealed that they strictly want real talent and not only a product. Nowadays with the competitiveness within the hardstyle scene, many big players push forward young “products” (upcoming DJ’s) who may not particularly work hard in the studio, let alone make their own music.

“It’s a little bit fake if there’s a just a product on the main-stage” Stated Bas.

“We want to have real artists as a part of Nightbreed and not just brands, we want real producers who work hard in the studio and have a creative vision. Of course we can help them with a few things here and there, for example, we can invite them over and show them what we do when mastering tracks, but we do not have the power to put these kids on main-stages – that’s their job. We want our upcomers to build an identity that they are comfortable with and most importantly, we want them to strive to develop in the studio. It’s all about getting involved and gaining a sense of community!”

Continuing on to tell us that they have a few artists planned to join the Nightbreed force, Endymion seemed very proud to tell us about artists such as High Voltage who has the honour of marking his territory with the first release, their neighbours Bass Chaserz (who are part of the label) and a few more artists who we cannot say anything about just yet! Also releasing their collaboration “Who?” with young pioneers Phuture Noize, Endymion have 5 killer releases up their sleeves. Off the voice recorders, the guys treated us to an exclusive listen to a few of the tracks that they will be releasing on Nightbreed and well, to put it plainly, these guys are undoubtedly going to rock the boat of modern day hardstyle!

“It’s all about INTERACTION!”

Which leads me to my next point… It sounds great for the artists, but what about everyday fans? What do they get?

Other than an unloading of tunes consisting of that pure ‘Nightbreed feeling,’ Endymion have let us into the fact that they will gatecrash the Q-Dance radio studios for a live and interactive show that aims to reach out to fans. As opposed to the usual podcast, the live radio show that goes by “We Are The Nightbreed” has its advantages such as fans being able to connect via social media and join the conversation like never before, wanting their fans to be a part of the movement and community. Revealing that they will make the show “loose and unstructured,” Endymion also stated that they will showcase new tracks to be released on Nightbreed, other tracks that they’re digging and also guest mixes and banter with artists from the label.

From hearing the entire concept to immersing ourselves in some new Endymion tunes, we are definitely convinced that Nightbreed Records will be a highly practical component of the modern day hardstyle scene! We wish Endymion and the Nightbreed team all the best in these next few crucial months and we will definitely be keeping an eye on them!

In the meantime, prepare for the first release on Nightbreed Records – “About To Get Raw – Endymion & High Voltage.

Join the Nightbreed…

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