Part 3: The Community:

For those who are just beginning to fall in love with the scene and have made a mental list of events that tickle your fancy, but unfortunately do not have a party partner in crime – this next segment is dedicated to you!

From personal experience, joining the hardstyle community and meeting other like-minded individuals is a truly great experience when you are new to the scene. Like myself, there are probably many of you who may be the only one in your friendship group to thrive on the harder styles – which can be a little daunting at first when you don’t have your best buddy by your side at your first events. I am here to tell you, this is not a bad thing at all!

The hardstyle community, from Australia to Europe, is an extremely diverse and very friendly community. Bounded endlessly through the music itself, it’s members range in age, demographics, gender and race. Many members of the community will pledge that the hardstyle community is bounded by the sole fact of music, no matter if you arrive at events by yourself or with a group of friends, if you have a love for the music then you are automatically taken in.

Many people, particularly those who are not at all involved with the music itself and do not understand the genre, are quick to make misguided judgements about the community. They usually place uneducated and assumptive descriptions on those who live and breathe hardstyle, which is extremely absurd considering that the hardstyle community is the most tightly meshed and thriving music community in the world.
The fact that it doesn’t particularly matter who you are, where you are from and what you do for a living, the acceptance that other hardstyle listeners offer is incredible, opening their hearts and welcoming you to parties, events and friendship circles.

For those who are new to the genre and scene, there are so many ways to meet new people to attend parties and events with, the possibilities are endless and trust me, the amount of friends you will make at events is unbelievable – most ravers are always up for a great chat!

Apart from being brave and attending parties in a solo manner and striking up conversation with some friendly like-minded individuals, another way to meet thousands of hardstyle lovers is through social media. You may scroll through your Facebook news feed and come across acquaintances of yours who go to events and post hardstyle tracks on their page, my advice is, don’t be afraid to say “hey!”, ask for musical advice or even ask to attend an event with them! Personally, when acquaintances of mine speak to me on Facebook, showing specific interest in the genre I’m always happy that there’s more and more people everyday who are showing attention to and discovering the scene!

Also on social media, there are many Facebook communities that are specially dedicated to hardstyle – this can be a fantastic way of meeting new people! Most of the members of these groups are always down for a chat, whether it be hardstyle related or awkward conversations about the weather! The point is, expanding your social network in the world of hardstyle is vital and also inevitable as no raver is ever alone.
So, my last piece of advice to the newcomers is to jump on Facebook and get involved in discussion! Unless you’re a completely rude twat, there should be no reason that members of the hardstyle community will not welcome and take you in with open arms! We are a versatile and welcoming community that thrives on having such a diverse range of members. The hardstyle scene is always looking to grow bigger and spread worldwide and that starts with the dedication of every single one of you!

Before you all launch into doing some well deserved hardstyle listening homework, joining various Facebook groups or purchasing your festival tickets, I’d like to leave you all with this following quote by Mother Teresa:

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

On a global scale, let’s unite as one.