Real-talk – Do we take the Hard Dance scene for granted…?

I’m calling it right now; here in The Netherlands we are so incredibly lucky to be blessed with an exponentially-growing scene that’s continuously flooded with new music, promising new names and of course, an agenda packed with exciting festivals. Other parts of the globe such as South and North America, Asia and Eastern Europe don’t hold an industry that’s even remotely close to that in The Netherlands. In these countries, fans have an unparalleled yearning to be smack-bam in the middle of a festival crowd and although making an annual trip to Defqon.1 or Qlimax seems enticing, it’s simply not the same as being involved in the Dutch scene and having other event concepts at your own dispense week in, week out. Even in Australia, which is one of the most developed countries when it comes to Hard Dance, we don’t have large-scale festivals or events on a weekly basis, nor do we have many A-list artists remaining in the country or a large catalogue of quality music coming from down under. It’s this very desire that keeps things exciting for fans and artists performing abroad.

A prime example I can think of is the ‘classic’ Chilean fans who beg artists to “come to Chile” and despite the little knowledge behind their statements, it raises a lot of questions for me. I mean, c’mon, Defqon.1 Chile was immensely successful; fans were waiting outside the doors for hours and flooding themselves in a sea of euphoric tears when the festival finally begun.

It’s this insane devotion that has me wondering – do ‘spoilt’ fans lack this very zest…?

And most importantly, do we take the Hard Dance scene for granted at times?

We have SO much new music, it’s actually ridiculous.

Hard Dance music boasts a scene in which fans have grand events and an abundance of new music at their fingertips. Unlike other dance music genres, Hard Dance’s musical catalogue is continuously updated as ‘active’ artists release a minimum of four tracks per year. Compared to world-renowned Drum & Bass legend Netsky who released only two tracks in 2015 (one being part of his 2016 album “III”), our artists are literally unloading tunes by the bucket-load. I guess this is comparable to giving a child candy every day; at first they feel so lucky, but after a while it’s simply normal for them to receive their candy. The thought of not having candy rarely crosses their mind – they take it for granted.

When you think about the high quality and excruciatingly difficult procedure of Hard Dance production, you can only commend the artists on their great effort and hours, days and months of hard work. A lot of artists have the common goal to create something they love, yet make something successful and I can only imagine the disappointment they feel if a track doesn’t do as ‘well’ as they’d anticipated.

Hard Dance is an immensely prosperous movement and with numerous festivals and indoor events held every weekend, I admit that it can be difficult for fans to not act like a diva if their ‘expectations’ aren’t met. The average expectation is that an artist pumps out a track at least once every two months and heck, even when they’ve freshly released something fans are all like “cool track, when are you previewing something new?” Are you hearing what’s coming out of your mouth…? Artists aren’t machines, they’re people too and it’s absurd to expect huge hits to be released every day.

Take the time to truly savour the music of the moment before begging for something new, listen to the B-sides of EP’s, uncover tracks that didn’t get a lot of exposure and most importantly, just remember that your support and positivity can move mountains. This, combined with the imagination of a world without Hard Dance music will ensure that you won’t take it for granted.

Artists, fans and organisations are one big, happy family.

I cannot think of any other music scene where there’s such a small ‘gap’ between artists and fans. There’s no other scene in which the big names float around festivals drinking beer and chatting with fans or not to mention, accepting fans friend requests on Facebook. We really are one big happy family and sometimes that’s easy to take for granted. Look at all of the international friendships you’ve formed from this scene, some with people you’ve never even met – how cool is that?! Organisations also welcome feedback with open arms; they truly listen to their fans and their passion goes above and beyond to create beautiful, timeless memories.

Thanks to this scene, I’ve been fortunate enough to make life-long friendships with some very genuine people and when I think about what my life would be like without these people, I simply can’t take it for granted. In retrospect, I feel that the ‘social’ aspect is the least of what they take for granted, considering that there’s always an awesome vibe at every single festival, so kudos to everybody – let’s keep these good vibes rolling!

A critical scene

As a writer (and Virgo ascendant), I am the first one to admit that I’ve lashed out with some harsh criticisms before. There was a time about one and a half years ago where I became a little overly-critical and scrutinised absolutely everything in the Hard Dance scene. Nothing was good enough for me; I didn’t bother opening promo-mails, I started to pick apart the minutest details at festivals and I even became vexed at people’s enthusiasm. I simply expected too much from organisations, artists and fans, forgetting that they were only human. It’s quite common for fans to fall slightly ‘out of love’ with the scene at times and after experiencing this myself, I’ve grown in the sense that I can detach myself from harsh criticisms and enjoy the Hard Dance music for what it is. Nowadays, whether a party is big or small, I’m ecstatic and feel fortunate to simply be there and be surrounded by music and great people. On the flip-side, from brainless party bangers to intricately crafted works I can find pure joy in listening to and appreciating the music for what it is, not feeling the need to examine every detail.

I guess that a lot of readers can somewhat resonate with being scathing; maybe you’ve found yourself bitching a little too hard online or being at one of the best festivals and still not enjoying it to its fullest potential. There’s a harsh critic in all of us and providing useful feedback for artists and organisations can be really beneficial, however having a temper tantrum is only harming your own fun. When I have the time to scroll aimlessly through artists’ pages online, I often see harsh comments and criticisms that sadden me. The amount of blood, sweat and tears people put into their work can immediately be dismissed by a simple “this sucks,” or “OMG what a boring track.” This is creativity we’re talking about and creativity is an extremely sensitive thing.

Now I’m going to save you all the stupid “of course we’re all entitled to our own opinions” spiel and say this: think and feel whatever you like, but never, ever take anything for granted. Next time you go to rat on an artist or say something negative about the Defqon.1 stage, take a step back and imagine a world without Hard Dance music…

When you think about some of the tragedies going on in the world and the fact that there’s people out there who can’t even afford to put food on the table, it really makes you wonder and even feel foolish that you could ever take anything for granted. Music and other creative expressions really make the world go round and without them we’d be seriously lost. We’re so incredibly blessed to be a part of such a cohesive and ‘innocent’ scene; sure, sometimes questionable things happen, but when it comes down to the hard facts, it’s important to not become greedy or ungrateful.

United as one, let’s continue showing our devotion and love for the harder styles!