Since Showtek departed from the harder styles years ago, a certain defence has struck hardstyle fans, subsequently resulting in a cloud of dread as they speculate ‘who’s next’ in shifting their focus to another genre.

This, in turn, has created a lot of tension and protection among the fans, who obviously aren’t fond on the idea of having their favourite artist leave the genre and to be honest, I don’t blame them… Why don’t I blame them? Well it’s truly a shame to see an artist you’ve been following for so many years change their sound to a genre that you might not even like and don’t even get me started on the fact that you probably won’t experience them performing at a hard dance event again. Every hardstyle fan has felt this immense pain and disappointment when pioneering names Showtek and Headhunterz announced that they will no longer continue in hard dance and will direct their passion towards other electronic music genres. Some fans accepted this change and moved on, focussing their passion on other artists that they liked, some fans continually abused these artists online and some are well, let’s just say still in denial.

Because Showtek left hardstyle and Headhunterz bailed shortly after, the scene was left with a huge burden of uncertainty, which consequently fogged up our perceptions of other pioneers. This defence mechanism is by no means ‘wrong,’ but it’s a slight misconception that fans have adopted after losing two beloved names.

So, what does this mean? Well, as a consequence, it’s put a bunch of virtuous artists in the firing line who continually have to ‘prove’ themselves in order to reassure their fan-base.

Is this fair? We’re going to take a look at the biggest names in hardstyle, what they’re doing to prove their ‘worthiness’ and whether it’s saving their ass… or not.

Coone

Being involved in hard dance since the early 2000’s, this Belgian wonder grew to achieve huge things including his highly successful label Dirty Workz, performing in all corners of the globe, holding a vast discography under his belt, including his three albums “My Dirty Workz,” “The Challenge” and “Global Dedication” and representing the harder styles in the DJ Mag Top 100. Despite his respectable status, Coone is the perfect example of an artist who faces constant scrutiny from his fans, especially after his collaborations with Steve Aoki and official remixes for Dimitri Vegas, MOGUAI & Like Mike and Gareth Emery. The fact that he was even reaching out to a broader demographic put fans on their toes as they immediately assumed that Coone would be the next to GTFO.

When we take a closer look at what Coone has done for the scene in recent times, we strongly feel that there’s no reason for fans to be mistrustful.

Love For The Game:

His upcoming release “Love For The Game” is one of the most powerful, message oriented tracks of today. Revealing that the track was inspired by his self-reflection when it came to where he belongs in the music scene, the lyrics were written to portray what his fans say and his retorts.

“Dude what happened? You used to make songs for us. You were my idol, but left your fans in the dust. Ain’t this the dude with pride and love for the game, now it’s all about money, and fuckin’ fame.”

Going on to explain: “Well I guess I have changed, I’m redefined, but please listen to this, with an open mind. You guys are one of kind, I will never sell my soul and leave this army behind…” These words are straight to the point in attempt to knock out any misconceptions that fans have.

Another thing about the track is that it’s hard and sounds like real hardstyle. If it were super soft and cheesy that would probably be a different story, but the track is incredible, the video-clip is great and it has been a huge hit among all kinds of hard dance fans. If you haven’t checked it out, we suggest you watch the video-clip below and also the teaser if you want some extra insight.

D-Block & S-te-Fan

Our favourite music made addicts have been playing the ‘double agents’ for a large portion of 2015 after announcing their new house alias DBSTF where they’ve releasing tracks “Beautiful World” and “Waiting For You” and have performed various times. This summer there’s even been instances where the guys have performed a house set as DBSTF then gearing up for another performance under their hardstyle alias – talk about versatility!
However, with this new development in their career comes the treading on some seriously thin ice as hardstyle fans continue to unload their backlash on the duo.

One thing I have to commend the guys on is their honesty and the fact that they cleverly ran all of their house productions under a different alias. I mean, if hardcore guys can also make hardstyle under a different alias, I see absolutely nothing wrong with what D-Block & S-te-Fan are doing. If anything, their honest approach and ability to explore house music has only inspired them more as they have even managed to revive that well-loved classic sound in their upcoming releases, including “Higher” which was featured in the Intents Festival 2015 after-movie.

By the sounds of the recent hardstyle sets, their legacy appears as strong as ever as the duo covers everything from their cherished oldies to newer productions. As long as they keep producing and performing hardstyle, who gives a fuck about what they do on the side!

Brennan Heart

This dude is yet another example of an artist who fans fear will leave hardstyle, however concerns really don’t add up. Yes, together with Wildstylez he created worldwide anthem “Lose My Mind” which topped charts and even scored itself huge recognition from outside the hard dance sphere and also remixed a few house tracks, but so what? This doesn’t call for apprehension.

I Am Hardstyle:

2015 brought one of the most successful marketing campaigns for forerunner Brennan Heart and the name “I Am Hardstyle” really says it all. Spreading his talents across all spectrums of hardstyle, he has demonstrated old-school, melodic and even raw sounds within his recent productions. His dedication to the scene is undeniable and on the 17th of October this became even that tiny bit more real when Q-Dance held the event “I Am Hardstyle” in the Heineken Music Hall as a part of Amsterdam Dance Event, sporting a versatile line-up that included artists from his label WE R as well as other artists he offers support to.

Another noteworthy action he’s taken in 2015 was the revival of his classic alias Blademasterz with the kick-ass hit“Still Here,” which just goes to show that he really is still here!

Wildstylez

Wildstylez is undoubtedly one of the most respected legends in our scene, however some fans beg to differ. Being around from the early years, we’ve watched him grow, watched him close down mainstages and also experienced an inevitable change in his sound which is something that has thrown die-hard fanatics into a curveball. Receiving a golden record for “Year Of Summer,” and also releasing “Turn The Music Up” on Mainstage Music sadly became a threat for those fans who came to the immediate assumption that this beloved pioneer would sell his soul for ‘money and fame.’ However, this is not the case.

Lose Control:

Earlier this year when we caught up with Wildstylez, we asked him what he had to say about his release on Mainstage Music and his truthful answer actually got a lot of thoughts brewing. Going on to explain that this is the “first track he’s ever produced at this tempo,” it made a lot of fans realise that one slower track out of his entire discography shouldn’t mean that he’s bailing on us. Not to mention, the release of his album “Lose Control” sparked a huge success worldwide, most of the tracks were exceptionally great, especially the tracks that packed in those beloved old-school vibes!

Want more Wildstylez? Read our interview HERE.

Noisecontrollers

As ridiculous as it sounds but some fans are convinced that Noisecontrollers is next to abandon us. Due to the fact that his productions are so incredibly immaculate and that he’s conquered so much in his career, it leaves some fans assuming that he may not be satisfied anymore and that there’s nothing left to achieve in the world of hardstyle. Despite his many side productions, Noisecontrollers has got to be one of the most loyal producers in our genre and we know for a fact that he’s not going anywhere!

Albums, albums, albums!

2014 release “All Around” was undoubtedly one of the most successful albums in hardstyle history. It really turned a new leaf for our ‘God’ and showcased a whole new avenue that no producer dared to go down. Every track on that album was faultless and it truly sounded like modern hardstyle in its purest form. 2015 brought something a little different for his pioneer as he released “All Night Long,” a project that consisted of collected studio material from 2013 to 2015 which covered everything from accessible hardstyle to music produced from an experimental ear.

If this wasn’t enough to prove his credibility, God then revealed a new line of “10 years Noisecontrollers shows” and also an exclusive CD/DVD which would celebrate an amazingly successful decade in hardstyle, including his collection of astonishingly timeless music!

 

For all of the pioneers mentioned, we want you to know that you are doing an incredible job in keeping your legacies alive. We have an immense amount of respect for what you do and hope that you all continue to keep up the great work for the rest of the year and well into 2016! For the fans, this is just a small amount of solid proof and just a few examples of pioneers that are loyal and will continue their loyalty within hard dance music. What do you think? Which other artists have proved to the public that they’re not leaving hardstyle?