Stepping into the raw and relentless arena of Qapital… [REVIEW]

Devastating kicks, dark atmospheres and unrelenting power is what we experienced at Q-Dance’s Qapital event, held on April 2nd 2016. The biggest names in the raw, harder edge of Hardstyle kicked off the party season with a massive explosion of energy at the infamous and colossal Ziggodome in Amsterdam. We knew that it was going to be a special night thanks to the line-up which was jam-packed with live performances, new releases and album previews that psyched us up in the weeks leading up to the party. This years’ edition of Qapital was something that I’d been anticipating for quite a while and leading up to the event, excitement built like water coming to the boil. After arriving, I bolted into the venue, launching myself into area one with pure adrenaline because I couldn’t wait to see and hear what Qapital had to offer.

In true Q-dance style, Area one was truly mesmerizing and people’s faces beamed as they were welcomed with an awesome 4D audio-visual spectacle. There were moving satellites that lit the ceiling, beautiful lights, colourful lasers and of course, the centrepiece: a giant, alien-like cylinder that housed the DJs on a 360 degree rotating platform. Light towers were planted into the floor beneath and the ceiling above, and pulsed rhythmically to the banging bass. Speaker towers encased the DJs and projected sound that was crystal clear, loud and poundingly-powerful.

The atmosphere was electric as friendly punters rocked to the sounds of Outbreak and Sabacca LIVE. The live element added a new dimension to his set and his MC had the crowd bouncing. The Aussie ex-pat delivered his latest releases from the “Rebel Territory” releases as well as new edits of iconic tracks like “Sounds of The Night,” “Brain Smacker” and a remix of Crypsis’ “Lost in the Mist” which led into the next set perfectly. Fire exploded from all parts of the stage, lighting up the room and heating us up for more mayhem ahead.

Taking the stage next was Minus Is More’s mixing mastermind, Crypsis. He showed off his flawless style as he opened with the 2016 Qapital anthem “Stand Your Ground.” Huge, sparkling jets of fireworks shot from the stage and the satellites above our heads, the lights flooded the room in a sea of red, and the party accelerated to the next gear as he played “Willow Waly,” “Headcracker,” “Crackin Your Ribs” and the timeless tune “Get Hit,” to name a few. The room was packed and we all lapped up Crypsis’ passionate presence on the stage. It was tough having to pull myself away from that majestic arena, but I needed to venture into area two to see the talented young gun DJs and producers.

After a wait in a line to catch the lift, I entered the steamy area with hundreds of others who were punching their arms to Theracords’ Jason Payne. The man was going just as hard as his fans were as he interacted with them in between each mix. Payne sped up the BPM and showed no mercy with heavy tracks like “Brainless,” “Stomping,” “Venom” and a hardcore edit of “The Realness” to close.

For those who don’t believe how off the chain Payne’s set was, I found some footage online of him dropping the Rebelion remix of Deetox & Delete’s “Do Or Die,” featuring. MC Livid.

Next up was the Fusion artist named Requiem, a fantastic DJ with a brilliant track list of old and new releases. He slowed the pace but kept up the energy seamlessly thanks to “Take The Hit,” “Collateral Damage,” “Ways of the Underground” with Warface and The Geminizers’ “FHM.” I loved his smile and positivity despite some CDJ issues. The people danced up a sweat-storm in there as they supported the new breed of artists.

I quickly rushed back into area one for the Unleashed legend Digital Punk who had the crowd eating from the palm of his hand. A crazy swarm of green lasers beamed across the arena while he dropped bombs like “Hate On Me,” his collaboration with Radical Redemption “Retaliate With Hate” and popular tunes like E-Force’s “Seven” and “Oh My God.”

Digital Punk built up the energy nicely towards the second half of the evening. However, the next performance was delayed by a total surprise: the Raw Alliance. Flags with their name dropped from the sidelines and a boisterous MC stood on top of the stage, shouting out propaganda about this new act to the crowd. The five people jumped around the decks but the crowd just stood there looking confused by what was going on. The Raw Alliance tracks fit that rawstyle kick-screech formula, but they were one-dimensional, unexciting and forgettable. As I looked around, some Deetox’s fans were disappointed by the fact that her set had been shortened by this new gimmick.

After a long ten minutes, the current ‘queen’ of Hardstyle was finally given the decks and a roaring crowd soared towards the stage. Deetox took no prisoners as she slammed out her releases and collabs like “Lose Control,” “Lower Level” and “Within Me” with Rebelion. A skilled DJ and an exciting performer who truly kicks ass.

Next from the Theracords family was Thera LIVE with his New Era concept. The lightshow shifted into tones of blue and white and Thera raised up a weapon, his own arm covered in glowing digital panels; a symbol of his new attack into 2016. The set was a mix of some big highlights like “Citizens,” the emotionally-charged track “Starfleet” with Yuna-X, “Judgement” with Delete, plus a surprise live appearance by his vocalist Tessa Belinfante for “Going Under.” It is great to hear more melodies and vocals being combined with the rougher kicks of raw.

The one man army of Radical Redemption stepped up next and brought his usual show of brutal tracks and kickrolls. His loyal soldiers marched hard to “Smack Bitches,” “Suicide Bassline” and both “Brutal 3.0 & 5.0.”

After this intense spectacle, citizens of Qapital had no idea how to prepare for the next live act – Delete VIP. The quiet achiever turned up the loudness and tore us apart with unbelievable power. It was an insane journey from harder to hardest thanks to pounding variations in his productions like “Just Do It,” “Syndrome” and collabs such as “The End” with Spoontech Records’ founder, Vazard as well as a cheeky TBA with N-Vitral to round things off. The inventive style of Delete had the crowd swearing “fuckkkkk!!!” as well as fisting the air furiously and roaring for more as it was the clear highlight of the night.

Qapital outshone many of its rivals because of its focus on producers that played their latest creations in an amazing atmosphere, with a pounding sound system and hyper-sensory light-show. The line-up this year shone with diversity as it gave that opportunity for the next-gen to shine, as well as the more experienced piloting names. Never ceasing to amaze, Q-dance’s epic production was out of this world, proving that they’re still first class in the Hard Dance scene! All in all, I say bring on 2017!