“Under Qonstruction” – Pros & Cons behind Qlimax 2015

Last Thursday, all hell broke loose on social media when the line-up for this year’s edition of Qlimax dropped. From the unusual composition of the line-up to the fact that for a first time, MC Villain was hosting the night instead of resident MC, Ruffian, the hardstyle community took their dissatisfactions to social media and even went to the lengths of signing a petition that aimed to bring Ruffian ‘back’.

Renowned as being if not, the most prestigious production that the hard dance world possesses, Qlimax has stood high as the main event that artists work towards; playing on that colossal stage in the Gelredome is something that every hardstyle DJ dreams of doing. When Qlimax was conceived, it was a concept that showcased artists who have been shining considerably more than the ‘other guys’ in the scene in that year, however as an observer, this year’s line-up and concept has demonstrated some big changes in Qlimax as an event and also the hard dance scene. Saying this, changes are great and we need change for our scene to keep evolving; however with change comes growing pains – so let’s explore both sides of the medallion and take a look at the pros and cons behind this year’s Qlimax.

First of all, we’d like to congratulate all of the artists who are playing here, especially the first-timers – Qlimax has always been known as a huge milestone in an artists’ career. It’s important that artists are opened up to exciting, new opportunities, however, this will always come at a price when the public has their say.

Let’s get down to the biggest controversy: the MC sitch.

We all know by now that Ruffian has been the resident host of Qlimax pretty much since the beginning of time and this year MC Villain is hosting the party for a change. To be honest, if Villain gets a shot at MCing this year, then other MC’s should be considered for the coming years – Q-Dance also should have introduced this rotation years ago and given other MC’s the opportunity. Yes, we love Ruffian and he has not only been an incredible host for the event but has also become an iconic figure of Qlimax, however if different artists have the opportunity to play each year, then there’s nothing particularly wrong with swapping up the hosts. I can wholeheartedly understand why the die-hard fans are a little upset with this years’ change, of course when an MC has been that loyal icon for many years there can be negativity associated when that has changed. However, when it all comes down to it, there’s a lot of bitching in the immediate days after the line-up release, but once the night has passed and is marked as a huge success, visitors will be yapping on about how incredible it was.

Attending my first Qlimax last year, I was a little disheartened by the fact that the majority of the night consisted of raw hardstyle – it was as if the roots of the genre were merely respected and unfortunately this year’s situation is comparable. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great artists this year, but what would be even more awesome would be a ‘tribute’ with an artist such as The Prophet, Pavo or Dana. Now that the line-up is already out and there’s nothing we can do to change it, this concept might be something to think about for the 2016 edition; but for now, I’m just praying to God that Isaac delivers a bangin’ early hardstyle set.

Another thing I’m curious about is the weird ‘team-ups’ they’ve done this year. To be completely honest, it doesn’t sit well when I think about Brennan Heart playing “Follow The Light” and other melodic works followed by Ran-D playing “FCK EDM.” I guess we will have to wait and see what the two of them come up with – maybe Ran-D will be playing his older, more melodic tracks or will Brennan Heart be playing a rougher set? The only thing we can do is wait and hope that these artists succeed with working together. Another interesting concept I read a lot about within comments online is about how great it would be to swap Ran-D with Zatox and throw Gunz For Hire on stage for a live-act – now that would be something to get people excited!

One particular duo I’m excited about seeing this year are Frequencerz, these guys well and truly deserve to perform here, they’ve had an incredible year filled with some great releases and I feel as though this is going to take their career to the next level. Another name I’m happy to see is Tha Playah; Q-Dance couldn’t have booked a better person to kick the night into overdrive and end the party with a bang! When I think about some other potential names that truly deserve to be on this line-up, my mind goes no further than Da Tweekaz, a duo who has worked immensely hard over the last few years, has released hit after hit and have been recognised as an act that always gives it their all and also Radical Redemption, an artist who has climbed to incredible heights at a record breaking speed. But of course, programming artists onto the one stage can be difficult and for now, all we can do is suggest these names for the following years.

Again, in terms of the line-up, not everyone will be satisfied and there will always be good and bad that comes with it, all we can do is make suggestions for future editions and hope that organisations are willing to take these on board.

We’d like to know what you all think about this year’s Qlimax? Are you satisfied with the line-up or does it need to be spiced up a little? Let us know in the comments!