VICTORY FOREVER – Did Q-dance hit the mark with the Defqon.1 line-up?

Today, news of an astronomical level has riveted the Hard Dance scene into a state of total frenzy! With the festival season literally on our doorsteps, a short moment ago, event titans Q-dance dropped the biggest line-up of the season. Dubbed the mother of all line-ups and holding the power to make, break and shape a DJ’s career – I’m indeed talking about the prestigious Defqon.1 line-up for 2017.

It’s a fact; each year Q-dance’s social media is bombarded with the same old “I don’t like it” remark, or conversely, next-level excitement from punters who are anxiously waiting for this extraordinary weekend.

So, with all of this hype fresh off the hot-plate, I figured that I’ll treat you to a piece of my mind regarding to this year’s Defqon.1 line-up. Did Q-dance hit the mark, or were they totally off target? Read on, as I’ll soak you all into a little analysis of the worlds’ biggest Hard Dance gathering.

The ‘holy’ mainstage

To be completely honest, (don’t hate me for saying this) but in my opinion the mainstage really lacks a ‘raw’ artist or two. Sure, Frequencerz are programmed to demolish the arena with their medium-rare, balanced take on Hardstyle, but aside from them, the other names on the mainstage are a little too fluffy for my liking. In previous years we’ve seen artists such as Adaro, Digital Punk and Radical Redemption shining on this colossal podium and in addition to Frequencerz it would’ve been nice to see another raw artist showcasing their sound – perhaps somebody who hasn’t yet performed on the Defqon.1 mainstage. On the other hand, if Defqon.1’s intention was to continue expanding and reach out to prospective fans, then their accessible and melodic strategy will most likely serve them well.

On a positive note, it’s great to see youngsters Cyber, Sound Rush and Adrenalize performing on this stage, as well as Tellem co-hosting the stage with MC Villain. Creating opportunities for these artists to grow and develop their skills in front of larger audiences is a great move and I’m really excited to see what these fresh mainstage bandits will bring!

On the Sunday evening, there’s a mysterious slot titled ‘A Hardstyle Legacy – 15 Years Of Defqon.1’ and boy, this is surely going to be huge! Remember last years’ Defqon.1 Legends set? Well boys, grab your tissues, because there’s no doubt that this exclusive 15 year celebration is set to be even more emotional!

Blue, Black & UV

The Blue and Black stages, for me, are sheer perfection. Combining new and established names, these two stages couldn’t be better! It’s awesome to see artists like D-Fence, Tears Of Fury, Lady Dammage and Decipher being programmed for the Black area. Oh, and don’t even get me started about ‘Peacock In Concert’ – I have stars in my eyes just thinking about this Frenchcore dream manifesting into reality. There’s also a couple of interesting new live-acts programmed for the Blue, so I’m curious to see how they turn out, especially Zazafront.

Titled ‘Hardstyle,’ the UV stage is quite an interesting one. With a broad range of artists placed on this stage, visitors can expect a vast spectrum of sounds from fluffy, poppy Hardstyle to harder, more powerful sets. Something I’m particularly excited about is the addition of Tweekacore, featuring Da Tweekaz and Darren Styles. It’s about f*cking time that UK Hardcore begins to merge with the Dutch industry; it’s all about being hard, serious or emotional nowadays, so hopefully Mr. Styles will infect the visitors of Defqon.1 with his signature UKHC joy.

Back to the old-school!

On the Gold and Magenta stages, visitors are treated with the sounds of Early Hardstyle, Early Rave and Millennium Hardcore. I’m especially eager to see what Saturday will hold for the Gold stage – I have a hunch that it’ll be a mini congregation of shaven heads, Australian training suits and Thunderdome tattoos.

Sunday forecasts a superb day at the Magenta stage. With Donkey Rollers celebrating their legacy, other highlights of this line-up include Theracords Classics, Isaac and Alpha Twins.

Freestylin’

With Freestyle growing to unprecedented heights, of course, the line-up for the White stage has been filled with top-quality names, as well as a bunch of total randoms. Hailing from a background in ‘raw,’ Jack Of Sound’s alias Mashup Jack has found its way onto the White line-up, which, in my opinion, is exactly where he belongs!

Hard, harder and the hardest

To be honest, there are a handful of names on the Indigo stage who I don’t classify as ‘extra raw.’ For instance, Malua, Clockartz, X-Pander, Prefix & Density and Dailucia aren’t the ‘hardest’ that raw has to offer. However, with that being said, as the Blue stage is a platform that these artists need to work towards, it seems logical that for some, the Indigo stage is not only for extra raw Hardstyle, but also a stepping stone towards Blue. On the Sunday however, the Indigo area will be insanely brutal and home to Hardstyle’s most savage sounds.

In 2016, the Yellow stage hosted a killer silent disco on the Friday night – oh how I wish it would return! But who knows, perhaps Q-dance has a couple of surprises up their sleeves…? On Saturday, the sounds of Terrorcore are vastly represented, with the likes of Noisekick, F.Noize, Sjammienators and Tripped unleashing their furious beats! For Sunday’s line-up, I was absolutely thrilled to see rising Frenchcore stars Sefa and Death By Design included – these are two sets I absolutely refuse to miss!

However, with that being said, I feel as though Frenchcore is slightly under-represented this year – it would’ve been great to see legends Le Bask, Radium and Randy up on that stage.

Another under-represented genre in Dutch festivals as a whole is Hard Tek. I understand why this genre isn’t very popular in The Netherlands; people want it hard, rough and fast, whereas Hard Tek is fast, happy and light-hearted. UK Hardcore is also regarded in this same manner.

It’s talent time!

Aside from a couple of names, this year’s Purple stage is totally unfamiliar to me – and that’s exciting! Big ups to Q-dance for including some unknown talent on this platform; it’s essential for these guys to have the opportunity to showcase their music as well as develop performance skills, and what better way to do that than at Defqon.1?!
Furthermore, this year the Magenta stage has introduced a fresh, new concept in the form of an after-party that’s devoted to the next-generation of Hardstyle.

All in all, I’m absolutely thrilled with this years’ Defqon.1 line-up and I’m certain that this special 15 year anniversary is going to entail even more surprises over the weekend! But for the next three months, it’s all about sitting in suspense and waiting for this unforgettable weekend to arrive.

What do you think of the Defqon.1 2017 line-up? Let us know in the comments below! 

Check out the Defqon.1 2017 line-up HERE.