Q-BASE: CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

By: Cassi Catsaros
**Disclaimer – All photographs retain credit to Q-Dance**

When the brightness and warmth of the daytime sun shines down upon the lands, all is placid, peaceful and unruffled. Civilization carries on with their daily errands with their heads down and their hearts holding a slight heaviness and an undying urge to break free from the pressures of a modern world.
Daytime can be deceiving…
Daytime magnetizes the “normalities” and the mundane…
The daytime is a steaming lie.
The daytime is a fabrication of what truly rules the land beneath those hours when the sun melts into the horizon like honey trickling down the back of a spoon and when the sun re-emerges from the dewy grass and the frozen atmosphere.
When the clock ticks around to strike its arms onto midnight, most individuals are cocooned up in their warm beds to restore their minds and lose themselves in their dreams. Most inhabitants are in another dimension of slumber and peace, ready to awaken and begin a new day when the sun raises itself back up for another shift in the skies…
It is all well and good to get caught up in the infectious snowball of a cyclic life, but who is really courageous enough to break the routine?
Who truly has the audacity the explore the underworld and the bravery to transform your mind to survive the creatures that lurk in the eccentricity of the after-hours…?

I can most definitely answer that.

On the fateful night, Saturday the 13th of September, 2014, over twenty thousand eager individuals charged the batteries of their souls as they united from all walks of life as the toughest representatives, to gather underneath the night sky and explore the creatures of the night…
For those of you who are blindly unaware of what exactly this introduction is explaining, show some patience, as that is just an introduction.
For the 20,000+ visitors who travelled the miles to gather at Airport Weeze in Germany, to stand in front of one, two, three or all eleven divergent areas, pushing their bodies and minds to conquer the creatures of the night, I have one thing to say…

Prepare yourselves, as I will take you on a journey to relive those 14 hours of mayhem experienced last weekend.

For those of you who saw the incredible line-up drop, but never did anything about it, I am sure that this story will make you all squirm in your seats with a jealous looking expression on your faces and a serious case of FOMO for next year’s edition.
For those of you who take no particular interest in the harder styles of dance music or mind-blowing productions, you should probably continue reading anyway as I feel that this story may be enjoyable for all walks of life.

I know that it is a cliché to begin any story with “I didn’t know what to expect,” but I really did not know what to expect when it came to attending Q-BASE this year. I had seen incredible pictures from last year’s edition and am also a firm believer in Q-Dance’s capabilities to throw a f*cking awesome party, but let’s face it, in comparison to witnessing an event first hand, pictures account for nothing.

So well, here I am to help everybody piece together some possibly fragmented memories of last Saturday night and also inconsiderately making some hard dance lovers jealous who were unable to attend.

Without further adieu…

Fashionably late, I arrive and step out of the car and stretch my arms out wide, attempting to mentally prepare myself for the next 13 hours or so. I take a look around. I can see many cars parked up further ahead and many partygoers making their way towards the entrance through the thick grass. To the left of me, I spot a line of cars and a caravan who have evidently camped out and ‘bendered’ from the night before. I get out my voice recorder and log my first impressions.

“5:51PM: There’s people who have camped out here and they are pumping, what is this? Speedcore? Frenchcore? Splittercore? … Shitcore? Whatever. Anyway… Location: middle of nowhere, which means more room to make noise! I am ready and walking towards the gates.”
After walking through a very efficient entry system with friendly security guards, I entered the mysterious playground. I entered Q-BASE.

6:30PM: “Walking into the infamous Hangar area to catch Crypsis & Digital Punk’s set. I feel as though I have arrived at a very appropriate time as Bassface by Outbreak is playing. Even though I have heard this song close to 100 times, it still goes off! Holy shit it is packed! Everybody is so ready to party, me inclusive.”

I stood in the Hangar amongst a pack of sweaty die-hard rawstyle fans to watch a fraction of Digital Punk and Crypsis, which was a fantastic set must I add. The guys gave their absolute all to the crowd and showcased a lot of their own tracks such as “Born To Die” with Ran-D and “Prison of Commercializm” with Outbreak.

The stage design of the Hangar was incredible and truly tied a knot in the theme of “Creatures Of The Night” as the stage was literally a creature in itself! Although the sun was peeping through the exits of the Hangar, the lightshow inside was already kicking into full throttle and the energy and atmosphere demonstrated a 110% dedication to raw hardstyle.

Further on the point of stage design, after leaving the Hangar and making my way towards the Open Air Main-stage, I got to check out a few other stages along the way. I was incredibly impressed with all areas and the overall design, which truly took a strong grasp on this year’s theme. Every single area was designed to perfection, showcasing the eeriness and obscurity of Q-Base and it’s concepts as a party and also suiting the types of music played in each area. The location also blew me away in terms of creating a concept around the countryside airport. Although trekking for hours to attend Q-Base, the set out was so cunningly designed and suitable to the location, it honestly felt like I was walking inside a completely different world, a million miles away from Planet Earth…

Post-admiration of the world around me and the other areas, I saved the best for last, the Open Air stage.

7:00PM: *Before catching a proper look of the stage* “Arriving at the mainst-” *Obviously has seen stage by now and is 10/10 mind-blown* “Holy shit… It is fucking awesome. It is like a big… thing… creature…? Fesctutusca—Okay… I cannot even pronounce it…” *Attempts to pronounce Festuca correctly and eventually succeeds*

It was the first time I had even heard Festuca’s music, let alone watched him play, but I was nowhere near the land of disappointment.
Seeing as I had never watched the young gun live, I obviously wasn’t aware of many of the tracks played which were mainly his own masterpieces, rather than the typical “crowd-pleasers” that some young artists fall into playing just to become “known.”

The sun was beginning to descend through the clear blue sky, topping off a beautiful and warm day with a cherry whilst all inhabitants of the main-stage were infected with the powerhouse euphoric sound of Festuca. The energy was inevitably building as the young talent treated us to an surprisingly incredible set including some well craved classic hardstyle tracks such as “Live The Moment” by JDX, “Rate Reducer (Headhunterz Remix)” by Project One and “Raven” by Pavo.
Between having my ears orgasm from a dose of mega euphoria and the old school sound, having random German guys approach me and speak in German despite the typical “I DON’T SPEAK GERMAN” rejection, I did some quick observations of the world around me.

7:30PM: “Summer Of Magic! What a fucking track! What an original set. I really like this guy. Everybody is starting to warm up and move towards the front of the stage. Besides some of the complete weirdos who have caught my attention, I think the crowd is pretty damn good.”

The young talent, Festuca closes off one incredible set with a bang, showcasing his own creation with Devin Wild, “Electrifying.” I was already satisfied and furthermore excited to experience the next act and also one of the greatest tag teams of hardstyle, Code Black and Atmozfears.
Beneath the dim blue lights that set the tone to one of eeriness as the last of the sun melted into the German plains, up jumped the two “brothers from another mother/separated at birth” Code Black & Atmozfears, who opened up their set with their own home baked cupcake of joy “Accelerate.”

8:20PM: “The boys drop Brennan Heart’s gem, Imaginary and everybody is singing along. ALL THESE FEELS ARE TOO MUCH, I AM EITHER GOING TO CRY OR GET NAKED! Just to add, nice red lights to accompany this song. Good team, good team and a really enjoyable set.”
Somewhere near 8:28PM, fellow Australian, Code Black treats us to hear his brand new creation, that features the beautiful voice of Chris Madin and although the majority of the crowd has probably never heard the track before, everybody seems to be really enjoying the pure euphoria as I glance around to only see faces of amazement.

As well as showcasing his new track, Code Black and Atmozfears played some absolute bangers such as the Defqon.1 Australia anthem, “Unleash The Beast,” then the boys cranked it up a notch with the Atmozfears remix of Bass Modulators’ “Bounce and Break,” which really got the crowd kicking up their heels with happiness.

As the world around me turned to a sinister dark, I decided to try my luck with the Hangar again to watch one of my favourite young acts of the moment, Phuture Noize, who had recently promised that they would showcase some new material that will be featured on their upcoming EP…

8:59PM: I end up in what I geographically thought was the Hangar. I hear music blasting at a BPM that sounds more like a helicopter than music… I am perplexed. “Um….. Okaaaaay then… This isn’t Phuture Noize.” Turns out my bad sense of direction landed me in the Dr. Peacock area… Fantastic…”

“9:06PM and I am fashionably late, yay. Phuture Noize are up on stage playing D-Block & S-Te-Fan and Deepack’s Rocking With The Best. The area seems less packed than when I was in here last time, but I have a feeling that everybody wants to stand in the cold air after Zatox. People better get the fuck back in here and experience this great set, or I’ll be slightly pessimistic.”

Watching Phuture Noize is always a pleasurable experience for me and although I am not exactly a fan of raw hardstyle, the guys have clearly built their own distinctive sound that is so independent to the commercial side of raw hardstyle and is truly showcased in a manner that’s enjoyable to listen or dance to. The young talents treated us to a powerful hour and a half that consisted of mainly their own masterpieces such as “Twist It,” “Fire In the Hole” and their remix of Digital Punk’s “Oblivion.”

9:42PM: “The boys drop ‘On With The Show’ and everyone is going fucking crazy! Nice set… I am missing my main man Frontliner and TBA 2 for this, but I am not complaining one bit. I am feeling quite content with my decision.”
Also, for the first time, Phuture Noize also played in the open two of their new tracks off their upcoming EP “Phuture Propaganda” and “Sewerflows,” and although nobody had heard these two tracks before, at first the crowd was a little (if I must quote myself) “hey how ya going,” but once the tracks dropped into their full force, minds were blown and the powerful aggression was peaking as all fists struck into the air in unison.

After an hour and a half of perfectly crafted rawstyle, I quickly made my way back to the Open Air stage, which has squeezed in thousands of dancing bodies who are embracing the sounds of Wildstylez and MC Villain on the mic.

The vibe had evidently changed since I was last at the Open Air stage and I think this had something to do with the fact that Wildstylez had evidently blown every single partygoers mind through his very vibrant track-list. Playing a highly sophisticated and ‘old-school’ inspired set undoubtedly stole my heart and won the title of “set of the night.”

10:25PM: “Watching Wildstylez and although some retarded c*nt knocked my Bacardi all over me, I am so fucking happy with this set! So much old school, no cheese and great transitions between the old and newer tracks. FUCK YEAH WILDSTYLEZ!”

I am not going to lie, this set was above and beyond the ordinary. The lightshow had kicked into overdrive as the stage’s creature was illuminated with fluorescent colours, accompanied by some fucking mental lasers, smoke machines and flashing strobes that send the crowd into the fourth dimension.
If I must make you all weak at the knees in terms of his track list, he indeed played some classics such as “A Complex Situation,” “Back To Basics,” his remix of “LDMF” by The Masochist and of course, “Lose My Mind,” the official ‘notorious festival song’ with Brennan Heart.

10:52PM: “Wildstylez drops: I See Stars and suddenly, I AM FLOATING ON TOP OF THE CROWD. Yes, I am on somebody’s shoulders and it is fucking awesome!”
With the amazing view I had for those 85 seconds or so, I absorbed the good vibes that were uncontrollably flying around and hitting me square in the face. It was a truly incredible experience as I looked around myself, releasing my arms relentlessly, hanging my head back and closing my eyes to fully embracing the sweet sounds of hardstyle. I wish I went crowd-surfing though, although I am of little importance, that would have been the cherry on top of a fantastic set and one thing crossed off my bucket list.

Another moment I MUST tell you all about would be the moment where “Down Down” was played and I did indeed shed a tear, or 10. On the build up, the lights accompanied the music appropriate and evidently caused many ‘eyegasms’ and ‘eargasms.’ The song dropped and I had never felt such an incredible unity within the crowd. Everybody celebrated and was truly enjoying themselves.
There was no prejudice, nor hate. Individuals from many different cultures and countries cohered to demonstrate respect and one sole love, a love for the music…

At the conclusion of Wildstylez’ set, I was absolutely speechless by the performance, yet also ready to be “lost in paradise” by the man himself, Max Enforcer.

Being responsible for this year’s anthem “Creatures,” Mr. Enforcer had a huge task on his hands. As well as creating a very “thematic” anthem to accompany the party and it’s concepts, he had another task…
When the clock struck midnight and all of the creatures of the night were in their wildest states, Max Enforcer had to step it up and with the help of the explosive display of fireworks, he had the honourable task of making the crowd fully unleash their inner beast.

As always, everybody went crazy over the fireworks display, except for the absolute retard who thought it would be a fantastic idea to climb all the way up the stages barricades and almost blow himself up.
Talk about attention seeker…
However, the German police were right onto the matter as they took care of this attempted “show-stealer,” and once again Max Enforcer had the crowds 110% dedication.

Our angelic alter ego of Evil Activities gave his full tank as he provided the crowd with a boundless energy and passion, jumping around behind the decks and appearing to be having the time of his life. Now that’s what it’s all about, not who can do the most aggressive fist pump, but who is truly enjoying sharing their music to the world…

I was delighted to hear all of his euphoric bombs such as “Lost In Paradise,” “On The Go,” and of course, the Q-Base anthem “Creatures” which, in unison with the (once again) ballistic light show, absolutely tore the crowd a new one!

Somewhere around 4:30AM, after taking a well deserved break from talking my voice-box to exhaustion to my voice recorder, I re-emerged into the crowd that showed absolutely no signs of backing down.

Although I was really feeling the cold and exhaustion as all I wanted was to lie in bed and sleep for about three days, I knew that I had to make it until the end without letting my eyes stay shut for more than five consecutive seconds. That is what it’s all about here, pushing your comfort zone and exploring the secrets of the nights obscurity…

The dedicated crowd had been partying, dancing and celebrating for so long that of course after 12 hours of giving it your all, there would be that inevitable, dreaded feeling of fatigue. The king of raw power, B-Front was next up to bless the holy decks and although I wasn’t the most energetic cupcake by this time of the morning, B-Front’s energy and persona on stage woke me back up. As well as the energy behind the decks, the lightshow also showed no signs of surrender as the production was still going extremely strong into the waking hour of “normal” civilians.

5:15AM: “I know that it’s way past my bedtime and all, but HOLY SHIT, B-FRONT IS KILLING IT! I don’t listen to much raw, but the energy that he is giving on stage is so infectious and the crowd is truly absorbing his energy. Incredible.”

We were treated to a set full of powerful music, with B-Front showcasing a wide selection of his own tracks including “Psycho,” with Frequencerz, “Vitruvius,” with Donkey Rollers, “Fatality,” with Frequencerz and his remix of “Blackout” by Unknown Analoq.

The 6AM skies began to lighten into “A New Today,” as hardcore masters Art Of Fighters (AOF) exploded onto the stage to finish Q-Base at a high BPM. After a night that had gone far too quick, everybody was determined to give dance their feet off and survive until the very end of this incredible party. The vibe remained high until right up until the music stopped and the Open Air stage was still packed out as all partygoers united for one last hour to celebrate another fantastic edition of Q-Base. Carefree, fun and energetic are three words that can describe that last hour as fatigue was evident, however no longer a care of anybody…

As daylight was upon us, the overcast skies made me squint with discomfort. The music ceased as thousands of individuals dragged their exhausted bodies from the stages to gather their minds that had evidently been blown and embarked on their journey back home and back into reality…

What other do I have to say than “What an incredible party.” Q-Dance definitely blew some minds in organising this successful night, the stage designers, technicians and lighting experts really won a spot in my heart, so thank you for putting on a flawless production. The artists all did a fantastic job and there was no such thing as a “mediocre set.” But most importantly, the partygoers – they came, they partied fucking hard and conquered the mysteries of Q-Base 2014…