Quote Originally Posted by Voorheez
I agree wholeheartedly. Personally for me hardstyle's end was apparent from the moment it became labelled as a genre, and stereotypical traits became associated with it that became a rule. When hardstyle was first recognised as a genre, and even before it was, producers were free to come up with their own ideas, and not be bound by the guidelines of a genre.

It was when it started getting popular that people recognised certain formulas that would work - like the Technoboy bassline, the Brain Ovulation distorted kick and the Zenith screeches. Because of this and (as Hakka points out so correctly) poor producers who are content to rip off others, the formulas became more and more set.

Unfortunately today, you can listen to hardstyle releases and know exactly what you are going to hear before you put the needle down, which means that the genre cannot evolve. There is fresh hardstyle out there, but people do not recognise it as hardstyle because it doesn't have the stereotypical sounds.

A new sound will come, but it won't be called hardstyle now, it'll be called something else. Hardstyle will forever be what it is now, which is why it's popularity will lessen still. A genre has to be forward moving, and the strict limitations enforced on hardstyle will stop this from happening.

Still, this is nothing new. It's happened with countless genre within dance music, and probably always will. Think back to the early 90's when there were hardly any set genres, and you will realise that classifying music into genres hampers it's freedom and originality.
Tell you what, I never heard of Hardstyle until 2003, yet I was buying and loving records that I called Hard Trance which was hardstyle. Derb, Hennes & Cold, Merlyn... they were doing evil hard shit on labels like Tracid Traxx before the label got put out. One tune that will always be in my mind as so ahead of itself is Future Is Now. Now that is still more unique and original than anything coming out now and that tune is like 3 years old.

The label "Hardstlye" brought in the rush of attention and focus. It was suddenly under pressure to be constantly offering a fresh sound, that was JUST hardstyle. If it was still under the Hard Trance label, it would come out in drips and drabs and therefore not be under so much scruitney... and it would no doubt be wicked tunes as the poor ones wouldn't ever come to light.

Hardstyle tracks have the potential to be wicked, but its such a small spectrum, so refined a label that you can't have 20 releases a weak that are all good. The best of trance doesn't come out every week! But with Hardstyle if one track comes out bad it makes the whole genre look bad... so things need to slow down massively.

Let the quality tunes come with time... Hardstyle producers of the moment are firing in the dark with trying to keep fresh. It's only 1 or 2 producers over a few months that hits the target.