hardstyle(bye bye)

[K Front]

Totally agree with mark and paul, im always turning records down that i like because i know its the kind of track that all the hard house djs will think is good.
I know you should buy what you like but i dont want to be playing the same music as the tidy boys and all there wannabies.

[DJ Pearcey]

there is alot of passion shining through on this subject, its something which is really effecting me because music is my life and I want to play to the best of my ability with the best tunes. I think like mark said if we stick with it and search harder for unknown tracks then the genre should be ok.

[Pots]

The amount of feedback in this thread goes to show the strength of feeling this genre has. When it first i used to jump around to any old raking bassline, but time has made me (and all of us by the looks of it) more selective. I think with more and more exposure this kind of music can begin to take fans from the established 'hard house' DJs, cos lets face it, HH has got nothing on this.

I never imagine we could reach the size of the Dutch or Italian scenes, but remember its only been a month since the first 'recognised' hardstyle DJ has been in this country to play at a 'large' event (Dana @ Tidy Weekender), and things can surely begin to grow from there. Hopefully.

[sean.demaine]

there's still plenty of good hardstyle about - keep em peeled

:lol:

[Sulphuric_acid]

all i got to say is hardstyle is fukin proper the best form of hard trance out there i luvs the gabba influences of it we ave to let it grow nd expand like all other forms of music jus wait.

n the only ppl i ave ever heard diss the hardstyle music r all the dutch gabba heads n thas only cos sum of the more commercial type of hardstyle is rippin of all the old dutch hardcore tunes n they dont like it.

[Tobe Cypher23]

Thing is any hard music is going to get both positive and negative reactions. That's expected though.

Some hardstyle I've heard recently is too hard for my crowd (even though we play gabba ) . Too minimal imo...very similar to the stuff played in the third room at Qlub Tempo...very gabba kick orientated with no melody.

I think any reaction is good, from my perspective as a promotor (not a dj)...it's my job to get people to my night so they can change or form there opinions of hardstyle.

but now what can we do? we can't disown it cause we love so much about it. we have to find a way through the clouds. just think more intelligently about the way you program stuff. that's what i'm trying to do. don't go for the obvious records. look to the future, not for just now. surely that is going to bring us through????

As for not playing obvious tunes Mark I disagree I think they are needed. The hardstyle scene in the UK is just getting going and those classic tunes that made the scene in the Dam explode are needed here in the same way. I feel that DJ's are sometimes too concerned with playing the latest undiscovered tunes. The new people entering the scene have to hear the classics.

[MARKEG]

don't agree sorry tobe!!! nowt wrong with classic tunes but hardstyle need freshness, newness and progression. classics all night.. urrghhh.. i'd rather shag a pony. imo of course.

[Pots]

don't agree sorry tobe!!! nowt wrong with classic tunes but hardstyle need freshness, newness and progression. classics all night.. urrghhh.. i'd rather shag a pony. imo of course.

I think Tobe has a point actually. I was listening to some of my old hardstyle sets - Technoboy & Luna live @ Qluptempo (01-06-02), Lady Dana - Live At Mysteryland [17-08-2002] - and they contain all the raw elements that I feel are at heart of hardstyle, but at much more 'accessible' level that I think is more helpful to ease newcomers into the sound. I think people new to the genre being hit with current sound - more polished, more confident, more extreme - are at risk of being put off, cos the current sound is not as easily danceable as the earlier examples of the genre. Im talking about tune like Technoboy - Harddrive, Unit 4 - The Ultimate, Deepack - 100%, Claudio Diva - Ultima Impero... they are simpler tunes with simpler riffs and a raw sound that I think is more accessible to newcomers... Just a thought.

[Tobe Cypher23]

don't agree sorry tobe!!! nowt wrong with classic tunes but hardstyle need freshness, newness and progression. classics all night.. urrghhh.. i'd rather shag a pony. imo of course.

I don't mean classics all night. Thing is Mark you don't go clubbing. You may get bored of hearing the classics as you play them do death up and down the country. But how many times do the clubbers in Leeds get to hear the classics that you have been caning...twice a year (if that cos yer booked up playing fer superclubs :cry: :lol:).

Now what I'm saying is that for the non-diehard hardstyle heads a lot of new tunes aint accessible. The majority of the clubbers in Leeds are like this ie into techno, psy, acid techno, hard house (mainly this) so we have to be and are being careful which hardstyle tunes we are playing. For example it's the equivalent to introducing someone for the first time to gabba by playing speedcore.

So to build a hardstyle scene we need to start from the beginning not leap to where they are in the Dam.

[MARKEG]

yeah but my prob is that if you play old stuff all the time i feel it get's boring. so i try to be as new as possible. i can see how alot of ppl miss out of hearing the good older stuff . hmmm.. well said and i get the point.

ps up yours tobe. hahaha :lol:

[DJ Pearcey]

i still enjoy this genre,very much so,i shouldnt of been persuaded by other peoples opinions of this style. Its still good dance music and i'll keep on playing it.

[majestikmatt]

Have to agree with tobe on this! I went to Tobe's very own Cypher on friday, and it was amazing, the mix of people liking hardstyle. There was Hard house heads and hardcore nutters rocking to Ginge and uberdruck. I think people who are "playing hardstyle" are falling into the trap of buying tunes that supposedly "work". When I play, I don't just bang out all the latest hardstyle, i'll throw in a bit of everything, techno, hard trance, hardcore (usually timestreched to perfection ;)). Tho I like having the tag hardstyle, I don't really want to be presumed to be playing the same formulaic stuff that hasn't really progressed at all in the last 12 months. Ginge's set was brilliant, he threw in a few classics and they made his set more accessible to the crowd. Same with uberdruck, who managed to slip in cuntmaster and sent the place wild!!! I think people shouldn't focus on a particular genre, as this limits creativity, and causes DJs to play the same tunes. For instance, if you went to a strictly hardstyle night, you could in no way expect every DJ to have a completely unique playlist, could you? This is 'cos everyone is trying to be upfront, rather than crowd pleasing. Right, I've probably caused a right stir here, oops.

Matt

[Pots]

very sound words matt, cant disagree with any of that. i think variety is always the key with playing hard music, you can get too much of a good thing if you dont change the style through a set. There are a lot of different sounds underneath the 'hardstyle' umbrella, but I think there is always a need to incorporate techno and sometimes hard trance into the mix to keep the crowd guessing.

[DJ Corbzy]

maybe we shall start to see a drift back to the trancier stuff but i hope that it stays dark and harder rather then cheese fest uplifting ahaaaaaah lalala rubbish that was hard trance.

WTF! Dont talk bollocks man!

[Si the Sigh]

init!

[DJ Pearcey]

maybe we shall start to see a drift back to the trancier stuff but i hope that it stays dark and harder rather then cheese fest uplifting ahaaaaaah lalala rubbish that was hard trance.

WTF! Dont talk bollocks man!

innit,thats a bad opinion chazbloke......

[Tim Hidgem]

I see nothing wrong in a playing "classics" now and then but the my mission is to get these tunes early on before they become a classic and hopefully become a small part of the reason on why they became a classic.

Everyone can pick up and play a popular tune. No talent in that.

It can be done to death though. Its like Tony de Vits - The Dawn or John Whitemans - Can't beat the System form the Hard House scene. These tunes are still being played week in and week out at Hard house nights across the country nearly 5 years on.

If Hardstyle was to blow up as big as the Hard House scene did an in return so did our fav labels like: Blutonium, Titanic, Overdose and even GAS would you still play them as classics knowing that every man an his dog are playing them too? Where do we draw the line?

[majestikmatt]

Wow, this must be the first time i've got into a debate and had people agreeing with me! :D

[Voorheez]

When it all comes down to it, a good Dj knows when to vary a set and when the crowd want all one style. A good Dj knows when to drop classics and when to give a crowd a set full of upfront stuff. Some of you guys are trying to set definite rules that really do depend on a lot of circumstances.


A set full of hardstyle may be bad to some crowds, but some will lap it up, likewise the opposite. If you are a good Dj you will know which is the right way to play from reading the crowd.

[Jay M]

When it all comes down to it, a good Dj knows when to vary a set and when the crowd want all one style. A good Dj knows when to drop classics and when to give a crowd a set full of upfront stuff. Some of you guys are trying to set definite rules that really do depend on a lot of circumstances.


A set full of hardstyle may be bad to some crowds, but some will lap it up, likewise the opposite. If you are a good Dj you will know which is the right way to play from reading the crowd.

agreed :clap: