by Carlos Castellanos
There’s something about music at 150 beats per minute that really gets my blood pumping. Especially when you have a heavy kick, a striking bassline, a ravishing melody and extremely raw screeches to follow. Much like an explosion of bass falling over you and taking you for an out of this world journey, Hardstyle fell over me and changed my life for the better.
I remember the first time I heard a Hardstyle track. I was immediately captivated. It was Showtek’s ‘Fuck The System’ preaching “I just wanna do what I like to do. Being far from reality, cause I can’t stand society. This is my own world, I just wanna hear the music.” That’s all it took. I couldn’t believe the shivers running down my spine because it was like they took the words from my mouth. Showtek was able to make me feel what other kinds of music could barely scratch the surface: alive. It was at that moment I knew I wanted Hardstyle to be a part of my life, forever.
The incredible production Hardstyle events carry along with them is also something that really sucked me in to this lifestyle. The weekend warrior lifestyle, that is. Yes, you can throw lazers over a DJ and say you’ve got a rave but it’s always been about more than that at a Hardstyle show. It’s about coming together as one into a bass-filled wonderland to extract you from reality just for a few hours. From the visuals taking you on a journey to the piercing lazers flooding your peripherals and creating a flailing electric sky, the experience that comes along with any Hardstyle production is guaranteed to be an experience you’ll never forget.
After fully embracing the ways of the weekend warriors and frequenting more Hardstyle events, I quickly realized that Hardstyle has an extremely dedicated following. One so authentic that it’s more like a family. One that can spot whether or not a kick is original in a heartbeat. One that carries the most intimate vibes at every event with open arms for new and old bass junkies alike.
It was well over a year ago that I met Jasmin at The Shrine for what was a Hardstyle massive. We knew each other from Instagram but had never met in person until that day. We traded some kandi and started talking about how awesome Brennan Heart’s set was. Fast-forward to today, Jasmin is a close friend of mine and we go to about every Hardstyle event together.
There was this time that Jasmine and I we’re hanging out about to get in line to see Coone and Zatox. As we chatted I overheard a girl talking to someone who she had just met. She said “just because you’re here by yourself doesn’t mean you’re alone. Here, we’re all friends and family.” I stood in awe and pondered on all the little things like this that prove this is more than just music, it’s a way of life. This is not a “scene,” this is a thriving community.
You see, thanks to Hardstyle and all of this, it’s become more than just music for me. It’s a lifestyle at heart and that is something I have truly learned to value and appreciate. The acceptance, friendliness, and willingness others have showed me truly opened me up for everything that Hardstyle is about. And luckily, this is something I can carry with me for the rest of my life.
I live for the weekend. I live for hard styles. I live for Hardstyle baby!
Hardstyle is totally my favorite as well. Its what brought me into to the EDM scene.
Its been a bit of a Journey, too. I’m a bit older than most folks I see at festivals, and I’m just now coming into the Rave scene. Back when I was just barely out of High school (in 2001) and getting to know myself, I found I loved electronic music, but back then the music at raves didn’t have what I wanted. Happy hardcore had the energy, but not the edgy-ness and stompy bass. D&B didn’t have the soaring arpeggios to counterpoint it that I wanted and just felt too repetitive for me without them.
I eventually found something akin to what I wanted in the early 2000s “Industrial Dance” music played mostly in Goth clubs which had the stompy bass beats, and the he high-note counterpoints I like. But most was too dark, not mixing the edge with positive vibes, love or beauty enough to be worth listening to for long. And only a few years ago when someone took me to EDC for a night (I live in Vegas) did I hear the hardstyle that pulled me back in.