In conversation with Hans Glock: the creative forces behind his debut album ‘Dier van de Nacht’

In Corona times, Hans Glock started making music again after a few years. One of his tracks, a protest song against the mandatory QR code, brought him into contact with Outsiders. From there he started to fully focus on producing music in the harder styles scene, with the album Dier van de Nacht as the icing on the cake.

Your debut album Dier van de Nacht contains rap, hardstyle, freestyle and even a touch of salsa and reggaeton… how would you describe the album itself?

“I have been attending all kinds of dance events since I was young. I’ve been to countless parties, from dubstep to hardcore and from deep house to hardstyle. Parties such as Q-Base, Qult, Defqon.1, Decibel outdoor and Pussy Lounge were the highlights of the year for me. You can hear this in the various tracks. Dier van de Nacht is a musical collection of all the styles that have inspired me as a visitor over the years. And that touch of salsa and reggaeton, that has to do with my Caribbean roots. I am half Aruban.”

What attracts you so much to hardstyle? How did you get into this scene?

“During the Amsterdam Dance Event in 2012 I was invited to Headhunterz in the Ziggo Dome. I actually had tickets for a dubstep party at my neighbors’ Heineken Music Hall, but decided to go anyway. From the first thump I heard, I was hooked. The combination of the sound, visuals, audience and atmosphere made sure that from that moment on I didn’t want to visit or listen to anything else other than hardstyle. These were the golden years of the genre, when everything that came out was simply great. The perfect time to get in. At that time I also started playing freestyle and making mixtapes.”

There are quite a few collabs on the album – Outsiders, The Darkraver, Korsakoff, Bass Chaserz… how did these collabs come about?

“Dr Rude gave me a kickstart into the harder styles with his epic remix of Ongedierte. In my first year as Hans I was immediately allowed to perform at Defqon.1 and ended up on stage during POWER HOUR. It was the Summer of Love and everything was finally open again. So I was at parties every weekend. Or as a visitor, or on the road with Rudi. As a result, I met a lot of DJs and producers in a short time. From there it actually went pretty smoothly.

In no time I had set up collaborations and made several demos. With a ready-made package, I pitched the project to Outsiders and they were enthusiastic. As the icing on the cake, we released Ketamine Klappers as the first single together with Dutch Movement.”

Which artist would you like to work with in the future?

“When I first started partying, my absolute musical heroes were Adaro, E-Force and Frequencerz. If I had to choose, it would be one of those three. Last summer I had the opportunity to do a super cool classics B2B with E-Force. Adaro also played ‘Trommels’ in the BLUE at Defqon.1. Those were really two goosebump moments for me."

Which song are you most proud of?

“I’m proud of a number of songs, for different reasons. On ‘Ketamine Klappers’, because I heard it live on the main stage of Defqon.1. On ‘Drommels’, because this track has been widely accepted within the freestyle scene and could be heard in various final shows. And on ‘Den Haag Hakkûh’, because it is an anthem for my own city and is a collab with the most legendary DJ ever, The Dark Raver."

What can we expect from Hans Glock in the future?

“For the time being, I will focus on releasing singles, specifically aimed at hardstyle, raw and a touch of hardcore. I already have some really cool things ready that will be released from December. It is my dream to be on stage every week and make thousands of people happy with my music.”

We saw a post on Instagram, where you were looking for a lady who was on stage with you during a show. Can you tell us something more about this? Has she been found yet?

“During my show at the Paard van Troje in The Hague, a lady remained on stage after the previous act. She was having a great time and there was no way we could get her off the stage. She turned out to be an assistant on my show. It produced hilarious images so I would really like to thank her for her contribution. Unfortunately she has not been found yet, but I understand her name is Fleur. If anyone knows her, please let me know!”

Enjoy ‘Dier van de Nacht’ on Spotify now, or download the full album at Hardstyle.com.