Hardstyle, a scene full of music, artists, and events. But, hardstyle is mostly known for its dedicated audience. Without these fans, hardstyle would be far from what it has become at the moment. So I thought: wouldn’t it be nice to have a fan tell his or her story once in a while? Maybe fans who have a really interesting story, who have become dedicated to hardstyle in a special way. This week we feature Harry, also known as the Jesus in our scene!
So, we spoke to Harry, who you can definitely tell is super dedicated. He opened up about his hardstyle journey: “being a part of this scene is where I truly feel at home”. Curious about his story? Read on!
⚡️ CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF?
Hi! I’m Harry – some people occasionally refer to me as Jesus in the scene, the guy with the luscious locks, or more recently as the person who did 14 shots in a row on TweekaTV (RIP liver and head). I’m a 28-year-old born in Germany, who grew up in the United Kingdom, with family roots in India, but now currently live in The Netherlands.
⚡️ HOW DID YOU GET INTO HARDSTYLE?
Back in 2006, I was listening to all types of music; from Rap, R&B, and Hip Hop to Rock, Trance, and cheesy noughties Eurodance (to be honest, the latter is still a guilty pleasure).
But then one day, I accidentally came across a song titled ‘Qlimax…mp3’ and it resonated with me in a way that music never did before; it gave me literal chills. What the f**k was this sound that I’d never heard before? Why did I have it on repeat?! I just wanted more and more.
In those days, LimeWire was how we discovered new music (if you never experienced giving literal AIDS to your computer with LimeWire, you’re probably too young for me m8). *At this point I was also pretty glad ‘Qlimax’ had a Q in it, otherwise, I’d have just had a shitload of porn on my screen.
I didn’t know what Qlimax even was, so I typed it in the hope to find similar songs – what I found had me completely hooked from that point. Zany’s Science & Religion, the anthem of Qlimax 2005 with the gated reverb kicks and the famous Donkey Rollers kick. Deepack, with The Prophecy from 2003. Just. Wow.
⚡️ WHICH TRACK MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH HARDSTYLE MUSIC?
It’s got to be the track that would set in motion what would be the next 15 years of my life, the song that introduced me to this world – it’s technically not even a hardstyle song, but Hard Trance!
Prestige – Unstable System (Backslash Mix)
⚡️ WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PARTY?
I always thought that once I turned 18, Qlimax would be my first party – but I didn’t realize that you only had to be 16+ to visit events in Belgium, so in fact, my first event was The Qontinent in Belgium in 2011. At the time, I didn’t know a single person there (except my friend who came with me).
It didn’t take long to make friends in this dedicated scene – that’s for sure!
Fun fact: My dad drove me all the way to Belgium from the UK for me to go to my first party. Shoutout to you for being the legend that you are.
⚡️ WHEN WAS THE MOMENT YOU REALISED: “I’VE BECOME TRULY DEDICATED”?
I think there have been several moments like this over time. For instance, the fact I was willing to travel to a different country to visit a concert or festival of a genre of music that absolutely no one in my school at the time had even heard of. The fact that this year will be my 10th edition of Qlimax in a row. Or even the fact that I changed my flight back from my holiday in India, just so that I could make sure I didn’t miss Dediqated (and boy was I glad to have done that!).
I could also say more recently, that being a part of a dedicated group of people, protesting in the streets of Amsterdam for the love of our music and our scene – that’s how I know I’m truly dedicated to this music and this scene.
⚡️ CAN YOU DESCRIBE THAT FEELING OF DEDICATION?
The best way for me to describe this feeling is that I have a sense of ‘belonging’ to this scene. As a third-culture kid (Google it) with a bit of an identity crisis (am I German? am I British? am I Indian?), being a part of this scene is where I truly feel at home and this group of like-minded souls are whom I consider a part of my ‘tribe’.
⚡️ WHICH HARDSTYLE TRACK REALLY FITS YOUR LOVE OF MUSIC?
This is probably the most difficult question you could ask me – I can barely choose one track as my favorite of all time!
I mean, how does one decide between Technoboy – Next Dimensional World, Project One – The Story Unfolds, Showtek – FTS, or even more recently, Headhunterz – Orange Heart?!
but if I really had to choose a track that encapsulates the last 15 years of hardstyle for me, it would be Donkey Rollers – What We Are. This track captures the evolution of our style – whilst paying homage to the famous Donkeyrollers kick and a melody that speaks for itself.
Donkey Rollers – What We Are.
⚡️ WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE HARDSTYLE MEMORY?
I’ve had so many memories over the years – from standing on the stage at Power Hour to being a part of Dediqated last year. There is only one memory that really encompasses it all. It’s the moment I waited 5 and a half years for – the moment I finally walked through those doors at the GelreDome for my first Qlimax back in 2011.
That is a moment you never forget. Anyone who has ever visited Qlimax will understand that feeling – it feels like a homecoming!
And then, to witness a sea of 30,000 like-minded people standing in front of an out-of-this-world setting, it is just indescribable.
“Standing on stage at the Power Hour in 2019 dressed as Jesus. What an experience”
⚡️ ARE THERE ANY HARDSTYLE FESTIVALS ON YOUR BUCKET-LIST OR HAVE YOU BEEN TO ALL OF THEM?
There’s been many from the past that don’t exist anymore. I’m a little ashamed to say this, but there’s one party I still haven’t been to in all these years, and that is Decibel! So quite rightly so, that is a party on my bucket list!
⚡️ CAN YOU DESCRIBE HARDSTYLE IN ONE SENTENCE?
‘Hard on the outside, soft on the inside’.
PS – If you want to see me take 14 shots in a row on TweekaTV, check it out on my IGTV @unofficallyharry
Are you also a huge hardstyle fan? – did you come into contact with hardstyle in a special way? – is your level of dedication so high that it should be shared with the world? Send us an email and maybe you will be the next to be featured in “The hardstyle journey of…”
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