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Music maturity came swiftly for the now seasoned-veteran Robbert van de Corput, better known as Hardwell. At age 25, the young Dutch titan capped off a 10 year journey when he was crowned World’s No.1 DJ in the 2013 DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll cementing his position as the electronic scene’s newest superstar DJ and becoming the youngest ever winner of the coveted Top 100 DJs award.
Label boss of Revealed Recordings with 6 consecutive #1’s on Beatport, his studio output has never been more prolific or more on point. Records such as his anthemic hit ‘Spaceman’, ‘Three Triangles (Losing My Religion)’, ‘Countdown’, ‘Jumper’, alongside the hard-hitting track, ‘Apollo’ and his scorching collaboration with Dyro and Bright Lights, ‘Never Say Goodbye’ are some of summer 2013’s most played tracks.
I Am Hardwell - Singapore
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His performance at Ultra Music Festival 2013 clocked up a staggering 6 million views in just 8 weeks. Hardwell’s set broke all records as the most watched live Ultra broadcast with over 80,000 people watching his set via the feed.
Following on from his 2012 Tomorrowland set, which to date garnered over 18 millions views on YouTube, Hardwell returned to the main stage of Tomorrowland in 2013 where he delivered yet another belter performance, taking a frenzied Tomorrowland audience on the ride of a lifetime. This time the live set amassed in excess of 1 million views in a matter of days and currently clocks in at over 12 million views on YouTube.
In April 2013 Hardwell launched his most ambitious project to date when he unveiled his I Am Hardwell world tour concept at Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall to a 6000 capacity crowd. The first phase of the tour saw sold-out shows in Jakarta, Singapore, Bangalore, Mumbai, Lisbon, London, Mexico City with further shows coming up. I Am Hardwell is set to become one of the must see shows of 2013/2014.
During the 2013 edition of ADE, Hardwell held the world premiere of his ‘I Am Hardwell’ documentary in Amsterdam’s oldest and most famous cinema, Tuschinski. The documentary provides a captivating behind the scenes perspective on Hardwell’s ascendance.
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The rise of Hardwell as a young boy from the city of Breda into a ripened international heavyweight is an inspiring tale for all. Coming full circle from a dream to reality of wanting to become the ‘#1 DJ in the World’, we can be assured that the Hardwell name, face, and brand is a force that will drive electronic dance music for many years to come.
Next stop on the I Am Hardwell world tour: SOUTH AFRICA. Pulse Radio touched base with the refreshingly grounded youngster ahead of performances in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg on 5, 6 and 7 December respectively.
You embarked on a vocation in music over a decade ago at a time when Technics turntables and records were still very much industry staples. Name five records from the era that touched your soul. Ok a bit of a mixed bunch but...
Robin S - ‘Show Me Love’
Tiësto - ‘Flight 643’
Gouryella - ‘Gouryella’
Ferry Corsten - Out Of The Blue
Marco V – Simulated
Anything by Dr Dre
Recall when you first began to produce?Was there a singular experience, artist or track that sparked this irrepressible urge to create music? There were a few songs like Ferry’s ‘Out of Blue’ and Tiësto’s ‘Suburban Train’ that spiked my interest in how a record was made and how I could go about creating a track of mine own. So I started out making mash-ups to see what ideas worked with what. It’s actually how I ended up making my bootleg of “Show Me Love vs. Be’ which was a huge turning point in my career.
What do you think is the toughest challenge facing DJs/producers today? Being original and finding your own sound. There’s still a lot of freedom within the music and new artists are bringing ideas and different genres to the table each week, but to be truly original is a tough task.
In your opinion, what makes a truly great DJ? For me it’s not about one single thing but a mixture of several things from your mixing skills to your ability to choose the right track for the right occasion and your connection with the crowd.
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Which non-electronic music track (if any) has been a recurring feature in your sets over the course of your career? I’ve always made and continue to make mash-ups as part of my set so because of that there’s always an electronic twist to the track to keep it related to my sound. Over the years this has included mash-ups from DMX to Coldplay.
2013 proved to be a landmark year of unprecedented proportions for Hardwell. What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learnt along the way to #1? Well my motto is “If you can dream it, you can do it” and I very much believe this. It’s important to have goals and work hard to try and achieve them. I’ve been very fortunate to have achieved a lot in my career already but it’s vital to keep grounded and don’t let success go to your head. I surround myself with good people and keep focused on why I do this, for myself and for the fans.
Your commitment to personally reading every single tweet from fans is exemplary. Why is direct contact with your fan base so important? It’s important to me because these are the guys I share all of this with. These are the people on the dancefloor I’m partying with and making my music for. So away from the clubs and festivals I want to hear what they’ve go to say. Twitter gives me a great opportunity to do that wherever they or I am in the world.
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When, where and how can Hardwell fans watch your full-length ‘I Am Hardwell’ documentary? The documentary is currently being shown in selected cities around the world alongside my I Am Hardwell world tour. The official release of the DVD is December 6th. In the meantime you can keep up to date on the official I Am Hardwell website: www.iamhardwell.nl
Name the tracks that have defined the year for you in terms of music. On a personal level my single ‘Never Say Goodbye’, a collaboration with Dyro and Bright Light, was such an important record for me over the summer. Whilst two records which have been enormous tracks in my sets this year are Dyro’s ‘Leprechauns and Unicorns’ and Dannic’s ‘Clobber’
Next stop: South Africa! Is it your first visit to the continent of Africa? Any idea what to expect? Any personal message we can pass onto your SA fans? No, I’ve been before a couple of years back. I’m looking forward to this tour because I’m bringing my ‘I Am Hardwell’ tour and I think the fans are going to love it. I don’t want to give anything away but fans can expect something completely new and unique. The production behind the show is incredible and I’m very excited.
QUESTIONS FROM SA FANS
What or who inspires you musically? Tiësto has been the biggest inspiration throughout my career. We’re from the same town so growing up he was always the one my friends and I would look up to. I have great respect for what he has done in his career and for the electronic scene as a whole.
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What is the most important advice you have for aspirant electronic music producers? Believe in yourself, follow your instinct and be committed to what you find passionate in life. For me it’s not about overnight success but hard work and determination and setting goals and targets you want to achieve.
How did you celebrate being crowned the youngest ever winner of DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJ Poll? The main party was at the award ceremony itself on the night. The party was really wild and it was great to share the experience with so many good DJ and industry friends, as well as my family, friends from home and my entire management team, and of course the fans. I then had a private party with just close friends and family the following night to just enjoy the moment with them.
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Purchase tickets to any of Hardwell’s SA gigs here:
http://online.computicket.com/web/event/i_am_hardwell_sa_tour/
For further info visit: http://www.electricmusic.co.za
Listen to Hardwell on Pulse Radio