You’ve been in the industry for almost 10 years now. How much has changed in terms of sound, and what seems to be trendy now?
It’s always changing, but this is why dance music is so vibrant. We’ve never held the music back. This year might be more about techno than last, but next year could be all about trance and house the year after.It really doesn’t matter because dance music thrives on so many levels and so many different genres. This is why our scene is so rich in talent and music.
“Party till the Daylight” is your debut in the bass house style. How much have you changed your sound over the years?
I’ve never really been glued to one sound. I started out playing hip-hop, and most recently, people have known me for that big-room sound, but I’ve always experimented with my music and my sets. “Party till the Daylight” is a record that demonstrates that. I’ve been throwing a lot into the ideas pot as of late, and this was one of those cool tracks that came out of that.
Do you compose with a narrative in mind?
Sometimes I do; it just depends on the mood I’m in. I like to work around a hook or sound and build the track out from there. Like any form of music creation, it’s more about what you feel than what you think.
What are some other genres of music do you enjoy listening to besides EDM?
When not listening to dance music, then hip-hop is my go-to music of choice. It’s healthy for the mind to take a break from dance music from time to time, and hip-hop is a great release for me to do that. I also listen to pop music – I had so much fun working with guys like Jason Derulo in the past and now Austin Mahone on our new collab, “Creatures Of The Night”! It’s good to experiment and step out of the usual zone of what people expect.
Hardwell shows are a big deal – the crowd, the vibe – but what’s the best gig you’ve attended as an audience member so far?
Seeing The Prodigy was incredible! They are arguably the greatest electronic group of all time. You can’t fault anything they do and I’m such a big fan of what they have giving dance music fans over the years.
You also started your own foundation that’s also a charity project. Tell us more about how United We Are started, and why did you choose to give back to the field of education?
The idea behind the foundation was to give something back to the community. During a trip to India, I saw kids sleeping under a billboard with my face on it. It left a mark on me, and I wanted to return and do something to make a change to help these young kids in this situation.
The United We Are Foundation is a charity geared towards helping to educate young children, so they can fight their way out of poverty through the power of education. We launched the project in Mumbai back in December 2015 and we managed to raise enough funding to school over 20,000 children from the slums of the Mumbai for five years. This year, we will return to try and raise enough money to educate 100,000 children from the slums of Mumbai.
You’re also the label manager for your very own Revealed Recordings. We’re pretty sure you get loads of submissions waiting to be discovered, but tell us what sort of fresh sounds are you looking for now?
We’re always looking for new music, and constantly seeking out new emerging talent, I don’t want the label and the artistes we represent to feel like they can’t push forward, and the newer artists to feel like they can’t break into the scene. For example, Lucky Charmes is a really exciting progressive producer coming from The Netherlands; he’s already had some big releases on some great labels, but when I first heard his track “Bring Back Di Bass”, I knew I wanted to release it on Revealed Recordings. We also released a cool track from the duo, Navarra; those guys are a little more melodic but I don’t want Revealed to just follow trends. Like in my sets, I can play a mixture of trance, hardstyle, big-room, whatever – I want my label to be about quality sounds no matter what the genre is, not just what is hot at the time.
People party to your music now. What sort of music did you party to when you were younger?
As mentioned, hip-hop was my go-to sound growing up. I then discovered electronic music and began to enjoy both scenes, but decided to make electronic music my life because of the passion I had for it as an emerging DJ and later, producer.
Most EDM songs are very upbeat and make people want to dance. Dig deep, though: what’s your favourite sad song?
It’s not a dance track, but I think Adele “Someone Like You” is a very powerful song. Great songwriting and a very emotive record.
Can you share with one of your most memorable moments behind the decks from your career?
Playing the final date on my world tour I Am Hardwell and closing it at Madison Square Garden to a sold-out crowd was something that dreams are made of!
Has there always been an artist that you have dreamed about collaborating with?
Dr Dre is an artist I have so much respect for. He’s changed the face of music through his own music so to work with him would be very special. I’d also love to work with Pharrell Williams who is such a talented producer. His body of work is mind-blowing and he’d be an incredible individual to share studio space with.
Finally, when on tour, what would be your three touring essential items to bring?
1. My laptop & headphones
2. My own branded BALR. tour bag
3. My phone
https://soundcloud.com/revealed-recordings/sets/hardwell-friends-ep-vol-2