The Hardstyle scene is evolving rapidly as we speak. New artists with incredible skill and technical prowess are constantly popping up in the scene.
Among the newcomers, there’s a couple of experienced fellows, with unending dedication and passion for the scene and the music. Dutch Hardstyle legend Joram Metekohy, aka Wildstylez, the Daydreamer, is one of them.
Wildstylez has been making music for over a decade under various aliases and as a ghostproducer. As a veteran, he’s not letting the newcomers surpass him. Without loosening the dominance he has on the scene, Joram is assembling an incredibly rich release schedule for 2018. Today, we take a look at three highlights out of the most recent leg of his discography.
I’m talking about ‘Maximum Force’, the ‘Children Of Drums EP’, and ‘No One Can Stop Us Now’!
But today I’m not going over this by myself. I’m joining forces with one of the most dedicated hardstyle experts in the community, the best out of the best weekend warriors, the passion-driven YouTube sensation Mr. Axelade.
It’s thanks to his extensive and deep knowledge of the genre that the content at the base of this massive article was possible, and for me, it was an honor to compose it.
Project One (Headhunterz & Wildstylez) – Maximum Force (Defqon.1 2018 Anthem)
50/100
The anthem for the 16th edition of Hardstyle’s extravagant festival Defqon.1 features two of the biggest names in the history of Hardstyle in Wildstylez himself, and the refound Headhunterz. The latter has been busy re-establishing his figure among the harder styles Olympians since his return.
Their latest procreation as Project One was the welcome ‘Project One EP‘, which featured the mythical song ‘Luminosity‘. But in contrast, the reception for ‘Maximum Force’ was terrible.
‘Maximum Force’ bears the same title from the theme for this year’s Defqon.1… let’s just say it doesn’t fit it. It’s quite an underwhelming piece actually, considered by many a result of Q-Dance trying to milk Headhunterz’s return once again – as if ‘Destiny‘ for 2017 number one Q-Dance hardstyle song wasn’t enough.
Technically speaking, the title doesn’t express any of its characteristics besides a decent mid-intro. The chosen vocals and the chants are out of place for a song that should express energy and power; the hardstyle rendition for the melody by UB40’s reggae classic ‘Kingston Town‘ sounds rushed and forced; and lastly, it doesn’t have the epic, anthemic aura that Defqon.1 Anthems are known to bear.
If you’re given the honor of creating something this important, the result should match the expectations. Unfortunately for Project One, this wasn’t the case, and ‘Maximum Force’ reputation has been tainted so much that no better words come in my mind to describe it than ‘a let down’ for Hardstyle lovers.
We now take a step back in the year, in March, a couple of months before the Anthem was released. This is the month during which Willem and Joram gave life to the first two publications for their new label, Art Of Creation, in Heady’s album ‘The Return Of Headhunterz’ and its complementary ‘Children Of Drums’ EP by Wildstylez.
A real palate cleanser from Metekohy, the EP contains the two tracks ‘Children Of Drums’ and ‘Bounce Like This’, and it screams “experimentalism“.
Wildstylez – Children Of Drums
88/100
The title track for the EP, “Children Of Drums” starts off with a vocal sample we also hear in the Defqon.1 Trailer released back in March.
Now the question is, was this track originally supposed to be the Defqon.1 Anthem? We’ll leave that to you to figure out.
A hard pulsating intro leaves us greeted by some vocals, which soon slip into the mid-intro and for the first time we hear Psy-Style in Wildstylez discography. And what a great job. Ambient synths, exotic yells, and industrial noises go off in the background so as to not make the mid-intro bland, something many Psy-Style mid-intros suffer from.
We hear the same male vocal from the intro here, describing the new generation of Hardstyle, the ‘children of drums‘. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Tonight’ poet David Levine would be the man behind this mystic presentation, which then transitions into an epic break with sensual vocals and soothing pads. Claps and snares build up, and we get a glimpse of the melody, an incredible one. A melody on a status similar to that of ‘Complex Situation’ or ‘I See Stars’. Definitely one of Wildstylez’s greatest.
“Our style is running it!” and the climax entails. We hear a new (and better) Wildstylez kick playing below the remarkable melody. We are soon given a second climax with a varied melody, and this succeeds in giving the track some more variation.
Great lyrics, a sublime melody, and fresh kicks, what else do you need? Undoubtedly the best Wildstylez solo track since the 2016 work of art that was ‘Encore’. Slap on a “maximum force” and “D-D-DEF QON 1” vocal samples and you have a Defqon.1 Anthem that would proudly and effortlessly bear the title in a proper manner.
Wildstylez – Bounce Like This
80/100
This is a cool little track that Wildstylez stated to be made to get the crowd jumping at festivals. It’s essentially a B-Side track, experimental and fun (our favorite kind here at the Allax Observatory).
A build-up is the first thing we hear and it drops into the mid-intro with weird techy kicks, a modified version of Wildstylez’s new kick (Are those little trap particles?). Weird quirky synths keep playing in the second part of the mid-intro.
Here we are at the break, and I had to hold myself on the chair the first time I heard it. The energy inside the veins of this song is pumping (bouncing?) at high speed as beautiful plucks accompany the catchy vocal sample loop into a hurricane of cool synths, bits of melody, and dubstep growls. It gives off a Pavelow vibe.
The melody kicks in, the song builds up again, the climax plays, and energy bursts through. We even get an enhanced second climax, and the gritty power of ‘Bounce Like This’ doesn’t let you go until the very end.
All in all, this track was a breath of fresh air. There was another version of this track played around 3 years ago which was more energetic. It also excels at showing Joram’s mastering ability: it has a pristine mixdown.
This two-tracker proved that Wildstylez as a solo is still relevant and strong, and it’s not going anywhere. This is an absolute must listen, especially the former of the two tracks, since it was Axelade’s pick for his favorite out of this article.
Can Wildstylez year get any better?
The answer is yes. If we take another step back in the year, we find the aforementioned ‘The Return Of Headhunterz‘ album which featured eminent names like Sound Rush, and the biggest newcomers in the hardstyle scene Sub Zero Project. But there was one true standout in the tracklist of the album.
Headhunterz, Wildstylez and Noise-freaking-controllers reunited for ‘No One Can Stop Us Now’!
Headhunterz & Wildstylez vs. Noisecontrollers – No One Can Stop Us Now
91/100
This marks their fourth collaborative effort. The “supreme team” needs no introduction, neither does their first collab ‘Tonight‘, the “greatest hardstyle song of all time” featuring the poetic sample from David Levine.
‘No One Can Stop Us Now’, otherwise known as ‘Tonight 2.0’, follows the path of its predecessor in being a perfect blend of the three masterminds styles, and the song gets elevated to a new tier of majesty thanks again to David Levine lyrical brilliance.
Get ready to be hit by feelings of nostalgia, as the magic and fluctuating 10-years old melody from the original ‘Tonight’ echoes through its successor structure, leading to a powerful mid-intro enveloped in roaring Noisecontrollers-designed synths. The aftermath of the first ‘drop’ leaves us at David Levine’s vocal mercy, and we are elevated into a mystical and calming atmosphere that soon gets broken in pieces by the thundering and epic main melody.
“No one can stop us now!”
A euphoric and majestic drop follows, surpassing the level of energy from ‘World Of Madness’ – and even the energy from the original if you ask me – and a last mid-outro filled with refined screeches and impetuous kicks.
What a spectacle! ‘No One Can Stop Us Now’ is among the best Hardstyle releases of the year so far, but coming from the minds of such an iconic trio it doesn’t come as a surprise.
Though to be fair, it must be addressed that even a song this respectable simply pales in comparison with ‘Tonight‘. As expected by the Ultimate Hardstyle song, there are little to no modern Hardstyle songs that can come close to the 2009 anthem. It’s a well known and now accepted fact.
But ‘No One Can Stop Us Now’ definitely holds its ground for being an epic, beautifully designed hymn aimed at evoking nostalgia and at carrying the immortality of its ancestor. The ‘World Of Madness’ dream team didn’t completely the mark here.
A remote complaint is they could have given more space to the song to build up in some segments, like in their Defqon.1 2012 Anthem, but that only marginally hurts the atmosphere.
Joram and his new Art Of Creation label are unstoppable forces. Wildstylez is certain to make the planets tremble at the might of his melodies the whole year-long. Make sure to catch his set at Defqon.1 both Saturday 23th of June, and Sunday 24th as Project One during the magistral Closing Ceremony!
Thanks once again to Axelade for his help and for his effort for bringing Hardstyle, one of the unrivaled best genres, more under the public spotlight thanks to his curated YouTube channel.
You can check his channel HERE.
You know that massive Defqon.1 2017 ‘drops only‘ video? (
And that ‘Evolution Of Hardstyle’ short documentary where we get a deep insight look into the history of this unparalleled genre?
What do you think?
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