Just 2 asian guys who like to touch CD players.
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When it comes to Hardstyle, it’s impossible to argue the fact that any artist has had a bigger impact on the genre than Headhunterz. From the moment his first records were released, his unique melodic and energetic take on the genre sparked a new movement within the international music scene. A rise unparalleled, Headhunterz continues to take Hardstyle to new heights. 

Willem Rebergen, better known as Headhunterz, kicked off his DJ career over a decade ago. A visit to Qlimax 2003 lit a spark in Willem, leading to an uncontrollable wildfire, as he dedicated himself to becoming the best producer in the genre. His originals, as well as the album he made with Wildstylez under the Project One moniker, redefined the hardstyle sound of the late 2000’s. Headhunterz’ new take on hardstyle music made the genre grow into an international phenomenon and become something worldly. 

From 2014-2017, Headhunterz took on a new challenge and found himself headlining major festivals like Ultra Music Festival, Coachella and EDC, making him explore the boundaries of his own, musical imagination and discover new parts of the world as well as different territories within the electronic dance scene. Though it did trigger his creativity, Willem became homesick, missing his beloved hardstyle scene. In 2017, in front of 60,000 ecstatic fans who thought they had lost their hero, he announced his comeback to hardstyle at Defqon.1. With open arms, the community embraced him, as he travelled the world to celebrate his return with fans, old and new. It took him to 125 performances across 34 countries in 2018 alone, a journey which inspired him to create ‘The Return of Headhunterz’, an album that tied past, present and future together. Surpassing 15 million streams on Spotify, the album – along with his No. 28 position in the 2018 DJ Mag Top 100, showed that, no matter the adventures Headhunterz would undertake, he’ll always find a warm welcome in his home base.

The album also marked the launch of a new label – ART OF CREATION, with his colleague Wildstylez. A creative and dynamic platform that bridges the gap between music makers and community. At the same time, Headhunterz relaunched the HARD with STYLE Podcast, recorded live from a brand new studio, with state-of-the-art equipment and sound. This is where new Headhunterz music comes to life, plans to conquer new territory for his tribe are forged and the one thing reigns that will always remain Headhunterz’ greatest achievement; the music from within.

In a dark kitchen in the middle of a sweaty night in Las Vegas, all 6’4” of Dan Reynolds is hunched over a laptop, slapping beats on the table and crooning lyrics into a tiny microphone. Before long, he and the other three members of indie rock band Imagine Dragons would be playing “It’s Time,” that same laptop-demo-turned-supersized-anthem, from the roof of a parking garage to a wave of thousands of screaming fans. This song title to the single from their 2012 debut KidInaKorner/Interscope release “Continued Silence EP” is an all too apt descriptor of the band’s hard-earned success—but it’s also emblematic of the deep-seated anxiety Reynolds and the rest of the band experienced leaving behind any realistic expectation of a normal job to do the thing they love most.

A third-generation Las Vegas native, Reynolds is no stranger to the adage “the house always wins,” choosing to pave his musical career with a near obsessive work ethic and hundreds of unused demos rather than roll the dice with the first songs that sprung from his mouth. It’s no surprise, then, that he was drawn to guitarist Wayne Sermon, another founding member of Imagine Dragons. Having practically grown up in a recording studio and graduated Berklee College of Music, Wayne had been practicing his guitar through meals and other socially inappropriate situations as long as he could remember; he challenged Dan in a way that was both uncomfortable and exactly what they both needed. When they began writing songs together and recognized something special was happening, Wayne called up his Berklee friend Ben McKee, who promptly dropped out of school with only a few credits left, moving across the country to play bass for the band. This sort of reckless/genius behavior is typical for Ben, who has an uncanny penchant for spicy food and a suitcase full of unbelievable road stories. More recently, the band was joined by drummer Daniel Platzman, another Bostonian schoolmate who seems way too nice to be playing rock and roll until you actually see him in action.

Several tours and three self-released EPs later, Imagine Dragons had made a serious name for itself, particularly in the west coast circuit. Although their songs vary from nearly whimsical and light to brooding and powerful, listeners are drawn to the inherent honesty in the music. The only rule of thumb for the band, it seems, is to write from a true place; the result is songs that literally run the spectrum of human emotion. Attend a concert, and it becomes clear that the live performance of deeply personal songs has a real effect on people. And the band itself is not immune, as demonstrated when Dan literally passed out into the drum set during a finale song, sending cymbals and drum stands crashing while the rest of the band played on until the close.

Great songwriting is bound to be noticed eventually. As proof that the harder you work, the luckier you get, one of those people who noticed was Grammy winning producer Alex da Kid (Eminem, Rihanna). Alex and Dan began collaborating on projects, and soon the band had developed a relationship with Alex and his team. The alchemy resulting from Alex’s hip hop sensibilities and Imagine Dragons’ anthemic rock is nothing short of explosive. The byproduct of this creative collision is “Continued Silence,” a six song in-your-face sonic grenade that breaks musical boundaries and yet is strangely relatable by its improbably diverse audience.

Despite it all, on any given day when they aren’t on the road playing shows, you can still find Imagine Dragons huddled away in a rehearsal room somewhere, banging out song after song in search of the next perfect track. Like most things in Vegas, the band is angled at going big or going bust. For the sake of those who love great music, we hope it’s the former.

(Formerly known as Melbourne producer Orgy)
The combination of spirituality & technology expressed through nothing but trance.

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Founded in 1999 by Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin, Strange Music is one of Hip Hop's premier independent labels. Based in Kansas City,MO.

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