Looking back at the night when Delhi was treated to music which a majority of the crowd hadn’t heard before, the first thing that hits my mind is how it proved to be special in a number of ways. As a first, Kitty Su, one of the best nightclubs in the country and the venue for the gig was celebrating their 2-year anniversary with performances by a host of stellar DJ’s from India and around the world throughout the entire month. As part of their celebrations, the club staying true to its ways of patronizing electronic music gave us and all who were present a night to remember for a long time. The night also served as the introduction of an entirely new genre, which true open-minded fans of all kinds of electronic music in the city got to experience first hand.

For the uninitiated, let us give you a quick peak into what the genre really is all about before we dwell further into the night. In its first few years, hardstyle was characterized by a tempo of about 140-150 BPM, a compressed kick drum sound, a short vocal sample, a screech and the use of a “reverse bass”, which can be heard on the offbeat after each kick along with a synth playing a melody, and detuned and distorted sounds.

It has its origins in the Netherlands where artists like Dana, Pavo, Luna and The Prophet, who produced Hardcore, started experimenting whilst playing hardcore records. It mixes influences from hard techno, hard house, hard trance, and hardcore.

Rising from the rapidly expanding hardstyle scene, Willem Rebergen aka Headhunterz has claimed & maintained the position of the top hardstyle DJ/producer and also found himself at an inspiring 11th place in the DJ MAG Top 100 last year.

He boasts of a remarkable repertoire of a series of highly acclaimed main stage performances, three albums, several chart-topping anthems and remixes, and his leading, genre-defining, hardstyle podcast named HARD with STYLE. He has also hosted the Amsterdam Dance Event’s biggest event by debuting the brand-new, state-of-the-art concert stadium Ziggo Dome.

Aside of his musical career he’s known to be a man of strong character, which echoes through, in a massive and engaged following worldwide and on the web. In the wake of such character, the set he treated us to that night exhibited exactly why he has the following he has and holds the numerous accolades he holds.

On entering the venue, the resident DJ, DJ Irvin had taken to the console for the opening set of the night and was dropping some monstrous electro tunes. As Irvin continued to shift gears from one track to another, we were in for a surprise! Walking calmly into the club we met Submerge boss and one of the most prominent members of our country’s dance music scene, Nikhil Chinapa, who had flown in as a special guest.

After a little while Irvin dropped his last song for the night, rounding up his set in the energetic style which we have come to relate with him and Chinapa took to the mic to introduce to New Delhi, the world #11, it was time for Headhunterz!

As the Dutchman began his set, everything prior to that seemed like the calm before a storm. Revelers at Kitty Su couldn’t resist as they began to dance and jump uncontrollably, lost in the energy of the music, clearly everyone present was having a blast!

Headhunterz treated us to a number of authentic hardstyle bombs and also threw in some pounding remixes of certain popular tracks including a thunderous remix of “Never Say Goodbye” by Hardwell & Dyro and an equally enthralling remix of “Spaceman”. His originals also received a tremendous welcome from the crowd.

As he went about his set he could be seen dancing behind the console and his interaction with the crowd was noteworthy. Clearly Headhunterz was having the time of his life. The most memorable moment of the night came when he went on to drop an “ID” which was received by the crowd by a deafening uproar and at the same time confetti poppers popped out confetti which made the already energized crowd rage even harder.

Caught in awe the crowd present simply couldn’t stop themselves as they danced on into the night. A little while later however, it was time for the end of what had been a brilliant set, packed with energy. As Headhunterz made his way off the console, he was given a loud cheer by the crowd, following which Chinapa introduced the closing DJ for the night, another resident, DJ Flynn.

All in all the night proved to be one to be remembered for a long time and possibly as the night which, introduced hardstyle to the masses in the country. We thank Kitty Su for a fantastic night and for introducing the country to a entirely new genre. Here’s to many more such nights!

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Reviewed by: Aditya Seth

Edited by: Angelica Syiemiong Pereira