As dance music’s popularity increases globally, so does the conflict amongst its most zealous followers. What started out as an entirely “underground” experience has ever since grown into a booming market, surpassing certain veterans of the scene who feel disparaged by the direction their favuorite artists have taken in pursuit of profit, fame, and mainstream visibility.
One genre that until just recently had managed to avoid the aforementioned commercialization was hardstyle, a leading exponent of which has been Willem Rebergen, better known as leading producer/DJ Headhunterz, who found himself abruptly and unfairly targeted by fans of the genre he advocates.
After teasing his collaboration with Krewella and announcing a planned collaboration with leading trap-duo Flosstradamus, he felt the brunt of a sizeable section of supporters who went about criticising and accusing him of being a ‘sell out’ and raised alarm as if his rise in popularity would lead to the death of their favourite genre.
As a response, the globally renowned artist penned an article in the Huffington post, pointing out the hypocrisy of older fans of the genre. “We should be grateful to them, and they to us”, he said. He further added that, “There is one dilemma, and that is that they want change and want stability at the same time. Use the same kick twice and you’ll get punished. Slow down the BPM and you’ll get called out”. Willem acknowledged that the problem affects not solely hardstyle but dance music in all its varied forms and that in order for the entire scene to grow and for artists to evolve they must change their sounds. In other words, play it too safe and fans admonish you for being boring, whereas if you change too drastically and abandon them, try something new and different and you’ve “sold out” or gone the commercial way. He also went on to mention how dance music fans are becoming increasingly impossible to please.
As the buzz worldwide continues to propel hardstyle into the spotlight, weaving it into mainstream dance music and facilitating some unlikely collaborations, Rebergen addresses his desire as an artist to challenge himself and move out of his comfort zone, saying, “What I have realized is, there is simply no way to keep everybody happy. As an artist, I am up for a new challenge. This counts for everyone who’s passionate or ambitious about their career, in any profession”.
Notwithstanding the power which such aforementioned internet obscurity has given the more vocal dance music devotees, Headhunterz had little to say about the future of hardstyle as a genre or the strong opinions of his fan base; “Let’s see what the future will bring. Whatever that is is, you can count on one thing. I will continue to be me, and do my thing”.
All in all, as fans probably we expect too much from our favourite artist(s) and Headhunterz piece comes as a reflection of the lesser heard, artist perspective. We would definitely be keen to know what you as fans feel about the scenario which exists, don’t hesitate to drop your comment below!