For hardstyle artist Wildstylez, 2015 is off to a strong start — he just wrapped up his 7-city Lose Control tour, which marked his first headlining tour in North America, and just a few days ago, he reached over 10 million views of his anthemic track “Year of Summer.” As one of the forerunners of hardstyle, Wildstylez continues to keep the scene going strong while bringing it more exposure to the US. Check out what Wildstylez had to say on his latest tour, his label Lose Control, and the growth and evolution of hardstyle.
What has it been like to headline your first tour in North America?
It’s been great! I really enjoy being here and meet all the fans! It’s cool to see that there’s a scene in every city I played.
You just came back from Mysterland Chile in December. How has it been to play on a festival stage and then go on to play at smaller venues?
This year was extra special actually as I hosted my own stage at Mysteryland Chile which was great. It’s a different vibe when playing at a festival and a club is more intimate and easier to interact with the crowd. So I love both!!
America is still relatively new to its exposure to hardstyle compared to Europe. When you’re on stage, do you feel a difference in the crowd’s reaction to the music between America and overseas? Do you find yourself playing different types of music in America versus overseas to cater to the different crowds?
Like you said this scene is still upcoming in the US, but it amazes me that the crowd knows the tracks that I’m playing and they’re really into it. In my home country the scene is still going strong after so many years and they grew up with this music and the artists, but the reaction isn’t that different as every new crowd are really into the music and show their love and support.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/160096066″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
In 2013, you founded your own hardstyle label called Lose Control Music. What inspired you to create your label?
I wanted to create a platform to release music on that I like and to share that with the fans as well as to have a platform for upcoming artists.
What kind of sound does Lose Control Music represent?
Everything and in between the harder sides of dance.
Who are some up and coming hardstyle artists to be on the lookout for?
You should keep an eye out for for Audiotricz!
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/170184905″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
In addition to your Lose Control tour, your other current project is an upcoming album. What can fans expect to hear? Any particular collabs? When will it come out?
It will get released in early spring this year, but unfortunately I can’t spill a lot of details yet. If you follow me, some more information will get revealed soon!
Hardstyle is getting more attention outside of Europe, and its sound has been crossing genres through remixes and collaborations outside of its genre. How do you feel about its evolving sound?
I love it! As an artist and producer I also want to keep evolving and think outside of the box. I think that’s really important to keep it interesting and fun.
