Dutch EDM icons Afrojack and Hardwell have made themselves some of the biggest forces in the festival and high-level nightclub circuit. From each of them touring the globe nonstop to their constant stream of quality productions, these two giants have climbed the ladder of mainstream success and are now facing a very different electronic music scene than the one they sat on top of two years ago. Even though Afrojack and Hardwell are no strangers to working together in the past, what would a 2016 collaboration between the two sound like?
The answer? The new tune sounds like many of the fist-pumping, main-stage tracks heard across the globe every year. Although previewed earlier this year and released on Revealed Records, the track dubbed “Hollywood” is the culmination of what festival house looks years after it’s lost its edge. What Hardwell and Afrojack created was not a track to listen to at home by itself. It’s a song with the sole purpose of being heard in the middle of a ferocious festival-house set surrounded by jumping young adults at a music festival anywhere.
However, where this song lacks in innovation it makes up for in solid sound design. Even if you’re not a fan of this style of house, the chopped-vocals introducing the track set up the listeners for the piercing synths of drops one and two well. Also, the second drop includes a crash at the very beginning to make it sound like a bigger commotion than the previous drop. Even the melody of this track was forged to be uplifting and powerful giving listeners a proper breakdown to enjoy too. But like I said earlier, this song’s strengths are hindered by its lack of ingenuity in an already stale genre, despite being made by two of the most well-known faces in electronic dance music. 
Check the new collaboration from Afrojack and Hardwell below and let us know what you think of it. Did you love it or hate it? Let us know!
Download: Afrojack & Hardwell – Hollywood [Revealed Recordings]
