The closing act of Decibel this year, is none other than Tha Playah. When you’re talking about the current leaders of the present hardcore scene, there’s little doubt that Jim Hermsen will be mentioned many times. The Neophyte Records-artist has been part of the scene since 2002 and has had a huge influence on the development of hardcore ever since. Just 20 years old, Jim dropped his first EP “Hit ‘Em” on the label and has never left the imprint. Ten years later, Tha Playah is considered to be one of the most influential and gifted producers of the hardcore scene.

Just a few years after his official debut Headhunterz has claimed a top position in the world of dance music. Rising from the rapidly expanding hard dance scene he is now the number one DJ in de Harddance scene. This remarkable accomplishment is preceded by a series of acclaimed mainstage performances, two albums, numerous releases and several chart topping anthems. 

Bass Modulators is a collaboration between two friends, Roland Evers and Rick Buijtenhek. They met each other in Secondary School and discovered they shared a great passion for Hardstyle music. Bass Modulators are known for several hits, such as ‘Leave the world’, ‘I want your love’ and ‘Requi3m (Hard Bass 2013 Yellow Theme)’. This year, they are ready to enter the mainstage at Decibel.

 

 

The Polish/Dutch producer Grzegorz, on stage known as ‘Crypsis’, is the frontman of Minus is More. Last year, he was one of the three main acts of Thrillogy and he teared down the roof. With his raw sounds, an album ‘Cryptology’ and an epic live-act, this man is a phenomenon in the scene. 

Hardstyle DJ and producer Frontliner (Barry Drooger) is well known for his versatile approach to the genre. He has built an impressive discography both as a solo artist and toghether with various fellow artists. In a short time, he released ‘I’m the Melodyman’, ‘Halos’ and ‘Symbols’ and that is why he is currently the most popular producer in the scene. In addition, he is the founder of the brand new label ‘Keep it up Music’.

“Representing the harder styles in dance music, we got to spread this message to the party people all over the world” is what they proclaimed in the year 2003. And the Alpha² kept their word! Already for a decade, these pioneers of the rough and raw sound have been spreading their music cross every continent. They delivered best-selling tracks, including the Decibel anthem. And then there’s that label: A² Records! May it be clear that Alpha² still consider themselves to be on a mission and therefore, the hardstyle scene has far from seen it all: the Alpha² are UNLEASHED!

Atmozfears consists of Tim and the Canadian Kevin. They have been sharing a unique chemistry and started to create music together. They received a positive response from their audience and major international support from some of the biggest artists in the scene. Now they are considered to be one of the most promising and upcoming artists in the Hard Dance scene.

Coone started mixing and producing music at the early age of 15 years, and brought out his first EP in 2002. He created his own label ‘Dirty Workz’ and he produced the album ‘The Challenge’ in 30 days, in collaboration with other producers and DJ’s. To conclude, this Belgian DJ is a successful young man and lives and breathes music! Therefore, it is no surprise he will be playing at Decibel for the 8^th time.

Representing the Dutch dance industry, Brennan Heart is one of the leading brands in international hardstyle music. Tracks like ‘Just as Easy’ and ‘Lose my Mind’ carry his remarkable signature: harmonious melodies, catchy vocal lines and an impeccable production. Brennan Heart (real name: Fabian Bohn) has an impressive track record as a DJ and producer with over 100 releases. He is known for his unrestrained efforts and perseverance, constantly improving his skills and studio setup.

Bart Thimbles is a DJ, producer, remixer, founder and label owner of ‘Therapy Records’. He is one of the early house adapters in Holland. He’s responsible for the Turn Up The Bass compilations, where 25 albums have been released between 1989 and 1993. He was also one of the first to experiment on a regular bases with live musicians in his sets.

Isis is one of the female pioneers in the global Electronic music scene. She is considered one of the world’s top ten female Tech-House DJ’s, mixing refreshing repetitive Electronic music combined with various ethnical influences.

This man needs no introduction. He is the living proof of what a DJ’s profession is all about. More than twenty years and still on top of it all. The unique quality of Marcello is that he still finds as much challenge in every new gig as in his first. This man has charisma in every gene of his body and with his ability of creating the perfect atmosphere he will create a party at Decibel.

The Flemish Frank Sels, better known as Franky Jones, is a DJ who has been around for a long time now. He is known for his classic style. With a number of labels, an album, many tracks and (international) performances on his name; Franky has become an integral part of the scene. Franky Jones is known for the track ‘First Rebirth’ in collaboration with Stephenson.

Waxweazle started his career in 1990, when he started a DJ-group called ‘Holy Noise’. He did this together with Paul Elstak and Richard van Naamen, and they had several hits. In 1992, Waxweazle decided to focus on his solo career. He performed at a lot of big events and festivals, and is still an active and highly respected DJ who keeps the Hardcore alive.

 The Hague-based Melvin Pelupessy is currently enjoying one of his career’s finest moments. He recently released his first album “Nothing To Lose”, containing all of his latest productions, but also an extensive career overview from 2000 till 2010. The Viper has performed at every major hardcore event in the world and is part of the Neophyte Records family since April 2011. This producer and higly skilled DJ is not to be missed at the Decibel back2school stage.

Gizmo is an established name in the Hardcore scene. He’s been on stage for over 25 years now, since the beginning of the Hardcore. Gizmo is the man behind ‘Gizmania Records’ and is known by his great mixing skills en the ‘Dreamteam’.

Neophyte can be considered as the brain behind an enormous collection of hits that have been released. Since 1993 Neophyte is without a doubt one of the most innovative and creative hardcore producers on this planet. In 14 years of releasing tracks this man has been setting new standards over and over again, and is still doing so nowadays.

Early Rap, Breakbeats, Reggae and Electro intrigued Predator and in 1991 he started experimenting with beats and breaks himself. Influenced by his love for music and driven by the rage of a young boy, he established his first release on vinyl in 1992. He lived his dream and was spending all his time and money on his studio, and still is.

Panic produces mostly Hardcore and Oldschool-Hardcore and was one of the first famous Hardcore DJ’s in Holland. He was in the ‘Forze DJ Team’ and played with them at his first big event. Panic is still a highly respected DJ showing his skills every weekend.

Angel is one of the few female producers gracing the Hardcore scene. She’s from Poland, where she discovered Techno as a teenager. With the releases on Industrial Strength Records she cemented her position in the scene. This talented female knows how to motivate a crowd with a unique style, which she describes as Industrial-Schranz-core.

Counterfeit has been successful with tracks like ‘Crossed the Line’, ‘The Path of Recovery’ and ‘Organized Crime’. Besides his solo projects, he also collaborated with Negative A. He has crushed the dancefloors at mega events in Holland but also smashed the decks in Spain, Germany, Belgium and Italy.

Lucy Furr is also known as Miss Hysteria. She is an established and respected female in the dark scene of Hardcore. She loves dark melodies and atmospheres and is not afraid to think out of the box. Besides that, she is known as one of the only female DJ’s who produces her own music. As Lucy Furr, her style will be more likely to be Drum & Bass.

Igneon System started in 2002 with playing Drum ‘n’ Bass and Hardcore with friends at local events, but after a while he got interested in producing. He bought himself a little studio and started to explore the production process. It didn’t take long before people started to notice his sound and so he got his first record signed in 2008.

The DJ Producer is a producer of Harddance music since 1994. From his very first production attempts, it was a combination of kickdrums and breakbeats. He carved his name into the UK Rave scene as one of the first mainstream Hardcore DJ’s in the UK and became a permanent fixture at several big raves.

Dr. Peacock has been playing music since 2002 and he is known for his totally insane tunes, together with the hard Frenchcore sounds. He developed his own style in the Frenchcore scene. For everyone that does not have seen him before; His performance on stage are very powerful and totally crazy!

Francis Jaques from Belgium started out as a Drum ‘n’ Bass DJ in 2003 and evolved into producing Hardcore around 2004. In 2009 he even started his own label ‘BADBACKrecords’. He describes his own style as Heavy Industrial Hardcore with Frenchcore, UK Hardcore, Terror and Acid influences.

Adrenalize was born in 1996, which makes him the youngest artist in the Scantraxx roster. He was only 10 when he began to play around with a few simple music-making programs. The first tracks he made were produced in cooperation with his brother. His style consists of uplifting melodies and innovative thinking. He received support from big artists like Headhunterz.

Passionate, dedicated, perfectionist
As an artist Ran-D represents his crowd in more that one way: he comes from their ranks. Starting as a visitor on the same events as where he now performs, he shares their enthusiasm, knowing exactly what they need and to go beyond that, topping everyone’s expectations. Respect for his fans is something that grows from within; a deeper understanding what hardstyle truly is about.

The Noisecontrollers started their career in 2005. They decided to start producing Hardstyle together and had only one goal; bringing Hardstyle to a next level. Their music stands for experimental rough pounding kicks and astonishing melodies. They are known for their hits ‘Break the Show’ and ‘So High’.

The Psyko Punkz were signed to the Belgian record label ‘Dirty Workz’ in 2008 and have been regularly releasing tracks since then. Within one month ‘Bassboom’ became a YouTube hit. Besides that, the men were responsible for the Hard Bass 2013 Red Theme, named ‘Electrobam’.

The Wasted Penguinz are a Hardstyle duo from Sweden and began producing together in 2008. They met each other on an Internet message board and were originally rivals. Two years after the group was formed, they were signed to the major label Scantraxx. On their two albums they have nothing but hits only, like ‘Melancholia’.

Digital Punk has a great talent and love for music and is engaged in both performing as well as creating Hardstyle music with a raw edge. He also has proven himself as an astounding talented producer and is amiable to a huge Hardstyle audience, because he knows how to please everyone’s ears.

In 2010 Corey decided to produce under the name Code Black. He is one of the upcoming Hardstyle talents in the world. His most popular tracks are ‘Brighter Day’ and ‘Red Planet’. Besides that, he made the Blue Theme for Hard Bass this year, named ‘R.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.’. In three words: a genius producer!

Wasted Mind aka Jose Gonzalez from Spain, started experimenting with electronic music at the age of 14. He signed with the Masters of Hardcore label and released several tracks like ‘Paradox’, ‘Rayo del Sol’ and ‘More Powerful than God’. Wasted Mind is one of the upcoming talents in the Hardcore scene.

Destructive Tendencies are a trio made up of Dark-lite & DMR Joey Riot. Producing under this name made them favorites across Europe. Their debut EP ‘This is your moment’ was released through ‘Megarave’, which was a big success. Since then, numerous remix work and collabs have come in and the agenda is filling up fast.

Art of Fighters’ career was one of the fastest ever in the scene, because they played on the biggest stages of Europe when they were just 18. Since then they were unstoppable: spreading out to the USA, Canada and Australia. They continued publishing track after track and became one of the leading acts of the present Hardcore scene.

Nosferatus started producing music in 1993. Now, he can be defined as one of the most popular DJ’s and producers and his style can be described as raw, vicious yet with a melodic touch. He signed a record deal at ‘Enzyme Records’ and recently has released a new album called ‘Strength’.

At an early age Bas got interested in electronic music, but hardcore soon got his attention. In 2009 he signed for Neophyte Records and released tracks like the Project Hardcore.NL 2009 anthem ‘Part of the Project’ and the massive hit ‘Keep Going’. Kasparov developed his own style of hardcore; rough and pounding versus much melody.

Angerfist is without any doubt the world’s leading Hardcore act. Besides his unique sounds, like ‘Street Fighter’, Buckle up and kill’ and ‘Raise your fist’, he is also known for his unique appearance. b2s is proud to welcome him again at Decibel!

The Dutch Jeff van Opstal started working in the music industry at a very early age. With an open mind and an ear for hard-dance, he embarked on his journey by writing lyrics and and spinning records. He is instantly recognizable for his beat-perfect timing, outspoken lyrical style and one-of-a-kind voice. If there is anyone who can lift an atmosphere to a higher levels it’s MC Jeff.

Frequencerz’ members, Pepijn and Niels, had been known each other through the Internet and developed a close friendship. They came to realize that they wanted their music to be more than just a hobby and decided to take their career to the next level. Nowadays they are one of the greatest upcoming talents, with some amazing releases on their name, like ‘Burning’ and ‘Bitch’.

At the age of 10, B-Front started to produce his own records. Since his big hit ‘Magic’, which also became a turning point to Raw Hardstyle, we can’t think of Raw Hardstyle without B-Front. He is a marvelous producer at ‘Fusion Records’ and the resident of Loudness.

Delete is an Australian Hardstyle Producer/DJ who has been involved in the scene since its inception early in this millennium. He focuses on creating Hardstyle with attitude and is well known for his hard-hitting, yet raw productions. Even though he steers clear of creating the stale commercial sound, he has gained support from many big names.

With her big passion for Hardstyle, she started her career in 2010. In just three years, she already has the impressive amount of fifty gigs; from small to big events and huge festivals. Besides that, she has also started to produce her own music. In 2011, she had her first release on ‘Theracords’ together with DJ Thera himself, called ‘Silly Games’.

Main Concern, consisting of Nick Selman and John Soderstrom, are a Sweden-based Hardstyle duo. Meeting in 2008, because of their love of Hard Electronic Dance music, lead them to start learning to produce music. at the beginning of 2010, they witnessed the birth of the present Raw Hardstyle and all their inspiration returned.

Despite his young age, 21-years-old Hardstyle DJ and producer Rancor can draw on several years of experience he has gathered in his life. In the early stages of his career, he performed at both national and international Hardstyle and Hardcore parties, and due to his outstanding choice of tracks and excellent mixing skills, he quickly established a name for himself.

Since he was young, Thijs Ploegmaker a.k.a. Adaro, was inspired by hard beats. He created his own style and developed his musical talent. In a short time he himself became an inspiration for other producers. He’s known by ‘Natural Born Killers’ and ‘The Resistance’, in collaboration with other ‘A2 Records’ artists.

Darkraver found himself behind the decks for the first time in 1988, in a small club in Scheveningen, but things really took off when he headlined the infamous Rave The City events, which were held in his hometown The Hague. Big gigs followed soon and he became the DJ he is today.

Pat B started his career by playing in small clubs and venues, but things got a little bit more serious when he had his first releases in 2005. He had only one mission: make people dance end enjoy music just like himself! Pat B has been booked at the biggest clubs and festivals and had numerous mix compilations and worldwide releases.

Ruthless started spinning records in 1995, and shortly after that, he was already making mixtapes for local radio stations. Since 2002, he is playing all over the world at all the big Harddance events. His favorite styles are Hardstyle, Jump/Tek, Oldschool and of course Early Hardcore, because this is where his roots are! As a resident of Pussy lounge, Ruthless is of course not te be missed as the Decibel Pussy lounge stage.

The Prophet started his career in in 1983 after he discovered the turntables at a club in Amsterdam. He set up a team of DJ’s known as ‘The Dreamteam’ in 1991, which was a huge success. He switched from Hardcore to Hardstyle music and founded Scantraxx Records.

Mental Theo’s breakthrough was in the early 90’s together with Charly Lownoise and they became ‘DJ of the year’ in Germany in the late 90’s. Theo is also the creator the well-known concept ‘Thunderdome’. He’s an international artist who has over 20 years experience and was turning the tables at world’s biggest raves.

Konkrete Collective consists of two friends and DJ’s Stranger and Nonce, who found out that they were both playing records and shared the exact same musical passion. It didn’t take long for them to start experimenting together.

Bas Mooy has been active in the Techno scene since 1999. He created unique dark sounds, which lead him to the top of the European Techno scene. Bas Mooy has also been a member of the Rotterdam underground collective ‘Strictly Techno’, who created over a hundred legendary parties since 1996. Besides, he also started a new label ‘Mord’.

ROD is the newborn alter ego of Rotterdam based Benny Rodrigues, currently one of the most popular and inspiring electronic music artists of the Netherlands. Known for his versatility, Benny has chosen this additional artist name to clearly define the more Techno oriented side of his musical identity. ROD’s critically acclaimed debut-release ‘Malmok’ was released on Ben Klock’s Klock-works label and formed the start of a fruitful discog that reads very positively received re-eases on various renowned labels such as Chris Liebing’s CLR Recordings and Richie Hawtin’s M_nus Records.

Truss aka MPIA3 is the production alias of Tom Russell. This British techno DJ/producer gets his inspiration from the Techno classics of the established names with a little twist of this time. He’s only been here since 2012 and released a couple of EP’s of which one is known as ‘Your Orders’ at the R&S label.

Gary Beck is regarded as one of the most inventive producers in the current electronic music scene. He’s known for his unique sound and is in high demand all over the world playing at some of the most respected clubs. He can count on support from many of the biggest names in Techno, such as Chris Liebing and Len Faki.

Pfirter is one of the main icons in South America’s dance scene. He has developed an unique and personal style and can be seen in particular DJ sets that venture through the many subgenres of Techno. Nowadays, he’s considered Argentina’s biggest international music project, thanks to several releases.

Perc is one of electronic dance music’s reference points: an internationally touring DJ, label owner and one of the finest producers around. His debut album ‘Wicker & Steel’, which he released in 2011, has raised him to a new level of respect and recognition. He had launch parties in Londen, New York and Tokyo and broke into UK national newspapers.

Abstract Division is a young and exciting collaboration between two veteran Techno artists. They merge a basement vibe with a warehouse feel; drones and soundscapes meet straightforward uplifters in a way that simply makes sense. Abstract Division has over 20 years of shared experience, so they know how to get people in the right mood.

Fatima Hajji has always been true to herself, looking for her own personal sound in the most powerful Hard Techno. A devastating, clean, fun and dancing Hard Techno and a very high connection with her public, are her two most important keys to understand what’s going on for the last few years, where her sound means party sound.

Spitfire is a young, upcoming Dutch DJ and producer from Rotterdam. His DJ sets are characterized with Hardtechno in combination with South American/Spanish influences. With a passion for the harder Techno styles, this man is ready to rock every stage!

This Antillian boy got raised with a lot of musical styles, which he still carries with him in his veins. After finding his love in spinning vinyl, he had to move to Holland to study. This is where he found his love for electronic music.

Mike Drama has a unique style of pure energetic Hard Techno and is always pushing his sets to the limit. He combines a number of grooves and manipulates the tracks with breaks. With the help of effects, he’s creating a very energetic atmosphere. Besides his skills as a DJ, he is important behind the stage, because he is responsible for two labels; Cannibal Society records and Mental Torments.

Miss Djax is not only an excellent DJ, but also the founder of ‘Djax Records’ in 1989. In 2010 she re-launched the successful ‘Djax it Up’ parties and started hosting area’s at various festivals. During this time, she kept on producing high quality Hard- and Acid Techno and released the album ‘Techno Crusaders’ in 2012.

Svetec can be considered as Hungarians best Hardtechno DJ, has more than 30 releases and over a 100 performances worldwide. His fanbase is growing very fast, he is a genius behind the decks and knows how to entertain the crowd.

Hammond was born in Hungary and his DJ career started when he was at the age of 20. His first gigs were at Budapest’s most famous and legendary clubs. In 2005, he started to produce his own Hardtechno tracks and got his first release in 2007. The sound he plays is the dark and heavy side of electronic music.

From the UK, this Hard Techno DJ and Producer is the 2012 bestseller in his genre.
Multiple successful releases have led him to travel across Europe. He is known for his technical style and his murderous power that he brings to the dance floor. Be ready for a unique show.

Nick and Bjorn are two youngsters starting a new project, called ‘Lowriderz’. These boys already played at several big events and prestigious clubs in Belgium. In 2012 they released their first track called ‘Bust My Gunz’ at GS2 followed by ‘Direkta’. Soon, these two confirmed their expectations of being deejays: making music and entertaining the crowd as much as possible and they love it.

Davoodi developed himself into an all-round artist within the scene since he started as a DJ. People are charmed by his diverse skills and his ability to smoothly blend a variety of harder musical styles. In January 2011, Davoodi founded his own record label called ‘Crunk’D Records’, which is increasing in popularity since its launch.

Mode Seven is known for their Trance influences, variety in elements and unique atmosphere. These two young gentlemen know what people need to get it going on the dancefloor. Their technique is to combine an emotional melody with raw sounds and hard kicks. This is what they mastered in the last few years.

Qrank is one of the youngest additions to the scene. His sound resembles a unique mixture of House and Hiphop combined with the Tekstyle beats of today. He won the Crunk’d remix competition, which really got the ball rolling. After that, it didn’t take too long before he joined the Crunk’d label where he released his first solo tracks.

Last year, Dr. Phunk signed to one of the leading record labels called ‘Dirty Workz’. He played at almost every major Harddance event in Europe, like Decibel Outdoor and Pussy lounge, due to his various quality releases and his energetic stage performances.

Demoniak is a Harddance project by Geoffrey and Nico. Their debut EP gained mass interest in the scene and resulted in many bookings at clubs and events. They signed a major record deal with Coone’s label Dirty Workz through the success of their single S.H.A.K.E. In 2012, Demoniak released their first solo album, which is their biggest work so far.

Belgian born Mark with a K is one of the biggest names in the Jump/Tek scene. He’s the resident DJ on Friday in a club called Highstreet, but also performs at the biggest festivals. In 2012, he started his own record label/branding called ‘NOIZE JUNKY’. By starting his own label, he expands his own horizons and allows young Hard Dance producers to launch their music.

Sinister Souls create their own vision on filthy Dubstep, with inspiration from Drum ‘n Bass, Rave, Breakcore and Techno. They’ve already have some big achievements since they started in 2009 and played at several big events. Nowadays they are working on their first album that’s coming out on ‘PRSPCT Recordings’.

Lifecycle is a quickly rising producer with Drum & Bass roots. In 2011, his first two released dropped and at the end of 2012, he has shown his musical colors by remixing several albums. He signed to ‘Subway Music’ and turned into an internationally wanted and booked DJ. His livesets follow a similar track, but are also influenced by his broad background and love for breakbeats.

Devnik is a producer/DJ from Eindhoven, who was born in 1990. He has been going strong in the Bass/Dubstep scene since 2008. With a huge list of gigs in his name and his own productions, he has been causing many fan bases all over the planet. He’s been pushing his own sound since the start and currently experimenting with all sorts of different styles.

Nicon is the man behind ‘Subway Music’ and one of Holland’s busiest Dubstep DJ’s. He started off playing Drum & Bass in 2005 at small local events. He got picked up pretty soon by some of Holland’s top promoters after dropping a few mixes online. Now, he is the CEO of Subway Music and known for his destructive sets, energetic appearance and explosive mixes.

In 2004, Dion started as a hip-hop DJ / producer at Jawat and DuvelDuvel. He has already seen several Dutch venues. Since 2008, Dion let himself get carried away by Dubstep rhythms. He has a number of releases under the brand new Oi! Recordings label of pioneer Gomes, dropped a series of brutal mixtapes under the name ‘Introdubtion’ and launched probably the longest 140BMP mixtape ever.

Gomes is a very strong player in the dubstep scene. With influences from other styles, he build at pure quality. Whoever says dubstep in Holland, says Oi!. Gomes started Oi! as a party years ago, which developed in Oi Recordings later.

Limewax was born in Ukraine and moved to The Netherlands in 1999. At the age of 11, he began writing music and released his first EP at the age of 17. The young Drum ‘n Bass/Electronic music producer has released music for several labels so far. His style tends towards the harsher sounds of Hardstep and Darkstep.

With a diverse and interesting background in electronic music, these two men have come together and formed Obscure. Nowadays, they like to surprise people with their mixture of obscure sounds. Expect a variety of innovative electronic bass music, with lots of energy on stage.

MC Swift got his first big appearance in 2009. After that, his career took a turn as he got more and more requests coming in. He hosted events, such as Subway and PRSPCT. This MC knows how to work a crowd and is eager to keep on learning.