Interview met Noisecontrollers
And then there was one. Late last year, Arjan left Dutch hardstyle pioneers Noisecontrollers. The break with Bas Oskam was amicable. To announce it, the pair released a remarkably buddy-buddy video detailing their past triumphs just as the Hardstyle movement was reaching its global zenith. Predictably, the news went viral, sending the hardstyle world into convulsions. But, alas, Bas and Arjan couldn’t have had a more healthy outlook on the split.
Soldiering on alone as Noisecontrollers, Bas is determined to stick with the hardstyle sound that brought him fame, but to take the project’s sound into other sonic vistas. Boredom is to be dreaded, Bas reasons. Neither he nor the fans can abide it. Boredom aside, Bas is also looking to cross over into other genres for the sheer pleasure of doing it.
As a document of this musical mission, Bas is releasing a new Noisecontrollers record, All Around. On it, the hardstyle gospel will still be spread, but rewired for transmission. The album is set for a March 14th release on Q-Dance.
The video announcement of the breakup was a novel way of going about it. It really showed that it was an amicable separation based on splitting musical paths.
Absolutely. The whole of the point statement was that we were going in different directions, but that I would of course continue making hardstyle tracks.
Are you making a bit of a stylistic shift now that Arjan is gone?
Actually, I was responsible for most of Noisecontrollers music in the past anyway, so I don’t think there will be a big difference in production. On the other hand, to change is always a good thing for music, so nobody gets bored. I worked hard at bringing a new sound to the record. It’s fatter, bigger, and more melodic but kind of hard to explain. I worked really hard on the overall sound, and I’m searching for crossover tracks as well.
When did you start producing the album?
I think March 2013, but Arjan hadn’t decided to leave at that time. I was making the whole album alone anyway. After a few months, we started talking about it, and we wanted to prepare for it. The idea was to create a solo album, which is important to know.
What elements are you bringing into the new album?
We used to use a lot of dubstep elements, but this time I didn’t use too many dubstep sounds. I searched for a more musical sound. It’s trancey, but not as far as beats. It’s like trance in a musical way. So, the album sounds a bit deeper than E=NC2, but, again, it’s hard to describe. I also wanted really strong vocals, which I’ve got on the new album. And then I have some folk acoustic guitars, which worked out really well, too.
We’re releasing the album in March. Right now I have the single “Around the World” out now, but there will be some more singles. I played some tracks at Climax to give people a preview, and the response was great.
Sound of Q-Dance in Los Angeles was an important moment for hardstyle in the United States. What was your perspective of the show?
Well, I’ve played a few times in North American and the United States, specifically, and it’s always such a pleasure to play there. It’s always a good atmosphere, and the people are always really enthusiastic. You really look forward to bringing people new hardstyle music. We’re building something together, and that is the point of the Sound of Q-Dance.
You’re doing a mini-North American tour, right?
Yes, starting mid-February. I’m hitting Seattle, Baltimore, Orlando, and New York in the US, then Edmondton, Vancouver and Winnepeg in Canada. People are so enthused, and the shows are going to be big, so it couldn’t be better. I’ll also be a special guest on Headhunterz Hard With Style podcast, which is really exciting as well, since we’re friends.
