Qlimax is one of the biggest indoor Harddance concepts, and one of the pioneers concerning stage design. Besides that it’s also one of the most awesome events of the year. Noisecontrollers had the honor to create this year’s anthem, and he was accompanied by a finger lickin’ line-up!
Opening
The opening was done by Hardstyle legend Technoboy and perhaps the most eccentric man in the scene when it comes to sound; Audiofreq. Besides the real classics like “2 Best Enemies – Phases (TBY Romantic Mix)” and “The KGB’s – Yerba Diabolika (Technoboy Mix)” they also played new tracks like Audiofreq’s “Warcry” and TNT’s “Ghettoblaster”.
Stage
After an incredible set from Audiofreq & Technoboy it was finally time – the stage would be revealed! With 11 previous editions in the GelreDome you would expect Q-dance to run out of options, but we couldn’t be more wrong. On the curtain in front of us appeared the Qlimax logo with lasers, followed by the word “Qlimax”. After an overwhelming intro the curtains finally opened and there it was. The stage was completely surrounded by LED screens, it was awesome!
Headhunterz
One of the names that had been completely smashed into the ground by the audience, Headhunterz, proved that he is worthy of Climax still. A set filled with his well-known tracks, from both his early days and now. His track “Colors” completely matched the stage, because the entire stadium was filled with all the colors that you can imagine, supported by an amazing show!
Atmozfears
As one of the new prodigys in the Hardstyle world, Q-dance introduced Atmozfears to Qlimax this year, and what a set it was! After Headhunterz this was the perfect melodic follow up, but he didn’t stop there. He ended his set with his new collab “Madman” with Sub Zero Project. During the set he also presented his new track “Reawakening”, which he made together with Audiotricz. Personally we thought this track, together with “Release”, were the best of his set. The melodies in these tracks are nearly flawless, and prove once again why Atmozfears totally deserved it to perform at Qlimax.
Frontliner
Third up was one of the most established names within the Hardstyle scene when it comes to productions: Frontliner. After his concept “The Summer of Frontliner”, it was obvious that he would return to Qlimax in 2014, these combined with the many other records that he has lying on his shelf. We thought his spot was well timed, because we could enjoy everything from his Q-BASE anthem from 2012, “Symbols”, through to the Hardcore edit of “I’m The Melodyman” during the last minutes of his set.
Noisecontrollers
The moment was finally there, the man behind the anthem of 2014 was ready for action. With a loud bang the voice of Qlimax echoed his name through the GelreDome: NOISECONTROLLERS! He brought a smashing set, filled with diverse tracks and a lot of crazy edits. He even made a special edit of the Qlimax anthem he had just produced. You can listen to the result here.
The set was new, fresh and full of energy. That’s why we personally believe this was the best set of the night.
Ran-D
The set of Ran-D was the first step towards the harder violence at Qlimax, with new records like “FCK EDM”, “Wolfchild”, “I Am Legion” and “May God Be With You All”, which is the latest track of Gunz For Hire. Ran-D was a perfect transition between the melodic hardstyle and the way that Crypsis plays his sets, he made sure the people were pumped up to the max!
Crypsis
Crypsis is only the second Minus is More artist who has performed at Qlimax. After an amazing year with Minus Militia and his personal alias Crypsis, we believe he fully deserved his spot on the line-up. His set contained records of Minus Is More, his new “Raw To The Point” EP and he topped it off by playing a new talent track from Artifact, “Lunar”.
Hard Ending
A new concept that was introduced this year was the Hard Ending. 3 Hardcore artists were allowed to perform 30 minutes each. Q-dance picked the gentlemen of Endymion, The Viper and a name that no one had expected at Qlimax, but who also totally deserved it: Partyraiser!
Endymion
These guys kicked-off the Hard Ending and they did it exceptionally. While Endymion originates in the Hardcore sound, they made a lot of excursions into Hardstyle during this set. Besides “Riot!” from Audiofreq, they played their collabs with Ran-D, Frequencerz and Phuture Noize. This was the perfect transition into hardcore, and after 30 minutes it was time for The Viper!
The Viper
The tempo increased a bit and after a smashing intro The Viper started pleasing the crowd with his familiar style. The remixes of “Still Love U More”, “Come Take My Hand” and “Are You Ready 2 Fly” swept the entire crowd of its feet and loved it. His last track made sure that the people could prepare themself for the upcoming violence.
Partyraiser
This man needs no further explanation. For a moment we thought that he may “adapt” his style for an event like Qlimax, but we couldn’t be more wrong! It was instantly noticeable that a brute force had nested on stage, as tracks like “Kaboomized Bitch”, “Fresh With The Gargle” and “Look When You Shoot” exploded into the stadium and Qlimax seemed to be demolished. It would long remember this initiation. When the last track “Horror On Mind” was played, people completely lost themselves and the ones that were still standing were sure of one thing – Qlimax was epic!
