“Will this finally be the year euphoric hardstyle makes its comeback?” It’s a question that has regularly returned over the past few years. But at Decibel outdoor last Saturday, one thing in particular stood out: melodies were given plenty of room on the mainstage. Galactixx and Frontliner saw thousands of hands go up, while Vertile and D-Sturb also deliberately explored the more melodic side of their sound. “I feel like something is changing again. A new golden era is coming.”
ALSO READ: All of this happened BEFORE GTA VI comes out
Galactixx and Frontliner see thousands of hands go up
Galactixx and Frontliner played directly after each other on the mainstage on Saturday. This allowed them to experience Galactixx’s remix of Frontliner’s ‘Discorecord’ together on stage for the very first time. As soon as the melody kicked in, thousands of hands went up at the same time.
Afterwards, Galactixx reflected on the feeling he has been experiencing at his shows lately. “It’s happening. Right before our eyes. I’ve never felt so connected with all of you. Every show, it’s getting more intense, and it feels like we’re ONE in that moment.” According to him, the ‘Discorecord’ remix could become the soundtrack to “a magical next chapter.” He added: “I feel like something is changing again. A new golden era is coming. Trust me.”
Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken
Vertile: “Big melodies. Big vocals. Hard kicks.”
Galactixx and Frontliner weren’t the only ones giving melodies a prominent place on the mainstage. Ahead of Decibel, Vertile explained that he had been thinking a lot about what he wants his DJ sets to represent. During his recent shows, he said he found the answer: thousands of people singing the same melodies together.
“Big melodies. Big vocals. Hard kicks. Old tracks. New tracks,” Vertile said, describing the direction he wanted to take. Rather than constantly chasing the latest trend or trying to make every drop more extreme than the last, he simply wanted to play the music he loves. “Let’s sing, dance, go hard and enjoy the moment. I want that mainstage to feel like one massive group of friends.”
At Decibel, he followed through on that promise. Vertile showed what may have been his most melodic side yet and premiered three unreleased tracks during his set, all prominently featuring the big melodies he had promised beforehand.
D-Sturb also embraces melody with ‘Universe’
Later on Saturday, the same development could be heard once again. D-Sturb brought Universe to the mainstage, a show in which he gives melodies and emotion more room alongside his signature harder sound. Ahead of the festival, he had already hinted at a change: “Decibel will be the start of a new chapter.”
This meant that several major sets on the Decibel mainstage featured melody as a key element on the same day. Not only from Frontliner and Galactixx, for whom melodic hardstyle has long been central to their sound, but also from Vertile and D-Sturb, who have operated on the harder side of the genre in recent years.
Melody seems to be gaining ground again
Decibel doesn’t stand alone in that regard. Earlier this year, several melodic tracks with a strong story also played a prominent role during the Defqon.1 endshow. Whether this means euphoric hardstyle has truly returned remains to be seen. What does seem clear is that melody is once again gaining ground within modern hardstyle. Whether that marks the beginning of the “new golden era” predicted by Galactixx is something the coming months will have to show.
