Three days, hundreds of artists and virtually every genre within the harder styles. This weekend, the Beekse Bergen will once again transform into The Loudest City for Decibel outdoor. In the latest episode of PLAFONDDIENST, we look ahead to the festival and call Zany and Panic, among others. Two artists with a long history at Decibel, who once again have several special sets lined up this year.
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Decibel outdoor is known for the huge amount of music spread across its extensive festival grounds. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday alone, more than 300 artists are scheduled to perform across numerous stages alongside the water, between the trees and on the beach. From hardstyle and RAW to hardcore, uptempo, classics and hard techno: virtually every corner of the harder styles will be represented throughout the weekend.
Zany and Max Enforcer bring ‘Sound Intense City’ back to the mainstage after 15 years
For Zany, this weekend will partly revolve around a true Decibel classic. Fifteen years after creating the ‘Sound Intense City’ anthem together with Max Enforcer and DV8, he will reunite with Max Enforcer under that same name on the mainstage this Sunday. Zany regularly notices that the track still holds up after all these years. “Every time I play it, which is quite often I have to say, the crowd goes completely wild. People just scream along to the entire track.”
However, ‘Sound Intense City’ could have sounded completely different. Zany reveals that different vocals were originally created for the track. “We actually made a vocal part and then took it to Max Enforcer. In the end, we scrapped all of those vocals and wrote something completely new. Luckily, we used those instead of the old ones.”
Exactly what Sunday’s special set will sound like has not even been decided yet. “I honestly think that right before we go on stage, I’ll say: ‘Hey Kel, are we going for classics or are we going to play a bit of everything?’ I think that’s how it’s going to be. And that’s actually the best part.” One thing already seems certain: “It’s just going to be great.” A day earlier, Zany will perform at the Hardstyle Classics stage, where the approach is much clearer. “Saturday at Hardstyle Classics is simply all-in.”
Panic and Neophyte close Decibel’s mainstage
Panic also returns this weekend to a festival with which he shares a long history. He was already there for the very first edition in 2002 and, according to Panic himself, has not missed a single Decibel since. “It’s actually one of my favorite festivals. You have a great connection with the organization, and I’ve known those guys since the beginning. It feels a bit like a family. For me, it’s kind of like a home game.”
That history gets another special chapter on Saturday when Panic and Neophyte close the mainstage together. “We’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks now. We’ve got a combination of millennium, early, but our new sound will obviously be part of it as well. It’s going to be a combination of different styles.” According to Panic, having hardcore close Saturday’s mainstage fits Decibel perfectly. “I think hardcore has always been a common thread throughout the festival. To finish things off by letting hardcore go full force on the mainstage is just really cool.”
On Sunday, Panic will then turn back the clock during his set at the Millennium Hardcore stage. For the occasion, he plans to dig a little deeper into his collection. “We’re going to look for some forgotten millennium tracks again, the ones you don’t hear that often anymore. That’s exactly what you can do on a stage like that.”
Decibel outdoor and the new PLAFONDDIENST
From special classics sets to mainstage closings, and from its many stages to everything happening beyond the dancefloor: Decibel outdoor will once again take over the Beekse Bergen for three full days this weekend. Want to hear more about what to expect? In the latest episode of PLAFONDDIENST, Wouter and Flux Overload take an extensive look ahead to Decibel outdoor, including the full conversations with Zany and Panic. The episode is now available to watch and listen to via your favorite podcast platforms.
