Hardstyle legends Deepack have joined forces with 13-year-old rising talent Lady Tess for their new track Feel The Storm. What started with a simple Instagram DM quickly turned into a remarkable studio collaboration between two generations within the hardstyle scene.
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At just 13 years old, Lady Tess is already making serious moves within the scene, having previously performed at Decibel Outdoor and during the 30 Years of Rainbow in the Sky event alongside Paul Elstak. Still, her collaboration with Deepack started in a very spontaneous way. “I sent them a DM saying how cool I thought it was that I was finally going to see them in real life,” Tess says. “Deepack came earlier to the Spiegeltent Festival to check out my set. We clicked instantly and it turned into a really fun night.”
Marcel and Frank also look back positively on that first meeting. “We did indeed get a DM from Tess saying she was coming to see us. So we told her we’d come earlier to catch her set as well. The connection was there immediately.” Less than a week later, another message followed, this time with a concrete idea. “She asked if we’d like to make a track together. We immediately thought it was a really cool idea.”
“Lots of hard kicks and a melody that sticks in your head”
With Feel The Storm, both acts wanted their own sound to shine through clearly. Tess already knew exactly what direction she wanted to go in. “Definitely lots of hard kicks, because that’s my style, and a strong melody that stays in your head.” According to Deepack, the main goal was to combine the elements both sides enjoy most. “We tried to combine everything we personally like, both in terms of kicks and melody.”
The track blends oldschool hardstyle influences with more modern sounds. For Tess, that combination made the collaboration even more special. “To bring two generations together and have both generations listen to our track.” For Deepack, mixing styles and influences felt completely natural. “We’ve always enjoyed combining different elements and styles throughout all these years.”
More than just a collab
Beyond the release itself, Deepack also took on a mentor role for the 13-year-old DJ and producer. During studio sessions, Marcel and Frank help Tess with producing and developing her own sound.
“It was really awesome,” Tess says about working in the studio together. “I learned so much from seeing how they do things in their own way.” She especially picked up a lot on the production side. “I learned a lot of tips and tricks about producing, and that I should always stay true to myself and make the crowd jump.”
According to Deepack, her drive is what stands out the most. “Tess is super motivated, comes up with fun ideas and is very eager to learn. And most importantly: we laugh a lot together.” Their guidance starts with the basics. “We teach her how to work with the software, sound design and music theory. After that, it’s up to Tess to experiment a lot at home and work out her ideas.”
“You always learn from each other”
Deepack emphasizes that the learning process goes both ways. Even after decades in the scene, they still find inspiration in younger generations of producers. “You always learn from each other. Even after all these years, we’re still very eager to learn ourselves. Every day we discover new tricks or techniques that we pick up from Tess or from others.”
With Feel The Storm, Deepack and Lady Tess prove that experience and young talent can perfectly coexist, as long as the energy is right. And that’s exactly what this collaboration seems to deliver.
Footage via: Deepack & DJ Lady Tess
