What began 35 years ago with two high school students and a shared passion for music has grown into one of the first hardstyle acts in the world: Deepack. In 2025, Marcel and Frank will celebrate their 35th anniversary. With their ‘35 Years of Madness’ tour, they’ll be hitting various festivals this year, taking the crowd on a musical journey through their impressive career.
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Marcel and Frank met in high school. Marcel played drums in bands and had his own hip-hop crew, while Frank was into sound engineering and studio techniques. “From day one, we came together, pooled all our gear, and started experimenting,” they say. It started with hip-hop, but soon house, trance, breakbeat, and eventually hardcore caught their attention.
“We started off producing, and over time the first releases came out.” As their music spread, they were increasingly asked to perform live. Their first gigs were in community centers and small clubs. But it didn’t stop in the Netherlands. “One of our trance/hardtrance projects unexpectedly took off in Germany. Suddenly, we were playing on bigger stages, and the first international bookings started to roll in.”
The birth of Deepack
The German hardtrance scene split into two directions: commercial and underground. Deepack clearly chose the latter. Out of that creative wave, a track emerged that blended various styles. “The sound felt so fresh that it needed a new project name.” And so, Deepack was born.
Q-dance quickly picked up on the sound. Releases on their label, performances at their events – it was the start of something bigger. “We went from local clubs to stadiums and were the first hardstyle act ever to perform at many international clubs. The reactions were insane. Sometimes people didn’t even know what they were hearing – until they went wild.”
As hardstyle grew, Deepack got the chance to collaborate with exciting acts – both established names and emerging talent.
35 years of partnership
Most partnerships don’t last three decades. What’s their secret? “Uhhhh… no idea really,” they laugh. “But seriously: respect and trust. We share the same interests, always have a good laugh, and talk about everything. Sure, we clash sometimes, but we always work it out.”
For Marcel and Frank, this anniversary is also a time to reflect. “We’re super proud that we’re still doing what we love most together. Time has really flown by, and if it’s up to us, we’ll keep going for another 35 years. We’ve been through so much together – highs and lows, seen so much of the world, and met so many incredible people. This is definitely a milestone for us, and we think it’s really important to celebrate it with all of you.”
35 Years of Madness
The anniversary will be celebrated with exclusive sets: a musical journey through 35 years of highlights. “With tracks that have a special meaning, moment, or memory for us. This could be solos, collaborations, or tracks from fellow artists.”
It’s set to be a beautiful trip down memory lane, kicking off with a tour at these festivals: Ravemania (Switzerland), 7th Sunday, Defqon.1, So W’Happy, Hardclassics, Decibel, and Mysteryland.
The future
Deepack isn’t looking back just yet. “To this day, our heart and soul are still 100% with the harder styles. From early to raw, from the chaos of Powerhour to the madness of Pussylounge – we still love playing and producing all of it.”
And if it’s up to them, Deepack is far from done – this is just the beginning of the next 35 years.
