New chapter for Headhunterz: “Less expectations, more music”

By Sharon van der Werf 19 December 2023

Last summer, Headhunterz announced that he will stop performing. He wants to focus on what really makes him happy: spending all his time in the studio. In the last episode of the first season of PLAFONDDIENST – The Hardstyle Podcast, he opens up and talks in detail about what we can expect from him after his Up Close & Personal event this Saturday.

When you say hardstyle, you say Headhunterz. With iconic tracks such as ‘Dragonborn’ and ‘Scrap Attack’ we can perhaps call him the greatest hardstyle DJ to date. However, Headhunterz, Willem Rebergen, recently decided to focus solely on producing music. This is partly due to the extensive traveling involved in the performance. “In 2019, I was on a plane more than 200 times,” he says.

The need to constantly travel was consuming him. “Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy performing. But if you look at it realistically, you are on the road 90 percent of the time. You are only on stage for an hour.”

Headhunterz: “Performing is a big part of who I am”

When he finally felt comfortable again after recovering from a burnout and the Covid period, Headhunterz wanted to take a good look at his life for the first time. He came to the conclusion that he wanted to stop traveling, and therefore stop performing. “That was quite scary, because performing is such a big part of who I am. But when I thought about just producing, I experienced a significant sense of relief.”

With this decision, a new era begins for Headhunterz. “There are no expectations, there is no pressure. I have the time, so I really take my time.” He doesn’t want to hastily finish tracks he’s already started, including ‘How Far Can You Go’ and ‘Live Forever’. “The songs have to be worthy of the love I put into them. The new tracks will come when they are finished.” The long-awaited Project One album is also briefly discussed in PLAFONDDIENST. “There will be more time, so there will be a greater chance that this album will ever be made.”

Headhunterz in a new episode of PLAFONDDIENST – The Hardstyle Podcast

In the final episode of this season of PLAFONDDIENST – The Hardstyle Podcast, Headhunterz delves deeper into the beginning of his career. For example, the role of DJ The Prophet is discussed, and how Headhunterz was already on the big stage of Qlimax in the GelreDome a few months after he started producing. We will also discuss his last performance – Up Close & Personal this Saturday in the 013 in Tilburg. Listen to the full episode now on YouTube or via your favorite podcast platform.