In the PLAFONDDIENST episode right before Defqon.1, Vertile joins us, the man behind this year’s official anthem for the world’s biggest hardstyle festival. He talks about how Vertile began, the process behind the anthem, what’s coming up this weekend and his recently released debut album.
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“It doesn’t get any bigger or better”
Vertile was approached early on to create the Defqon.1 anthem for 2024. “I took a night to think about it and decided, yeah, why not? This is what you make this genre for. It doesn’t get any bigger, it doesn’t get any better,” he shares in the episode. The result is a track he’s genuinely proud of: “I’m really happy with how it turned out. Personally, I think it’s one of my better tracks.”
Doing it his way
Creating a Defqon anthem comes with high expectations, but Vertile made sure to approach it in his own way. “You’re supposed to consider everyone, but that’s not always possible. So I just made something I thought was cool, at least that way I’m making myself happy. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. If I have to make an anthem that doesn’t align with my vision, who am I even doing it for?”
According to him, there were no strict creative guidelines from Q-dance. “Everyone warned me about Q-dance guidelines, but honestly, it wasn’t an issue for me. I didn’t notice anything. They gave me complete freedom, and I’m grateful for that.”
Big moments on the RED and BLUE
This weekend marks one of Vertile’s biggest festival moments to date. On Thursday, he opens the BLUE stage during The Gathering, a show he’s both excited and slightly nervous about. “I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll just have to experience it, but I think it’s going to be incredible. My mom is actually coming for the first time, too. She never wanted to before, said it was all too loud, but this time she was like: Defqon, I’ve got to see that once.”
On Saturday, he’ll perform a special album set on the RED stage. “That one will go a bit deeper into the album itself. The Gathering is all about the party. I’m really excited, especially now that I’m thinking about it.”
Vertile in the new episode of PLAFONDDIENST – The Hardstyle Podcast
Hear how Vertile is preparing for the biggest weekend of the year, what really went into creating the Defqon.1 anthem, and what he wants to express with his debut album in episode fourteen of PLAFONDDIENST – The Hardstyle Podcast. Listen to the full episode now on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.
