Just The Beginning

The Netherlands' big room houser Hardwell (AKA Robbert van de Corput) has sprung from apparently nowhere to become the world's #1 DJ in the 2013 DJ Mag Top 100 Poll, beating not only his compatriot Armin van Buuren but also that upstart Avicii. At 25, van de Corput is the youngest-ever winner of the influential title – and he's “still celebrating”. “It's something incredible,” van de Corput enthuses. “To be honest, I didn't expect it this year, but I was always aiming for that position – and since it happened right now, I'm really happy. I'm really proud of my team and everything we've achieved so far.” Van de Corput ranked at #6 in 2012 and, the year before, 24.

Less a partier than ambitiously hard-working, over the past year the Breda native has played major events, his set at Miami's Ultra Music Festival the stuff of legend. He's also produced club hits like Apollo and Never Say Goodbye (with Dyro). Van de Corput has busied himself A&Ring his three-year-old Revealed Recordings and prepping his radio show, Hardwell On Air (available as an iTunes podcast). Above all, aside from branding his proggy electro-house as “Hardwell music”, van de Corput has harnessed the power of social media. “I think it's fair to say I have one of the most dedicated fanbases of the whole EDM scene,” he trumpets.

Van de Corput realises his super-DJ status will generate opportunities – and pressure. “Of course, I'm gonna work really hard to keep the [#1] position for a couple of years – then again, I'm really happy so far, [with] what I have achieved. [But] the #1 position is just a number.” Van de Corput would still love DJing if he slipped to “Number twenty or thirty – whatever.” Meanwhile, the Dutchman returns to Australia to close 2014's Future Music Festival – and he's bringing his I Am Hardwell concert tour (which shares its name with a new behind-the-scenes doco) here next October.

Van de Corput was a musical kid, studying piano. Already into electronica by his tweens, he credits fellow Breda son Tiësto with sparking an interest in DJing. A determined van de Corput was spinning in Dutch clubs as a teenager. His dad actually came up with his ravey handle ('Hardwell' the English translation of Corput). Eventually Tiësto invited him to play Privilege in Ibiza, where, ironically, they met. The pair collaborated on 2011's anthem, Zero 76.

Seeking fresh challenges, he's just aired Dare You, featuring Matthew Koma, the former US rocker best known for singing on Zedd's Spectrum (and dating Carly Rae Jepsen), the first taste of van de Corput's debut 'artist' album – the logical “next step” in his career. Notably, Dare You is a “song”. Van de Corput previewed it via Shazam. “I wanted to do something different. I think making club tracks is really cool – and I always need those club tracks for my set – but if I continue doing only club tracks, every Hardwell record's gonna sound the same.” Van de Corput is nearly halfway through cutting his album. He himself digs LPs. “I love the new Eminem album [The Marshall Mathers LP 2] – it's really great.”

Van de Corput could produce pop acts like so many other DJ/producers. Indeed, he's remixed Eminem's pal Rihanna (Where Have You Been) and the UK boy band The Wanted. “I wouldn't say that's my goal, to work with the big artists… I always wanna work with artists I really love myself – and, if that's a big pop artist, that's fine by me. But I love to work with the more underdog singers and songwriters.” Underdogs such as Australian vocalist Amba Shepherd, who's lately lain down an acoustic version of 2012's Beatport smash, Apollo, for Hardwell fans.

Van de Corput is optimistic about EDM's future, laughing off any suggestion of the bubble bursting. “It's just beginning, seriously! Everybody is always laughing at me – like, 'Oh, I think we reached the top of EDM.' Everybody was saying that when Avicii released Levels. Everybody was like, 'Okay, this is the top of EDM – it's not getting any bigger anymore.' Well, here it is – [The Netherlands'] Martin Garrix, 17-years-old, released Animals, Number One in I don't know how many countries. It's just an instrumental track, [but] it's taken the world by storm – and it's great, you know?” Mind, DJ/producers should be wary of complacency, van de Corput says. He admires Avicii's daring manoeuvre with Wake Me Up – worlds away from Levels. “If we change our sound, and if we don't apply the same formula all over again, [EDM] will stick around forever. I know that for sure 'cause in Holland dance music has been around for twenty years now and it's still super-big and still on the radio and it's super-mainstream and everybody is enjoying it. So I think it's just the start of EDM and it will be getting bigger and bigger.”