W oooow, what the hell happened at Reverze Deception this year? Total madness, I promise! But let’s take a look at Reverze’s history first. Since 2005 Bass Events take their fans on a magical journey through music, sound, light and show. Reverze already celebrated its 10th anniversary and it seems that people are still in love with it. This year’s edition was sold out again, 20.000 people came together in the Sportspalais Antwerp and the Lotto Arena, to celebrate Belgium’s biggest indoor hardstyle event.
The line-up was amazing and already worth a 100% rating. It was diverse, euphoric and melodic, but also rough and raw, fast and nostalgic – anyone here who wants to complain? We had Brennan Heart, Code Black, Atmozfears, Cyber, Had Driver, Gunz for Hire Live, B-Freqz Live, Angerfist, Miss K8, Warface, Sub Zero Project Live, Radical Redemption Live, Act of Rage & Sub Sonik, Titan & Requiem, Coone, Mark with A K Live, Pat B and many, many more.
Mark with A K Live
Starting with Mark with A K Live featuring MC Chuckie I need to admit, we arrived a little later, due to work. But thankfully right on time for some freestyle and tek madness. Last year Mark with A K Live was a crazy ride through all his greatest tekstyle tracks, mixed with tons of effects and specials. I was very excited and he did not fail.
Although I think I like his set from last year a bit more, I still had lots of fun during his set. Damn, the floor was packed to its maximum and all the people were bouncing, dancing, shaking their ass off to some fresh tek beats pounding through the speakers.
I really want to point out the amazing beginning – I almost cried, and no, that’s not a joke! Just imagine Mark with A K hopping on stage, MC Chuckie making himself ready in front of the DJ booth and then the fucking Star Wars melody starts playing – holy shit, was a crazy feeling! The whole vibe was screaming and singing along, I really hope see relive it soon at YouTube!
The first drop just went through my bones and veins and I instantly started dancing, my heart was throbbing to the beat and I think I just smiled the whole set. The crowd was singing and dancing to tracks like Forever Young, My Angel or the Darkside.
Josh & Wesz / Atmozfears
Time to switch the area, because I was seriously ready for some old school vibes and awesome classics. Sadly, we missed half an hour because of Mark with A K, but God damn it, I sometimes wish I could beam myself back in time and relive all these events with the classics. Josh & Wesz did a great job – if you don’t go crazy to Phases (Technoboy Romantic remix) I really have no words for you. It was kind of magical. I was standing in the crowd, raising my hands, screaming along the melody and when the climax hit me I went crazy – just awesome!
Let’s go back to the Sportspalais, Atmozfears was already playing for half an hour, but I’m glad I could hear and experience the last minutes of his set. He was getting a little rough in the end, although it was even midnight. It’s always so lovely to listen to his sets. He knows how to set the crowd on fire, so he does at Reverze 2016! Pretty rough and hard kicks were pounding through the speakers during the end of his set.
Code Black
Long time ago, since I last heard a set of this Australian mastermind, when it comes to dense atmospheres and uplifting melodies in his tracks. I think the last set was at Defqon.1 for me and I was more than excited, because he is one of my all-time favourite euphoric producers.
His set was one of the best of the night. Seriously, he played such beautiful and still danceable tracks, I can’t count all of them. But just to give you an overview – He started with a new track, he did with Wasted Penguinz, similar build up as his recent tracks, he also used a similar lead and kick, but the course of the melody has been just amazing, It felt really fresh!
He continued with Pandora, which still gives me Goosebumps everywhere, I just love it! A great prequel to Red Planet. He also played a completely new track, which sounded like a new single from him – never heard that amazing melody before. Let’s wait for the live set! He also dropped a remix of Give You Up by Sound Rush. He just ended his set with the new Bioweapon and my god, I want to have this track now!
Thankfully, there’s already a preview, the track has such an amazing classic feeling and dense atmosphere – I think this track will gain some of the top spots within the people’s favourite tracks 2016 lists.
Coone
It’s time for the anthem maker himself, the one and only, Belgium’s leading hardstyle artist Coone!
Just to fair, I’m not the biggest Coone fan, I like his productions, but I also don’t like a few. Same with the anthem for Reverze Deception 2016. The first time I heard it, I thought, well, it’s okay. I liked Brennan Hearts Illumination anthem very much and I still don’t skip it in my playlist.
But back to this year’s anthem, the more I listened to it, the more I started to like it. The Intro part is pretty cool and gives you the specific flashback, go back in time feeling. After quite a few times I also started to like the melody and the lead. Its typical Coone, but fits Reverze and the topic really well. Especially when the voice kicks in and saying REVERZEEEE the track unfold its true being.
His set was quite standard I think. But I also didn’t expect a bad set. It was almost like a Global Dedication podcast episode. He played some older tracks, also older Coone tracks like Traveling, but also newer tracks like Words From The Gang or Universal Language in the Cyber remix or Da Tweekaz’s remix of See Me Now. All in all, I wasn’t disappointed, but also not very surprised or exceedingly emotionally tied.
Brennan Heart
He almost topped his I Am Hardstyle set! It was an amazing set, packed with lovely tracks such as Imaginary (X-Qlusive edit) or God Complex or even Dailcuia’s In The End remix. The atmosphere was crazy and I loved every second of the set. I never feel bored during his set, although a lot of the tracks are the same.
But seriously, I think you all agree if I say his new Blademasterz track, Still Here, or Truth Or lies or even Fuck On Cocaine are just awesome tracks! In the end he went pretty hard by playing Sub Sonik’s Oh Fortuna edit and Sub Soniks Sandstorm edit. Both tracks are just hilarious and I never thought there could be any good Sandstorm remix, but Sub Sonik did it!
A lovely set by Brennan Heart, enjoyed it so much!
Radical Redemption Live / Act of Rage & Sub Sonik
Let’s take a deep breath and move right to the Lotto Arena. Now that I already heard a few rougher tracks I was ready for raw. Furthermore, I already experienced Gunz for Hire’s new No Mercy tour, so there was no need to check that in the Sportpalais.
But, I was very curious about Radical Redemption’s Live act and set, since his Live set at his own event was more an album Showcase. On our way to the Lotto Arena we already saw many Radical Redemption fans with their caps, shirts and flags.
But first Act of Rage and Sub Sonik were about to finish their set. I can’t say it enough, both of them are doing a great job lately. Especially Sub Sonik with his unique style and crazy ideas for new tracks, the variation in his songs and his live act. They finished off the set with Sub Sonik’s Oh Fortuna and Sandstorm edit, as well as Rage by Act of Rage.
No way to sit down and rest, because the beast is coming. With an intense intro he got introduced to the crowd. His shiny sign on his chest was gleaming through the dense and sweety smoke in the Lotto Arena.
This was the best set of the night! A crazy rollercoaster ride through his tracks. He started right with an edit of his collab with Frontliner, then straight to his collab with Hard Driver. The atmosphere was unbelievable. he moved on to some rougher tracks, he went harder and harder. Brutal 5.0, an edit of Black Demon and Annihilate, as well as a live edit of ‘Don’t fuck with the Radical’ and ‘ The Spell of Sin’. I can keep on counting!
He didn’t only choose a wide range of tracks for this set, but he also mixed them in a way I expect it from a live act! Correct me if I’m wrong, but the whole set felt like a whole track. There was not a single pause and he managed to put bassline after bassline. Additionally, he also created some live edits on stage. That’s a fucking live act! That’s the way a live act has to be!
Warface
Long time ago since I experienced the next guy on a stage. I think it was Supremacy with his album showcase. Until now he already worked on a few new tracks and I couldn’t wait for him! He’s still one of my favourite producers and still one of the best raw producer.
Show me your warface! Yes, Sir!! I knew he would tear down the place, but I didn’t expect such a heavy set. Damn, that’s why I just love Warface! If xou want to release all your energy you have to check him out. Finally, I could experience his new tracks like ‘Refuse to Follow’ or ‘Sanctuary’ with High Voltage live, with a massive sound system.
I loved his set, besides his own tracks he really went crazy by playing Rebelion & Malice – Confronting Evil and other well known, heavy raw tracks. In preparation for the lovely Miss K8 he ended his set with hardcore or at least some industrial, shredding hardcore.
Reverze Flashback by Pat-B
Right during Radical Redemption Live and Warface, the Sportspalais was taken into another decade of music by Pat-B. The obligatory Reverze Flashback set.
At 3.30 the atmosphere was already super hectic and packed. Brennan Heart played an amazing set, and everybody was more than ready to get into the mood of Reverze Flashback with Pat-B. But nobody was expecting such a diverse and uplifting set! Pat-B proved every tek-jumpstyle and classic hater wrong ! This man knows his business and showed us incredible skills on the decks, switching with ease from Tek to Jump, Jump to Hardstyle and Hardstyle to some Hardcore. 45 minutes of non-stop blast, and it was hard to catch your breath and follow the insane tempo.
« For me this has been one of my biggest performances ever. It’s truly an honour to play for a sold out Sportpaleis » he quotes.
He finished his set on the tone of Hardcore and indeed surprised more than one with his energetic set. This is where I understood the true meaning of this years Reverze: Nothing is what it seems…
Show & Stage
The show and stage was incredibly awesome! Right before the event, I was thinking about how they could realise a stage fitting the topic. The result was surprising, easy and felt not very creative at first, but during the night I absolutely fell in love with the show and stage.
Behind the Dj booth, they placed a fucking huge LED screen, like we’ve seen at Qlimax 2015. Before that one, two more huge screens, hanging left and right from the Dj booth – they were movable and It almost felt like a moveable curtain.
During Code Blacks intro they revealed the masks and face we knew from the flyer design. It was a head shaped LED screen, which was moving and could be placed in front of the huge back LED screen and in between the two, hanging in the front. All in all they could transform the whole stage into a specific theme, play with the visuals and create such dense atmospheres.
You might say, well LED screens how boring. I could agree if I haven’t been part of Reverze Deception. They have really done right to the screens. Underlined with fire, c02 and many, many different coloured lasers the show was intense and unique. Furthermore, there had been fireworks during all intro parts, not only during the anthem – so all in all the show was perfect!
Furthermore, above the crowd, they hung up some constructions, they could move up and down, left to the right and even bent into the middle of the floor, which gave you the feeling, they will be sucked into something. I can’t really describe the form, but it was truly epic and gave Reverze Deception the specific touch and feeling, as well as underlining the topic. Nothing was what it seemed.
We loved Reverze Deception. Diverse line up, intense show, a stunning stage and if I think back, I have such great memories – can’t wait for next year!