Amentis or also known as Jared and Robert is a young German and Dutch Hardstyle duo. With Robert pushing the boundaries of music in the studio, Jared is the DJ, the face during the highly energetic performances. After years of hard work, they signed to Dirty Workz, the number one label in the scene and reached their ultimate dream! They now serve a new cause and a glorious journey awaits them!
Today, we have the pleasure to host them in our premises and we will ask them about their expectations of their new home Dirty Workz, see what they have in mind for the future and unveil their mysterious vision of Hardstyle.
Hello guys! It’s great to have you with us today! How are you doing? Congratulations on your new contract with Dirty Workz!
Jared: Hey man, thanks for having us. I’m doing really great. Thank you!
Robert: What he said!
Jared, you are from the beautiful city of Hamburg and since I had the chance to see it from my own eyes, I would be really glad if you could tell me what is the most fascinating thing about your Heimat (hometown in German)?
Jared: I just love everything about Hamburg. The whole city is fascinating. The architecture, the harbor, the people, the food (especially Franzbrötchen!) and the city by night. Everyone should visit Hamburg at least once in their life!
And Robert, what can you tell us about the life in Heiloo, the city you are from?
Robert: I can pretty much see cows from my studio window, I think that says enough, haha.
Before we go forth with some questions about your career, I wanted to know first how you got introduced to Hardstyle?
Jared: I was always listening to electronic dance music and a huge fan of the Future Trance CDs back then on which I discovered harder tracks. From then on I developed the interest and love for this music. I don’t know when exactly I got introduced to Hardstyle to be honest, but I think it must be around 2006.
Robert: I only remember that in elementary school we were already listening to Angerfist. So I guess it developed from there!
And how did everything got started from that point?
Jared: In 2010 I started to DJ with equipment I bought with money I saved. A few months later I already had some small gigs, but nothing serious. In 2014 I made my first experiences with music production and everything was so much fun!
Robert: I’ve always wanted to make music, but never had the focus to properly learn an instrument. When I discovered music production on computers around 2010 a new world opened for me. First it were Hip-Hop beats I made, then I shifted to house and eventually ended up at Hardstyle.
From that moment, you told yourself… “I want to be a Hardstyle artist!”
Jared: Exactly! In 2015 I thought it’s time to bring things to the next level and take it seriously, so I started Amentis. Robert then joined me in 2016.
Robert: Yes! From the point I started producing and the dream basically started to become concrete! Before Amentis I had my own solo act but being a DJ and in the spotlight isn’t really my thing. Then I met Jared and we decided to combine our forces!
What is the little story behind the pseudo ‘Amentis’? Or was it just a cool name you crafted for the scene with no particular meaning behind it?
Cool question! Actually it comes from the latin word ‘amenti’ which means insane. The ‘S’ was needed to make it more like an artist name.
How did you get in contact with Musical Madness?
Jared: I was always visiting the parties they organized and came in contact with them through a friend (Hi Max) in 2014. Everything went pretty quick from then on and they gave me the chance to make my debut as Amentis at one of their events in Hamburg right after Frequencerz in 2015. Fuck, I was so nervous!
I think you guessed what I was about to ask next, why did you choose to join Dirty Workz?
Jared: Dirty Workz is my favorite label since a pretty long time. I love everything around it. How they present the label, the lifestyle they create and all the artists, it’s so diverse. It was my dream to join it someday and what can I say… dreams do come true!
Robert: I’ve been a fan of Dirty Workz ever since Coone’s album ‘The Challenge’, which is also my favorite Hardstyle album ever made. Coone was and still is really my #1 idol, so joining his label really means a lot to me! It’s an honor!
When I listen to your tracks, I can feel the malice you put in your music right away, it really makes me think of some old witchcraft where every kick, every screech is a ruse to arouse the mind of your future preys. But that’s my interpretation. How would you describe your style? What do you perceive in Hardstyle?
We’d describe the style as hard but also still melodic. Sometimes, like when you listen to ‘The Madman’ with dark atmospheres as well! Drive, sound design and a catchy melody are the most important elements in a track!
Amentis – The Madman: Since you mentioned this track, when I listened to it I felt totally drawn into this evil lurking-like ambience. This is so good! Powerful, raw and nightmarish! How do you do that?
Amentis - The Madman
Robert: For me it starts with a good melody where I can built a theme/concept around. Next to that, the vocals and the sound design are also very important to set the right atmosphere in a track. In ‘The Madman’ we had a guy who normally speaks for movie trailers etc. record some self-written lyrics so it perfectly fits the atmosphere and theme in the track!
Well guys, it was really great to have you with us today. The whole Hardstyle Mag Crew wishes you the absolute best for your new journey with Dirty Workz and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! Thanks!
Jared: Thank you! It was a pleasure. See you! 🙂
Robert: What this dude above me said, haha! Thank you guys!