The government established control over the citizens of Qapital. All were chipped in order to obey the code. We got to hack the system, time to shatter the cage. Destroy the code, we got to start the rage. No longer oppressed, we rise up fanatical – this is our city, this is Qapital!The first lines of Qapital’s anthem by Public Enemies. The theme was set and fit Public Enemies quite well we think. Q-Dance was back with a new edition of Qapital. The Ziggodome opened its doors to thousands of people, who are in love with the rougher hardstyle tunes the scene has to offer. Could Q-Dance keep track of last year’s edition? Time to discuss Qapital 2017!

We would like to special thank Hardtours and the bus ride to Qapital! We had a safe and crazy trip towards the Ziggodome.

Stage, Show & Decoration

Ohhh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea? I am sorry Q-Dance, had to do this, as the stage really looked like a pineapple .. at first sight! However, with this edition they used a lot of these sickle similar constructions at the bottom and the ceiling. Between the podium and the actual building or design of the stage a huge disco ball seemed to connect these two parts.

The upper building kind of ran towards this disco ball. The stage was definitely bigger and thicker than last year, making it look a little more dominant. It was furthermore surrounded by straight constructions on each four sides, packed with lights and lasers.The show was absolutely stunning, on point and displayed what Q-Dance is capable of. Underlining each track with a fitting show was amazing and ridiculous and the same time. After Phuture Noize, Q-Dance introduced all visitors to Qapital with a big bang – literally!

At least 30 seconds of fireworks were going off around the stage, but also around the constructions under the ceiling on each side, as well as the upper tribunes. Never seen and heard something like this at a Q-Dance event! Was seriously crazy. This is the true Qapital feeling – pushing boundaries!

During the anthem, it felt rather uninspired. Sadly. From what we witnessed in the beginning, we were hoping for an even crazier show or at least similar show. However, it was limited to a fitting light show and firework-fountains all over the place.

But let’s talk about one aspect Qapital was always THE leading event in. I am talking about the sound! I think it’s the combination of a great sound system, the venue itself and building of the stage, leading to such a clear but powerful sound. It absolutely crazy! No matter if the kick was very low and phat, high, crispy, punchy or even a hardcore kick – they all sounded insane!

The Sets

Starting with Alpha² the night had been opened by two true pioneers in the scene. We felt a little sorry for them, as they normally play in front of a packed area. We think it was a little of a waste of their skills and possibilities. As opener, they already dropped some heavy stuff, defining the way this night should probably lead the visitor.

Next up was Phuture Noize, sadly at the same time MYST was opening up the second area. Actually, a really hard decision. MYST is on a roll lately and we would have loved to check him out. On the other hand, Phuture Noize would showcase his latest album. We decided to stay in the main area. Next time MYST, next time!

Starting with Gravity he brought this melodic touch into his set. Phuture Noize was never about the hardest tracks, it was always about his unique sound design. With Breathin’ he continued to mix his self through his latest album Pursuit of Thunder.

Chaos & Order, The Paradox, Fire, Walls Crashin’ Down or The Temple made us go crazy! Finishing his set with The Grind and AK-47 by Apexx and Shallow Waters as the very last track left us satisfied. A great set, a great showcase!Atmozfears and Sub Zero Project were next and we didn’t expect this rather late set time. The start was great – The Project was blasting through the speakers. The Psytrance similar intro part absolutely rocked! The crowd enjoyed it so much.

Since Atmozfears is not afraid to drop rougher beats we actually thought this might be an interesting set. However, with Fabrik Of Creation he seriously destroyed our hopes. His parts just didn’t feel like a Qapital set. Sub Zero Project were dropping some heavy bombs, while Atmozfears struggled to keep up with it.

In general, we thought the first three hours were a little confusing. They should have put Alpha² right before public enemies, and let Atmozfears and Sub Zero Project open the night.

While Bass Chaserz dropped a cool and solid set we were looking forward to Public Enemies. Starting with their Qapital anthem Digital Punk and Hard Driver teared down the place. We really liked the set. It had a great drive and good flow. Six Million Ways, You’re All Going To Die a remix of Son Of Torture, Open The Gates and some new tracks passed by, made this set really worth to attend.However, we think the tracks could sound more dominant, with a heavier impact of the kick. While the kicks have a powerful punch, the tracks have a rather flat and low bass. Even compared to the Atmozfears and Sub Zero Project set, the set sounded rather light, than heavy!

Next up was B-Front and it was the very first time we felt like we are at Qapital. He brought this amazing mystical and rough feeling we all love! Starting with the amazing Qapital anthem of 2013 he delivered a quality set we want to hear at Qapital.

Blackness & Techno were played as well as his latest collab with Warface, Pandemonium. He also dropped new tracks from his album. So far, this set was the best! Really good drive, great tracks. Powerful melodies and kicks, an awesome vibe in the crowd and an intensity we are used to B-Front!Qapital is an event that offers ample attention to talents. These talents are in focus at area 2. After the announcement of the time-table we did already decide to visit area 2 between 3:00 and 5:00 . When we arrived at the room we were curious what we could expect this year. We just had the awesome Typhoon and Jason Payne set in mind. We had, after all, never experienced Mind Dimension. Then, once we walked into the room our mouth opened wide – stunning!

Holy Shit, what an atmosphere! After a few minutes we did already regret that we had not gone earlier to room two. Mind Dimension played a really diverse and surprising set. Violent kicks were interspersed with magic spacers. Compare if you enjoy a ballet or an opera during a war. A great combination, right? Mind Dimension played his own tracks of course.

If you never listened to his spoontechish sound, we recommend you to check his tracks Haters, What, Waiting 4, D.M.M, Liberator and Deep Blue. You could really see that Mind Dimension enjoyed every moment. He played with the crowd, and controlled them. Everybody was with him. Cause of his high level performance we wondered who is Mind Dimension and caught up with him for an interview!

Hi Mind Dimension, last week you performed at the second area of Qapital! We were curious and want to know more about you. So, Who is Mind Dimension?

Hi! Thanks for inviting me to this interview. I am 21 years old guy from Turin, Italy. At the moment, i’m studying Economics at the University here, still one one year left. As most of you should have noticed, my biggest passion is Hardstyle music and I am a Dj/Producer since 4 years. These two things together, plus having a normal life (friends, family, girlfriend) makes me struggle with timemanagement. There is never enough time take the right care on everything, but I try to do my best!

As mentioned above you played at Qapital. This must be one of the biggest goals in your career so sar! Can you describe how you felt when you were performing?!

It is! It’s not easy to find the right words to describe how I felt,it was a mix of adrenaline, joy, fun and a sense of satisfaction.I have to be honest, during the day I was a bit anxious, it was my first time at the Ziggo Dome and I didn’t know what to expect from the gig. Apart from that, the previous days had been very stressfull because I’ve worked the entire week on new tracks, in order to get them ready for the event. But, as I get into the Arena and I saw my stage, all these emotions turned into a very big excitement, which I tried to transfer to the crowd.

The vibe during the set was amazing, can you tell something about it from your point of view?

Yeah, it was unbeliavable. Probably it was the gig that I enjoyed most, I have never seen such a crazy and dedicated crowd. There was an insane atmosphere, and probably that’s the most important thing for a good dj set: all the times that a track came in, I could see surprised and happy faces, and that’s a priceless emotion when you play your own music. In the end, that’s the reason why I do what I do, seeing people happy for what you do it’s the best feeling in the world

What makes a Mind Dimension set so special? What do you aim for?

I would say the fact that I’ve been (and I still am) a very big fan of my label, Spoontech records. After years of listening and visiting events, i know very well which kind of tracks makes people go wild if played live. Also, Spoontech it’s not exactly a “mainstream” label, our sound is unconventional and most of our tracks don’t fit with standard RAW sets. This probably makes our performances even more unique. Of course, the same is when I produce my tracks in the studio. I try to think like one of my fans, and I try to imagine what he’s expecting to hear from me, then I combine this with my own ideas, trying to get the best result possible, both for home and live listening.

We did hear a lot of new tracks in your set, can you tell us something about your forthcoming tracks?

I have some very cool projects almost ready for the release. I have a solo EP planned, a 2 tracker including “Regrets”(premiered at Qapital), and 4 collaborations , inside and outside Spoontech. The only one revealed yet is “Roll Up”, with my pals “The Purge” for their debut on Spoontech. I have also another solo track almost ready, but it’s for a special project and I can’t reveal other details know! But yes, definitely a lot of new material is coming 😉

We saw you at Qapital, but now we want to see you more often! Were would you like to play in the future, and what are you future bookings for now?

My biggest dream since I started this amazing experience is to perform at the legendary “Hard Bass”, but for now it’s not very realistic (that’s why I call it dream and not objective eheh). About future bookings, I have a really exciting schedule for this summer!You will see me at CRAFT,Emporium, Defqon1. and many more. Just a few years ago, I couldn’t even imagine to have such a busy festival season, and now it still feels unreal! About that, I would just like to say thanks to my agency, The Wishlist, which is doing a very good work and is helping me to grow, both as artist and person!

After Mind Dimension it was time for Malice. We expected an area packed to its maximum. These two Italian dudes gained a lot of attention with Aggressive Acts f.e.. Of course the vibe during this set was also beyond amazing. We also have to give credits to MC Livid who did a perfect job hosting this stage! Uplifting the crowd and the DJ’s all the time with the mic in his hand. Speaking of ‘A mic in my hand’.

Malice of course dropped Aggressive Acts, which made the crowd go total nuts! Furthermore, they pretty much went through their greatest collection of heavy bombs. Insane kicks were shattering through the tiny room. The underground feeling was really cool. However, this set sadly had the same problem like Rebelion’s. But read about that one, some lines further!

As all of you know E-Force was ready to blast his brand new music from his forth-comming album. He played almost every track from the album. It had a wide diversity from psytrance influences to techno, schranz, hardcore, raw, euphoric atmospheres. Even though some of us are not a big fan of the Psytrance hype, E-Force stands out with a high quality standard of every track such as Stresstest or the FTP remix. The BPM did rise and made these 30 minutes the best of the whole night! A sick drive, a great way of mixing and some mad tracks raised this set to the best.

After E-Force it was time for the youngsters, in some people’s eyes already superstars, Rebelion. Sadly we experienced a decreasing quality when it came to E-Force’s set, compared to Rebelion’s. Rebelion’s set felt like a track on repeat for 45 minutes. The biggest problem with their tracks: The focus is 100% on the kick. There is absolutely nothing else you can actually like about a Rebelion track and so was the set. Starting with their track “The Uprising”, which sounded absolutely terrible, it just became a mix of kicks and non-enjoyable melodies.

It felt like you are waiting for that one 20 seconds drop, after a melody break you are not even interested in or which does not offer a good atmosphere or is even greatly made! This on repeat. Quite boring, quite annoying. Technically, we call this one a disaster.

It is 6:15 in the morning, that means 45 minutes left. Oh yes, we are still so damn good in math at this point in time! This means it is time for some Hardcore we guess? N-Vitral’s macbook did appear on stage, it’s time for a LIVE set! We still remember the amazing set of N-Vitral during Defqon 1. so we were curious if he could top it! He did start with some RAW, which makes sense when you close a RAW event.

Slowly but surely he worked his way up to the higher BPM’s. As only N-Vitral seems to control, the switch between kicks, rythm’s, is his pure identity. This set did stand out above all-in the way and skill of DJ’ing. N-Vitral did drop a lot of new tracks, not that much tracks from his album. For instance he played a new collab with Jack of Sound and we enjoyed Bassface and Getverherrie. We are curious when we can enjoy the new tracks on the portals!

With this review written, we look back to a night with mixed feelings. At one hand the stage really impressed, the show was on point and the sound top notch. Organization-wise we do not have something to complain about. However, we feel like the line up could have been more diverse. Music-wise we think this edition of Qapital was okay, not bad at all, but we missed some serious quality sets. Only a few performances could stand out and convice us.