Last weekend Puyenbroeck park near Wachtebeke turned into a massive festival area with a camping for the extra dedicated lovers of the harder styles. This year was unlike all the previous editions: we celebrated a decade of dedication! Hardstyle Mag was present the entire weekend to share our experience with you.
Sunday (festival day 2)
On Sunday morning the shower were hot as hell! The night had been freezing cold so it was good to be able to warm up at the showers. If you don’t like standing in line for the showers, go there before 8:00. We went there around 7:30 and as we exited the shower area there was a line of at least 50 people waiting.
Also, breakfast at the campsite was quite challenging.
There were very few food stands on the campsite. This resulted in us standing in line for 45 minutes to get coffee and sandwiches. But we did not let this ruin our moods. We finished our breakfast and headed for the festival grounds.
Endymion, Degos & Re-Done and MYST joined forces for a Nightbreed showcase. Tracks like ‘Before You Go’, ‘Die Slowly’, ‘Release Me’ and ‘Welcome to the Darkness’ woke up the rather sleepy campers in between all fresh and fruity visitors who only visited on Sunday.
We arrived at the mainstage just in time to hear Sound Rush hype up the crowd with their Project One remix. When one hears Project One, one simply is obliged to go insane. The Sound Rush twins left the stage to welcome NSCLT live who continued the atmosphere set by Sound Rush by opening their set with their Rebirth Festival 2017 anthem ‘Reborn’ (ft. LXCPR). It was as if the weather gods heard Sound Rush and NSCLT because the sun decided to make a guest appearance. Furthermore, just like the Saturday none of the stages were too crowded. Plenty of space to lose your shit during your favorite tracks.
More euphoric incoming by Spirit of Hardstyle’s Bass Modulators! Their track ‘Mantra’ cause uproar and euphoria within the crowd. Together with Noisecontrollers these men form NCBM that is known for their uplifting sound which was widely spread during ‘Holdin’ On’. No wonder that NCBM is responsible for this year’s Decibel Outdoor anthem ‘Destination’.
The set was initially supposed to be followed up by Wildstylez but he and Zatox switched sets on the time table. After an hour of rumbling in the jungle it became clear that Wildstylez would not be entering the stage soon. Zatox played for another half hour before Mr. Wildstylez finally showed his face under a loud applause. Enough time to let us lose our minds. The void was filled nicely by Zatox and Wlldstylez made up for being late by delivering a proper neat set.
Last year’s anthem creator Psyko Punkz who has recently released his album ‘Wietse’ stepped behind the decks to deliver his mixture of ADHD and beats. Old skool Psyko Punkz tracks ‘Drunken Masta’ and ‘Psyko Foundation’ were mixed into new Psyko Punkz sounds fresh from the studio. The rest of the set was filled by tracks from the album for example ‘Dance’, ‘Psyko Prince’ and ‘Define God. The set was very enjoyable and matched our moods and the vibe perfectly.
Next up, this year’s anthem creator and Belgium’s very own: Coone! Along came tracks such as ‘Faye’, his tribute to his daughter. And of course he closed his set with the Decade of Dedication anthem ‘Young, Gifted & Proud’ where eveyone TUDU’ed along the melody of the track. Good set overall but the anthem was definitely the highlight, and it should be that way!
The boys from Frequencerz plus someone in a wolf costume (or for our Dutch-speaking readers: een wolfpak, you get it huh?) were welcomed into the Arena as they opened with ‘Wolfpack’, duh! Calling out to all fanatics on the front and rebels to the left! We might be getting a little sick of this track as we heard it so many times before but it remains a party starter. Another party starter during their set was their Defqon.1 2017 anthem ‘Victory Forever’. We always get chills when we hear any Defqon.1 anthem. They also blasted their newest collab with Warface (TBA),’Brave The Storm and ‘Freedom’ (as B-Freqz).
Digital Punk & Hard Driver destroyed the stage as true OG sinners with their act Public Enemies. We decided to take a break during this set and let our legs rest for a few moments before the last hour of the festival. From a distance it looked and sounded insane. Thousands of voice screaming along with their Qapital 2017 anthem and a sea of light that was created with phone cameras and lighters created an amazing ambiance.
No Rawstyle act to close down the Sunday mainstage but a true femme fatale and the one and only Goddess of Hardcore absolutely tore up The Arena. We were glad we had taken a small break right before this set because there was no way to stand still with Miss K8 behind the decks. Even visitors who usually don’t enjoy Hardcore told us that they enjoyed it. But we did not expect any differently.
Miss K8 dropped bass like a earthquake with tracks such as ‘Menace II Society – Chronic Disorder (Miss K8 Sparta Mashup)’, ‘St8ment’, ‘Bógota’ (with Angerfist), ‘Repercussions’ (Radical Redemption & Angerfist) and ‘Raise & Revolt’ (Angerfist & MC Nolz). This was one hell of a set! Miss K8’s earthquake caused total destruction but just enough of our energy for the Sunday endshow!
Yeah, wow. The Saturday endshow was amazing. But the Sunday endshow for some reason was even better. These Belgian fireworks and amazing light show. If this endshow is published, go check it out! The music for the endshow was amazing if you know your classics. Along came ‘Imaginary’ and ‘Tonight’, which are both two timeless tracks. The most amazing moment for us was during ‘Colours’ (Headhunterz ft. Tatu). As soon as we heard to first beats of the tracks we knew that the laser show and the fireworks would be breathtaking. And they were! Explosion of colours, glitters, flashes and rays of light everywhere. A-MA-ZING!
Conclusion
Overall, we can conclude that The Qontinent is a well-organized festival. It is a perfect festival to try out camping if you have never done this before. The campsite is relatively small compared to for instance Defqon.1. Getting lost or not being able to find your tent is impossible. As mentioned before, the guards and staff had a great organization and overview over the camping. The only downside were the cold showers and the long queues for the showers and food stands.
Furthermore, The Qontinent is also perfect for visiting if you are not a big fan of camping and you only want to go for one day. Both festival days are equally fun. Regarding the line-up, there is no ‘better’ day. The big names are equally divided over both days. Of course, everyone has their preferences but there is enough to enjoy on both festival days. The biggest plus from The Qontinent was the size of the festival grounds. No extended walks from one area to another. The areas themselves are also no too big.
Don’t get us wrong, the mainstage area is huge but it is not impossible to find back your friends when you have lost them. It was also very nice to be able to order your drinks at the bars right away. The longest we had to wait at the bars or food stands on the festival grounds was about 30 seconds.
Bass Events and Q-Dance have made this Decade of Dedication a true celebration. we know for sure there should be many more decades to come! We would like to thank Bass Events and Q-Dance for having us. It was a great experience!