On March 25th. 2023 Masters of Hardcore called for all Hardcore and Rawhardstyle Lovers to meet up for the Cosmic Conquest. Turned from a night to day – we once again followed the call to witness another night full of Hardcore. Check the review
Sammy
What Qlimax is for Hardstyle – Masters of Hardcore is what it name stands for. One of the oldest Hardcore brands is regularly inviting to its main edition to the Brabanthallen in the Netherlands. Beside smaller editions in Switzerland – the edition here, has always been the iconic edition. I travelled with friends via Feirreisen and this is my night and review.
ENTERING
It felt like the old days, but everything was completely new. As always, the Brabanthallen in Hertogen den Bosch in the Netherlands once again invited all true hardcore lovers to go on an adventure with massive sound. Masters of Hardcore finally returned after many years and for the reboot we changed the time from night to day, which was a new way to start the party, but since you also attend outdoor festivals in separate time periods, everything worked out fine. The entrance was perfectly organized, even if you wanted to visit the afterparty later, you just had to pay attention to the right entrance, which was well signposted. The generally friendly staff rounded off this very successful start. Inflation, of course, did not take a backseat to this event, as to all other parties as well, so the prices for the tokens went up, but that did not stop the visitors from partying exuberantly.
MERCH AND FOOD
As always at Masters of Hardcore the True Hardcore Fanatics got their money’s worth. With a large merchandise booth right behind the entrance, no wishes were left unfulfilled: true diehards could pick up their favorite items from shirts to collectibles like limited edition jackets, pins and of course the official sampler of the event.
There was a large selection of food so that nobody had to stay hungry before the next set – pasta, ice cream or fruits, to name just a few at this point, there was something for everyone.
MASTERS OF THE RAVE FLOOR
A unique, new category entered the Dome for the first time and we had the pleasure of partying on this floor with an essential selection of the best artists on the scene. Stan Christ was a real surprise for my ears. Miss K8 put on a special hardtechno set and Mad Dog brought the roof down with a filling downtempo DJ set. The finale was a very special Gabber set by Cynthia Spiering.
RAWSTYLE
Holy shit, this stage was packed from start to finish with major highlight DJs like Mish, Act of Rage and a name that must not be mentioned because he was the one who burned it all down – you know who that is? We are talking about Rooler of course, this guy knows how to rule the stage and his set was another masterpiece in Rawstyle history with a full floor and a loud sound system in the area.
MAINSTAGE
Before entering main stage, you had to pass an area in front with signs showing with green arrows if you were allowed to enter the stage or not. If the stage was too crowded, all the signs appeared with a red cross and you had to wait outside or just go to another floor to join, or use the time to have a snack nearby in the food area. A huge stage with lots of lights, LEDs and more appeared as you walked in. A model of a space station was installed on the roof, also packed with lights, lasers, and even fireworks fountains appeared on the moving spotlights. It was certainly a unique experience to enjoy this symphony of elements at Cosmic Conquest. Other DJs like Mad Dog Vs Anime, Sefa, and Deadly Guns also earned the respect of True Diehards, and it was simply a pleasure to see so many people partying like crazy to monstrously hard beats.
ANTHEM
This year Anthem didn’t have an Anthem show but they gave Nosferatu all the time he needed to create an epic atmosphere on the main stage and coupled with the perfect symphony of lasers, fireworks and excellent blasting sound he took us all on his personal trip of a cosmic conquest that we all deserved.
HOUR OF HERITAGE
Completely new was the special set by DJ Korsakoff, Evil Activities and The Playah with a trip through hardcore history packed into an hour long set full of pressure and excitement. Even before the show started, the mainstage was completely overcrowded and so the mainstage was closed before it even started, but the crew did their job really well and coordinated the situation.
AFTERPARTY
For the first time in the history of Masters of Hardcore, all hardcore heads were invited to take part in a special treatment after the normal show and overcome their inner fears at the afterparty. Special DJ sets by Furyan Vs Dither, D-Fence, Dr Peacock, N-Vitral presents Bombsquad and finally Dimitri K Vs Major Conspiracy showed us all what it means to gather the last energy and experience a truly hardcore way in hardcore music until the morning light.
CONCLUSION
Well, this was truly a huge Masters of Hardcore edition. The DJ Sets were on point and spread pure energy across the halls. The new Rave Area was really interesting and definitely added some new flavor – therefore we are pretty sure that this stage will return next year.
The next chapter is already in the wings when Masters of Hardcore returns on March 30, 2024, so get your sneakers in place and be ready for the next adventure in hardcore music