Let’s take a quick look back to the beginning of October. When little, sweet children ran around in groups and masked like gorgeous tiny ghosts, ringing your doorbell and asking for threats. It was that time of the year nobody actually knows what he celebrates. But fuck it right? Let’s get fucked up! So, just like the little kids, we decided to not dress like creepy monsters, but still sing together with other fellows and celebrate Helloween. On monday, 31st of October we visited Pumpkin Germany in Oberhause. The party offered 6 different areas with music ranging from Hardstyle to Terror. Was Pumpkin Germany 2016 rather scary or a sick way to celebrate Helloween?
We arrived in Oberhausen around 21.00, the doors were already open since nearly 2h. Thankfully the 1st of November is a free day here in Germany so we could party all night long. The location, as you can read in our review of the Easterrave, is perfect for such an event. The areas offer good space to dance, are easy to reach and connected by a balcony on the second floor. This was the VIP area.
Julian Spanhof – www.Spanhof.Info
Stages, Decoration & Sound
The whole place was covered in artificially spider webs, some freaky masks, some spooky pumpkins and generally well decorated. It maybe could not reach a “single-room” event like XXlerator Helloween, but as soon as you entered the place you felt like you’re part of an old, religious witch ritual.
The Mainstage was placed in the biggest hall and offered everything we love – effect-wise. Over the DJ they placed some round construction with a huge Pumpkin banner, with spots attached on it. Furthermore we had some LED walls and a huge background banner, with a design of a creepy forest.
I actually liked the hardcore area the most. The construction above the DJs looked like stairs … to heaven? To hell? Anyway, Be-24/7 managed to give each stage a different look and they also tried to make everything possible. The sound was very different from area to area. The mainstage had the best sound, with clear highs and a pounding bass. The Raw Hardstyle area sadly missed some power in lower frequencies. The Hardcore area did not sound that good. No matter where you stood, it all sounded like the song got drilled through a meat grinder. It could be our own subjective opinion, but maybe here some room for improvements.
The Music
The first two sets we visited were held by two lovely ladies. Malua, who just gained some massive attention due to her VLog – we highly recommend to take a look at her VLog – and remix of Green Stuff. She’s one of the rougher girls and showed the crowd some true Scantraxx sounds. We noticed a new track, so we can be sure, new music is coming our way.
Malua was followed by Deetox who dropped a sick set. Deetox somehow never disappoints. Starting with Heaven, the Sub Sonik bootleg and Headbanger she made the crowd move. Later one she pulled out the real stuff – Alone with Delete, Rebelion’s remix of Do or DIe and their collab With Me. In between we heard Insanity by Apexx, which is .. kind of overplayed in our opinion. The climax is not really danceable, but rather boring.
Julian Spanhof – www.Spanhof.Info
Next up Da Tweekaz, who delivered the best set of the night. It was fucking crazy. We would consider these two norwegian heros as one of the best, one of the most surprising and one of the most creative producers the scene offers. Great set. The drive and tempo was immense. The 1h was over in maybe 5 minutes. With Vodka and Tequila, Love u more, Game of Thrones and even their new track Tomorrow was played. The crowd went insane, the atmosphere was really good. EVeryone was clapping their hands, dancing and singing.
The mood was set, Code Black entered the stage and could keep up with Da Tweekaz. It was a mix of some of his older tunes like Brighter Day, his well known tracks like Pandora his latest releases like Ready to go! He truly brought the love and passion on stage and made the whole crowd go wild.
We originally planned to visit Charly Lownoise & Menthal Theo, but rather decided to visit B-Front, Tha Playah, some minutes of Coone and D-Block & S-Te-Fan, Angerfist and Frontliner. Frontliner actually dropped a really cool set. His energy on stage was amazing and we really liked his performance.
Julian Spanhof – www.Spanhof.Info
Time to end the night and Pumpkin in style. 1.5h Warface! Yeah of course we couldn’t miss this. And what the hell of a set he played. Starting with his Collab with D-Sturb and track together with Mark with A K, he went harder and harder with every track. Hitting the 180 BPM in the very end with release The Kraken and industrial hardcore he proved again who’s the motherfucking boss. His set was a great mix of his older tunes like War Zone with Luna or FTP, his latest releases like his remix of Delete’s Ghetto, some well-know raw tracks and some brutal classics bei Gearbox like Aggressive Acts or Salvation by Rebelion. Besides his set, Radical Redemption teared down the main hall, as the final act of the night. Some minutes off to Noisekick – was actually quite funny to watch and release our last energy.
The VIP offer
One last thing I’d love to mention is the great and outstanding VIP offer BE 24-7 Events always deliver for their events. The cost for a VIP ticket is obviously higher, but at Pumpkin or the Easterrave you actually get something VIP worth in return. Let’s take a look at normal offers – what do you get for spending 20-30€ more on a VIP ticket? A separate Entrance, a VIP Deck, a wristband, VIP toilets (sometimes), maybe sometimes some sort of merchandise or welcome package or a drink.
Julian Spanhof – www.Spanhof.Info
What you get as an VIP at BE 24-7 Events is a complete catering, with warm and cold food and appetizers, soft drinks and beer all night long, a whole VIP floor with access to the three main floors and therefore also your own VIP balcony/area, a wristband, a separate entrance and a free wardrobe. I think, this is the best offer you can get within the scene at events. And seriously, it is worth the money. The money you’d spend on expensive tokens for food and drinks is way beyond the price you have to pay for the difference from a normal to a VIP ticket. Some organizers, even some huge organizers should really take this offer as an example.
So, Pumpkin Germany 2016 was really cool and we enjoyed the time in the Turbinenhalle Oberhausen with thousands of creepy dressed hardstyle fanatics. The event was well organized and even slightly better than the Easterrave for example. I’d say it’s definitely worth to pay attention on next year. The line up was huge and probably satisfied everyone. The stages done their job, although the sound was not the best. The atmosphere was stunning and really crazy – Germany knows how to party hard. With one exception: PLEASE STOP WITH “EHHHH, OHHHH”. Otherwise, see you all next year!