Project Uptempo took place on 10 March 2023 at Paard in The Hague, Netherlands. This party commemorated the fifth anniversary of Project Uptempo and celebrated Trespassed’s birthday.
Amy Melissa Farina
The party consisted of two stages with notable Uptempo artists from all over the Netherlands. Rather than a traditional party report or event review, to capture the true vibe of this special occasion Hardstyle Mag sat down with some of the artists to discuss their thoughts on the party and the future of the Uptempo scene.
A new wave of Uptempo…
Chrizens
You played tonight, so how did you get involved with Trespassed and Project Uptempo?
So basically me and Syste (Trespassed) he just started playing my tracks, I DM’ed (direct messaged) him on Insta and he was like your tracks are really good, I think you have potential. So I sent him some more tracks and he said “Dude this is really amazing” and we started to have more contact. Basically, we started to plan collabs as well.
How would you describe your music?
I would describe it as the new wave of Uptempo. The new wave is basically out of my friend group. All of my friends we create kind of the same style. It’s just newer harder Uptempo kicks as I call it.
When we’re talking about harder do you mean harder bpm or harder kicks?
I mean harder kicks, basically going to the limit of what the people want what the people can handle.
So how would you describe your music compared to the big names in the Uptempo scene?
It’s a tough question… [New wave Uptempo can be described as] new kicks, basically just a lot more static kicks, more bass and the punch also melodies. We try to add more melodies, more melodic elements from hardstyle as well. Just like get every harder style kind of in and a lot of different genres as well.
So how did it go tonight and how did people respond to your set?
The reaction from the people was really good. People were really vibing to the music, they were enjoying it a lot.
So what are you looking forward to next?
I hope to get to bigger stages. I hope to become a better artist in general and just become a better producer and hope to do a lot better stuff for the Uptempo community.
Ditzkickz
So how did you get involved with Trespassed?
I just sent him some songs and he really liked it, and we became friends and now we’re here.
You describe the music you play as Uptempo, why do you love Uptempo?
It’s so distorted, it’s so fast, I love it.
You’re only 16 did you listen to other types of music or just straight in went to Uptempo?
I started with EDM and all the genres on the radio and then a friend a GPF track and I was like damn this hits hard. So, I started to [work on my own music until it was listenable]. So that was really cool.
Is this your first booking with Trespasssed?
This is [actually my first big booking], I’ve only played at club parties.
So you just had your first booking how does it feel?
It was amazing […] after thirty minutes the stage was full and we just went all out.
What track do you think went the best tonight with the crowd?
My unreleased track, Back Down, will be released 24 March. It’s a fucking banger.
Wow I can’t wait to hear that, can you tell me a little about the inspiration behind the track?
Well, I was listening to some vocal packs, and I came across one a capelle and I heard the vocals and was like damn this is so powerful I have to make something with this and then in a few hours I had a bassline of a track and I worked on it for three days and now its fucking hard.
MC Mic
So what’s it like to MC Project Uptempo?
It’s a good rush. The people are crazy and outrageous here and want to push the limits.
When it comes to Uptempo it’s very fast is it hard to MC? Do you have time it differently?
I think a good MC can rap on it. You know if you have 200 bpms or a hip hop beat from 100 bpm so I can manage. I can’t talk for anyone else.
How do you maintain energy for the whole night, it’s a long night?
A lot of vodka.
What tips do you have for MCs up and coming in the scene?
Just keep on doing what you do and believing in what you do and just go for it.
Heavy hitters in the Uptempo scene…
Unproven
How was it tonight? How was your set?
It was really nice, it was fun. It is really fun always to play with Jordi (Barber). It was a good set.
What sets this set apart from the thousands of other sets that you have?
It was super fun because playing with Barber we always have a good connection. We are good friends in real life. It’s always fun. It’s about having fun and doing your own thing.
How did you get connected with Barber?
Oh a long time ago! I found his first track ever he put it on SoundCloud and I was the third one to play it for real and I asked him for the track and that’s how it started.
What does Uptempo mean to you?
It’s my life its where I can put all my passion inside and be myself and do what I want.
So what sets Uptempo apart from Frenchcore, terror, hardstyle? Why is it Uptempo for you?
For me I can put myself into it. It’s the right tempo and the right feeling and for me it’s what I can do.
Hard Effectz
How are you feeling tonight?
I am feeling really good the vibe is crazy on the dancefloor. The production is really good and I can’t wait to play my set with Bulletproof.
What can we expect tonight from your set? Partyraiser was supposed to play but had to cancel at the last minute so now you’re with Bulletproof. Did you have to change your set for that? Or how did you have to adjust?
I always freestyle my sets anyways, so it didn’t affect me really. It’s still going to be sick because I’ve played with Savannah (Bulletproof) before and it’s going to be crazy. We always have a good vibe together so I cannot wait.
So if you freestyle your sets how do you balance the tracks you want to play versus what the crowd wants to hear?
That’s my thing I always pay attention to what the crowd wants to hear. So I always play a couple of tracks and if that goes good then I keep it on that vibe and if the vibe is not good then I change it around. So if they want hard, I go hard, if they want softer, I go softer. But it also depends on what the DJ before me plays.
How can you determine the energy from the crowd? Is it that people or leave or on their phones? How do you determine if the crowd is into it or not?
You can see it. Let’s say I would play “Trip to Holland” from Major Conspiracy and they go crazy and then I keep that vibe and if they want something more like my new track with Dark Horror “Throw it Up” that’s more rough that’s more extreme. If they go crazy on that then I keep it that way.
Is it ever a risk to play a brand-new track that no one has ever heard before? Do you ever feel pressure from that because you don’t know what to expect?
I don’t feel pressure but it’s always a risk. But in the end you have to do that to market your new tracks. You have to see where you will take your next production because if they like that track then you know what to do next.
So what sets the Project Uptempo events apart from all the others? What is it about this party that you like the most?
It always feels like home to me. Of course that has to do with always being around my neighborhood but it always feels like home. Even though this is the biggest stage they’ve had now it still feels like home its comfortable, I don’t know. So far the vibe of Project Uptempo has ALWAYS been crazy. There’s never been a time where people were not dancing.
Major Conspiracy
How did it feel to be on stage tonight here in The Hague? (Jari)
Very good. We did a great show with Spitnoise and Trespassed. We love to play with Spitnoise and Trespassed. I think our style matches well together. The crowd was a lot of fun.
How did you get connected with Trespassed. How did you get invited to this party, have you guys been friends with him for a long time? (Jari)
I think since 2018 almost five years we’ve known Trespassed. Maybe a fun thing to tell is four years ago Trespassed [taught] us a lot in the studio about produce Uptempo music. We are always thankful to him that he [taught] us.
What sets Trespassed apart from other producers that you’ve worked with? (Jari)
In my opinion, Trespassed is one of the most quality Uptempo producers in the scene. [In] my opinion, that’s for years now. It is because he is so creative. His musical experience is so wide. He has a very recognizable sound.
How has the scene changed since you first got into it and how has Uptempo changed, especially during the pandemic? (Jari)
It’s just like you’re playing a game of cards and when Covid came all the cards got pulled from the table, were shuffled and then got put back on the table again. Some of the cards that were underneath are now on top now. So yeah I see it like that now and the music is totally changed.
Do you feel like the music I harder or softer? (Sunny)
I think the sound is different, but I’ve been listening to Uptempo since I think ten years ago and the sound is different and we have a new group of people who love more the higher kicks and we also have a group of people who like the old Uptempo sound now. We have our own sound and I think it is a little between the old and the new sound. It’s changed, the sound and the people.
Tonight I spoke with some of the newer generation and they said there’s a new wave of Uptempo? How do you feel about that? This new generation, the new kids, is that a deviation from the sound before? (Jari)
I think what they are doing is cool, but I don’t, in my opinion, think it’s something ‘’new’’ new like the big gap like after Corona happened. Because I think there were also a few people that are a bit similar to them that also produce that kind of music but let’s see what the future brings. Maybe in a few years they’ll be standing behind us on the big stages.
How do you guys feel about the party tonight? (Sunny)
I like all the Uptempo parties, and this is a new school Uptempo party. I like to see how younger people also love the Uptempo. We can make Uptempo for people from our age (26 and 28). But I like to see that there is a new group of people from 17, 18, 19 years old because that’s the future. I can make music for people who are 30 or 28 but they have children and a dog, and a house and they don’t go to party anymore, out of my friends. So, I like to see that there is a new group because there are a lot of fans who are 16, 17, 18 and when we play we always see a lot of Major Conspiracy merchandise in the crowd so for me that’s very nice.
Is it weird now having gone to parties yourself in the past to now having people come to see you play? (Sunny)
I cannot imagine why people buy stuff from us or have Major Conspiracy tattoos or things like that, but I can remember I was a very very big fan of Radical Redemption and Sefa. So, I can imagine that. It’s crazy to see people with tattoos because I don’t like tattoos on myself. I will never get a tattoo or something. It’s crazy to put yourself in the mind of that person. It’s such sick dedication.
Is that a lot of pressure that your music resonates with people so much that they are such fans that they get tattoo of you? (Jari)
That’s not the pressure. It’s just when we make music the one track they like, the other track they like more, and then the next they may be like a little less but people are always happy when we come with new music they’re just happy about who we are and what our brand is and they like to follow it and check it out so I think every kind of music for the fanbase, everything is good.
So, when you’re on stage how do you decide what tracks to play? (Jari)
At the moment the time is now what we like to play the fans also like. You have different styles. This a good example. The kicks like Ditzkickz, Chrizens, Dimitri K, Dark Horror and then kicks like Trespassed, Spitnoise, Barber. Some parties they more like kicks like Barber, Trespassed, Spitnoise and some people like Dimitri K and Dark Horror. But we play everything. So when we play a few tracks from Dimitri K and they were like “meh” but then we play Barber and they go crazy then we play that the whole set.
Do you prepare everything in advance or do you go total freestyle? (Sunny)
It’s freestyle but we are always looking for new music. We are contacting artists we’re always looking for different music like stupid Dutch music, Carnaval music. We also give new people the opportunity to send us tracks. We have on our website a link that you can just drop your demos. And if we like it, we play it. If we play it in and the crowd likes it, then we keep playing it. As long as it stands. So that’s for new boys a good opportunity.
The man of the hour…
Trespassed
So how do you feel tonight, tonight’s your party it’s Project Uptempo?
It feels amazing. The first bit where everyone was singing Happy Birthday that was a pretty big thing. I knew it was going to happen at some point, but I think it’s quite fun to see and you have to be humble of course. But all the artists who are here, it’s a blessing.
Looking at the artists here tonight, how did you go about curating the line up?
Actually me and my friends who are the organizers, the promoters of this party came up with this line up. So, we had some arguments for who’s coming and who’s not it was kind of hard but we finally got a good line up. It’s too bad that Partyraiser wasn’t here but we got a great replacement for it.
So how do you find a balance between artists you want to have and artists you know the audience wants to see?
You’re always aiming for people with talent and with the hype. Hype is a really big thing and charisma. People who can put on a show and get the whole crowd moving that’s the most important thing so I am always looking out for people who has that kind of skill set.
Why is tonight really special, we’re in The Hague, where you’re from. Why is it special that we’re here together tonight?
Because it’s my birthday. No [laughter], the thing is I never played in The Hague in this location [Paard] and we were at the start organizing parties back before I was a DJ we had this special aim point, we wanted to give a party at the same place as tonight. It was our goal and we made it. Then that for my birthday as well is kind of a present itself.
When it comes to the new wave of Uptempo what do you think about that compared to Uptempo when you first got into it?
People are going to love it or hate it. We’re seeing that people are splitting up and have their own [opinions] as to what the best Uptempo is. For me I like the diversity, I like everything, almost everything in Uptempo. There are some things that I like even the high kicks, but people are like they are saying it too early in my opinion but sometimes they are right of course. I think the new guys with their new style and vibe of Uptempo are bringing something new to the table of course and that’s awesome to me.
Do you think it’s going to be like early hardcore where people are really divided?
To be fair we already have a separation from the past. The old Uptempo is like a simple sound, most of the time one kick the hard low kicks and I like that style from back then but we cannot use that anymore in this time. So, I think it’s good to move on to progress of course and if it’s a high kicks, low kicks, or anything else I am happy to play it.
So how do you define your personal sound? How do you set yourself apart?
People know me for my screech kick effect sound it is not like my signature sound anymore its just a style that everybody uses and I find out like at the beginning it was like our thing of course you had to accept it but the same way it was a compliment as well making stuff that you designed back then. It was crazy to see of course.
I talked to some people tonight that you helped teach. How does it feel now to see those guys on stage?
I’m proud of that. All the guys that I’ve had in my studio even for maybe one or two lessons or people who are like still learning and getting on stage. I don’t have to do anything they come, I share my knowledge with them, not everything that I know of course, otherwise they will get the Trespassed sound of course. But you have to show them indeed the tools.
So once you provide them with the tools how do you they go from there to make their own sound?
Look at the simple things. People are trying way too much to get something unique but sometimes the answer is way closer. Sometimes I teach people to repeat a simple thing something unique even though in rap music they have a small vocal bit where they announce their signature and we have to find something that’s repetitively been in your tracks. If people hear that small bit that you make, they know exactly who’s playing or who’s music has been played of course. So the answer is way simpler for the artist but they will understand soon enough.
What about for new producers what advice do you have for them if they want to get booked at Project Uptempo or if they want to make a track with you?
If I get demos, I give feedback that they can use. I’m not saying it’s bad or you have to fix this. I say maybe you should try this and you should try that or delete that or get the rhythm going on another rhythm step. But it’s not hard to give feedback for these guys. The thing is if I give feedback, I hope they do something with it and not like okay yea sure. Bad critics or good critics. If its possible feedback, it’s also good.