Long time ago, we just introduced our interviews called ‘Who is/are …’, we already covered an awesome range of great artists. Thankfully we had the time and honor to catch up with Minus is Mores rising talent Act o Rage. Holy shit, his year went straight through the roof, he played at major festivals, got featured on Radical Redemption’s album and gained massive success with his track Brain Confusion, which you can enjoy in almost every set. So get to know Act or Rage!
Hey Jacques, what’s up, I just remembered how you hopped on stage during Radical Redemptions set at Q-Base to premiere your new track with him. You think the response was positive? How long did you work on the track? How’s working with Joey in the studio?
Very good, thanks! Yes, that was one hell of an experience! I can’t really describe that feeling when you’re up there, it was probably one of the best moments in my life! Our new collab ‘’Stay True’’ had a massive response to the crowd in the Hangar and also later on both our social media channels. We did our collab just within a week, because he’d to deal with some serious deadlines for his upcoming album ‘The One Man Army’. Working together with Joey in the studio is just f*cking awesome! I know him for a long time and we’re having a strong click. We’re always joking around everywhere, so also in the studio haha! The sessions were long but very productive and also very useful for my own insight of making music. With Joey it’s all about rocking hours no matter what time it is! I’ve learned a lot of him in the past and I use those tips and tricks a lot when I hit the studio. In my opinion the collab came out great! You can really recognize the blend of styles. Expect a catchy melody with hard kicks!!
Known as Act Of Rage, in real Jacques Journée, this sounds pretty French. Do you have French roots? Could you maybe introduce yourself?
It’s pretty French yes, but I don’t have direct French roots. I think some French ancestors from a few generations earlier travelled to Holland in the French Revolution! Besides my name, I’m 21 years old and living in a small village in the epicenter of hardstyle: Holland! I love to do extreme sports like windsurfing, skateboarding, wakeboarding, snowboarding and so on. I’ve been a swimmer all my life and I’ve had a time that I trained 9 times a week. I’ve been Dutch Champion in 2004, but when I got older my interest in music/partying increased and my passion for top swimming decreased. Besides all that, I don’t play video games and I’m going to the cinema almost every Monday!
You just told me you finished university lately. Are you satisfied with your final grade? How am I supposed to call you now? Hehe. And now that you graduated, you still want to work besides your music career?
I’m very satisfied with my final grade and you can still call me Jacques haha! I’ve received my bachelor’s degree Communication Science and I’m currently working on my (pre-)master Business Administration at the University of Twente. After my study I would like to focus even more on my music, if it’s possible.
If you get to the moment, where you had to decide, either work as a DJ and producer or continue at your current company/job, how would you decide and why?
If I had to decide, I would like to work fully as DJ/producer. That’s the number #1 dream in my life. Although I would like to say that it’s safe to explore my other capacities in case something happens, for example with my hearing. It’s like losing fingers for a pianist. Always remember to have something to fall back on and to be prepared for something unexpected!
Until now, what was the craziest thing you experienced at a festival?
At the end of Summerburst Festival in Stockholm (SWE) Noize Suppressor came up with the idea to drop the last track together with every DJ who’d played there that weekend. Angerfist was the last DJ, so we (Noize Suppressor, Miss K8, Crypsis, Radical Redemption, Chain Reaction, Warface & MC Nolz) joined the Fist on stage. The audience was losing it completely when Noize Suppressor and Angerfist stage dived in between them. F*cking sick!
Do you have a girlfriend you share your experience with?:P
Haha no, I’m single at the moment!
Your recent track Brain Confusion gained a lot of attention. How did you come up with the idea? Is there a special story behind the track? What does it mean to you, that a lot of artists are playing your track in their sets?
Yes, it’s truly amazing to see the reaction of the people on the floor, on the internet and how the biggest names in Hardstyle picked up Brain Confusion! My idea was to do something that not many others around me did, namely to combine a catchy melody with a strong kick. I’m honoured that other artists play my track(s). It’s unreal to rave on your own track that got dropped on the main stage of Defqon.1 Festival!
Did you already found your style while producing? Brain Confusion is not really a dark raw track, it’s more like an uplifting, feel good track, with a slightly harder kick. Your Raw Op Je Dak anthem, for example, is the complete opposite – so do you already prefer style?
I don’t have one particular style I like the best, but at the moment I like to create melodies that got stuck in peoples heads in combination with a rough kick. So expect some more of that!
Actr of Rage - Brain Confusion
I just interviewed Dark Pact and we talked about the raw scene, which seems to end up in a quality less and uninspired cloud of rough, distorted kicks and screeches. Do you agree?
I admit that at time ago I felt quite the same way, especially for the underground and new producers out there. Nowadays, I believe that the scene has improved itself and the quality of the released tracks get higher and higher. In my opinion you have to be more innovative to get into the picture!
If you take a look back, how was 2015 going for you? Are you satisfied? What are your plans for 2016? What had been the highlights in 2015?
If I look back to 2015, it’s a dream come true. Last summer was incredible with so many awesome bookings both national and international. I’ve travelled up to now several times to Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom, but still most of the bookings are of course in Holland. My highlights are mostly raging at the biggest parties out there like Defqon.1, Masters of Hardcore, The Qontinent, Dominator and Intents Festival. The biggest highlights of my career so far were my performances at the first two editions of Supremacy. The first one was solo in 2014 and the second one was B2B with Radical Redemption in 2015. The feeling you get when you’re playing in front of 13.000 people with the Radical on your side is indescribable. Really no freakin’ words!!
I got a lot of plans for the future. The most recent projects I worked on are featured on Radical Redemptions new album ‘The One Man Army’. I’ll be represented three times at the album with:
- Act of Rage – Criminal (Radical Redemption Remix)
- Radical Redemption & Act of Rage – Stay True
- Radical Redemption – I Spit On You (Act of Rage Remix)
Besides that I’m working on several collabs with one of the biggest artists in the scene. Just unreal! I’m also busy with some solo tracks, so a lot to come!!