11 Hardstyle Songs You Should Know

Hey, guys; it’s Ben, your friendly comic artist. I enjoy electronic music the most, specifically hardstyle. Sadly, the world is deprived from such bass-intensive soundtracks, and only knows of dubstep. It breaks my heart very much to watch as all electronic music is catagorized by hipsters as dubstep. So, to enlighten the world, I present my top 11 hardstyle songs, both old and new. They are not listed in any order, as they are all awesome in their own way. I hope that you guys enjoy listening to them. 

 For those that don’t know, hardstyle is a genre under electronic music, and is also be considered as hard dance music. It is characterized by a steady bass kick, and some sort of melody. Be warned; hardstyle isn’t something you can listen to the first 10 seconds to, and decide if it’s good or not. It’s like a horror story; you can’t see the scary part in the first 10 seconds either. My point is, when you listen to these songs, listen to the whole thing.

 Before I begin the list, I should introduce to you a general history of hardstyle. Hardstyle has its beginnings in the early 21st century, Netherlands. Artists began changing some of their hardcore tracks (hardcore is another underrated genre of music; I might make an article for that too) and making the early form of hardstyle. Around 2002, hardstyle started to take root. Around 2004 to 2005, hardstyle started to focus on the melody, with bass as a sort of accompaniment. Tracks listed during this period are today referred to as “old school”, “old hardstyle”, etc. Around 2010-2011 (I actually am not too sure, but I heard a difference in tracks released in these times), the bass in hardstyle began to transform, and it became deeper and stronger, forming the modern hardstyle track. The melody, thankfully, was not compromised.

 To sum it up, there are two major periods in hardstyle: old hardstyle (more melody, bass as accompaniment), and modern hardstyle (bass is stronger, melody still has its place). Don’t take my word for the history; it’s not perfect. I just want to give you guys a better appreciation of the songs when you listen to them.

 Without further ado, the list:

1. Killer Clown - Silentium

 I heard this track a long time ago, and it stuck in my head. Even today, it is one of my favorite tracks. This track is one from the old period, so the melody is really strong. I really enjoy the quick build-up, the addictive melody, and the nice bass kick. 

2. Brennan Heart - Life That We Dream Of That We Create

 Very long title, I know. This song brings great wonders. A modern hardstyle song, Brennan Heart, according to rumor, wrote this when he hit a hard point in his life. It is really shown in the song for those that listen carefully. If art is supposed to be a feast to the eye, this is a song that’s a feast to the soul.

3. Headhunterz - End of My Existense

 Headhunterz is, back then and now, the #1 hardstyle DJ. It’s not my opinion either; it’s a statistical fact. This song is from the old period, and is still considered to be one of his best songs. The build-up to the melody and the melody itself really sticks into your head, and even today, I still get goosebumps listening to this song. 

4. Adrenalize - Forest Interlude

 Adrenalize is a new artist on the hardstyle scene. He actually started very recently, either 2011 or 2012. The melody in this, when I first heard it, instantly caught me, and I was deeply moved. The melody is very similar to the kinds from the old period, and the bass is paired incredibly well. The best of it? Adrenalize is an American 15 year old, and has received Headhunterz’s special attention and praise. Remember, Headhunterz is the best DJ. Now that’s legit.

5. Dark Oscillators - Stereophobia

 Since its release from the old period, Stereophobia is one of the most famous hardstyle tracks. If I didn’t put this song here, the hardstyle community would kill me. In the beginning of the song, there isn’t really anything catching, but the core melody and the bass kick near the end will blow your mind. I remember the first time I heard it; it never left my mind to this day. And I heard this over a year and a half ago. 

6. Frontliner - Symbols

 Frontliner is one of the well-respected DJ’s of hardstyle. For the 2012 Q-Base Anthem (Q-Base is one of the various hardstyle events, along with Qlimax, Defqon 1, and many others), Frontliner made Symbols. The violin is rarely used in hardstyle, but Frontliner does it great justice. It’s a very beautiful melody, and the bass goes too well with it.

7. Patrick Bunton - Young Birds

 This is one of my favorite hardstyle songs from the old period. I love this so much, it inspired my Xbox Gamertag. The beginning is so peaceful, and it does a great job going from peaceful to downright epic. True story: a guy on Youtube comment on this song “Great drop”, as in dubstep drop. His friends mourn over his death today. Not all of the story is true; you can probably tell.

8. Headhunterz - Dragonborn

 Yes, this is the exact same Headhunterz as number 3 on my list. The word “Dragonborn” may sound familiar to you, and it should; it was a main term in the game Skyrim, released on November 11th, 2011. Headhunterz paid tribute to the game in the form of this song. I own Skyrim, and he does great justice to the game through this soundtrack.

9. Kidd Kaos - Rock On

 This song from the old period just blows my mind; whenever I think of a DJ scene/club/high school dance, I think of this song playing in the back. Don’t let the beginning fool you; the real melody occurs later on in the song. Remember when I said you have to listen to the whole song to like it? This is one you must follow that rule, or you’ll miss out on a great soundtrack.

10. Headhunterz - The Power of Music

 I did say Headhunterz is the #1 hardstyle DJ. This is one of his most recent tracks. By recent, I mean this track came out in October of 2012. No words can really describe it: the melody, the bass, the vocals, the everything. I can’t get enough of this. A must-listen.

11. Showtek - We Speak Music

 True story: this article was supposed to be with ten songs, but then I realized I left this one out. This song is one of my favorite songs of the old period of hardstyle. I can’t put my mind down on what instrument was used in the melody, but it’s beautiful. The bass goes super well with it as well, and I loved it at first...hearing? I don’t know. 

 

I hope this article really made you want to listen to hardstyle, or at least stop you from calling every electronic song dubstep. There’s definitely more song I would put on here if I had the space. If you want to listen to more of this, just surf Youtube or iTunes. If you enjoyed the old hardstyle, I recommend Headhunterz and Dark Oscillators (search for their old things). If you like the modern hardstyle, I recommend Headhunterz, Frontliner, and Adrenalize.

 Well, that’s all for today. I hope I really made your day with this article. Catch you later; bye bye.

P.S. Like this page to learn a hardstyle secret

Headhunterz has a podcast series called "Hard With Style", where he give one hour of hardstyle each month. You can find it on Youtube.

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It's not classical muisc. It's not modern music. It's the ageless, timeless jazz. There is no music like it. There never will be. It is pure, amazing music that will make your head start boppin', feet start hoppin', and body start dancing.

Jazz isn't necessarily better than every other genre of music. The other forms of music aren't, in any way, inferior to jazz. Classical music is beautiful. Country music has a soulful twang. Rap releases the frustrations and pent-up anger that people may harbor.

No, Jazz is great because it's all about movement. It is music from the mind that is music for the body. It is the swing of the beat, the spilling of rapid notes into an irresistible melody that encourages you to move to the rhythm of the beat. Sure, other songs can do the same thing for you, make you start dancing or rocking out. But nothing has the quality and overall blend of beauty, soul, and rhythm that jazz owns.

It is song made for everyone and anyone, anytime and anywhere. When you're sad, a slow, mournful jazz song will reiterate that same pouring of the heart. When you're happy, the jaunty beat and joyful tones of brass squeaking away in quick, euphoric notes will embrace your happiness. When you're mad, the furious pounding away and stomping of the drums and piano and bass, and discordant notes will pump you up. And when you just need to relax, jazz will lull you into a state of contentment, with the soft melodies of piano and brass, bass and drums, mixing and blending together into a beautiful peace.

And it's that diversity and variety in jazz that makes it so appealing to everyone. Try it now. You may find jazz songs that you simply cannot listen to or stand. But eventually, you'll stumble upon a jazz song that was made just for you. It'll capture your feelings at that moment, sing the story of your emotions, hopes, dreams, goals and thoughts throughout the entire song. You'll find it, the greatness of jazz. Because there isn't a single thing like it.

T.L.

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In May 2011, a four year old boy named Ronan Thompson died of neuroblastoma in Phoenix.  Maya Thompson (the mother of the cancer victim), and her family took it pretty hard after he died. But there was no way she knew that in  in the future, with her help, Taylor Swift would write a song for her child.

On September 7, 2011, Swift sang "Ronan"  at the Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon. "Ronan" is about how much a mother loves her kid, and how devastating it is to lose one of them. 'Race cars on the kitchen floor'  'Playing with dinosaurs' described Thompson's happier times with Ronan.

'You fought it hard like an army guy.... Come on baby, with me, we're gonna fly away, from here. You were my best four years.' describes how hard it felt for Maya when she saw her child going through so much pain.
  And it makes you  feel Thompson's pain; it makes you want to cry when you hear the lyrics ' I remember the drive home when the blind hope turned to crying and screaming 'Why?'/Flowers pile up in the worst way/No one knows what to say about a beautiful boy who died/And it's about to be Halloween/You could be anything you wanted if you were still here'.
The song reminds you how hard it is for both cancer victims and their families, and to keep them in your prayers.
The song can be located down below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvN7BOAQn9I

    
   

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