United We Are – The world’s No. 1 DJ live and direct with a monster album
Robert – a stunning debut artist album ‘United We Are’. Eighteen months in the making, collaborations with some of the biggest artists in the music world…please give us a sentence on each of your new tracks…
Eclipse
Eclipse is the opening track of my live sets for the past year and a half and has been doing very well
Follow Me
To be working with an artist like Jason Derulo. I wanted to stay close to the dancefloor but still wanted Jason to bring that cross over touch.
Sally
Sally is something different people would expect. That’s also the idea of this track when we started it. Harrison is a very talented guy from UK and when meeting him in Ibiza we directly jumped into the studio and talked over ideas.
Let Me Be Your Home
I started this track back in 2012. While visiting LA for some meetings and studio sessions I got in the studio with Heather Bright, aka Bright Lights and on this sketch idea I had Heather wrote this amazing vocal melody. It took us 2 more years to finish and release the track but mainly as this felt like a real album track.
Colors
Colors has been a project of me and Tijs for some time, as we both loved the vocal we definitely wanted to release this but couldn’t find the right time for it up to now.
Where Is Here Now
As not many people will know I’m a big fan of Deephouse / Tech House for many years. When starting my label Revealed Recordings the first release almost ended up being a deephouse/tech house track I produced in 2010.
United We Are
The meaning behind this track is about our scene and the unity we have as one people who share this love for electronic music. My vision with United We Are has always been to connect my fans globally through my music.
Don’t Stop The Madness
Not many people know this but when I started out to DJ I was playing urban and hiphop music, that’s over 10 years ago. So me and W&W had this track for a while playing it out our sets but the track didn’t feel complete so we didn’t want to release it before we found that extra flavour added to the track. I couldn’t have dreamed 10 years ago I would have my own artist album and have Fatman Scoop featuring on one of my tracks, that’s just sick right
Young Again
I think many people can related to this track as who wouldn’t want to look back through the eyes of you as a child and feel young again?
Echo
I don’t know why but everything in this song just hits me. Jonathan is great to work with and this song really came to life naturally.
Arcadia
Arcadia has been a fan favorite in my sets for some time. I released a few of Joey’s record on Revealed already as I felt he was a great talent and got inspired with his sound.
Area51
I met DallasK back in 2012 backstage at an event in LA, we clicked immediately talking about music. From that point on we kept in touch about new music. So when he sent me a sketch idea I loved but needed a lot of work we jumped into production together and built it out.
Nothing Can Hold Us Down
I’ve always been a big fan of Hardstyle, which has been huge in Holland for the past 10 years. So to jump into the studio with Headhunterz has always been on my list, especially after he delivered a huge remix for Spaceman.
Birds Fly
This is also a special track. Working with Mr Probz was great, but we got a history together. He used to be an MC and back in the days about 10 years ago, we performed together on stage many times.
Dare You
A fan favorite in my sets and one that saw me experimenting with a more radio friendly sound. It came out with a big bang when it was the highest new entry in its debut week in the UK Official Chart; breaking the Top 20, coming in at #18, as well as #1 Beatport.
Will you be doing any live shows based around the whole album this summer or is it classic Hardwell DJ sets with a few live surprises?
Yes, I launched the album at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on the weekend of the release with two sold-out shows with guys like Harrison, Chris Young and Mr. Probz joining me, these events also marked the first shows of my new world tour I Am Hardwell – United We Are. I’ll be touring the album around the globe taking it to new destinations and countries and giving the fans a live experience. It’s going to be something very special.
Was it a challenge to break the Hardwell template for the house driven track ‘Where Is Here Now’?
Well the funny thing is I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of different sounds and styles for a while. I actually play a lot of edits in my sets of stuff from house through to trap which are all my own takes on tracks from outside of my trademark style. So it was actually a lot of fun to break out of my style but I just needed to be 100% sure it fitted correctly with the flow of the album.
Let’s talk about the single ‘United We Are’ with that vocal angel from Oz Amba Shepherd, that hit the Buzz Chart No1. What or who were the influences behind this killer trance production?
Well being Dutch the arrangement and melodies of trance is kind of built into us from an early age because obviously that sound was such a big influence on our scene during its reigning years. I’m still a big fan of the trance sounds and I do try to keep the energy of that euphoria it produces within my sets. Amba’s vocal is so perfect for that type of record too so it made sense to put something like this onto the album.
I love the story about when you were first crowned the biggest DJ in the world by DJ Mag. You were on a flight back from America and when you landed all your friends and family were waiting in the Departures Lounge ready to tell you the big news. There must have been a moment soon after when it hit home that Robert van de Corput from Breda was all of a sudden, officially – the biggest DJ in the world?
Yeah that was a really nice welcome I have to say! I don’t think you ever fully take it in but for sure there have been many moments since when it very randomly hits me. I was definitely able to take it all in more the second time around which I’m so thankfully to have been able to experience.
Did you feel any pressure of repeating your award in year two?
Of course it was something I wanted to happen but I never really felt any pressure. It’s a big thing to take in the first time around because so much is happening but I definitely feel the second time around I’ve been able to soak it up and enjoy it a lot more.
Who would you though vote as the world’s number one DJ?
Tiësto still takes some beating but if I had to go for new school then I’d like to see Dyro or Dannic claim it one day. I think both guys have a lot to offer the scene, they’ve both been experimenting a lot in the studio and this year we’re going to see a hell of a lot of exciting, forward thinking music from both of them.
Your weekly Revealed party at Ushuaia in Ibiza is today one of the biggest events on the White Isle. Your first break on the island took place in 2010 when Tiësto invited you over to play. Can you tell us about that first gig in Ibiza…
It was a big moment for me because I’d never been to Ibiza before so I didn’t know what to expect. Tijs brought me over after hearing a few of my tunes – I sent him ‘Molotov’ and he said he loved it and invited me over to join in in Ibiza. I’d heard of Privilege but I’d never been, nor had I seen a club so wild and more so, so damn huge before! It was super exciting but I was also incredibly nervous. I remember it all so well, it was mid-August and the club was rammed. He loved my set and later invited me to do some warm-up slots for him at a few shows around the world and from there we’ve become really good friends. He’s been like a mentor and brother to me over the years and I’m very grateful for his support.
Now I don’t know about you, but when I was 14 and I had parents accompanying me to clubs and pubs, well it was a little bit embarrassing. You though HAD to have your mum and dad with you for legal reasons. Were you cool with that? Any dodgy dancing whilst you played?
Haha, no was cool, my parents always supported me from the start. They encouraged me to follow my dreams. I was always really proud to have them support like they did because it gave me belief in what I was doing. Without them I wouldn’t have managed to pursue this dream of mine in the same way I did. Thankfully there was no dodgy dancing…unless someone has videos of me from back in the day haha!!
A lot of DJs enjoy the comfort of a DJ booth inside a club where you can simply get on with spinning your tunes. Ushuaia doesn’t give you that luxury…you play on a monster stage in front of thousands of people with nowhere to hide. How daunting is your weekly set at this venue…or do you revel in the excitement of it all?
I’m happy in both environments. I grew up in small DJ booths where you could barely move around to grab your records so playing in a luxury stage setting like Ushuaia is nice. I decided to join the Ushuaia family because of their vision, which fitted perfectly alongside my own for I Am Hardwell, but also because their venue and the set-up inside its one of the best in the world. It’s an incredible venue that offers this stunning platform for DJs to showcase their music. Joining with them to do the exclusive Ibiza shows for I Am Hardwell meant we could create a very unique environment for the show. I loved performing there, was always a great occasion and I think we were able to create something truly magical with the concept last summer.
You learnt the piano at the age of 4. Wow. Can you remember the first piece you learnt to play?
Do you know what I wish I could; I keep meaning to ask my parents. I like to think it was classical of some type but, at that age, it was probably more likely a nursery rhyme or simple Dutch folk song.
You entertain millions of clubbers every year. Nobody really knows the tiredness involved in touring the world. Private jets, limos, five star hotels…it all sounds very glamorous but there is a heck of a lot of sitting around and travelling. In a recent interview you admitted that sometimes you “are too tired to play”. How do you overcome that feeling?
True there is a lot of work that is involved in being a touring artist and it can be draining, but I can’t ever say I don’t enjoy it. Like anyone in the same position it does get tiring but I do it because I love DJing and enjoying sharing my music with the fans. But when those occasional days do happen, after you’ve been on the road for long periods of time, with only a short amount of sleep, I always think of the fans and the show they’re hoping for. Once I’m onstage I love it, it’s like a switch flicks and I’m ready and all the tiredness goes and I’m in the zone. It’s just about reminding yourself why you’re doing something in life and understanding the reasons you get up everyday. For me its because of the music and the fans.
You tour all over the world and get to party in the most amazing locations but where does Hardwell like to spend his holiday? A quiet break back home with the family in Holland or is it tropical sunshine all the way?
After long periods away I love to be back home with friends and family and just being that familiar place and kicking back. It’s nice to unwind, and whilst I love a good lazy holiday somewhere special, the best place to find that quiet retreat is always at home. It’s always a nice reminder to keep myself grounded, which I think is important.
Being The World’s No1 DJ and producer your always going to get the hate as well as the love, how do you deal with criticism or outright abuse on social media sites?
As the saying goes “Haters are gonna hate”, so there’s no point giving them any attention. The world is too big to care and life is too special to worry your time on them. I’m not trying to be the coolest underground DJ in the scene or the most commercial chart success DJ in the world, I’m just trying to make music I believe in. If people get it then great, if not then that’s cool, there’s plenty more music out there for them to enjoy. Negativity is positive thing for nobody.
Dannic & Dyro have become legends of the Revealed label in 2014, which artist are you championing for the year ahead?
Both Dyro and Dannic have done incredibly well these past few years, I’m really happy to see how they are both achieving with their music. Looking at 2015 the label is supporting new guys like Thomas Newson, Kill The Buzz, Joey Dale, Sick Individuals and Julian Calor who has an artist album coming up on Revealed Recordings this year.
The proudest moment of your career to date?
I’m fortunate in that there have been many but one of the most recent was having my face on a national stamp of the Netherlands. That was a “wow” moment for me and one my parents were extremely happy with. Also closing my first I Am Hardwell world tour at Madison Square Garden will take some beating. Such a globally renowned venue with so much history, it was inspiring just to breathe in the air at the venue let alone close my tour with a sold-out show there. One of the best gigs of my life for sure.
A night off in Ibiza…what club would you head off to?
I’ve heard Pikes Hotel has some crazy parties..!
Your favourite…beach and restaurant in Ibiza?
Have seen some great ones on the island but I’m not really a beach person so afraid can’t remember their names but for food I’d say B.For Sushi Ibiza.
What is your next studio commitment?
Afraid we’re still working out the details for the release so my lips are sealed for now. But in the meantime expect more singles from my album United We Are.
And finally young man… did you dance around the studio to every track as a test to make it on the album or is that just us?!!!?!?!
No, you’re not alone there. I love to turn up the speakers and go for it in the studio, if it makes you dance then it’s a true Hardwell record!
Thank you dude.
As ever thanks for having me Dan x
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This interviewed appeared in Issue 1 of the brand new Essential Ibiza magazine featuring Hardwell, Sven Vath, Andrea Oliva, Patrick Topping, Todd Terry and many more…go check it at…
readymag.com/essentialibiza/58310/21
