Hardstyle in America: Q-Dance’s Epic Return to Los Angeles

With experiences of past Q-Dance events, the return was sure to bring more beautiful people, an amazing atmosphere, and of course, more Hardstyle music. The Los Angeles show on this past weekend proved to be one for the books, as some of the most celebrated Hardstyle acts were front and center for the special night. Q-Dance’s success in Los Angeles is mainly stemmed from the over-the-top Hardstyle enthusiasts that travel from outside LA to enjoy a night filled with the genre they come to know and love.

Q-Dance is responsible for the growth and pertinence of Hardstyle in American culture. Although the genre has been around for quite some time, it’s been a black sheep among the other EDM genre for being “too loud” and “too repetitive”, but the elements found in Hardstyle, for most fans, can be inspiring, loving, and most of all, uplifting.

Hardstyle is a genre most familiar with the Dutch, as the Netherlands is where most of the producers are from and where the scene has thrived for years. Labels such as Scantraxx and Fusion have been born out of Hardstyle, and now collects passionate producers of the genre from all over the world.  Now the genre has gone global with the help of these labels and events reaching outside of the Dutch. Many countries have taken to the genre and many of the companies behind the movement have reached out to these places in order to spread Hardstyle.

America is one place the music has touched down on where it’s been successful. With the EDC 2012 introducing their Q-Dance stage at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Americans got a taste of what Q-Dance and Hardstyle has to offer. Emerging from this was thousands of Hardstyle fans who begged for more Hardstyle. Once Tomorrowland rebranded for their global tour with TomorrowWorld, Q-Dance also stepped in to make themselves known once more in America. Hosting their own stage, they continue to bring out crowds throughout the weekend that most genres and shows would only dream about being able to produce.

While our game has stepped up quite a bit in Hardstyle, the Europeans have been doing right for some time now. Holding their own Hardstyle festivals and hosting Hardstyle events on major holidays, Europe’s Hardstyle culture is as big and popular as the Electro-House genre in America.

What does the future of Hardstyle look like for fans and what can American fans expect for them? Well, with the success of the 3rd Sound of Q-Dance event, there’s no limit to what the genre can achieve. While many are still adamant that Hardstyle isn’t for them, it’s become a home for so many of the fans, which like to be recognized as the “harder tribe”, who continue to share their experiences and love for the music. Join us this January for another epic showdown: