We talked to Jay Reeve about ‘The Future of Hardstyle’

By Peter de Valck 15 June 2016

When did you first come in contact with hardstyle?
If I remember correctly, my first hardstyle track was ‘Deepack – Here’s Johny’. So that would be back in 2003.

Can you tell us about how it all started for you?
It started when I heard some early hardcore music in the car with my neighbor when I was a young kid. Somehow I loved that kind of music and the next time I went to the Free Record Shop with my dad, I told him that I wanted to have a Hardcore cd. Since then I actually never stopped listening to hard dance music.

Who is your best friend/colleague in music, and how did this friendship begin?
That has to be Jaron de Keyzer. We were always both listening to Hardstyle on high school and made Jumpstyle videos together (which are still online by the way). Even nowadays we still party together on festivals and share music with each other.

When it comes to music production, it’s hard to say. There are a lot of producers, especially from the X-Bone and Scantraxx label, that I have good contact with. We always share our music together and give each other feedback.

What distinguishes you from other (euphoric) acts?
I guess that it has to be the combination of euphoric atmospheres with energetic vibes. When I’m producing or performing I always think about how to give people a smile on their face while maintaining the energy on the dancefloor.

What makes your love for hardstyle so strong?
For me Hardstyle is the best music genre because it allows you to make such strong atmospheres by creating awesome melodies combined with huge lead sounds.

What’s the last track that gave you chills, and why?
I think that it has to be the collab that I’m working on right now together with Noiseshock. Since it’s the last track that Ive heard before doing this interview and it actually gives me chills haha. Can’t wait to show you it to you all!

Who inspires you and why?
Audiofreq for the energy he put in his tracks and the sound design, Noisecontrollers for the great quality he produces and Cyber for the melodies. I am actually always trying to create a perfect combination that includes all these elements.

What’s your greatest Hardstyle memory?
Probably last years Defqon.1 edition. I love the whole experience from ‘The Gathering’ on Friday untill ‘The Closing’ on Sunday. After all these years that I have visited lots of events, this one still surprises me everytime, So I can’t wait for the next edition!

What can we expect from you in the near future?
More music. The last few months I worked really hard to reach a specific quality in music production. I think that on this point, my music is actually good enough to share it with the world. So from now on I will hopefully just keep on improving my qualities and release music more often.

You’ve been featured in this month’s episode of The Future of Hardstyle. Can you tell us a bit more about that (tracklist etc.)?
Also while creating the mix for The Future of Hardstyle I did the same as I always do. What tracks should I play in order to create that positive and energetic vibe. I hope the listeners feel the same experience while listening, like I do.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans and our readers?
Of course I want to thank everybody that has listened to my music so far and enjoys it. Hopefully you keep listening to it and maybe I’ll see you on one my upcoming gigs!