2016 wordt een goed jaar voor Cyber

Door Martijn Veenman 10 januari 2016

Cyber (Seraja Hilbrecht), recently crowned as thé artist of the year, made some huge steps this year. With his first Defqon.1 Weekend Festival performance and appearances on many more big parties he surprised a lot of people with tracks filled with emotion and energy. Signed to Dirty Workz, he spends most of his time in his brand new studio. We wanted to know more about Seraja, so we decided to interview him.

Hey Seraja, what are you busy with these days? What does a normal Cyber day look like?
I just finished my new studio. I have spend a lot of time on finishing it lately. Now it’s finished, I am spending all my time making new music. I am working on a lot of unfinished tracks! A day as Cyber looks like this: I get up, and then I go to the studio and make music. That’s pretty much it haha. That is my workflow, my style. I really live for the music.

What do you like to do in your spare time, when you are not producing?
Music is my hobby. I am pretty much always producing. When I am not producing I am hanging around with friends.

Your style is very euphoric and melodic. Can we expect more of that current style in the future?
I am going to stick to euphoric, but 2016 will be a little bit darker. I want to create a more anthem-ish feeling. A good example of that style is my track “We Are God”, but you can expect a new twist to it.

Which tracks or artists inspire you to go for that particular style?
Of course the old Headhunterz tracks. And definitely Noisecontrollers. But I will not copy any of them. My tracks will still have a Cyber touch to it.

A lot of your tracks have positive, dreamy vocals, which is in contrast to the average hardstyle track. Can you tell a us why you like those vocals?
Most vocals are from a book by Don Miguel Ruiz. The book is called ‘The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide To Personal Freedom’. It’s a very deep book and I really like the message behind it. I use these vocals to create a certain atmosphere in my tracks.

Being a producer you make music with a certain goal. What do you hope your music does to people?
I just want to give people good hardstyle that they can enjoy. I want to spread happiness through the music.

Have you ever thought “This isn’t working out, I should focus on another future”? Do you have any advice for other producers out there?
I think it is a natural to have ups and downs, but you just have to keep going. Working hard is what got me where I am now. Just don’t give up!

How and when did you discover hardstyle?
I discovered hardstyle in 2010. I stole my brothers mp3 player, and started listening. My first song was “Dozer – Syren”. I still love that track. I started producing shortly after and two years ago I made the decision to fully focus on music. I was a construction worker before.

Do you listen to any genres besides hardstyle?
Yeah of course. If I would listen to hardstyle only I would probably die. I use other genres to keep my mind fresh. I like Virtual Riot for example, that’s melodic dubstep. I also like Feint, a drum and bass producer. My music taste doesn’t have any boundaries. If it’s good, than it’s good and I will like it!

Last year was a great year for you. Looking back at 2015, what were you favourite releases?
My track “Each Other” made the biggest impact on my career so far. Besides that one I really like is ‘We Are God’. My favorite track by an other producer was “Atmozfears – Release”. It’s an amazing track!

What are your plans for 2016?
My main goal is evolving my sound. I will especially focus on sound design and the way my tracks are build up. My new studio is already helping me reaching those goals! I just finished a track in my ‘new’ style. I already played it at Freaqshow…

Sounds exciting! Any last words?
Get ready for 2016, because Cyber is ready!