A love letter to... b2s

Dear b2s, In 2012, I was introduced to the loud electronic music of the Dutch soil: hardstyle. It were the phat beats of the Decibel outdoor 2012 aftermovie that made my heart beat at 150 beats per minute. Without knowing who you were or that you were behind this, I was already secretly in love with you. On a pink cloud I hovered over the sandstorm that had been caused by the stamping of the crowd on the beach next to the water, there at Decibel outdoor 2012. “What God came up with this?”, I heard myself thinking. I left the fullscreen mode and checked who uploaded this amazing video. There it was: ‘b2s’. I clicked on the profile and experienced the feeling that the children from The Chronicles of Narnia must have felt when they opened the door to Narnia. I had ended up in the hardstyle heaven. Your bright blue letters almost danced off my screen and there were so many videos that I wanted to click on all at once. Since that summer and all those cheerful hardstyle videos, you have stolen my heart.

 

We bring the biggest crowds together to release, celebrate and unify

In addition to Decibel outdoor, you have 18 other concepts on the market that really define the harder styles. Pussy Lounge for the freestyle maniacs, Snakepit for the real hardcore heads and Supersized for the Dutchies (or not) who find the pub a bit too ‘pussy’ for Kingsday. I watched all your videos and discovered; you have so much more to offer than I initially thought. With all those parties, you seem to understand me exactly as a lover, in fact, I had the feeling that I had known you for years. Nevertheless, we had never met before. In 2016 the moment was there: Decibel outdoor 2016. I had already ticked off my packing list 6 times, the necessary documentation was printed in my backpack and I could literally dream the all you need to know of by now. The butterflies in my belly made room for an intense tension. I hear myself thinking, “Have I packed everything?”, “How do I look?”, “Is my hair good?”. Dear God, I was so nervous. What followed was a three-day date full of loudness, decibels and phat beats only! This first encounter was bolder, better and rougher than I had ever dreamed of in my wildest dreams. Since then we’ve been inseparable and you keep surprising me. Like last year, with a completely new concept in Het Klokgebouw in Eindhoven: Genesis. On Saturday, September 15, 2018, I had the opportunity to taste a bit of the golden hardstyle era. Because raw hardstyle is a ‘younger’ genre, the classic raw stage was a unique addition. The atmosphere, music and commitment of both the artists and the audience was legendary. Genesis is bold, unique and contains just the right DNA for an amazing hardstyle classics party.

We represent the though ones, the rough diamonds, the people who live an intense life.

 

What makes you so special? I asked myself that question several times, but after our first meeting, I knew the answer. You were there at the beginning of hardstyle and accompanied the scene in all phases. From changing diapers to rebellious adolescents, and beyond. But the beauty of that is that you create a better world, because you don’t believe in status, power or social class. You believe in freedom, experiences, pure happiness and above all: the music. With your unique concepts you offer experiences that are equal to a wealth that cannot be expressed in value. In daily life there is plenty of misery and sadness, but during your parties all this disappears like snow in the sun. But at one of your parties, we'll be friends, buddies and comrades, stomping into the early hours to the best music there is.

 

 

That’s a feeling that can't be described with a pen or computer. That’s what you've been giving me and the whole hardstyle scene for years, and hopefully will continue to give for many years to come. Secretly, I already knew in 2012, but that crush from then is still here. Breaking up with me, ignoring me, following me or even imposing a restraining order is in vain: August 16th I'll be there and we'll stomp together the whole weekend, side by side. Love, Your gabber Tim