Future Legends: Voidax

A talent for making hardstyle, an energetic stage presence, a unique drive or a special view on music. The emerging hardstyle DJs of today are the legends of the future. Read on, get surprised and discover some new, fresh talents. This time we zoom in on the enthusiastic and energetic talent of Rough Recruits: Voidax. Or better represented as Berend. “During the day I'm a proper caveman in my studio, at night an endless bouncing ball.” He always puts his energy into full power which we were already enjoy during Frequencerz Quarantine Hardstyle Sessions and his Loudness video set. In addition, he already has six strong releases to his name and an announced spot on Defqon.1's INDIGO stage. Time to get to know Voidax better! Berend owes his stage name to his other passion, gaming. In one of those games, the term “Void”played a huge role. That term also stands for “emptiness” or “nothing”. “At that time I was very introverted, so DJing became a way to express myself. Then I realized that "Void” stood for the emptiness I felt at that time, and "ex” stands for the fact that it is no longer so. All very dramatic, huh?” I am a huge fan of storytelling and cinematic music. These are the ingredients for me to give more depth to my tracks.

 

 

A huge fan of storytelling and cinematic music, Voidax combines these elements with hardstyle to create more depth in his tracks. “I miss the raw hardstyle of the 2011-2014 era. I might want to bring that back a bit more.” The reason that period of time is extra special for Voidax, is partly because in that period also his passion for hardstyle originated. In addition to the solid bangers from those days, the hardstyle scene itself also plays a major role. “The music was great, but the audience, the friendliness among the visitors, you can't find that anywhere else! It is so much fun and you will always find soulmates at the front at your favorite artist!” What makes our scene so special is an important reason for Berend to want to get into hardstyle more. "To have such an audience in front of you, that is really a motivation!" An artist who preaches cinematic hardstyle is Phuture Noize, a great source of inspiration for Voidax. “It is bizarre to listen to his music as if you were watching a movie. In his music you have a clear introduction, a certain tension, a peak, but also an ending. The fact that so much attention is paid to everything after the first climax: it's all about the details,” says Berend enthusiastically. It is therefore not exactly a miracle that the two are compared more than a few times. Both can be recognized by their spherical sound and their striking melodies. A huge compliment to the Recruit, but in the beginning Voidax wasn’t quite sure what to think. “On one hand, you have to take it as a compliment, because the music of Phuture Noize is at a high level. On the other hand, you have to be careful; you don't want to become a copy. The world already has a Phuture Noize!” In terms of storytelling, Berend wants to go in the same direction, but in terms of music style he has different ideas. “I think genres like Synthwave and Midtempo are very cool and I want to incorporate that into my sound more. So what I mean is themes such as Bladerunner and Cyberpunk (a film and videogame that both take place in the 1980s). That’s how I want to distinguish myself and bring something new to the scene!

 

 

His waywardness brings him a special first great booking. During the X-Qlusive edition of none other than Phuture Noize himself, Voidax shares his sound with the large audience. "It is very special to be on the line-up during the" homage "of the artist that I have been looking at since the beginning," says Berend. “That's why I intend to really go out with music. At the moment I have exactly in my mind what style I will apply for tracks in the future, so I am very curious about the reactions during X-Qlusive Phuture Noize!” It is very special to be on the line-up during the "homage" of the artist that I have been looking up to since the beginning Berend finds a musical home base in Roughstate's talent label Rough Recruits. A place where talented young hardstyle producers are free to develop and learn. “A while ago, a writers camp was organized for us. The nice thing about it is that we not only met as artists there, but you really get to know each other. That way you feel a bit more part of the label. Everyone has a different way of working, so working together on a production is very educational.” He is working on a new track together with Dawnfire. “We chose to incorporate an urban 80's vibe. That goes for both the vocals and the rest of the sound.” The guys are very satisfied with their collaboration so far and will finish the track soon. Voidax does not sit still. He still has a number of collaborations scheduled, with Udex and fellow Recruits The Machine and Delius. In the future, Voidax hopes to have a chance to form an act with one or more major artists. "For example a very epic show with Phuture Noize & B-Front." But first, Berend wants to grow and the exact style that suits him, which he is really satisfied with. Because no events can take place in the coming months and therefore no bookings are planned, his motivation in the studio was somewhat off. “You then have much less to look forward to. But I try to work on productions as much as possible, so that a lot of new records can be played when this crisis is over!”

 

 

So many plans that Voidax can spend his time on. In addition to working with Dawnfire, he is also working solo on a new trilogy. “Each time, I want to release a series of records that belong together thematically. For example, first there was "Extinction" > "Submerge" > "Demons" and then "The Initiative" > Awakening" > "Time and Space". Now I’m working on the next series. There will also be a new track coming out soon which I'm very happy with! Hope you’ll enjoy this one!" Curious about Voidax and do you want to stay up to date about news and upcoming releases? Follow him via Instagram.