Q-dance celebrates its 20th anniversary next year in 2020. They honor their legacy with a huge indoor event where everything from 20 years of harder styles will pass by. From The Qlubtempo Parade to an Ode to In Qontrol and from The Hardstyle Top 25 of all-time to the first indoor Q-dance Endshow ever. In 20 years, Q-dance has built up a huge fan base. From all over the world, these die-hard fans visit Q-dance events. But this love goes deeper than that. From asking your partner to marry you at the Defqon.1 stage, your love for Q-dance immortalized on your body to huge merchandise collections. They are The Most DEDIQATED.
The most DEDIQATED: Eddy
Eddy is known to his friends as Party Pinda. Party Pinda and hardstyle go way back. During the week he can be found all throughout the Netherlands to provide chain stores with new equipment. “I replace, place and repair everything you can find in a weekend that has a power cord attached. I travel about 1800 to 2000 kilometers per week. Every kilometer is accompanied by the real hardstyle, to me, that's from 2003 to 2011.”
Eddy used to be a real hardcore fan. “I was hooked on Neophyte, Endymion, The Viper, Evil Activities and Art of Fighters. But my friends thought it was all too hard and too fast.” Via MSN - the good old days - he was sent an MP3 with ‘Headhunterz - End of My Existence’ followed by ‘The Southstylers - Pounding Senses (Deeper Inside Remix)’. “And if that wasn’t enough, the friend added some Showtek records on top of it.” From that moment on he was sold. “The melody, the bass, the progression of the track, everything was in perfect harmony.” |
From that moment on, Eddy searched every day, for better versions of the mp3’s or unknown records he could download. “Do you remember the countdown of the days until the next FearFM came out? Or after a party, hoping that a good live recording could be found somewhere. Good times!”
The first Q-dance party he attended was Qlimax 2006. “I will never forget when I first walked into the stadium via the south grandstand. The sound, the lasers, the swaying crowd of people. GOOSEBUMPS!” Party Pinda realized he was home. And he still has that feeling every time he goes to a party. “Q-dance always manages to surpass themselves.” The over-the-top show, the big line-up. “Nothing to the detriment of other organizations, but Q-dance is always innovative.”
What his favourite party is, he finds hard to say. Lately, Eddy thinks the scene has changed and he doesn't think the parties are what they used to be. “The music has changed, so my demands have changed too. But if there’s a classic area, I'm in my element.” His #1 Q-dance event ever is by far X-Qlusive Showtek. “They are my heroes and what a show that was! X-Qlusive Technoboy was also fantastic. But then again, I’ve been to so many great parties, I can list them all.” |
Q-dance has given Eddy so much. “I often talk about it with friends and get a big smile on my face when I think about it. Those were the golden years for me!” In February he hopes to relive these golden years at DEDIQATED. “I'm hoping for a big line-up, with live-sets of my favorite artists from back in the days and lots of music from before 2011. I really want to go back in time!" The Party Pinda smiles. “Maybe I have become an old hardstyle lover, haha. I’m forever grateful to Q-dance for all they’ve brought me: parties, memories and good friends. I hope to be able to experience that again in February!”
The most DEDIQATED: Ricardo
Ricardo is 28 years old and lives with his girlfriend in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (NL). In his daily life, he is a driver on a telescopic crane and DEDIQATED to the core. His love for music started with hardcore. “I started listening to my brother’s Thunderdome CDs. On my 16th birthday, for the first time I went to a club where they played hardcore and hardstyle. I was hooked and went every weekend from that moment on.” Then the events of Bass Events followed and when he was finally 18, he visited his first Q-dance event. “Defqon.1 Scrap Attack in 2009.”
Since then, Ricardo’s life has been dominated by hardstyle and he doesn't want to miss a Q-dance party. “I don't care what party it is that Q-dance organizes, it always feels like home. I follow them closely and am always aware of what Q-dance has to offer. I’ll keep visiting these parties when I'm old and grey!” His favorite festival is Defqon.1. “The stages, the atmosphere, the people, I love everything about Defqon.1.” And his favorite indoor party is X-Qlusive Holland. “It’s nice to celebrate all that Dutch stuff, haha. We can be proud of that!” |
That Defqon.1 has a special place in his heart may be clear, but in 2018 it became extra special when he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the mainstage. “That was such a special moment. I really wanted to do that on Defqon.1 because this party means so much to the both of us.”
In addition to all the parties he has visited, Ricardo has also built up a large merchandise collection. “Hats, cardigans, cardholders. Everything that Q-dance makes I think is fantastic. My most beautiful item is the limited edition jacket of which only 300 are made. I wear it with pride.” He also tattooed the Defqon.1 logo on his left calf. “I did this on Defqon.1!” He also has a sleeve with festival logos, the Defqon.1 2014 stage, other Q-dance elements and even the signature of Q-dance founder Wouter Tavecchio. “That finishes it off. But my arm isn’t fully covered yet, I want to fill it up later, until it’s a full Q-dance sleeve.”
We can say that DEDIQATED is Ricardo's second name. And of course, the party on the 8th February is also on the agenda for him. He has high expectations! “Artists like Paul Elstak and The Prophet shouldn't be missed on the line-up. For me, they are the founders of hardcore and hardstyle.” He also hopes to see many other artists who have worked with Q-dance a lot. “I hope to be taken back in time, to where it all started, and then slowly building up to where we are at the moment. It will be a day to remember, no doubt!” |
DEDIQATED – 20 years of Q-dance vindt plaats op 8 februari van 12.00 tot 23.00 uur in het GelreDome in Arnhem. De kaarverkoop start aanstaande zaterdag 9 november om 13.00 via de Q-dance website.
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