The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EDM Sauce.
Just for transparency's sake, I'm extremely partial to hardstyle. That being said, I want to spread my love for the genre to all. For some, hardstyle might be intimidating; it's abrasive, fast, and relentless. While that's certainly true for some of the rawer sides, there is a lighter, pop side that can ease any new listener into the harder styles. What better way to ease one in than sharing songs they might be familiar with? So I present 5 popular songs that hardstyle makes better.
Hardwell – Spaceman (Headhunterz remix)
This is probably the most well-known hardstyle remix out. This track starts out at electro house‘s usual 128 BPM range to ease you into the eventual harder, more rapid 150 BPM kicks. This is a textbook track which sheds light on hardstyle-specific composition. Hardwell himself played this on the mainstage to close his EDC set.
DVBBS x Borgeous – Tsunami (Jay Cosmic remix)
If you're tired of your favorite track becoming overplayed, as I'm sure many of you have with this festival banger, then there's no better way to revitalize a track than with a harder remix. The genre-defying Jay Cosmic offers an energetic remix that even makes DVBBS and Carnage go hard.
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike – Wakanda (Zatox remix)
This is among my most favorite of hardstyle remixes. After the intro, Zatox merely aligns a standard hardstyle kick with the original drop, warming the listener up to the impending harder interpretation of Wakanda's melodically descending Synth. Although I'm a complete Zatox fanboy, it's hard for anyone to deny that anything he touches turns to gold.
D.O.D. – Bananas (Kutski x Audiofreq remix)
Subground godfather Kutski and Audiofreq remixed D.O.D.'s ‘Bananas' to create a hard take on a track that probably should have been more popular than it was. Like Wakanda, they reel you in with the song's unabridged drop, then a harder, sharper version blares that completely dwarfs the original.
W&W x Blasterjaxx – Rocket (Jay Cosmic remix)
Another Jay Cosmic track, I know. But what can I say? You can't deny when music is good — and this remix is good. This is also a prime example of what this post it about: Mr. Cosmic offers a version better than the original. I've always felt the original was rather uninspiring; the wailing, dominating synth always seemed out of place. It's much more fitting with the intensity of hardstyle.
Went through this list and don't agree? Well, I at least got you listening to some hardstyle.
