Gunz For Hire is an alliance between two of the biggest names in hardstyle, Adaro and Ran-D. This Holland duo has been taking over some of the biggest stages that hardstyle has to offer including this year's massive Qlimax event which attracted tens of thousands of fans in an audio/visual experience almost unmatched in the rest of the electronic dance music world. In this year's DJ Mag top 100 poll, Gunz For Hire managed to snag the 63rd spot while Adaro occupies the 75th spot, and Ran-D is at #100. Known for their more raw tracks, listening to a Gunz For Hire set will almost certainly feel like a trip to the harder style of this popular genre.

In this final interview preview, read on as both Adaro and Ran-D explains why hardstyle is so big in Holland/Europe and why it's still in its infancy here in Canada and the U.S:

EDM Canada: Hardstyle is so massive in Holland and Europe yet it's in its infancy here in North America – why is that?

Adaro: People just don't know it yet.

Ran-D: I think even electronic dance music is still fairly new to America as compared to Europe in terms of attracting a big crowd. Of course there has always been dance music in America, but mainstream EDM is a little more easy to adapt to than hardstyle. I think it's always going to be a little bit more underground and I think that's where it belongs.

EDM Canada: In Holland, is hardstyle the mainstream sound or still considered underground?

Adaro: I don't think it's mainstream but it's the biggest undergound scene.

Ran-D: Yeah true.

EDM Canada: Yeah that makes sense. The stages over in Holland seem to rival the stages that we currently see at TomorrowWorld or even at EDC Las Vegas.

Ran-D: There are a lot of people that go to an event like Qlimax because they've heard of it, and events like Defqon and Decibel – they have a lot of visitors that go there for only day with friends and check out the event. There are a lot of smaller parties for the real hardstyle lovers.

Adaro: The die-hards.

The full interview will be released later today, so I hope that you'll all read it when it's ready.

In the meantime, enjoy one of my favourite tracks from Gunz For Hire called "Massacre":

In this interview preview, read on as both Adaro and Ran-D help explain how these hardstyle massives manage to get such breathtaking stages like the one we saw at this year's Qlimax:

EDM Canada: Whenever I see any hardstyle aftermovies, I notice the incredible amount of pyrotechnics and the beautiful stages. How did hardstyle movement become such a visual experience?

Ran-D: Back in the day it started with parties like Qlimax, where they started pretty small. Then it just starting getting bigger and I think it has to do with the type of music that hardstyle is. It's big music with big melodies and it just sounds really cool on a big stage. I think that's where the big stadium parties came from and then the shows just started to get more crazy and Q-Dance/Qlimax set a standard.

Adaro: The big events all started in Holland I think. It's our culture. Hard dance music is also in our culture.

Ran-D: Now people are used to having big shows --

Adaro: -- And you cannot go back.

Ran-D: (laughs). Yeah, and so the standard is really high. The expectation for the event and the stages are at a high level.

EDM Canada: It just seems so big. Is there any room for hardstyle to get even bigger in Europe or is everyone happy where they're at?

Ran-D: In Europe there can be a lot more growth but in Holland I just think it's a healthy scene that's at its peak. It's been there for a few years now and it's still healthy. We're seeing a lot of new people and kids getting into hardstyle as well so I think the future is going to be bright. But with the rest of Europe, I think there are a lot of countries where hardstyle can grow.

In the next interview preview, Gunz For Hire will give their thoughts on why hardstyle is so big in Holland/Europe and why it's still in its infancy here in Canada and the U.S.

You can read the full Gunz For Hire interview this Friday.

Gunz For Hire was chosen to provide the anthem for this year's Qlimax, it's called "Immortal", check it out:

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Interview preview (2/2): Gunz For Hire on why hardstyle is still in its infancy here in Canada and the U.S.

Interview preview (1/2): Gunz For Hire reflect on the massive visual live experience of a hardstyle event like Qlimax

EDM Canada