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Hardwell
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Hardwell is the stage name of Robbert van de Corput, a Dutch DJ and producer, born on 7 January 1988 in Breda. The name comes from his father, who translated his surname from Latin and Dutch into English: cor means heart, put means well. For a more appealing sound he changed heart to hard. He had piano lessons at the age of six, and at twelve he made his first tracks in electro while working as a hip hop DJ. He was influenced by Tiësto, who also comes from Breda.
Music and breakthrough
In 2002, at the age of fourteen, he got a record deal with Digidance, the label of the producer duo Klubbheads. His first real single, Play It Around, followed in 2006. In 2009 he made a name for himself with his bootleg of Show Me Love vs. Be. In 2010 he founded the label Revealed Recordings, and in 2011 he started the radio show and podcast Hardwell On Air. DJ Mag named him the best DJ in the world in 2013 and 2014. Spaceman was released in 2012. His debut album United We Are came out in 2015, followed by Rebels Never Die in 2022. In 2018 he announced a break from touring, and in 2022 he returned to the main stage at Ultra Miami.
Influence
His music is large-scale electro and big-room house, intended for festival stages. Hardwell belongs to the generation of Dutch DJs who conquered the world after Tiësto, and he showed that dance music could draw a mass audience, with its build-ups, breaks and explosive drop.
Listening
Spaceman · Hardwell, 2012Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 2013I Am Hardwell (soundtrack)
- 2015United We Are
- 2022REBELS NEVER DIE
Mentioned in other articles
- Dutch house Genre
Around 2008 Dutch DJs such as Chuckie, Afrojack, Laidback Luke and Hardwell made a kind of house of their own, also called dirty Dutch, after Chuckie's parties.
- Animals Song
In the same year Hardwell was voted the world's best DJ.