01. Robin S/Steve Angello & Laidback Luke ‘Show Me Love vs. Be’ (Hardwell Bootleg) “Just because it’s one of the biggest bootlegs I’ve done so far.”
02. Linkin Park ‘Numb’ (Hardwell Bootleg) “I wanted to do a rock track and bridge that to a dancefloor-friendly version.”
03. Deniz Koyu & Avicii ‘Bong Into Darkness’ (Hardwell & Dannic Mash-Up) “It’s a mash-up of Avicii’s ‘Fade Into Darkness’ and Deniz Koyu’s ‘Bong’. I played it in Singapore. It blew up!”
loves the energy in my music and we have been working on a tune together.” Both Major Lazer and Hardwell were on the bill for two-day beach festival Zoukout last December in Singapore. They played on different stages, on the same night. “We were supposed to work on a track together the next day,” says Hardwell. “I didn’t see Diplo in the hotel in the morning, but I knew we were on the same flight the next morning, so I walked onto the plane with my laptop open and ready. Thing is, he fell asleep. By the time he woke up, about four hours later, I’d put together a whole plan for a tune. It will come out eventually, and it’ll be a Major Lazer-style thing.”
LOVING IT Hardwell’s energy is unquenchable. His skill is unquestionable. He knows what he wants, and how to get it. And he hits at it from all angles — his DJ sets, his radio show, his productions, his re-edits, his record label, his own tailor-made concert show. “I love it all equally,” he raves. “All the different parts feed into each other. People keep asking me if I’m going to make an album, but I don’t want to at the moment. I think an album slows you down. You have to stop, spend time in the studio. I think my sound has developed so much because I make track after track. I don’t want to be locked in a studio for six months. I don’t want to stay still.” Hardwell misses his friends and family — because of his DJ schedule, he doesn’t often get to see them. He lives in Breda, but he rarely spends time there. The places he sees most, he says, are airports and hotel rooms. “When I got my first gigs at Hollywood, in Rotterdam, my parents would have to take me to the gig and stay with me in the club until I’d
finished,” admits Hardwell. “They had to keep doing that until I was 18. They have always supported me and I wouldn’t be here today without them.” As huge as the hype currently is around Hardwell, he’s not about to start believing it. And that’s probably what makes him so special. You can see it in his face when he DJs. He’s the same age as most of the people he plays music to and it’s clear that he loves every single tune he plays. “You asked me if it’s a job,” he says. “It is a job. But it’s the best job in the world.”
•Catch Hardwell in Miami at Ultra on the Main Stage (16th March), at the DJ Mag Miami party at Delano (20th) and his Revealed Recordings event at Mansion (21st)...
04. Underworld ‘Born Slippy’ (Hardwell Bootleg) “I haven’t played it that much but I still love that edit. It’s a typical Hardwell edit — a bit Dutchy, big room. I think the break is so good on it. It’s always been one of my favourite classic records.”
05. Jay-Z & Kanye West ‘Heard You Were Walking In Paris’ (Hardwell & MAKJ Bootleg) “I played it at Ultra and it was definitely one of my high points!”