After topping DJ Magazine's coveted Top 100 DJs fan poll last year at the age of 27, the trance DJ and producer Hardwell returns with his latest challenge.
As well as headlining massive dance festivals worldwide throughout last year, including an Abu Dhabi stop as a part of Creamfields in December, the Dutchman has been refining his much-anticipated debut album United We Are.
Released internationally last week, the album is, Hardwell explains, the result of years of touring.
“The album, I think, shows the experience I gained, particularly in the last few years,” he says. “What I wanted to do was release an album that I hope would be timeless, something I can sit back and hear in a couple of years and still be happy with.”
As insurance against the shape-shifting trance scene, Hardwell adopted an eclectic approach with genres ranging from big-room floor fillers (Eclipse) and deep house and progressive techno (Where Is Here Now) to the dance pop of Sally and Follow Me.
Hardwell is dismissive of the thought that some of the radio-baiting material on the album would turn off his hard-core dance fans, instead stating that musical experimentation is “part of the Hardwell sound”.
“I want people to have an experience with different sounds and genres,” he says. “Also an artist must keep pushing themselves by trying different things, but at the same time without losing their identity.”
Another talking point of United We Are is the album's big collaborations. While the pair-ups with fellow Dutchman and mentor Tiësto (Colours) and dance peer Bright Lights (Let Me Be Your Home) are not exactly surprising, Hardwell also enlisted the pop singer Jason Derulo for the euphoric Follow Me.
Hardwell says Derulo was simply returning the favour.
"I came into contact with Jason to do some work for his album and it all became natural from then," he says. "After working on his album, I returned to work on mine and I showed him some of my instrumental tracks and he said he really loved the melody for Follow Me – so we started working on it together."
Hardwell is back on the road again – this time headlining his own arena tours.
Hardwell explains the shows have more than the usual central DJ stage and blinding lasers. He hopes to create an intimate atmosphere with his fans, as much as a large arena allows.
“We spent a lot of time developing this show in order for that feeling with the crowd to come across. Yes, with arena tours it is hard to get that intimacy all the time, but we developed this new stage that is in the shape of a triangle, which gives fans more of an opportunity to get closer.”
As some one who cut his teeth playing in small clubs as a teenager, Hardwell says the same rules apply when performing at festivals to thousands of people.
“It’s all about knowing how to read the crowd and being accurate in understanding what they really want to hear,” he says. “It also always takes a couple of records for the crowd to warm up.”
There is a big chance that UAE fans will get to party with Hardwell again – he plans to return later this year.
After having “lots of fun” in the capital with Creamfields, Hardwell is now eyeing a solo date in Dubai. “We are currently working on generally arranging the dates for this tour,” he says. “I wanted to hit a lot of new places and I definitely want to take this show to Dubai as well.”
• United We Are is out now through Sony Music Middle East
