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DJ Mag Top100 DJs
75
Warface
| RE-ENTRY

HARDSTYLE upstart Warface may have dropped out of the Top 100 DJs poll last year, but he’s back with a bang in 2019 following perhaps his biggest 12 months to date. “2018 to 2019 was an amazing year for me career-wise,” he tells DJ Mag. Top of his list of highlights was selling out his first solo show at the huge 6,000-capacity AFAS Live arena in Amsterdam, along with a headline show in Sydney and a host of mainstage performances across the world.

He’s also dropped a brace of tracks for End Of Line Records: solo effort ‘I Need You’ and ‘Strive For Domination’ with D-Sturb & Delete featuring Killshot & Artifact. December will see him return to AFAS Live for another massive solo show, and come January he’s off on a world tour, bringing his hammering hardstyle to eager fans around the globe. “The future has a lot of crazy things in store,” says the young Dutchman, who dons an intimidating skull mask with glowing eyes and a soldier’s helmet when on stage. “This is only the beginning.” 

Do you submit your DJ setlists to the relevant royalties collecting society?

“Of course.” 

What more can we do to combat the mental health crisis in our scene?

“I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis eight years ago. I ignored it. After three years the disease was getting worse. From that day, I’m taking much better care of myself. What I’m trying to say: There is always a way to combat the mental health crisis, but you make your own choice how far you go.” 

Are you personally doing anything to improve the gender balance of line-ups?

“Personally I don’t do anything extra. But I can really understand how challenging it can be for women in the scene. They are a target for the online community. The only thing I want to say to all those women: Ignore it and use all those comments as a motivation to work even harder and let the music speak.” 

What changes have you made this year to be more environmentally friendly?

“When I do groceries I always buy biological products. And to ’save trees’, all our paperwork is digital. And since we are on the plane a lot, we also donate for CO₂ Neutral.” 

What was your favourite toy when you were a kid?

“I guess it was Lego. But when I became older my favourite was – and still is – the PlayStation.” 

What’s your guilty pleasure?

“You can always wake me up to eat burgers.”