Hardwell



Robbert van de Corput (born 7 January 1988), better known by his stage name Hardwell, is a Dutch progressive and electro house DJ and music producer. He is currently The World's #1 DJ based on DJ Magazine's annual Top 100 DJs poll and is widely known for his live sets at major music festivals such as Tomorrowland and Ultra. The video streams of his performances on his personal YouTube channel have collectively garnered more than 70 million views.

Hardwell first gained recognition in 2009 for his bootleg of "Show Me Love vs. Be". He founded record label Revealed Recordings in 2010 and his own radio show and podcast, Hardwell On Air in 2011. He has since released four compilation albums through his label, as well as his own documentary film. Hardwell has stated that he is currently working on his debut studio album, which is expected to be released sometime in 2014.

Early life
Robbert van de Corput was born on 7 January 1988 in Breda, Netherlands, where he also grew up. He started playing the piano when he was four years old. When he was 13, he signed his first major record label and by the age of 14, he had begun DJing at reputable clubs across the Netherlands, however he had to take his parents with him, because he wasn't allowed in. He studied in a music school, and then went to the Rock Academy, and after 3 months of him being there, they told him to quit and get in the studio. He often cited fellow Breda native Tiësto as his biggest inspiration and mentor.

Musical career
Hardwell's remixing debut came in 2006 when his version of The Underdog Project's "Summer Jam" hit the clubs, then 2007 found him remixing the stadium techno act Scooter ("Lass Uns Tanzen") and collaborating with fellow DJ Greatski on the track "Never Knew Love" but it wasn't until two years later when Hardwell first gained recognition in 2009 for his bootleg of "Show Me Love vs. Be". The song is a mashup of Robin S.'s "Show Me Love" and the instrumental track "Be" by Steve Angello & Laidback Luke.

In 2010, Hardwell formed his own record label, Revealed Recordings. Soon after the launch, Hardwell started the release of Hardwell presents Revealed, a compilation album released annually which featured some of the label's biggest tracks of that year.

In March 2011, Hardwell launched his own radio show and podcast, Hardwell On Air. It is currently being broadcast on various international radio stations. Additionally, the podcast has a spot on iTunes' Top 10 Podcasts in several countries. His collaboration single with Tiësto, "Zero 76," was one of the biggest club tracks of that year and his first single to chart at #1 on Beatport and on the American iTunes dance chart. In addition to multiple other hits released by Hardwell in 2011, including "Encoded" and "Cobra," Hardwell entered DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs annual poll at #24.

In 2012, Hardwell's biggest track was the solo-original known as “Spaceman,” which has seen more sets, bootlegs, and remixes than any of his previous releases. In July of that same year, he went on to perform at the main stage of Tomorrowland. The performance currently holds over 20 million views on YouTube and was the most watched live DJ set on the site for more than a year before being surpassed by Hardwell's 2013 Ultra live set. It was dubbed by many as a contender for the best set of the year. Alongside other artists such as Alesso, Nicky Romero, Deniz Koyu and R3hab, Hardwell was named an EDM artist to watch in 2012 by MTV. He then placed at #6 on DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs annual poll for 2012.

Hardwell kicked off 2013 with a nationwide "Hardwell presents Revealed: Canadian Bus Tour," joined by fellow DJs Dyro and Dannic. This was then followed with a nationwide "Go Hardwell Or Go Home" tour that took place in venues across the United States. In March 2013, having featured for the first time on the main stage of Ultra Music Festival only one year prior in 2012, he returned to the Miami event and with over 21 million views, it is currently the most watched live DJ set on YouTube to date, surpassing Hardwell's 2012 Tomorrowland set. Hardwell’s set also broke all records for the most watched Ultra live broadcast with over 80,000 people watching his set online through the live stream.

In April 2013, Hardwell launched his "I Am Hardwell" world tour. The first phase of the tour saw sold-out shows in Jakarta, Singapore, Bangalore, Mumbai, Lisbon, and London with further venues coming up. Following on from his 2012 Tomorrowland performance, he returned to the main stage of the music festival in 2013. This time the live set gained a million views on YouTube in just several days and has been viewed over 19 million times to date.

During ADE in October 2013, Hardwell held the world premiere of his I Am Hardwell documentary at the Tuschinski cinema in Amsterdam. The documentary, filmed by Robin Piree, provides an inside-look at Hardwell’s rise and career over the past few years. The premiere was attended by several other famous DJs, including Armin van Buuren and Tiësto. Shortly after, Hardwell ranked at #1 on DJ Magazine's annual Top 100 DJs poll, making him the youngest DJ ever to top the list at 25 years of age. In an interview with DJ magazine, Hardwell stated that he is currently working on his debut studio album, which is expected to be released sometime in 2014. Hardwell will participate in the Super Festival 1 with Dyro and Bright Lights and the song "Never Say Goodbye".

DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs Rankings

 * 2011: #24 (New Entry)
 * 2012: #6 (Up 18)
 * 2013: #1 (Up 5)