Brennan Heart: Saving Euphoric [Interview]

“At the moment I’m at a phase in my life in which I’m reflecting on the past 20 years, which gave me inspiration for new sounds and feelings,” says Brennan Heart, reflecting on what inspired his upcoming album ‘Save Euphoric.’

‘Save Euphoric‘ is not only the album title of Brennan Heart‘s upcoming body of work, it’s also a statement he wholeheartedly believes in. For over 20 years now, Brennan Heart has been a champion of the euphoric melodies of the hardstyle scene, something that has always inspired him. Not only wanting to represent the genre, Heart is also going on a deep, reflective journey within himself where he states that he’s “exploring the landscapes of my own emotions and life experiences with music.”

Sitting down with him, we got all the exclusive information on this upcoming release and exactly why he wants to ‘Save Euphoric’.

First of all, talk to us about your upcoming album and what inspired you to create it.

“First of all, it’s the personal voyage I undertake, searching for sounds that touch an emotional chord within me. But it’s also a tribute to the sounds that have defined my peak moments over the past twenty years. Sparking unforgettable memories through tracks like ‘Imaginary’ and ‘Lose My Mind,’ but also some of my new tracks that I played at Qlimax last year, adds to the feeling of unity, family and togetherness.  That’s the essence of my music and the inspiration behind it for me. “

The title of the album itself, ‘Save Euphoric’, seems to send a strong message to the hardstyle community in itself. Can you tell us more about this?

“‘Save Euphoric’ is a deeper exploration of my bond with music and the people I share it with. The connection with the crowd is hard to put in words, but it’s a circle of giving and receiving back and forth. People connect music to whatever they are going through in life at that point in time and that’s how music becomes meaningful and memorable. But many years down the road we’re not that same person anymore, so in one sense the title refers to holding on to unforgettable personal moments of the past.  

Currently, I find myself in a period of reflection on the last two decades, a journey that has inspired the new sounds I’m excited to reveal in this album. It’s not about preserving euphoric sounds; instead, it signifies my personal odyssey and pays tribute to the era and the sounds that have significantly influenced me.“

So it’s more about cherishing the beautiful memories that came along with these sounds over the years than saving the genre?

“Exactly! I like the full spectrum of hardstyle and my live sets reflect that. I’m a big fan of artists such as Rooler, Aversion, Rebelion, as well as the super talented Thyron, who is signed to my label, but I’m also a big fan of the older style and sounds. I embrace it all, because to me Hardstyle is a feeling, it’s one sound that has many faces. Now, to be perfectly clear:  I’m not on a mission to rescue euphoric hardstyle, but my deep affection for music with an emotional atmosphere and inspiring vocals and lyrics is closest to my heart and that’s what I want to express with this album.”

Since you’ve been in the scene now for over 20 years, what are some of the biggest differences you’ve seen when you started out versus now?

“When I started producing music, hardstyle as a genre didn’t even exist. There was hard trance, techno and UK hard house and people were experimenting in the harder fringes of dance music. I was among the pioneers in creating these tunes, heavily relying on a single sample, a technique you now often find in techno. It’s quite funny that techno DJs today are spinning hardstyle tracks I created two decades ago. The addition of melodies really integrated hardstyle into the broader music scene. A major turning point came with my track ‘Lose My Mind,’ created in collaboration with Wildstylez. My love for melodious songs drove its creation, and following its release, a growing number of hardstyle DJs began embracing vocals and melodies in their tracks.

Right now, we’re at an incredibly fascinating point in time where boundaries blur and anything goes. That’s what I love, because I think that making music in any genre is more about guidelines than rules. Hardstyle is here to stay, it’s being played at all types of venues and by all types of DJs across the dance scene. “I AM HARDSTYLE” is still my brand and my creed and compared to 20 years ago the genre has become so much broader, bringing endless opportunities to play as many stages across the music scene but still representing the harder sounds.“

In your sets, you blend different styles and sounds. How do you plan this?

“I don’t plan these things, these things just happen. Collaborating with other artists and remixing tracks brings a wide variety of sound in a set. I have done collabs with several artists outside the hardstyle scene like Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike or Timmy Trumpet. But also in the studio the mood differs from time to time. For example, I made a new version of the legendary Hans Zimmer score ‘Now we are free’ (Gladiator theme song) to play at Qlimax. That’s something completely different than a collab with Timmy Trumpet, of course. But the one doesn’t exclude the other, that’s what I love, the diversity. That’s also what I want people to feel in my sets, I want them to have a great time and present them with the diversity which hardstyle has to offer.”

Aside from the album, what other plans do you have for the future?

“Who I once was, is not who I am today and who I am now is not who I’ll be in the future.” That’s the same with music, it’s a process of constant change and development which I want to embrace and keep on embracing. I feel like I’ve only just begun, music is important to me but I also want to keep on developing as a human being. So besides music I also want to focus on my mental health, but also on the health of the people and the talented artists around me. Because nothing is more important than that!”

Brennan Heart’s upcoming album ‘Save Euphoric’ will be out later this year. One of the album singles ‘Brennan Heart presents Blademasterz – Sound Of The Blade’ is out now. 

Official merchandise is available via the I AM HARDSTYLE webshop

Follow Brennan Heart on Instagram here to keep updated, and listen to his latest release below.