• Hi Tim, how are you doing these days?

I’ve been really busy actually, obviously music wise but i’m also finishing up my law degree. So even in these strange times I’ve got a lot of stuff to focus on and put my energy into. So yeah pretty good!

• Congrats on your recent step-up from Scantraxx Prospexx to Scantraxx Carbon! What can we expect from that career step? 

Thank you! I was really hyped when I first got the call, and after the talks at Scantraxx HQ I realised that I was really onto something with my music. The last year has been incredible and I want to keep that momentum going forward. Prospexx is an awesome place to experience what releasing music feels like but Carbon is definitely next-level. And that deserves a different approach on making music. I’m planning to release tracks more regularly and I want every new track to blow the last one out of the water. And I’m also working and practising my butt off to bring a hell of a stage performance as soon as events are opening up again.

• Can you tell us a bit more about yourself? What is your Hardstyle journey and how did you get into that music?

My hardstyle journey started about ten years ago, when I was still in high school. A couple of my friends were very passionate about hardstyle music and invited me to go to a few parties with them. And after that I quickly fell in love with the scene and music. And that developed into a hobby and slowly into my passion. 

• When did you know that you wanted to be a Hardstyle producer? 

Well DJ-ing and producing has always been a hobby of mine, I’ve produced other genres of EDM when I was really young, all sounded like pure sh*t to be honest. But like i said earlier the love for the scene and music became bigger each time I visited another event. When I saw those guys on stage, I realised that that’s what I want to do in my life. So I started making some kicks for fun and started to learn song structure. And at some point I chose to send in some demo’s and the rest is history.

• Dvastate started out as a duo and now you’re riding solo. What was the reason for the split-up and how does it feel to be a solo act now?

Yeah correct, I started Dvastate with my good buddy Jelle. We’ve worked together as Twisted Jesterz a long time ago, we actually released a few tracks at X-RAW back in 2017. And after tactfully changing the name in early 2020 we started again as Dvastate. The first year was a total rollercoaster ride, we started releasing again after a few years off. The streams were pretty good, the support was great.  It all went pretty fast actually. But early this year Jelle came to me and told me I should continue this journey on my own. He was super busy with multiple jobs and he felt like he couldn’t keep up anymore and was losing connection with the music we were releasing. He advised me to follow my dream and he was afraid that staying in a duo was going to hold me back. In the end I can only thank him for that, because I’m at Carbon now and things are looking great for the future. Being a solo act also gives you a lot more freedom to shape your music and the whole act to my own vision. So I have to say it’s quite liberating as well.

• Tomorrow, your first Scantraxx Carbon track “Diamonds” will be released! What was the production process like and what’s the story behind the track?

Well the production process was pretty stressful at first to be honest. As soon as I heard I was stepping up to Carbon I wanted to make a new track as soon as possible. But I also wanted to make my first Carbon release a good one, I didn’t want to compromise on quality. I really wanted to give this track a badass feel and vibe and as soon as I found the vocal, the inspiration hit me and I could finally finish it off. Also big thanks to Thomas (Scantraxx A&R) for helping me maximise the track. Guess you’ll have to stream it on Friday to hear it for yourself.

• What can we expect from Dvastate in the future? What are your goals?

Turning music into a full time career, playing big stages. That’s the goal. And I don't want to settle for anything less. Ofcourse, good things take time. So for the moment I'm focusing fully on releasing music as regularly as I can. And I hope to play all those new tracks live as soon as possible. One step at a time, we’ll see what the future holds for me.