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Scabtik releases biggest project to date | Interview

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Scantraxx Silver artist Scabtik recently announced his biggest project to date, his Opus One EP. We sat down with the next-level talented producer to talk about the project, the idea behind it, and much more.

Hey Jeroen, you just announced your biggest project to date, can you tell us more about that?

Hey there! I have been working on my new concept ‘Opus’ for quite a while and now it’s finally time to show you what I’ve been up to. The main idea behind Opus is that I want to tell a story and let people experience a musical journey when listening to my music. The trailer that was released a few weeks back sets the mood perfectly.

What’s the story behind Opus One?

I'll start by explaining the origin of the word 'Opus'. Opus translates as work in Latin. In the 18th and 19th century musicians didn't name their musical pieces as we do nowadays, they actually numbered their works with an 'Opus' number. So Opus One basically means first work, my first work. And of course, Opus One is not my first work, however, it is the first part of a new era for me, a new chapter of a musician. This EP will introduce a more evolved sound and it therefore feels deserving of such an emphasizing title.

I’ve always been very inspired by classical music.

What made you choose the ancient vibes for the Opus One theme?

I’ve always been very inspired by classical music. Works of Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and Scarlatti to name a few composers I admire. When I dove deeper into this genre I got more and more excited. There is a world of beauty and inspiration to be found there. Using classical influences in my productions allows me to share my passion for Hardstyle and classical music at the same time, and hopefully challenge my fans to broaden their musical horizon. Not only the genre itself but also the era in which classical music flourished inspired me. We’re talking about a time before recording devices or cameras, so the only way to pass on the music was by notation. I love this almost mysterious vibe and that’s why I used the book in my trailer. Fun fact, the content in the book was not printed but hand-drawn by my brother. My other brother shot the video with me so you can say the Opus trailer was a real family project!

Opus One is quite different from your regular sound, what made you take a different approach music-wise?

There’s a thing that defines the Opus One tracks and gives these tracks a super unique flavor. All the melodies are in a ¾ time signature, this might be a bit technical for some but this means you count to three instead of four. This approach is inspired by the waltz, a subgenre in classical music where this time signature is used, and I wanted to implement this in my Hardstyle tracks. This trick has been done in a few other Hardstyle tracks, I’m curious if any of you can name a few! Furthermore, I wanted to challenge myself musically with the Opus One EP. I wanted to create a complex and more surprising musical sound in these tracks, to challenge the listener. Another characteristic of the EP is the lyrics in the tracks. They contribute to the mysterious vibe throughout the EP and make the EP feel like one big story instead of completely individual tracks.

The content in the book was not printed but hand-drawn by my brother. My other brother shot the video with me so you can say the Opus trailer was a real family project!

You’re a very talented piano player as we have seen in the announcement video as well as some other videos. How do you incorporate your skills in Hardstyle?

Playing piano has been a hobby of mine for years now, and I fell so in love with this instrument and its versatility that I just had to use these skills in my music production process as well. Finding my way across the keyboard of the piano really helped me to put my emotions into my music because it gave me a much deeper and broader understanding of how music works.

Can we expect more piano-influenced music in the future?

The piano is inherently connected to my creative process so you can definitely expect more of that. Someone who I really admire is JDX, who can just improvise behind the piano and play these amazing melodies and musical ideas with ease. I highly recommend checking out his videos on YouTube if you’re interested.

Where can we hear Opus One live this summer?

I got a few bookings to be announced but the booking I’m looking forward to the most is Defqon.1! It’s every Hardstyle producer’s dream to step on the holy grounds as a performing artist and this year it’s my first time to do so. So if you want to experience Opus One to the fullest, make sure to visit my performance at Defqon 1 on Thursday!