Life is hard enough… that's why we need dance music, electronic duo say as they reveal favourite tunes

The Irish Sun

a day ago

SHOWTEK'S journey through dance music has always been about breaking boundaries and bringing people together.
Brothers Wouter Janssen and Sjoerd Janssen are best known for their genre-defining 2007 hardstyle anthem "FTS," and the Dutch duo continue to resonate with a new generation of ravers as "FTS" experiences a resurgence with super-hot remixes by Reinier Zonneveld and Sub Zero Project.
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Brothers Wouter Janssen and Sjoerd Janssen have revealed their favourite tracks
Credit: Rutger Geerlink
To mark the release, Showtek have released a short video that dives into the track's origins, cultural significance, and why it's resonating with a whole new generation of ravers.
That momentum, which also included Reinier Zonneveld's remix of "FTS" released on April 25, continued with Showtek's performance at EDC Las Vegas and Sub Zero Project's reinterpretation of "FTS" last month.
There are more remixes in the pipeline.
"Even though 'FTS' is a hardstyle track, it somehow cuts across genres and generations', Showtek reflects in the film.
"It's a reminder that music doesn't have an expiration date.'
"We always aim to create something new and different when we sit down.
"The fact that it resonates with so many generations, cultures, and genres is a dream come true. When we created it, we wanted to tell a story about why we all gather every weekend together at festivals and events, to forget about our daily bs and the frustration we have to deal with as individuals and as a society as well.
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The pair want to use music to alleviate the stress of life
Credit: Rutger Geerlink
"Dance music is created to unite and come together and be in harmony. That message has not changed and is still current.
"Life is hard enough sometimes, and to be able to release negative energy together is a unique experience that doesn't age. That's why dance music is still growing and so important."
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We caught up with Showtek this week and they've put together a playlist of music that echoes with the same raw energy, emotion and spirit of rebellion that 'FTS' represents including music from The Prodigy, Faithless, Fatboy Slim, Deadmau5 and David Guetta.
Faithless - Insomnia
Growing up in the 90's, Faithless has been a big inspiration to us. Besides the amazing vocals by Maxi Jazz (R.I.P.), their music and anthem approach to dance music stood out. They also put dance music on the map, being more than just an underground thing.
The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
The Prodigy has been sonically and energy-wise one of our favorites ever.
We are not typically drum and bass or jungle fans, but the way they mixed, sampled older stuff into new beats and produced their records was beyond any subgenre thinking. It sounded real and pure, and that's what it's all about.
Tiesto - Traffic
Tiësto is the goat when it comes to putting the Netherlands on the international dance map and EDM as a genre. His music was also top-rated on national radio in the Netherlands. So hearing Traffic, Lethal Industry, and even Flight 643 (which is an instrumental track), along with all his other hit songs on a daily basis, shaped a playground for many Dutch aspiring producers to follow their dance hearts, and we were one of them. In 2011, we started working with Tijs (Tiësto) himself, and he has taught us a lot.
Fatboy Slim - Praise You
Fatboy Slim, yes, another UK act, is one of the coolest producers out there.
Accompanied by amazing videos like "Praise You," he showed us that it's OK to produce whatever you think is cool. Such a pivotal producer also in the 90s, inspiring many of us.
Benny Benassi - Satisfaction
Benny Benassi, in our opinion, accompanied by a few other songs in the early 2000s started the big electro-ed sound and is responsible for making EDM such a big genre. I (Wouter) remember the first time hearing this at a rave I visited, and I was blown away by the sonics and impact of one of the most iconic songs to this date. And it still has that impact. Such a game-changer.
Cygnus X - Superstring (Rank 1 Remix)
The song Superstring by Cygnus X, which is a massive trance anthem that is not our go-to subgenre of dance, still has a major influence on how we produce to this day.
Not to forget that the Rank 1 remix is the one we love, and speaking of which, Rank 1 are incredible producers that are also one of our favourite pioneers in dance/trance music.
Their songs sounded big and emotional and are in some way the leeway on an inspirational level to our later hardstyle productions. "Superstring" has it all, anthem vibes but still emotional.
Cosmic Gate - Exploration of Space
When we were kids, Cosmic Gate was super popular in high school.
Their harder approach to the trance style and big melodies was everyone's favourite.
The music also sounded super well produced and, for us, was a huge influence on how we approached our hardstyle productions.
Now (Wouter) and I (⅕ of Cosmic Gate) both live in NYC and have become really good friends over the years. Their music still lives with many generations of EDM music lovers; it's pretty impressive.
Deadmaus - 4x4 = 12
Deadmau5's album 4x 4 was our biggest wake-up call when it comes to sonic, mixing, engineering, and making sure your music sounds incredible.
We had our first show in Canada with Skrillex ( who is also on our favourites lists) and Deadmau5 back in 2009 and were blown away by how his music sounded. Our ™ -Roger ( who is also one of the audio execs at Tomorrowland) was telling us how we should listen to Deadmau5 and the way he engineers his music.
This happened on a road trip from Calgary to Edmonton. We were playing our demos to him and then listened to Deadmau5 and felt we had to really improve our mixing. Later that night, we went into the crowd after we played to hear and see him live.
And it felt like he pushed us to another level by the way his music sounded, and also reached the crow with an incredible show
David Guetta Feat. Kid Cudi - Memories
Besides working with David and being good friends, we and the entire industry owe him a big thank you for opening so many doors for the generation after him.
His music, combining pop and hip-hop with dance, introduced the genre to the entire world. Songs like "Memories," "Titanium," and "Love is Gone" are undeniably well-crafted pieces of art.
Working with David is a privilege, and we're hoping to drop a new song with him soon.
Showtek - FTS
The fact that this track resonates with so many generations, cultures, and genres is a dream come true. When we created it, we wanted to tell a story about why we all gather every weekend together at festivals and events, to forget about our daily bs and the frustration we have to deal with as individuals and as a society as well.
Dance music is created to unite and come together and be in harmony.
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That message has not changed and is still current. Life is hard enough sometimes, and to be able to release negative energy together is a unique experience that doesn't age.
That's why dance music is still growing and so important and this track is so important for us.