With the recession finally draping away, the South African dance scene has once again started to erupt from its dormant crevices. As the scene changes globally, excited eardrums wait for something new and fresh, but we seem to corner ourselves into this ‘MTV’ mindset where we are spoon fed and told what to listen to via a lack of musical education.

I have been involved with the hard-dance scene for nine years with four of those years under the name Elemental, whilst also experimenting with other genres including trance and house. In your face, raw and uplifting would be a perfect way to describe my hardstyle sound. I like to evoke energy and emotion in the crowd, combining brilliantly arranged melodies and vocals. I guess me playing trance under Roché on the side helps me adapt those elements when I play the harder stuff. Imagine the euphoria from trance and the energy from hard house, combine the two @ 150Bpm and you’ll get the new Nu-Age hardstyle product.

The SA Hard Dance scene is fresh with new producers and DJs. I myself have focused a lot more on producing in 2011 and am now currently signed to Overdose Digital, a Welsh based record company specialising in hardstyle. I recently landed my second release in the top five of Track It Down’s Top 100 Hardstyle Chart, being the first South African to do so. It is more interesting that my music sells more in the USA and Australia then it does here. My vision sees a future of major studio time, and an arsenal of quality productions that will hopefully further spark the ears of the local and global nu-breeds.

On a world-wide scale the Hardstyle industry in particular is ranking itself amongst the ever growing trance scene. Recently Headhunterz (A leading Dutch hardstyle producer and No. 36 world ranked dj) spoke at Monday Bar in Sweden after closing for Ferry Corsten about how Hardstyle and Trance are growing together, where his ‘melodic Hardstyle’ gives something new to the clubbers after a night of trance and how it is able to blend in and further progress any given evening. This leaves for more variety and choice.  

Take a peek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrTK_kqYxr0

The dance scene is always changing and I think at the moment we are at the foot of an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) revival. In South Africa we have a rainbow of culture and taste, so therefore we require a variety of music. Unfortunately the events in the country are planned by the DJs and artists themselves therefore the direction of the events are generally favoured in what that artist likes. Club owners rely on whoever is playing that night to bring the numbers through the door, and that is where I believe our country can improve on.

The ideal event for me would cater for everyone’s musical tastes and at fair ground. One stage can fulfill the stomachs of thousands of hungry clubbers, by taking them on a musical progression throughout any given evening. We tend to flood specific genres and prevent exposure to other musical experiences. Instead of being ignorant of what sounds the world is experiencing, rather explore for yourself. This has helped me gather a much larger appreciation for music.

My main goal is to broaden the minds of the youth. I recently followed up on a comment from Above and Beyond where they attacked hardstyle after hearing one song. They further explored the hardstyle genre and responded with an apology stating that even though they were not fans of the music what they heard was better engineered and produced than most trance records. I believe I do not only speak for the harder styles but also other styles that are always left on the underground, including drum ‘n bass and psychedelic trance.

Music is moving together, let’s stop generalising, open our minds a little and expose it all.

Roché a.k.a. as Elemental is Mr Spencer’s latest contributor. He has been playing since the year 2000 when the Dutch music scene created hardstyle. He feeds the followers of Hardstyle the unique style of grinding bass and euphoric beats, brining it to the South African territory hoping to remove any negative connotations associated with the genre. Roch”é says South Africa needs to explore it's musical boundaries and I'm proud to be able to share my musical awareness to the rest of the country”.