Should you hold on to hardstyle?

Soundphase · Post by **Soundphase** » 02 May 2022, 12:24

This is a philosophical discussion.
Everyone who took a liking to hardstyle and hardcore knows that it's adrenaline fueled music packed with powerful energy. But what if this music doesn't serve your life? what if your friends stop understanding you because they don't get it or like it? what if it doesn't help your life in any way whatsoever?
so if it doesn't serve you, should you shun it? or keep supporting it?

SKRWD · Post by **SKRWD** » 02 May 2022, 12:37

Forcing is never a good idea in my opinion. Yet I've already caught myself doing it so. Basically the most part of modern Hardstyle just doesn't do it for me. Still, there are a few exceptions which lead me back to the genre. I'd say go for whatever makes you happy and even if it's not Hardstyle anymore, you can still listen to it every now and then and maybe you'll bond with it again. Last but not least, a very interesting question as I'm also quite philosophical.

Soundphase · Post by **Soundphase** » 02 May 2022, 12:47

SKRWD wrote:Forcing is never a good idea in my opinion.

I agree...and as a producer, I have stopped forcing things. If one doesn't enjoy it, there's no point. Hardstyle can be a way for a lot of people to express strength and a new identity, and I respect that, but forcing stuff crosses the line with me. People should feel free to do as they want, but we have to also wake up to reality and our feelings sometimes instead of dogmatically pushing for something.

DjVero · Post by **DjVero** » 02 May 2022, 12:56

Why would you want anybody else to like what you like

You're friends for a reason, that need not to be because of hardstyle or any other music style, but because of (many) other things. It'd be damn cool if it is one of the reasons, but totally fine as well if it isn't. I'm lucky my brother is into it as well, otherwise I'd be a lone soul among our friends, but in no way that would make me happy or unhappy. In fact, they look at me as a music nerd with me categorizing everything, but that's cool, we're friends for many other reasons

SarahKerrigan · Post by **SarahKerrigan** » 02 May 2022, 13:17

What do you mean your friends dont understand it? Do they have to? I mean if you like it, that should be enough for you right? I have many friends who have always seen it as mindless BOOM-BOOM music, I have had the same people find liking to some but overall we dont really share the same taste. Guess what? We're still friends! Listen to what you like, other people will listen to what they like and maybe you'll find common ground in certain type of music to enjoy together

Soundphase · Post by **Soundphase** » 02 May 2022, 13:28

SarahKerrigan wrote:What do you mean your friends dont understand it? Do they have to? I mean if you like it, that should be enough for you right?

It's complicated though. You might want to be on the same alignment as the people you get on with. What if you don't want to feel alone? The feeling of being on your own liking something can be repulsive to some people.
This is why people tend to follow trends, because if they wouldn't follow trends they wouldn't be fitting in anywhere. People have to go with the flow in some cases, because you could be interested in a lot more music than hardstyle.

DjVero · Post by **DjVero** » 02 May 2022, 15:24

Soundphase wrote:
SarahKerrigan wrote:What do you mean your friends dont understand it? Do they have to? I mean if you like it, that should be enough for you right?
It's complicated though. You might want to be on the same alignment as the people you get on with. What if you don't want to feel alone? The feeling of being on your own liking something can be repulsive to some people.

Judging others by liking something on their own is repulsive imo. Again, why would you want to hang out with empty people like that?

And also if you do want to hang out with brainless people, why do you worry about what they may or may not think of you? Just be yourself and do not try to fit in what is 'right'!!! You're not a teenager anymore, are you?

Emre · Post by **Emre** » 02 May 2022, 15:30

What Vero said. Luckily I have a friends group which all are into hardstyle just like me, but if they weren't, why would I in my right mind stop listening to the music I love because they don't like it? You are your own person.

About 'does it help you further in life', that's not how I approach music/hobbies. They are for fun. Although in hardstyle's case, it definitely helps me to have a big passion and it is good for my mental health, so, yes it does.

battlejellyfish · Post by **battlejellyfish** » 02 May 2022, 15:43

Some good points in the above posts. I can only add that when hardstyle mattered the most for me, the way of expressing myself, it surely made me anxious about the "what ifs" combined with my reserved life. This was in my teenager years. As my life, my thinking, my priorities, my openness towards other music genres changed it started to drastically draw back. It still matters to have similar interests but I'm much more easy on that.

Post by **ceero** » 02 May 2022, 17:38

I know 2, maaaaaybe 3 people who like and listen to hardstyle IRL and they are all a lot more casual hardstyle followers than I am. Plus they are no people i hang out with every day (mostly childhood friends who just live elsewhere). And on the top of that the most important person in my life - my girl who I'm living with absolutely despises it.

I'm quite used to the idea that my relationship with this music is very intimate and i dont really have anyone (except people online, such as you guys here) to share it with. And I'm perfectly fine with it

If you have healthy relationships with important people in your life, a different hobby or taste in music can not be an obstacle in that relationship, if they are get rid of such people around you asap and you will do yourself a huge service.

The thing I'm struggling with more lately is the fact that its harder and harder for me to enjoy new hardstyle, for various reasons I talked about a dozen times on this board already. My dilemma is - Should I part ways with something that has been with me and was an incredibly important part of my life since 2005 but in the past 1-2 years it brings me more frustration than joy? Or should I continue to keep on looking for the gemstones in the pile of gravel? When they definitely still exist but the pile of gravel is ever growing?

While hardstyle has always been the genre I have been involved with the most and good 2/3 of my records collections consists of it, i always listened to tons of other genres. Back in the days it used to be mostly trance, house and dnb, these days its mostly techno, black metal and country/southern rock. There is so much awesome music out there and having your head stuck into one niche genre (like a large portion of hardstyle fanbase does, and i dont necessarily mean this regarding any of you guys here) is such a missed out opportunity in life. Its like eating one food over and over your whole life.

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Should you hold on to hardstyle?

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