Headhunterz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Headhunterz
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Willem Rebergen |
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| Born | 12 September 1985 |
| Origin | Veenendaal, Netherlands |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
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Willem Rebergen (born September 12, 1985), known by his stage name Headhunterz, is a famous Dutch DJ and music producer. He is a big name in the hardstyle music world. Besides making music, Rebergen is also a voice actor. He has provided his voice for the Dutch versions of several movies and TV shows.
Headhunterz started his music journey in 2005. He has played at huge music festivals like Qlimax, Defqon.1, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Tomorrowland.
At first, he released music on a label called Scantraxx. Later, in 2013, he started his own record label, HARD with STYLE. That same year, he signed with the American label Ultra Music. After exploring different music styles, he officially returned to hardstyle in 2017.
In 2018, Headhunterz and his friend, DJ Wildstylez, created a new hardstyle label called Art of Creation.
Contents
Life and Music Career
How It All Started
Willem Rebergen was born in Veenendaal, a town in the Netherlands. As a kid, he was very interested in music. He joined a children's choir, which gave him his first chance to be in a professional recording studio. This experience made him want to create his own music.
In 2003, he went to a music festival called Qlimax. It was his first time hearing hardstyle music, a genre known for its fast tempo and deep, hard-kicking bass. He loved it so much that he decided to become a hardstyle artist. He said he became "devoted to hardstyle" and wanted to learn how to make it.
He bought DJ equipment and started practicing. He also used a computer program called FL Studio to produce his own tracks. He and his friend Bobby van Putten formed a duo called Nasty D-Tuners. They sent their music to different record labels. In 2004, they won a DJ contest at the Defqon.1 festival, which earned them a spot to perform there.
Becoming Headhunterz
In 2005, the duo signed with Hardcontrol Records. Soon after, they met Dov Elkabas (also known as The Prophet), the founder of the major hardstyle label Scantraxx. He saw their talent and signed them to his label. They had to change their name, so they chose "Headhunterz."
By the end of 2005, they were playing at big hardstyle events. But soon, Bobby van Putten decided to leave the group to focus on his studies. Willem continued on his own as Headhunterz. His first solo performance was at Defqon.1 in 2006.
The year 2007 was a big success for Headhunterz. He released popular solo tracks like "Rock Civilization" and "Forever Az One." He also created the official anthem for Qlimax 2007, called "The Power of the Mind." This helped him become one of the top artists in the hardstyle scene.
Project One and Rise to Fame
In 2008, Headhunterz teamed up with another talented artist, Wildstylez. They created a special project called Project One. In just three months, they produced a whole album together. The album was a huge hit and had a big influence on the sound of hardstyle music. It featured more melodies and new types of kick drums.
From 2009 to 2011, Headhunterz's popularity grew worldwide. He created the 2009 anthem for Defqon.1, "Scrap Attack." He also collaborated with Wildstylez and Noisecontrollers on the famous track "Tonight." In 2010, he was ranked number 36 in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list, the highest position for a hardstyle artist that year.
In 2011, he started a monthly podcast called HARDwithSTYLE. In the podcast, he shared his favorite new tracks from both famous and new artists. The podcast became very popular and helped many new producers get noticed.
Exploring New Sounds
In 2012, Headhunterz released his second album, Sacrifice. He donated all the money from the album to Dance4Life, a charity that helps young people learn about health issues. One of the most famous tracks from the album was "Dragonborn," inspired by the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Around this time, he started to experiment with other genres of electronic music, like house music. He made remixes for famous artists like Kaskade, Hardwell, and Zedd. These remixes were very popular and introduced his music to a wider audience.
In 2013, he signed with Ultra Music, a major American dance music label. He also started his own record label, HARDwithSTYLE Records, to promote hardstyle music from new artists. He said he wanted to have more creative freedom to explore different styles of music. This led him to work with artists like W&W and Steve Aoki.
Return to Hardstyle
Even though he was making different kinds of music, Headhunterz never forgot his hardstyle roots. In June 2016, he made a surprise appearance at Defqon.1. The crowd's excited reaction was very emotional for him.
A year later, at Defqon.1 2017, he officially announced his return to hardstyle. He gave a speech saying he was ready to "surrender to who I really am." His fans were thrilled to have him back.
In 2018, he released the album The Return of Headhunterz, which was filled with new hardstyle tracks. He also started the label Art of Creation with Wildstylez to focus on high-quality hardstyle music.
Voice Acting Work
Besides his music career, Rebergen has also worked as a voice actor. He provides the Dutch voices for characters in movies and TV shows.
| Production | Role |
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| The Land Before Time | LittleFoot |
| Harry Potter | Fred & George Weasley |
| Rocket Power | Sam Dullard |
Discography
- Headhunterz & Wildstylez Presents: Project 1 (2008)
- The Best of Headhunterz (2009)
- Studio Sessions (2010)
- Sacrifice (2012)
- The Return of Headhunterz (2018)
Images for kids
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Project One at Qlimax 2008
See also
In Spanish: Headhunterz para niños
