Headhunterz is the stage name of Dutch DJ and producer Willem Rebergen, born on 12 September 1985 in the town of Veenendaal. He is considered one of the most influential artists in the history of hardstyle. His tracks, festival anthems and signature sound helped shape the modern understanding of the genre and brought it onto the global stage.
Early years
Willem’s musical life started early: he sang in a children’s choir and first ended up in a professional studio at a young age, recording Christmas albums. That was when he first saw sound engineers at work and felt the magic of the studio process.
As a teenager he was actively involved in voice acting — his voice was used for characters in Dutch dubs of popular films and animated movies. This gave him early experience working with a microphone and an understanding of how sound is created.
The decisive moment came in 2003, when he attended the Qlimax festival. Hearing hardstyle live impressed him so much that he went home determined to devote himself entirely to this genre. He spent hours in a small home studio, learning synthesizers and music production software.
Career beginnings: Nasty D-Tuners → Headhunterz
At first, Willem performed as part of the duo Nasty D-Tuners together with a friend. The duo won a young talent contest at Defqon.1, landed their first gigs and caught the attention of producers.
Soon, Willem began his solo journey under the name Headhunterz — and it was under this alias that he broke through onto the global hardstyle scene.
Breakthrough: Scantraxx, Qlimax, anthems and a signature style
Headhunterz quickly became an artist on the leading Dutch hardstyle label of that time. His early releases stood out with powerful pitched kicks, catchy mainstage melodies and a strong sense of emotion.
In 2007 he produced the official Qlimax anthem — «The Power of the Mind». It was a symbolic moment: creating the anthem for the biggest hardstyle festival means stepping into the top tier of the genre.
In the years that followed, his tracks became an integral part of major festivals:
-
«Rock Civilization»
-
«The Sacrifice»
-
«Just Say My Name»
-
«Scrap Attack» (Defqon.1 anthem)
His musical style laid the foundation for what would later be called nu-style hardstyle — a combination of powerful drums, detailed synth work and a cinematic approach.
Project One — an album that changed the scene
In 2008, Headhunterz teamed up with Wildstylez and created the project Project One. In just a few months the duo recorded a self-titled album that became a turning point for the genre.
Tracks such as:
-
«Life Beyond Earth»
-
«The Art of Creation»
-
«The Story Unfolds»
did not just become hits — they set the musical standard for melodic hardstyle for many years to come.
2009–2012: global fame and DJ Mag Top 100
Headhunterz became a headliner at the world’s biggest festivals: Defqon.1, Qlimax, Decibel, Tomorrowland, Mysteryland.
In 2010 he entered the DJ Mag Top 100 for the first time and became the highest-ranked hardstyle DJ that year.
In 2012 he reached 11th place, which remains a historic record for a hardstyle artist.
During this period he launched the podcast HARD with STYLE, which became the main information hub for hardstyle worldwide. Many artists first gained recognition thanks to his podcasts.
Experimental period (2013–2016)
In 2013, Headhunterz signed with Ultra Music and began working actively with EDM labels, including Revealed Recordings and Mainstage Music. During this time he collaborated with artists such as Hardwell, W&W, Krewella, Kaskade, Steve Aoki, Crystal Lake and other key figures of the global EDM scene. He released tracks that blended hardstyle with big room and progressive house, experimented with his sound and performed at the biggest festivals — Tomorrowland, EDC, Ultra Music Festival.
Despite mixed reactions from the audience, Willem emphasized that this phase was an important search for freedom and a way to step outside genre boundaries so that he could later return to hardstyle with new creative experience.
Return to hardstyle and the creation of Art of Creation (2017–present)
In 2017, Headhunterz made a surprise appearance on the main stage of Defqon.1 during the festival’s closing and announced his return to hardstyle. It became one of the most emotional moments in hardstyle history.
Together with Wildstylez he launched the label Art of Creation — a home for a new generation of artists and a platform for developing melodic hardstyle. Later, Noisecontrollers and other top producers joined the roster.
In 2018 he released the conceptual record «The Return of Headhunterz», which cemented his full return to his roots.
Style
Headhunterz is one of the key architects of modern melodic hardstyle:
-
emotional melodies,
-
powerful pitched kicks,
-
atmospheric, storytelling-style track structures,
-
a humanistic, uplifting message in the vocals.
He has always aimed not just to make dance music, but to transmit through it a feeling of unity, mutual support and inspiration.
Interesting facts
-
Willem started his career as a voice actor and is still known in the Netherlands for his work in film and cartoon dubbing.
-
He dedicated his album «Sacrifice» to charity — all proceeds were donated to an HIV/AIDS fund.
-
He is one of the few artists who managed to bridge hardstyle and EDM without losing his artistic identity.
-
His return at Defqon.1 in 2017 is often called «the most emotional moment in the festival’s history».
-
Project One is still considered one of the best projects in hardstyle history and occasionally reunites for special shows.
-
Headhunterz’s philosophy revolves around the idea of the Orange Heart — a community of people united by the energy of hardstyle.
Conclusion
Headhunterz is an artist who not only produced dozens of hits, but helped define an entire era of electronic music. He pushed the boundaries of the genre, brought hardstyle to a global audience, went through a period of experimentation and returned to strengthen the foundations of the culture he helped build.
His influence is still felt today — in the music, the festivals, the artists and the huge worldwide community he has inspired and continues to inspire.
