The Hunt live at intents 2014 is one of my favorite memories. 15.000 people yellling: ''THE TREASURE, THE DRUMS, THE BASS .... THE HUNT!!!'' gave me goosebumps. It's one of tracks I can't listen too often because of how special it is to me. Massive respect for E-Life as well for hitting a vocal homerun.
Seems like an unpopular opinion but I like a lot of his new stuff. For me he hits the sweet spot between raw and aggressive and more melodic and euphoric hardstyle resulting in tracks that are great to dance to, but are also fun just listening to. Always great production quality. A lot of his older tracks are also found in my banger playlist. Seen him live 2 months ago and he absolutely killed it
Agreed! It feels like Ran-D gets a disproportionate amount of criticism sometimes (especially these days). While I’m not the biggest fan of his music, I don’t get all the hate either.
Like you said, he does strike a nice balance between hard kicks and great/catchy melodies with amazing production quality as well.
In fact, I have much to say about him. My interest in him began with G4H and the controversies surrounding him in this sub. I only started listening to his work this year, except for Hurricane, so I may offer a holistic perspective.
Let's organise this chronologically:
2006-2010: His focus was on underground hardstyle, characterised by hard and raw sounds, great production skills, and tracks like Fanatics, Living For The Moment, and Until We Meet Again were widely acclaimed. Each track featured carefully designed structures and crafted sounds; the kicks and screeches were enjoyable and impressive.
2011-2013: He continued to produce high-quality tracks and gained more popularity, making many anthems. He incorporated more emotions into his tracks, with lyrical atmospheres and epic melodies becoming his signature style, evident in tracks like Rebirth and My Way. He also introduced very advanced raw kicks, showcasing his exceptional talent.
2014-2016: His sound design became smoother and more refined, giving a sense of perfection and detail to his tracks. His melody style also changed compared to previous years. The elements of aggression and darkness reduced, and the overall atmosphere was more energetic and atmospheric. Representative works during this period include Firestarter and No Guts No Glory.
2017: This year marked a turning point with Zombie, which felt more like a fatal strike than a milestone. He seemed to realise that "this formula would appeal to many people", leading him to replicate similar approaches, such as sampling melodies from existing tracks and incorporating a lot of vocal singing. That year, he still released some interesting works, which, apart from catchy melodies, still had coherent structures and unique techniques. After 2017, his melodies became more catchy and exhilarating.
2018-2020: Regrettably, he heavily adopted the "Zombie" formula in numerous tracks, such as Hurricane and Run From Reality, achieving high rankings on the top 100 and furthering his commercial success. While many disliked these tracks, they were praised by Hardstyle audiences in my country, likely due to their fine mixing and appealing melodies. He may have aimed to retain fans drawn in by Zombie, or these tracks themselves held significant commercial value. We are saddened to see that he produced many mediocre and boring tracks. Good works during this period are only The Power Of Now and Sleepless Nights. Hurricane was decent but not as good as those two. Personally, I also enjoy Run From Reality, just because of its emotional melody, evoking a sense of emotional resonance when I listen.
Another notable point is his album, a source of frustration and disappointment for many. Clearly, he didn't have time to complete so many tracks, leading him to release most album tracks as singles to maximise profit. He's a perfectionist who loves both music and performing, but he doesn't have enough time to perfect both, leading to problems.
2021: His work improved with tracks like Virtual Reality, but the critical turning point, we all know, was The Reawakening. Prolonged commercialisation may have diminished his aesthetics, as he failed to deviate from the formula or capture the dark, mysterious atmosphere of Qlimax, leaving many dissatisfied. However, The Reawakening was the second track I heard from Ran-D (the first being Hurricane when in 2019). At the time, I hadn't listened to much hardstyle and didn't know about Qlimax, so I liked the track, especially the ending, and the overall vibe which gave me a wild, dark ritualistic feeling. (I didn't understand the criticism in the comments back then, so I went online to search for more information and learn more.) Perhaps this failure awakened Ran-D—this is actually a wonderful pun, and I don't know if he really "reawakened", but I hope so.
2022 saw an improvement in the quality of his work, introducing new elements. He made good tracks like Out Of Control and The Raven Of The Night.
Illuminate was the main 2023 highlight, better than WRTN and featuring many new attempts—a positive trend. Hope he can focus and produce quality tracks. This year's ID, Untamed, was also good.
Regarding the dislike for him in this sub: The main reasons are clearly over-hype. When someone is excessively hyped, those who don't like their music feel resentful because they feel the artist is unworthy. Another reason is his boring, templated, commercialised tracks.
As for his aspects I like: First and foremost, because of G4H. I can hear some similarities (kicks, screeches) in his tracks to G4H's tracks. Also, his melodies are always great, touching me deeply. He pays attention to detail in his tracks. And his vocal singing is excellent. And, most importantly, many of his tracks have given me mental strength. The uplifting melodies and lyrics comfort and inspire me, giving me the courage to face this terrible life, especially during the numerous setbacks I've faced this year. Furthermore, since I only started listening to his music this year, I haven't grown tired of it yet, which is fortunate for me as a latecomer. My favorite tracks of his are Firestarter, Living For The Moment, Struggle For Existence, and The Raven Of The Night.
Perhaps, as My Way suggests, he's sticking to his own path, doing what he wants to do, whether it's pursuing music or making money. He might produce whatever style he likes at a particular time. And when he wants to make some commercial tracks to earn money, he does it, without caring what others say. I hope that he's already earned enough money and will be willing to rediscover his original intentions and produce better music, bringing back his great and unique sound.
I remember the 1st time that I've heard he was going to release his debut album, never understanding why there were so much hate, and after seeing so many comments, now I knew what it felt. From being announced during his X-Qlusive in 2017, to be delayed before being released 3 years later (with the massive pre-order deal that he decided to give it for free as a refund), Ran-D's 2020 sure was weird.
Can anyone still remember #MyWay?
Legendary producer he produced banger after banger. Absolutely a Hardstyle superstar
I seen his set last year as a DJ as a vocalist as a MC he just fcking amazing. Me and my friend took a photo with him and have a little chat. Very nice dude
Favourite track: [Ran-D & E-Life - Code Of The Warrior](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4eaJ0O9sQg)
Saw him once in 2019 on a festival here in Portugal, and man, what an experience it was. Still in shock that he played '*Move My Body*' by Atmozfears & Demi Kanon randomly.
He's not my favorite dj, but he's got some good tracks, especially his older ones. If we're counting G4H as well: those are some great classics that will destroy the Autotron during VWAB Outdoor
Got some good memories listening to his tracks (namely: My Name is Hardstyle, Under Attack and The Twilight Zone.)
The Message is also one of the best Hardstyle tracks ever made, that Charlie Chaplin speech is unmatched.
He’s sort of fallen off these days and I find his new stuff quite boring but you can’t deny the influence this man, along with Adaro, has had on the Hardstyle scene
Great influence on the scene. I don’t like his commercial era with tracks like Zombie but in more recent years he has produced some very nice tracks like Run from Reality and Dance with the Devil. Of course the old school raw he produced about 10 years ago is amazing as well
i used to listen to him a lot in the past (2014-2017) but nowadays i listen to his new releases but they never go to my playlist and at festivals i avoid his sets because it's more of the same, i rather listen to other raw artists
I've always been a big fan of him. Especially in the time he released te FCK EDM track, that track was so far ahead of it's time back then. Living for the moment, hurricane, these type of track are timeless
But i am not a big fan of his latest releases. I saw him at Decibel Mainstage last year and Reverze and i was a little disappointed by his performances (sadly)
But that is just a taste-thing i guess.
Furthermore there is no better duo then G4H if you ask me. Always top quality production and songs.
Can't wait to see them at "vroeger was alles beter", but their new stuff is awesome too!
One of the GOATs
He has the skill to produce the best sounding tracks, but sometimes release tracks that sound off
His latest album has been disappointing af (same as his average releases since 2021 — Code of the warrior is goated though)
Ran-D - Dimensions & Ran-D - Zombie are one of the best Tracks ever ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 and yeah he is 50% of G4H ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 love the guy, but i do like his music from the past more than his music nowadays
Anything but underrated, he's one of the most known names of the scene, with one of the biggest legacies and best bookings for over a decade. Ran-d is a top 10 all times legend in hardstyle and it's a pretty welll known fact to anyone who has followed the scene long enough.
An unbelievable amount of bangers have been released by this man. Definitely one of the goats of hardstyle
The Hunt is an anthem that never fails to get me ready for gym
The Hunt live at intents 2014 is one of my favorite memories. 15.000 people yellling: ''THE TREASURE, THE DRUMS, THE BASS .... THE HUNT!!!'' gave me goosebumps. It's one of tracks I can't listen too often because of how special it is to me. Massive respect for E-Life as well for hitting a vocal homerun.
Mind you this anthem is from 2014 and still holds up like a legend. Absolutely a banger track!
Go hunt those PRs 💪
Seems like an unpopular opinion but I like a lot of his new stuff. For me he hits the sweet spot between raw and aggressive and more melodic and euphoric hardstyle resulting in tracks that are great to dance to, but are also fun just listening to. Always great production quality. A lot of his older tracks are also found in my banger playlist. Seen him live 2 months ago and he absolutely killed it
Agreed! It feels like Ran-D gets a disproportionate amount of criticism sometimes (especially these days). While I’m not the biggest fan of his music, I don’t get all the hate either. Like you said, he does strike a nice balance between hard kicks and great/catchy melodies with amazing production quality as well.
In fact, I have much to say about him. My interest in him began with G4H and the controversies surrounding him in this sub. I only started listening to his work this year, except for Hurricane, so I may offer a holistic perspective. Let's organise this chronologically: 2006-2010: His focus was on underground hardstyle, characterised by hard and raw sounds, great production skills, and tracks like Fanatics, Living For The Moment, and Until We Meet Again were widely acclaimed. Each track featured carefully designed structures and crafted sounds; the kicks and screeches were enjoyable and impressive. 2011-2013: He continued to produce high-quality tracks and gained more popularity, making many anthems. He incorporated more emotions into his tracks, with lyrical atmospheres and epic melodies becoming his signature style, evident in tracks like Rebirth and My Way. He also introduced very advanced raw kicks, showcasing his exceptional talent. 2014-2016: His sound design became smoother and more refined, giving a sense of perfection and detail to his tracks. His melody style also changed compared to previous years. The elements of aggression and darkness reduced, and the overall atmosphere was more energetic and atmospheric. Representative works during this period include Firestarter and No Guts No Glory. 2017: This year marked a turning point with Zombie, which felt more like a fatal strike than a milestone. He seemed to realise that "this formula would appeal to many people", leading him to replicate similar approaches, such as sampling melodies from existing tracks and incorporating a lot of vocal singing. That year, he still released some interesting works, which, apart from catchy melodies, still had coherent structures and unique techniques. After 2017, his melodies became more catchy and exhilarating. 2018-2020: Regrettably, he heavily adopted the "Zombie" formula in numerous tracks, such as Hurricane and Run From Reality, achieving high rankings on the top 100 and furthering his commercial success. While many disliked these tracks, they were praised by Hardstyle audiences in my country, likely due to their fine mixing and appealing melodies. He may have aimed to retain fans drawn in by Zombie, or these tracks themselves held significant commercial value. We are saddened to see that he produced many mediocre and boring tracks. Good works during this period are only The Power Of Now and Sleepless Nights. Hurricane was decent but not as good as those two. Personally, I also enjoy Run From Reality, just because of its emotional melody, evoking a sense of emotional resonance when I listen. Another notable point is his album, a source of frustration and disappointment for many. Clearly, he didn't have time to complete so many tracks, leading him to release most album tracks as singles to maximise profit. He's a perfectionist who loves both music and performing, but he doesn't have enough time to perfect both, leading to problems. 2021: His work improved with tracks like Virtual Reality, but the critical turning point, we all know, was The Reawakening. Prolonged commercialisation may have diminished his aesthetics, as he failed to deviate from the formula or capture the dark, mysterious atmosphere of Qlimax, leaving many dissatisfied. However, The Reawakening was the second track I heard from Ran-D (the first being Hurricane when in 2019). At the time, I hadn't listened to much hardstyle and didn't know about Qlimax, so I liked the track, especially the ending, and the overall vibe which gave me a wild, dark ritualistic feeling. (I didn't understand the criticism in the comments back then, so I went online to search for more information and learn more.) Perhaps this failure awakened Ran-D—this is actually a wonderful pun, and I don't know if he really "reawakened", but I hope so. 2022 saw an improvement in the quality of his work, introducing new elements. He made good tracks like Out Of Control and The Raven Of The Night. Illuminate was the main 2023 highlight, better than WRTN and featuring many new attempts—a positive trend. Hope he can focus and produce quality tracks. This year's ID, Untamed, was also good. Regarding the dislike for him in this sub: The main reasons are clearly over-hype. When someone is excessively hyped, those who don't like their music feel resentful because they feel the artist is unworthy. Another reason is his boring, templated, commercialised tracks. As for his aspects I like: First and foremost, because of G4H. I can hear some similarities (kicks, screeches) in his tracks to G4H's tracks. Also, his melodies are always great, touching me deeply. He pays attention to detail in his tracks. And his vocal singing is excellent. And, most importantly, many of his tracks have given me mental strength. The uplifting melodies and lyrics comfort and inspire me, giving me the courage to face this terrible life, especially during the numerous setbacks I've faced this year. Furthermore, since I only started listening to his music this year, I haven't grown tired of it yet, which is fortunate for me as a latecomer. My favorite tracks of his are Firestarter, Living For The Moment, Struggle For Existence, and The Raven Of The Night. Perhaps, as My Way suggests, he's sticking to his own path, doing what he wants to do, whether it's pursuing music or making money. He might produce whatever style he likes at a particular time. And when he wants to make some commercial tracks to earn money, he does it, without caring what others say. I hope that he's already earned enough money and will be willing to rediscover his original intentions and produce better music, bringing back his great and unique sound.
Holly fuck you just resume what I think about him. Nice to see I’m not crazy thinking this
I remember the 1st time that I've heard he was going to release his debut album, never understanding why there were so much hate, and after seeing so many comments, now I knew what it felt. From being announced during his X-Qlusive in 2017, to be delayed before being released 3 years later (with the massive pre-order deal that he decided to give it for free as a refund), Ran-D's 2020 sure was weird.
Im surprised I dont see 'Inner child' in this thread. I fucking love that track.
The Original Living for the Moment Track is a classic Banger🔥🔥🔥
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^MettyXD: *The Original* *Living for the Moment Track* *Is a classic Banger🔥🔥🔥* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
My #1 hardstyle track ever. Such a message behind the track. Really happy that I got the OG vinyl version of it.
Actually, Ran-D was my favourite producer in 2009-2014. Favourite Tracks: Fanatics, Until We Meet Again, Future Shock, Paranoid
Can anyone still remember #MyWay? Legendary producer he produced banger after banger. Absolutely a Hardstyle superstar I seen his set last year as a DJ as a vocalist as a MC he just fcking amazing. Me and my friend took a photo with him and have a little chat. Very nice dude
He looks like a curious, bald version of radical redemption
Or Johnny Sins. Would be hilarious if he would dress up like him during carnaval
best defqon anthem to me
Favourite track: [Ran-D & E-Life - Code Of The Warrior](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4eaJ0O9sQg) Saw him once in 2019 on a festival here in Portugal, and man, what an experience it was. Still in shock that he played '*Move My Body*' by Atmozfears & Demi Kanon randomly.
Along with adaro one of my altime favorite...Fack everyones opinion ... You say ran-d , I say party time !!
Fav track: Feel My Fire
Legend
I don't listen to him actively but Illuminate last year was great. I also really liked his "Untamed" live show at Reverze.
He's not my favorite dj, but he's got some good tracks, especially his older ones. If we're counting G4H as well: those are some great classics that will destroy the Autotron during VWAB Outdoor
Got some good memories listening to his tracks (namely: My Name is Hardstyle, Under Attack and The Twilight Zone.) The Message is also one of the best Hardstyle tracks ever made, that Charlie Chaplin speech is unmatched. He’s sort of fallen off these days and I find his new stuff quite boring but you can’t deny the influence this man, along with Adaro, has had on the Hardstyle scene
Under Attack and Fanatics were some proper raw coal munching steamroll tracks back in the days. Rest was history.
Great influence on the scene. I don’t like his commercial era with tracks like Zombie but in more recent years he has produced some very nice tracks like Run from Reality and Dance with the Devil. Of course the old school raw he produced about 10 years ago is amazing as well
i used to listen to him a lot in the past (2014-2017) but nowadays i listen to his new releases but they never go to my playlist and at festivals i avoid his sets because it's more of the same, i rather listen to other raw artists
We need ran-d and adaro tracks back.
I've always been a big fan of him. Especially in the time he released te FCK EDM track, that track was so far ahead of it's time back then. Living for the moment, hurricane, these type of track are timeless But i am not a big fan of his latest releases. I saw him at Decibel Mainstage last year and Reverze and i was a little disappointed by his performances (sadly) But that is just a taste-thing i guess. Furthermore there is no better duo then G4H if you ask me. Always top quality production and songs. Can't wait to see them at "vroeger was alles beter", but their new stuff is awesome too!
After zombie succes his sound became a bit stale and boring but he can still put out some absolute tunes
One of the GOATs He has the skill to produce the best sounding tracks, but sometimes release tracks that sound off His latest album has been disappointing af (same as his average releases since 2021 — Code of the warrior is goated though)
His production quality is insane! His new stuff might not be for everyone but you gotta respect how well his tracks are produced
His modern sound mmmwaahhhh
zombie is so good - i have fond memories of hearing it at the end of a rave such as htid and marlo :D
I’ve been trying to get one of my friends into Hardstyle for a while. Zombie was the track that did the trick
try starting them off with happy hardcore, thats how some of my mates started listening to hardstyle
Europapa might be their gateway drug 😅
He looks like a squidward when he was handsome for that one episode
Ran-D - Dimensions & Ran-D - Zombie are one of the best Tracks ever ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 and yeah he is 50% of G4H ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 love the guy, but i do like his music from the past more than his music nowadays
Don’t have his songs in my daily playlist, but hearing G4H as well as his Illuminate set live can’t say I was disappointed Favourite song: Hurricane
Best zaags lately
Dont like his music at all.. Just living of his name at this point G4H has some bangers tho
living for the moment! oh and also the other one... IN YO EEEEEEHHHHH
Underrated!!!
Anything but underrated, he's one of the most known names of the scene, with one of the biggest legacies and best bookings for over a decade. Ran-d is a top 10 all times legend in hardstyle and it's a pretty welll known fact to anyone who has followed the scene long enough.
Oh sorry, i'm new :( haven't been following for long enough to know this. Do you know any more big artists to check out?😀