Headhunterz

Headhunterz is the stage name of Willem Rebergen, a Dutch electronic music producer and DJ born in 1985. He is associated with hardstyle and is also known for work linked to trance and melodic hardstyle.

Career

He begins his DJ career in 2003, after attending Qlimax and becoming deeply interested in hardstyle and its scene. He starts producing in a small bedroom studio in the attic of his parents’ house in Veenendaal, where he develops the sound that becomes associated with his early releases.

After around three years of refining his production, he signs his first record deal. His early releases include Aiming For Ur Brain on Scantraxx Special and The Sacrifice EP. These are followed by tracks that become strongly associated with his name, including Dragonborn, Victim of My Rage and Rock Civilization.

Major releases and performances

His track The Power of the Mind becomes the official anthem of Qlimax 2007. In 2009, Scrap Attack serves as the anthem for DEFQON.1. He also makes a significant impact with Colors featuring Tatu, described as the first hardstyle track released on Ultra Records and later becoming a gold record.

He works with artists including The Prophet, Noisecontrollers, Wildstylez, Krewella, W&W, Steve Aoki, R3hab, Hardwell and Kaskade. He also performs extensively at festivals and events around the world. His appearance at the Defqon.1 Legends show in 2016 marks a return to hardstyle after a period away from the genre, and he announces his full return at DEFQON.1 in 2017.

Project One and labels

Headhunterz is one half of Project One. He also has a sublabel called Scantraxx Reloaded under Scantraxx, and later becomes associated with Art of Creation alongside Wildstylez, Sound Rush and Project One.

Albums and later work

The Return of Headhunterz brings together earlier and newer phases of his work and includes the track Destiny, which reaches number one in the Hardstyle Top 100 of 2017 and becomes a gold record in 2019. The album also includes Our Church with Sub Zero Project, a track linked to the Orange Heart movement.

Connected to the album, he presents an Up Close and Personal show concept that combines visuals, live music and a smaller-scale performance setting, with sold-out dates at Paradiso in Amsterdam and 013 in Tilburg.

Health and recent activity

After a period of heavy burnout around his Qlimax 2019 performance, he reduces his international schedule and takes time to recover. During the Covid-19 period, he focuses on personal development, piano practice, fitness and livestreaming, including sessions on Twitch and Discord and a livestream set for Defqon.1. He also develops The Art of Production, a platform for masterclasses, courses and live feedback for producers.