Time to kick-off 2024 with nostalgia! Our first event of the year left no wishes unfulfilled – we made our way to the Dutch city of Tilburg, to be back at the Poppodium 013 for REBiRTH’s classics event REACTiVATE.
Having been to the previous edition too, the excitement was immense and we made sure to be there from the first act on! Area 1 started strong with last year’s REBiRTH DJ Contest winner: Zelecter! The German all round-talent took us back to the days when Hardstyle and Hard Trance were divided by a blurry line – time for Early Hardstyle! The energy was rising as the venue started to fill: this edition was, like the last, sold out!
After one hour that made us remember why we fell in love with Hardstyle many years ago, it was a true veteran’s turn: Jones was on the decks! Known for selecting the finest tracks, this artist made the crowd sing along from his first to last beats.
Meanwhile the RECHARGE area had opened too.
Clockartz, the Italian master of his craft, made each and everyone in area 2 dance. The production in this venue is one of my favorites for indoor events: The lightshows, pyro, sound system and layout are always on point and are blowing my mind again and again!
Throughout the afternoon we were accompanied by established warhorses: Adrenalize made us “Get Up”, we surely “couldn’t stop” during The Pitcher, Josh & Wesz showed us colors of autumn, and Donkey Rollers let us feel “What We Are”. The line up in both areas was so impressive, we ran back and forth all event long! Who would want to miss a set by Deetox? Definitely not us!
Every once in a while, we made our way to the courtyard to cool down from dancing and socialize with our fellow classics lovers. In this garden-like area with radiant heaters, the food stands offered a variety of warm dishes for every taste!
After meeting attendees from Norway, France, Germany and of course many locals, we watched the lightshow from the balcony in area 1! If you haven’t been on the top floor at the Poppodium 013 yet, definitely pay it a visit next time you are there – watching the crowd jump and dance from above was beautiful (and nice to take photos by the way).
For the final set, Adaro vs Crypsis we made our way back to the crowd and soaked in this ocean of bliss and happy faces one last time!
The Poppodium is close to the train station in Tilburg and after a short walk we were on our way back home – with the widest smiles and thirsty for more!
Luckily the visitors of this year’s edition of REBiRTH will have two stage hostings dedicated to classics – the REACTiVATE stage, hosting acts like Max Enforcer, Frontliner, Chain Reaction and Frequenzers, and the RECHARGE stage, showcasing the creations of Adaro, Digital Punk, Titan and more!
We are looking forward to REBiRTH and are counting the days until the next edition of REACTiVATE on January 18th 2025 in Tilburg!
