We have all seen sets listed as “live” on festival lineups or tour announcements. They typically include the DJ/producer or other musicians playing live instruments like drums, guitar, and keyboard or a vocalist singing. These live sets generally aren’t seen in the hard dance genre because this style of music relies on heavily distorted drums and typically does not include vocals or many melodic elements. So when Dutch hard dance producer Kruelty announced he would be doing a live show, I was definitely intrigued to see what live elements he would include. After all, he is known as “The most sinister and shocking act in the hard dance scene.”
“This Is Kruelty Live” premiered on YouTube on Halloween, but was actually filmed at Trinity: The Extreme Society in the Netherlands on September 9, 2023. It is thirty minutes of hard-hitting rawstyle that Kruelty is known for, but with added performers and theatrical elements. He takes the stage in his signature black mask, but he is also wrapped up in chains and being held by two cloaked figures. As his intro ends, he breaks free from the chains and dives in with distorted kicks. In between tracks, there are short intermissions where the performers on stage act out a scene while specially created visuals are displayed on the LED screen. All of these additions help to heighten the emotion behind each track. It is a full-blown audio-visual experience, and you can watch the whole performance for yourself to see what I mean.
After watching this, I am excited to see more hard dance artists incorporate live elements into their sets. American hard dance producers Death Code and KAMI announced a live set at Bullseye coming up next month. Will they do something similar or something else completely to set themselves apart? We can’t wait to find out!
CONNECT with Kruelty:
