EDM Canada: Who is Gunz For Hire?

Ran-D: Gunz For Hire are two really hardstyle addicted, bad-ass, raw motherf*****s. (laughs) We make the more raw side of hardstyle and that's the type of hardstyle we like the most. That's us in a nutshell.

Adaro: It's a live act.

EDM Canada: How would you describe “raw hardstyle”?

Ran-D: Raw hardstyle has more screechy sounds, more dark melodies, more raw kicks. It just sounds more raw than the melodic type of hardstyle.

EDM Canada: Is the Gunz for Hire type of “raw hardstyle” different than your individual production styles?

Ran-D: No, we both have a taste for hardstyle that is a bit on the raw side. I produce a little more on the varied side as opposed to Adaro. I do a euphoric track once in a while, but I do make raw hardstyle. That is just our taste in hardstyle. We have a good vibe in the studio and just decided to make a live act out of it.

EDM Canada: How did you come up with the Gunz for Hire imagery? Because it reminds me a lot of the horror movies that I used to watch as a child and they freaked me out.

Adaro: It was more like a step-by-step procedure that involved a lot of brainstorming sessions starting with the type of name we wanted, what image we search for, and it developed step-by-step. We didn't want an act with our own face because it needed to be separate than our solo-careers. At that point we asked ourselves whether we wanted to do a mask or not. We based it off of what we liked, which were mafia and futuristic hitman type of movies, and Gunz For Hire is a synonym for hitman so that's how it developed.

Ran-D: Yeah, true. We wanted a live act a little bit more than a guy behind a laptop.

Adaro: We wanted some entertainment.

Ran-D: We wanted some entertainment and something to see for the people, something a little bit creepy and scary.

EDM Canada: A little unsettling.

Ran-D: Yeah. (laughs)

EDM Canada: I was listening to that “911 Emergency Call” on your Soundcloud, and that situation is a horror movie for some people for sure.

Adaro: I'm a big fan of horror movies. (laughs)

EDM Canada: How was your North American debut at TomorrowWorld in September, and in October for the Q-Dance event in L.A? What do you think of the North American scene?

Ran-D: I think it's pretty cool. It seems to me that the people like all the different type of hardstyle, from the euphoric to the raw stuff. They dance to every kind of style and the vibe is really good. They are really open minded and that's really good to see. It was insane.

EDM Canada: You each have a successful hardstyle career under your Ran-D and Adaro names, with each a growing discography – how do you balance Gunz For Hire with your individual careers?

Adaro: It's time management. Once in a while we come together and make a new Gunz track.

Ran-D: For example, we did the Qlimax anthem, which is something you have to focus on and that means we're going to have to focus on this Gunz track rather than your own work for a while. An anthem for Qlimax takes a lot of time and that means you can't work on your tracks as much as you want to. But now that's done and we have a little bit more time for our own careers.

EDM Canada: How much does that mean for a hardstyle act to be selected to do the Qlimax anthem?

Ran-D: I think that's probably one of the biggest anthems there is in hardstyle. To us that was a big deal. It's an honour to make the anthem for Qlimax. It's a really big event with about 30,000 people there. You want to show your best, and it's exciting.

Adaro: It's not a competition as you get asked to do it from Q-Dance.

EDM Canada: Does the organization ask a bunch of producers for an anthem, and they choose from that selection?

Adaro and Ran-D: No.

Ran-D: They just ask the one that want to make it. They want to pick the producer(s) that they think suits the Qlimax event that year the best. At the moment it was us as they searched for an anthem that was a bit more raw.

Adaro: We're really happy with the result.

EDM Canada: Do you think harstyle overall is headed more towards the raw, Gunz for Hire style? Is that the sound that is becoming more popular right now?

Ran-D: I don't know. In Holland maybe? In Holland we're seeing smaller parties with separate raw stages at these events. So over here you do notice that it is getting a little bit more raw. On a global level it is the euphoric stuff that is still the biggest. It's a different situation what is happening inside of Holland rather than outside of Holland.

EDM Canada: How do you know when a track is right for Gunz For Hire vs. using it as one of your own tracks? What is your workflow like for Gunz for Hire?

Adaro: There is no real formula. With us it's simply when we sit down together to make a track, it's for Gunz For Hire.

Ran-D: Sometimes one of us has a good idea for a track and we sit together to work it out. Sometimes one of us starts with a cool melody, a good kick, a good sound, and then come together in the studio to make something cool.

EDM Canada: Whenever I see any hardstyle aftermovies, I notice the incredible amount of pyrotechnics and the beautiful stages. How did hardstyle movement become such a visual experience?