T.H.E Interview – Sub Zero Project

Hardstyle duo Sub Zero Project aka Nigel Coppen and Thomas Velderman have taken the hard dance scene by storm. As teenagers they started their careers in 2014.

The combination of high quality productions and a unique signature sound, launched this Dutch duo to the top in no time. Sub Zero Project is best known for their hits within Hardstyle, such as; ‘Darkest Hour’, ‘Our Church’, ‘Halo’ and ‘Trip To Mars’. All of these bangers have reached tens of millions of streams. Thanks to their success, Sub Zero Project have been able to spread their sound on a global scale by performing on the biggest dance stages in the scene – Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnaval, Defqon.1 Weekend Festival, Ultra Music Festival, Medusa Festival, and Qlimax to name a few.

Throughout their career, Sub Zero Project have worked with several big artists such as; Timmy Trumpet, W&W, Hardwell, Vini Vici, Da Tweekaz, Headhunterz and many more. This is only at the beginning of so much more to come. After releasing their second album, a piece of art called ‘Renaissance Of Rave’ in 2022, they’ve set the bar for 2023. Fueled with brand new bangers and the craziest live show experience ‘Psychodelic’. Sub Zero Project is your must see act during one of their 100+ shows this year!

We caught up with the duo to learn more about how “Sub Zero Project” came about, what fans can expect from their set at Defqon.1 and more.

Aditya – Hello Nigel & Thomas, we’re glad to have you for this interview. We’re almost halfway through the year, how’s the year been for you so far?

Sub Zero Project – Thank you for having us! This year has been great so far. We’ve done so many incredible shows already and also released a lot of music, and right now we’re more than ready for the festival season.

Aditya – How did you both come together as Sub Zero Project? Can you share the story behind your collaboration and foundation of the act?

Sub Zero Project – Back in the day we both made music on our own. We then came across music of each other on YouTube and started get in contact through MSN (a chat program). Nigel’s name was already ‘Sub Zero’ and once we decided to make music together we added ‘Project’ to the name. And boom! Sub Zero Project was born haha!

Aditya – Could you share the creative process involved in producing the magnificent Defqon.1 Anthem? What inspired you and how did you approach it?

Sub Zero Project – When we heard we got the honor to make the Defqon.1 anthem, we immeditately felt so motivated to start working on the track. Defqon.1 is such a unique and iconic festival that it automatically gives you creative input and inspiration before you start working on it. The process went pretty smooth and we’re very proud with the end result.

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Aditya – Defqon.1, known for it’s high-energy and powerful anthems. How did you ensure captured the essence of the festival and resonated with the fans?

Sub Zero Project – We just made something that we think represents Defqon.1, but also of course Sub Zero Project. We mainly wanted to make a track that has that summer-ish Defqon.1 feel in combination with powerful Sub Zero Project kicks and also gives you that ‘one tribe’ feeling.

Aditya – What do we expect at your set at Defqon.1 this year?

Sub Zero Project – A lot of new music! Currently we’re working on new solos and collabs, which we will be premiering at Defqon.1.

Aditya – Your track ‘The Project’ has become an anthem for many hardstyle enthusiasts, can you share the story behind this tune and how it impacted your career?

Sub Zero Project – We definitely feel that after The Project our career really started. From that moment until now, things went by very fast. Right now we’re at a point we can look back and be very proud and grateful for the journey so far. Regarding the track, there’s not really a story about it to be honest. We sat down in the studio, tried some things and made something we thought was cool. The mid intro kick was pretty unique back then and luckily the Hardstyle fans liked it.

Aditya – You both have performed have across the globe, which is your favorite country/venue to play and why?

Sub Zero Project – That’s a very hard question.. there are so many awesome countries and venues to play at. We don’t really have our all-time favorite – every country has something unique that we look forward to when we go there. This is also what keeps worldwide touring interesting and exciting. Always something different.

Aditya – What advice you would give to up-and-coming producers and DJs?

Sub Zero Project – Create your own signature sound. It often doesn’t work if you just follow the hype because this will mean it’s very hard to stick out. So spend time working on your music and creating your own sound, believe in your own sound and through this way you can also build your own group of followers / listeners.

Aditya – Lastly, who can drink the most among you both?

Sub Zero Project – We actually think we’re pretty much on the same level with this. Maybe we should try this out at Defqon.1 and see who wins haha?