Radical Redemption did everything he could to fight his way to the top in the past few years, and not without success. He started his career by locking himself in the studio until his first album was finished; this album had an enormous impact on the whole scene. We are four years later, and Radical has become a legend. It’s no surprise that such a success will be rewarded with a special event. We asked Joey what new challenge has come to his path.
November 7th is an important date for you. How is it to dominate your own event in the Heineken Music Hall?
“A dream, that’s it. The Heineken Music Hall is a very special venue, a venue that already welcomed a lot of big names. Getting the chance to do a solo night in this mythical venue is unreal, especially when I realize that I still have a relatively short career.“
Can you already give us a little insight about this solo night? What can the visitors expect for your event?
“This will just be an unforgettable night. I will take the crowd back to the beginning and offer a complete experience. Everything will connect: the trailer, the album, the line-up and the artwork. On top of that: it’s forbidden to stand still that night. We will not stop before the last kick echoes through the Heineken Music Hall.”
Could you tell us a little more about the way THE LINE UP has been put together?
“The line-up consists the artists that helped me creating my album of course, all of them will be there. Furthermore I invited the artists that I share a personal bond with. The most important point is that they all really add something to the event. Personally, I’m very proud to present Denekamps Gespuis at my night. It’s very unique to get Angerfist, Crucifer, Dyprax and MC Prozac together on stage for one single time. Everybody knows their hardcore hit ‘Gas met die zooi’.”
During ‘The One Man Army’ you will kick off your new live act. Can you explain the idea behind this new side of you?
“My first live-act was just the beginning. This new live-act will be a further evolved version. Everything fits together perfectly, its more modern and more exclusive. With this live-act we will also focus more on the show elements, like special content for the L.E.D. displays. But the most important part: we will bang the whole set without a single break. Just non stop going hard.”
Sounds promising, we can’t wait! How did you come up with the name ‘The One Man Army’?
“This name basically developed in a natural way. A little more then four years ago I started as a loner, but now it has become an ‘army’. An army with dedicated fans, fans that love the music and fans that unite to release all energy they have in their bodies. Fans that give me such an enormous amount of inspiration, I can’t even explain that. The name ‘The One Man Army’ just combines this two different phases: my past and present.”
You will also release your new album on ‘The One Man Army’. What makes this album different compared to the previous ones?
“This will be the most diverse album I ever made and I personally think that it’s also the highest quality I produced until now. From 150 to 200 BPM, everything is included on this album. It’s a good balance between melodious and the hardest tracks, from hardstyle to hardcore and even uptempo. I had so much inspiration that it almost went automatically.”
What track on this album are you most proud of?
“That’s really hard to say, because I produced a lot of different tracks for the album. Nevertheless, if I have to point out the one I am most proud of, it’s probably ‘Piece of Shit’. The combination of vocals, the melody and still the hardness where hardstyle stands for in my eyes, makes it one of my favorite tracks of the album.”
For ‘The One Man Army’ you organizeD a DJ contest. Why did you decide to do that, and what are you looking for in the search for new talent?
“Just over four years ago, I signed is at Minus is More. During the meeting in which the contract was signed, they asked me: ‘Joey, what are you planning to do?’ I answered that I want to produce an album. At that time I got a reply that I never expected: ‘Okay that’s good. Let’s get to work, we have confidence in you!’ I got the chance, the opportunity to make my dream come true. The chance to work out my plan to develop my own style, and make that style belong to the general crowd. Opportunities should catch you, but you do have to be first. The DJ contest is an opportunity I give people so they can show what they’ve got. In search of new talent I’m looking for determination, passion, drive and just somebody that really is an artist.”
And how do we recognize somebody that is a real artist in your eyes?
“A real artist is dedicated, a good example is how I worked on my album. Working very long days to finish it repeatedly kept me 36 hours straight in the studio. I’ve had multiple weeks with only 12-15 hours sleep. If you are not willing to give your upmost best, you shouldn’t even start in the first place. You have to have love for the music. Without that passion, you will never be able to produce good music. Apart from that, an artist has to be able to really turn his performance into a show on stage. When I visited events before performing myself, there was nothing I hated more than an artist that is just slumped on the stage. That’s horrible. How am I suppose to party if the DJ doesn’t come with his feet off the ground?”
Last but not least: why can’t the real Radical Redemption fans miss ‘The One Man Army’?
“Because this will be the sickest party of 2015. This is my biggest dream and I will do everything to turn it into an unforgettable night for every single one of you. No concessions, just lovers, a perfect venue, hard and pure sound plus a heavy dose of new music. I can’t wait to see you all on the 7th of November in the Heineken Music Hall!”
The last tickets for Radical Redemption – The One Man Army are available here. See you on the 7th of November!
This interview originally appeared in the Supremacy 2015 magazine on September 26th, 2015.