Hardwell has stepped back into the driver’s seat of his Hardwell & Friends EP series.
This time, he returns with a release that carries a bold mission.
He aims to ignite the excitement of festival fans across three different generations all at once.
The Dutch EDM giant has now unveiled the fourth volume of the series.
The project returns in a format that fans have loved for years.
It first caught fire during the big room house wave of the 2010s, and its energy still resonates today.
This time, he teams up with both emerging talents and long-time collaborators, allowing his sound to stretch in several directions at once.
The new installment comes after a long pause in the series.
Its arrival feels timely, landing right in the middle of Hardwell’s post-2022 “rebirth” era.
By now, this chapter of his career has already pushed expectations into unfamiliar and exciting territory.
Read more: Indotrance Celebrates 21 Years of Trance Culture
Hardwell and His Collaboration
The EP highlights Hardwell’s evolution through three tracks, each representing a different side of his style.
“The Party Crasher”, created with fellow Dutch icon Chuckie, revives the confident swagger of the Dirty Dutch era.
The track moves with slick leads and the twisting, elastic house energy that Chuckie once made famous.
Meanwhile, “Lights Out” with Ollie James shifts into Hardwell’s current mainstage-techno mode.
The song fires off acid-tinged synth stabs and the huge, relentless energy that has defined his sound since his 2022 Ultra comeback.
Finally, “Rise Again” with RYOS channels the voltage of the big room era Hardwell helped shape.
The track leans on dark chords, expansive textures, and drops built for festival moments that feel both euphoric and slightly explosive.
Together, these three songs form a musical timeline: three chapters of the DJ’s identity woven into one EP.
The release offers a reminder of how strongly his influence continues to pulse through modern festival culture.
The new EP is now available for streaming across major platforms.
