As the year closes out, Dutch DJ-producer Maddix is gearing up to bring his high-voltage sound to MARQUEE Singapore for a massive New Year’s Eve party. Coming in hot from a standout 2025 — marked by explosive collaborations like 'Rave Till My Grave', a wave of new rave-inspired releases, and a relentless global tour run — the Utrecht-born producer is gearing up for an even bigger 2026 with momentum and musical clarity.
Sitting at the intersection of hard techno, big room, and rave, Maddix has become one of dance music’s most recognisable forces. His latest sets push BPMs past 160, his productions lean into darker textures, and his creative philosophy has shifted toward total freedom. Ahead of his NYE set, he speaks to Bandwagon Asia about evolution, collaboration, the rave revival, and what fans can expect on 31 December at Marina Bay Sands.
Your sound has evolved a lot in the past few years — from big room and festival EDM to something harder, darker, and more rave-inspired. What pushed that transformation?
I got a bit tired of making the same old, being stuck in a specific genre and really wanted to stand out more. This led me to going in the studio completely blank without taking into account expectations of fans, record labels, etc. I had SO MUCH more fun in the studio from that point onwards. It gave me the freedom that I was missing before, and this slowly evolved into the harder, darker and rave-inspired sound. At the moment I don’t really care about BPMs or genres, it’s about the feel that the music gives me, and if I enjoy it I’ll make it and release it!
‘Rave Till My Grave’ with Hardwell and Villain was one of 2025’s most explosive collabs. How did that track come together?
I love working with Hardwell and we have done a new collab almost every year. This year we wanted to do a tribute to the early hardstyle sounds of back in the days. We sent a few ideas back and forth and actually had the whole track lined up pretty quickly. Villain’s vocals finished it and it’s been going off every set!
You also recently teamed up with Lilly Palmer on ‘Late At Night’, which blends techno and trance textures. How do collaborations with artists outside your usual circle challenge or expand your sound?
I have to say that doing collabs inspires me a lot! Even the way others produce music, or the ideas they put in, change your vision and inspire me a lot. Especially working with someone that has a slightly different sound really shows the differences you both have. Then combining that makes the perfect blend I feel. There’s more cool collabs coming that I’m working on!
‘Mix The Master’ reworks a classic Potatoheadz anthem with a modern twist. When you’re recontextualising a track like that, what’s the line between homage and reinvention for you?
I’m inspired a lot by older tracks, and 'Mix The Master' was one of them. This one’s such a classic that I really wanted to keep it close to the original to not "destroy" that feeling. I actually heard the original on YouTube and wanted to play it live, but as it’s so old it needed a “touch up” (mix/mastering-wise) so I would be able to play it in my sets. I then found out I actually know the original creator, so texted him, recreated the whole song staying a bit true to the original and was able to release it. Actually, there’s not a single sample or sound from the original in my version — everything’s been recreated in a truthful way.
You’ve been touring relentlessly this year. How has being on the road shaped your creative energy or perspective on global dance culture in 2025?
I love where the dance music industry is at the moment. I really feel that, opposed to back in the days, I have the full freedom to do whatever I want to do and take people on a journey. I start my sets around 140 BPM and end them on 160+ these days. People actually appreciate that these days, and it doesn’t matter if I play techno, trance or bouncy music — it’s all about the vibe. Touring this much is pretty hard though, especially since I create every single track completely myself, including the mastering even. I have to admit it’s hard to get creative on the road sometimes because of all the travel, jetlag, not having my own studio, etc. So far so good though and there’s a lot of new music lined up!
The hard techno and rave movement has really surged again, especially with younger crowds rediscovering that sound. Why do you think this new generation is connecting with such high-intensity music?
Everything in life comes in waves, and so does music. I think what surged it and fast forwarded us has definitely to do with all the lockdowns in COVID times. People needed to exhale after that, enjoy life again!
Your tracks often feel tailor-made for massive stages but still hold up in club sets. When producing, do you start with the idea of “how it’ll sound live,” or do you create first and think about the crowd later?
When in the studio I need to really feel my music, so if I don’t vibe to it I’ll keep on changing until I HAVE to stand up and vibe to it. So yeah, I think how it’ll sound live is correct for me most of the time!
What’s something in your current studio workflow that’s changed your production game this year?
To be honest, a plugin will never change your production game. The simplest normal tools (any EQ for example) make the biggest difference in the right hands. I think mindset is the most important — don’t feel locked in, don’t feel afraid to change your BPM. Just make and create whatever flow you’re in at the moment, that will get you the most creative!
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You’re closing out the year with a massive NYE set at MARQUEE Singapore. What can fans expect from this show — and how do you approach building a set that welcomes in a new year?
It will be full-on Maddix energy! We go hard, fast and rave. I really want people to let out their energy for the new year. I also always play a lot of my own stuff, new and old, so fans can expect some cool new IDs. I can’t wait!
Finally, after that NYE party is done, what’s one creative or personal goal you’re setting for 2026?
Most important to me is to try and stay creative, so I might actually take a little more time off touring to be able to be in the studio more. I miss that feeling sometimes.
Purchase tickets for Maddix's NYE showcase at MARQUEE Singapore here.
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