Forever Colin Hennerz
Melbourne-based legend Colin Hennerz will officially release his re-work of the Alphaville classic ‘Forever Young’ this Friday. The 22 year old DJ has jammed thumping drums, soaring vocals, hooky synths and a filthy bass, to put the unmistakable Hennerz spin on the original making it a must listen to track for all EDM hardstyle dance lovers. We caught up with Colin to ask him about the ‘Forever Young’, remixing verses originals and who would be his ultimate collab partner.
For those who haven’t had the privilege of seeing you play, what EDM genre box do you put yourself in?
My sets get wild these days! I would say I’m definitely a hard dance DJ, which includes all the sub genres of the harder styles of EDM music – Hardstyle, Hardcore, Raw, but also mixing in dance and pop!
Colin, you are just about to release your new track 'Forever Young' Tell us about the new song?
These past few weeks I’ve been gearing up for my latest release ‘Forever Young.’ For this track I’ve put a hard dance spin on a classic tune. It’s the kind of sound my fans will be familiar with – hard kicks, moving basslines, euphoric synths, but also paired with a catchy vocal that listeners are familiar with. I’m hoping it’s going to be a hit!
Will 'Forever Young' feature on an album or will you be sticking to single releases for the foreseeable future?
‘Forever Young’ is the first single. There will be a few more coming out after in a similar style. If you’re a fan of this release, be ready for more music to come in this style of hard dance music!
“For me It’s all about that sing along factor”
You have remixed songs by Taylor Swift, Oliver Tree and now Alphaville, how do you decide which track you’re going to remake?
For me It’s all about that sing along factor. I love discovering which songs have the best crowd reactions when I play my sets, or when I watch other DJs perform. A classic tune like ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift, or a newer trending tune like ‘Miss You’ by Oliver Tree were perfect for me to put my hard dance spin on. Mainly because whenever a crowd would hear those tunes, they would always start singing along to the lyrics. I thought incorporating them into my sets would be perfect for crowd engagement and making the fans feel like they can participate in my shows and have fun!
Who in the music world would you like to see have a crack at remixing your originals 'Got me Feeling' & 'Don't Call Me Friend' and why?
I would love to see the big Australian heavy weights in the EDM scene have go! Timmy Trumpet, LUUDE or Will Sparks always have such great energy when performing and I think those guys would do great justice to putting their spin on my tunes.
“I would love to have a collab with my Aussie idol Timmy Trumpet!”
Who would be your ultimate Collab Partner?
For me I would love to have a collab with my Aussie idol Timmy Trumpet! We both play similar music in our sets, and both have released hard dance music! I know that if we were to work together, the energy we would bring to a dance tune would be unmatched!
What are the advantages and disadvantages of remixing someone else’s track as opposed to working on your own original pieces?
When remixing an already existing tune, you can work off the success of what’s already there! As I said before, when remixing Taylor Swift, the crowd already knew those lyrics. The hard work of coming up with a hook and a catchy melody has already been done. I just had to put my own spin on the track! When compared to making original tracks, you’ve got to get creative and come up with catchy hooks and other elements that will resonate with your fans to get a hit. However, when you do come up with something original and special, it pays off!
You are half-way through your 'Forever Young' tour, with shows in Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Bendigo, Sydney and Bali still to go, have there been any highlights or memorable moments so far?
Honestly, just being able to play ‘Forever Young’ live this past month has felt awesome. Hearing the crowds from all over Australia scream those lyrics out loud and have fun, has been really rewarding for me!
“As a DJ you need to be able to read the crowd and adjust your music accordingly, whilst also keeping your set unique to you! ”
You play a lot of Under 18 events, does the preparation and your sets change for these as opposed to an over 18's booking?
Not really! I always prepare for anything, so when performing a show, I always bring as much music as I can. As a DJ you need to be able to read the crowd and adjust your music accordingly, whilst also keeping your set unique to you! A younger crowd might want newer trending music, whilst an older crowd might want classics. So on the day I perform, I’ll have everything ready and just go with the flow.
Without naming names what’s the craziest or funniest thing you have seen happen back-stage at a festival?
I’ve had so much fun hanging out with artists and event runners backstage! Without naming names, I would say one of the craziest things I’ve seen backstage at a festival is, one time right before a huge international artist was about to play, the whole front of house speakers stopped working! Everyone backstage was panicking trying to get them back up working, and luckily within a few minutes they did. I was laughing at the time but honestly, I’m so thankful that hasn’t happened to me. If that was me, I would’ve been absolutely freaking out!
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it that they do that keeps your world turning?
Shout out to Nick Jenkins my best mate and friend since I was 4 years old. Nick has recently started shooting backstage footage, and videos during my sets. He has shot huge festivals for me such as Karnival in Melbourne and Fieldtrip on New Year’s Eve in Adelaide. Having my best mate in my crew being able to travel to shows with him has been awesome and he always gets the best shots!
What's next for Colin Hennerz? What can fans look forward to?
Make sure to go stream my new track ‘Forever Young’ and look forward to some more hard dance releases similar to this one in the near future! Thanks guys!
Colin Hennerz Forthcoming Tour Dates:
June 29 - Project x (u18s gig), Melbourne
June 30 – LXXY, BALI
July 15 – Tonic, Bendigo
July 21 - Red Square ft AudioFreq, Adelaide
July 22 - Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne
July 28 – Masif, Sydney
July 29 – Linked Events, Melbourne
For more information, go to:
Instagram: @colinhennerz
TikTok: @colin.hennerz
Soundcloud: @ColinHennerzmate
Interview by Michelle Symes
June 2023