Australia’s JOKESONYOU and Dutch artist DJ IP pair up for their brand-new single ‘OTTF’ this August, to be released on Teletech. ‘OTTF’ is a tribute to the emotion and energy of classic hardstyle. Inspired by the iconic sound of the mid 2000s, it combines euphoric melodies, driving kicks, and bounce influences while staying true to the raw spirit that defined the era. A release that sees both producers step out of their comfort zones; neither is affiliated with the harder sounds of this track, with DJ IP primarily a trance DJ and JOKESONYOU known for his bouncier techno-house crossover tracks. It marks something new and adventurous from both producers.
Born during a writers’ camp in Belgium, where DJ IP and JOKESONYOU teamed up with a group of songwriters and vocalists. Around that time, they noticed classic hardstyle records like FTS by Showtek making a strong comeback in DJ sets and on festival stages. Inspired by their renewed love for that era, they set out to create a track that captured the same raw energy, emotion, and attitude while giving it a fresh, modern production.
Reveal Sound Spire
The main lead is made up of four layers: two from Spire and two from Serum. Each layer adds a different octave, frequency range, or texture, which helps create the full, thick sound needed for that classic old-school hardstyle lead.
We scrolled through different lead presets and picked a few that worked well together. We made some small tweaks to the sounds and layered them across different octaves.
Honestly, this genre was completely new for us too, so we learned a lot while making it. For the bass, we made our own reverse bass in Serum, which worked really well with the style. A good starting point is a stompy kick layered with a clap or snare, then build around it with kick fills and a big, phat lead.
Soundtoys Decapitator & Ableton OTT
Distortion is a big part of getting that typical hardstyle sound, adding grit and character to the drums and bass. We used Soundtoys Decapitator on both to make them hit harder and feel more aggressive. For the vocal, we used Ableton’s Overdrive with some OTT compression layered on top. Pretty basic, but it does the job!
Nothing too crazy here—we mainly experimented with the Drive and Dry/Wet knobs until it sounded right. On the bass, we kept the Wet fully on and adjusted the Drive to get the right amount of grit and aggression. For the drums, we dialed it back a bit and just tweaked everything by ear until it fit the track.
You don’t need any crazy plugins to get good distortion—most DAWs already have great options built in. Just experiment with the drive and mix until it sounds good in the track. For hardstyle, a bit of distortion can go a long way, so don’t overthink it.
Ableton Autofilter
For the typical hardstyle fills, we used different hardstyle kicks and reverse bass samples to build up the effect. We then used Ableton’s Auto Filter with a high-pass filter and high resonance to shape the sound. Sweeping the filter creates those tonal changes that are very characteristic of the genre. It’s a simple technique, but it works really well for fills before the drop.
We kept it simple by automating the cutoff and resonance until it sounded right. We just twisted the knobs, listened, and adjusted it to fit the kicks and reverse bass. Nothing too complicated!
A good way to make these fills is to listen to other tracks in the genre and study how they build them. Find similar kick and reverse bass samples and experiment with creating your own version. That’s basically how we approached it, and it’s a great way to learn the style.
Quick Fire Tips
Layer your leads: Combine different synths, octaves, and textures to get that huge hardstyle
sound.
Distortion is your friend: You don’t need fancy plugins—DAW stock distortion can do the job.
Build your own reverse bass: We made ours in Serum instead of relying on samples.
Stompy kicks + clap/snare = instant energy.
Automate the filter. High-pass + high resonance creates those classic hardstyle tonal fills.
Make your own fills. Study tracks you like, find similar samples, and experiment with your own versions.
Don’t overthink it. Twist the knobs, listen, and keep what sounds good.
Grab your copy here.
