Artist
Adaro
- Followers:
- 68,429
- Popularity:
- 52/100
- Tracked releases:
- 146
- Latest release:
- 11 Sept 2026
Adaro is Thijs Ploegmakers, a Dutch producer regarded as one of the originators of raw hardstyle, one half of Gunz For Hire and a co-founder of the Roughstate label.
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Releases (146)
About Adaro
Adaro (Thijs Ploegmakers) fell for electronic music in 1993 when he heard Bonzai Records’ output as a teenager, started producing across genres from 2000, and in 2008 helped invent something new: the darker, meaner strain of hardstyle that became rawstyle.
An originator of raw
Breakthrough tracks ‘The Haunter of the Dark’ and ‘No Time To Sleep’, plus a heavyweight remix of Chain Reaction’s ‘Answers’, made Adaro one of the first names associated with raw hardstyle. By 2013 he was voted #75 in the DJ Mag Top 100, rare air for an artist working the genre’s underground end.
Gunz For Hire and Roughstate
Since 2011, Ploegmakers has been one half of Gunz For Hire with Ran-D, the gangster-themed live act whose shows became festival legend. In March 2015 the partnership deepened: Adaro co-founded Roughstate together with Ran-D, B-Front and Frequencerz, the label that turned raw’s aggression into a polished, festival-scale sound.
Still raw and mean
His 2026 output, including ‘Original Gangsters (Raw and Mean)’, shows the blueprint unchanged: hard-edged kicks, dark atmosphere, zero pandering. Alongside label-mates like Rejecta, Adaro remains proof that raw’s founding generation still sets its standard.
Every new Adaro release lands on the Hardstyle Release Radar the day it hits Spotify. The full tracked catalogue is listed above.
Questions, answered
Who is Adaro?
Adaro is the alias of Dutch DJ and producer Thijs Ploegmakers, born in 1980. He started producing raw hardstyle in 2008 and is considered one of the founders of that darker branch of the genre.
Is Adaro part of Gunz For Hire?
Yes, since 2011 Adaro has formed Gunz For Hire together with Ran-D, one of the most iconic live acts in the harder styles.
What are Adaro's breakthrough tracks?
'The Haunter of the Dark' and 'No Time To Sleep', along with his remix of Chain Reaction's 'Answers', established Adaro as a leading name in early rawstyle.
What label is Adaro on?
Adaro co-founded Roughstate in March 2015 together with Ran-D, B-Front and Frequencerz, and has released on the label since.