# DJ Isaac

Canonical: https://www.hdrr.info/artists/dj-isaac

- Genres: Hardstyle
- Tracked releases: 129
- Latest release: 20 Mar 2026
- Spotify followers: 97,835
- Spotify popularity: 51/100

DJ Isaac is Roel Schutrups, a Dutch producer from Winschoten who scored a hardcore hit with 'Bad Dreams' in 1995 and went on to become one of the founders of hardstyle itself.

DJ Isaac's career spans the entire family tree of the harder styles. Roel Schutrups started with an old-school tape recorder and a small Casio sampler, remixing for Dutch radio, then released 'Bad Dreams' in 1995, a huge Dutch [hardcore](/new-hardcore-techno-releases) hit that made him one of the pioneers of the gabber era alongside names like [Paul Elstak](/artists/paul-elstak).

### Founding hardstyle

When the millennium turned, Schutrups helped invent what came next. Regarded as one of the founders of [hardstyle](/new-hardstyle-releases), he stamped the young genre with hits like 'On The Edge' and 'Go Insane', records that defined the swagger and bounce of its first decade.

### X-Rate to Dirty Workz

From 2003 he ran his own imprint, X-Rate Records, for nearly ten years, releasing his output plus artists like Zany. In 2012 he folded that independence into Dirty Workz, the Belgian powerhouse, joining a roster that now includes [Hard Driver](/artists/hard-driver) and [Da Tweekaz](/artists/da-tweekaz).

### Thirty years at the edge

Isaac still headlines the world's biggest harder-styles events (EDC, Defqon.1, Qlimax, Decibel Outdoor) and still charts: 'Berlin' (2025) currently tops his Spotify catalogue in HDRR's tracking, three decades after 'Bad Dreams'.

Every new DJ Isaac release lands on the [Hardstyle Release Radar](/playlists/hardstyle-release-radar) the day it hits Spotify. The full tracked catalogue is listed above.

### FAQ

**Who is DJ Isaac?**

DJ Isaac is the alias of Roel Schutrups, born 8 June 1974 in Winschoten, the Netherlands. He started out making radio remixes on a tape recorder and a small Casio sampler before becoming a pioneer of Dutch hardcore and later hardstyle.

**What are DJ Isaac's biggest tracks?**

His 1995 hardcore hit 'Bad Dreams' made his name, while hardstyle classics like 'On The Edge' and 'Go Insane' helped define the young genre. 'Berlin' (2025) currently leads his Spotify catalogue.

**Did DJ Isaac really help found hardstyle?**

Yes, he is regarded as one of the founders of hardstyle, transitioning from Dutch hardcore around the genre's birth and shaping its early sound with his own productions.

**What label is DJ Isaac on?**

He ran his own label X-Rate Records from 2003 for nearly a decade (releasing artists like Zany) before joining Dirty Workz in 2012.