# Showtek

Canonical: https://www.hdrr.info/artists/showtek

- Genres: Hardstyle
- Tracked releases: 240
- Latest release: 3 Jul 2026
- Spotify followers: 490,714
- Spotify popularity: 61/100

Showtek (brothers Wouter and Sjoerd Janssen) wrote one of hardstyle's defining chapters before crossing into global EDM, and their tracked catalogue spans both worlds.

Showtek are [hardstyle](/new-hardstyle-releases) history and EDM present in one act: brothers Wouter and Sjoerd Janssen from the Netherlands, who helped define the genre's golden mainstage era and then walked away from it at their peak - into global stardom.

### The hardstyle years

The brothers started in techno in 2001 (Wouter producing hard trance as [Walt](/artists/walt), Sjoerd as [DJ Duro](/artists/dj-duro)) and committed to hardstyle in 2003. On their own label, Dutch Master Works, they released 'Today Is Tomorrow' in 2007, one of the first true hardstyle artist albums, which charted in the Netherlands and produced festival staples like 'FTS' and 'The Colour of the Harder Styles'. A second album, 'Analogue Players in a Digital World', premiered at Amsterdam Dance Event in 2009. By then Showtek were regulars atop the Q-dance calendar, closing the mainstage of Defqon.1, as big as hardstyle gets.

### The pivot

In 2012 Showtek quit hardstyle and went house. The backlash was real (booing crowds, thrown beer), but the bet paid off: worldwide EDM hits like 'Booyah' made them one of the few acts to cross from hard dance into the global mainstream, and the brothers have said they never regretted the change. For hardstyle fans the split remains bittersweet, which is precisely why their classic catalogue keeps getting rediscovered.

### Why they still matter here

Showtek's tracked catalogue on HDRR (nearly 800 releases) spans both eras, from Dutch Master Works classics to current output, and their early work remains a gateway drug into the harder styles. Their story also marks the genre's crossroads moment: contemporaries like [Headhunterz](/artists/headhunterz) would later leave and return, while acts like [Brennan Heart](/artists/brennan-heart) doubled down. Hardstyle's history since is a conversation Showtek started.

New Showtek releases are tracked here the day they hit Spotify, and hardstyle-era classics surface in the [Hardstyle Top 100](/hardstyle-top-100) whenever the scene streams them back up the charts.

### FAQ

**Who are Showtek?**

Showtek are Dutch brothers Wouter and Sjoerd Janssen. They started in techno in 2001, moved to hardstyle in 2003, and became one of the genre's biggest acts before switching to house and EDM in 2012.

**Was Showtek a hardstyle act?**

Yes, between roughly 2003 and 2012 Showtek were among hardstyle's leading names, headlining Q-dance events and closing the Defqon.1 mainstage. Their 2007 album 'Today Is Tomorrow' is a genre landmark.

**Why did Showtek leave hardstyle?**

In 2012 the brothers switched to house and EDM. The move angered parts of their fanbase at first, but it made them global stars, and their hardstyle catalogue remains among the most loved in the genre.

**What are Showtek's biggest hardstyle tracks?**

'FTS', 'The Colour of the Harder Styles' and the 'Today Is Tomorrow' album era define their hardstyle legacy, festival staples that still get played across the scene today.