Quick Summary
August belongs to hardstyle. Festival season is still moving at full speed, long summer drives need more energy and the right melody can turn an ordinary evening into a memory. For this edition of the MBP Selection, we have chosen nine tracks that deserve a place in your rotation, with one collection pick for every year from 2018 to 2026.
The selection moves between modern melodic hardstyle, emotional vocals, euphoric festival energy and a few harder-edged moments. It includes the new D-Mind single “Catch My Breath,” the powerful collaboration “Bow Down” by Ecstatic, Audiotricz and Lloren, JDX’s memorable comeback track “Making Memories,” and the Averro remix of the New Horizons 2018 anthem “Travelling Through Time.”
This is not a ranking from best to worst. Every track represents my different reasons to return to hardstyle in August.
Collection note: The year beside each track identifies its place in this MBP collection. It does not always represent the track’s original release year. In particular, “The Stereo” was originally released in 2023, while “Te Llevo Conmigo” first appeared in 2020.
The best August Collection at a Glance officially as the best selections in August 2018-2026
| Collection year | Artist and track | Original release | Why it belongs in the selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | D-Mind – Catch My Breath | 2026 | Fresh melodic hardstyle with a modern, concise structure |
| 2025 | Fraqtion – The Stereo | 2023 | Euphoric energy, emotion and an unmistakable summer-drive feeling |
| 2024 | Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston – Peace Of Mind (Solariser Remix) | 2024 remix | A familiar vocal transformed into an uplifting hardstyle experience |
| 2023 | Ecstatic, Audiotricz & Lloren – Bow Down | 2023 | A strong vocal collaboration built for shared festival moments |
| 2022 | Fraqtion – Back To You | 2022 | Reflective lyrics, warm melody and classic euphoric character |
| 2021 | Imperialite & Sett Collins – Te Llevo Conmigo | 2020 | Emotional atmosphere and a vocal hook that stays with you |
| 2020 | JDX – Making Memories | 2020 | Cinematic hardstyle created around celebration, connection and memory |
| 2019 | Hard Driver feat. Last Word – Wild Ones | 2019 | Direct, untamed energy with a commanding vocal performance |
| 2018 | Valentine – Travelling Through Time (New Horizons 2018 Anthem) [Averro Remix] | 2018 | A full-scale anthem with timeless festival emotion |
2026: D-Mind – Catch My Breath
The newest entry in the collection comes from D-Mind, a Dutch producer whose sound is rooted in euphoric hardstyle, crunchy kicks and classic melodic influences. Released on July 24, 2026 through Melodic Hardstyle, “Catch My Breath” is a compact track that delivers its idea without unnecessary detours.
Its place in the August selection is simple: it represents the present. Modern hardstyle tracks often need to make an impression quickly, but speed does not have to remove emotion. “Catch My Breath” balances a contemporary runtime with the melodic lift that long-time euphoric listeners expect from the genre.
Play it when you want something new enough for a current playlist but still connected to the melodic foundations of hardstyle. It is an effective opening track for this collection and a reminder that the euphoric side of the scene continues to evolve.
Listen on Spotify: D-Mind – Catch My Breath
2025: Fraqtion – The Stereo
Our 2025 collection pick looks back to “The Stereo,” released by Fraqtion through Gearbox Euphoria on August 10, 2023. Fraqtion’s music is deeply connected to euphoric hardstyle, and this track captures that identity through emotion, forward motion and a festival-sized melodic approach.
The contrast inside the record is what makes it work. Its darker narrative atmosphere creates tension, while the euphoric sections provide the release. That balance gives “The Stereo” more personality than a track built around energy alone. It can work in a hardstyle set, but it also has enough atmosphere for focused listening away from a festival stage.
This is the track to choose for a late summer drive, especially when you want melody without losing the weight and momentum of hardstyle. It may not have been released in 2025, but it earns its position as one of the records worth rediscovering in this year’s August rotation.
Listen on Spotify: Fraqtion – The Stereo
2024: Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston – Peace Of Mind (Solariser Remix)
The original “Peace Of Mind” by Above & Beyond and Zoë Johnston arrived in 2015. Solariser’s remix, released as a free release on August 3, 2024, takes the emotional core of that song and brings it into a harder, more festival-focused setting.
Zoë Johnston’s vocal gives the remix an immediate sense of familiarity. Instead of replacing the identity of the original, the hardstyle production adds a new frame around it: more impact, more lift and a different kind of release when the track reaches its energetic sections. It is an example of how a remix can connect listeners from two scenes without treating the source material as a disposable hook.
This is the most crossover-oriented choice in the collection. It works for fans of vocal trance and melodic electronic music as naturally as it does for euphoric hardstyle listeners. If you need one track for the transition from a warm summer sunset into a louder night, this is it.
Listen on YouTube: Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston – Peace Of Mind (Solariser Remix) [Extended Mix]
2023: Ecstatic, Audiotricz & Lloren – Bow Down
Released through Dirty Workz on August 18, 2023, “Bow Down” brings together Ecstatic, Audiotricz and vocalist Lloren. The collaboration is driven by a vocal that feels intimate in the breakdown and communal when the central phrase returns with the full production behind it.
That combination makes the track particularly effective in August. Festival records do not always need the hardest kick or the most aggressive sound design to create a large reaction. Sometimes the decisive element is a melody and lyric that thousands of people can experience together.
“Bow Down” carries that shared-energy quality while keeping enough detail for repeat listening. The warmth of the vocal, the polished melodic writing and the scale of the drops all serve the same emotional direction. It is a strong choice for listeners who want hardstyle to feel uplifting without becoming weightless.
Listen on Spotify: Ecstatic, Audiotricz & Lloren – Bow Down
2022: Fraqtion – Back To You
Fraqtion appears for a second time with “Back To You,” released through Gearbox Euphoria on July 14, 2022. The track is built around self-reflection and return: looking for answers, confronting the past and finding a way back to the person who was ignored along the way.
Those lyrics give the melody a clear purpose. Instead of adding an anonymous vocal over a hardstyle arrangement, “Back To You” allows its emotional theme to guide the tension and release of the record. The result belongs firmly to the euphoric side of the genre, with enough drive for a set and enough narrative character for personal listening.
It is one of the quieter emotional highlights of the collection. Play it when the energy should still be high, but the mood calls for something more reflective than a straightforward festival weapon. In a list full of anthems and immediate hooks, “Back To You” creates space to look inward.
Listen on Spotify: Fraqtion – Back To You
2021: Imperialite & Sett Collins – Te Llevo Conmigo
“Te Llevo Conmigo” translates to “I carry you with me,” and that emotional idea is central to the track. Imperialite and Sett Collins combine a memorable vocal with the warm, melodic atmosphere associated with the more emotional end of hardstyle.
Although it occupies the 2021 position in this MBP collection, the track originally appeared on Imperialite’s Sun Go Down EP on July 7, 2020. That distinction matters for accuracy, but it does not reduce the reason for including it. A good summer selection is not limited to music released during one calendar year.
This is a track for the more personal part of the playlist: less about dominating a festival stage and more about the feeling that a song can attach itself to a person, place or moment. Its Spanish title and emotional vocal identity also give the collection a welcome change of colour.
Listen on Spotify: Imperialite & Sett Collins – Te Llevo Conmigo
2020: JDX – Making Memories
Few titles fit an August collection as naturally as “Making Memories.” JDX released the track through Scantraxx on August 2, 2020, marking his first public hardstyle release in almost a decade. It arrived after the producer’s iconic “Live The Moment” had been voted the number-one hardstyle track of all time during DEDIQATED, inspiring him to create new music under the JDX name.
The result is cinematic, celebratory and deeply connected to the idea of shared experience. Its lyrics focus on living fully, remembering the people who are no longer present and creating stories that remain after the night ends. That message became especially powerful during a year in which normal festivals and gatherings had suddenly disappeared.
JDX has described his musical identity through storytelling, emotion and passion, and “Making Memories” brings those qualities together. It is not only a nostalgic entry in this collection; it is a reminder of what festival music is ultimately for.
Listen on Spotify: JDX – Making Memories
2019: Hard Driver feat. Last Word – Wild Ones
After several emotional and melodic selections, “Wild Ones” changes the temperature. Released through Dirty Workz on August 6, 2019, the collaboration between Hard Driver and Last Word is direct, physical and built to create movement.
Last Word’s vocal performance gives the record its identity. The repeated “wild ones” theme is not subtle, and it does not need to be. It acts as a command for the crowd, while Hard Driver’s production supplies the pressure underneath it. The track represents the moment in a set when reflection ends and instinct takes over.
That makes it one of the most useful contrasts in the collection. “Wild Ones” prevents the playlist from leaning entirely into melodic nostalgia and proves that an August hardstyle selection also needs a burst of untamed energy. Use it for training, a pre-party or the point in the drive when the volume inevitably goes up.
Listen on Spotify: Hard Driver feat. Last Word – Wild Ones
2018: Valentine – Travelling Through Time (New Horizons 2018 Anthem) [Averro Remix]
The collection closes with the Averro remix of Valentine’s “Travelling Through Time,” the anthem created for New Horizons 2018. The remix appeared on the official remixed EP on November 9, 2018 and runs at 150 BPM, but its emotional world belongs to summer: sundown, raised hands, living in the moment and making the feeling last forever.
An effective festival anthem has to do more than identify an event. It needs to preserve a memory of being there, even for listeners who discover it years later. “Travelling Through Time” succeeds because its central message is broad enough to outlive one edition of one festival. Averro’s remix keeps that anthem-scale feeling while giving the track its own hardstyle momentum.
It is the ideal final entry because it connects every theme in the collection: time, memory, travel, community and the promise of another night together. Seven years later, it still sounds like an invitation to step back into the summer of 2018.
Listen on Spotify: Valentine – Travelling Through Time (New Horizons 2018 Anthem) [Averro Remix]
Why These Tracks Work Together
The nine records do not represent one narrow version of hardstyle. That is the strength of the collection.
- Catch My Breath shows where modern melodic hardstyle stands in 2026.
- The Stereo, Back To You and Te Llevo Conmigo bring emotion and euphoric character.
- Peace Of Mind connects hardstyle with the vocal-trance tradition.
- Bow Down and Travelling Through Time are built around shared festival emotion.
- Making Memories turns the purpose of those moments into the subject of the song itself.
- Wild Ones adds the harder burst of energy the playlist needs.
Together, they move like a summer day: reflection at the beginning, rising energy through the middle and a final anthem after sunset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these tracks ranked from best to worst?
No. This is an editorial MBP selection rather than an objective chart. Every track was chosen for a different mood, sound or moment in an August hardstyle playlist.
Does every collection year match the original release year?
No. The years identify the positions supplied for the 2018–2026 MBP collection. “The Stereo,” placed under 2025, was originally released in 2023. “Te Llevo Conmigo,” placed under 2021, was originally released in 2020. The other entries align with their stated collection year.
What style of hardstyle dominates the collection?
The list leans toward melodic and euphoric hardstyle, with emotional vocals, anthem writing and festival-scale melodies. “Wild Ones” provides a harder contrast, while the Solariser remix of “Peace Of Mind” introduces a clear vocal-trance connection.
Where can I listen to the complete selection?
Eight tracks are linked through Spotify. The 2024 Solariser remix of “Peace Of Mind” is linked through YouTube because the selected version was released as a free release.
Will MBP publish more monthly selections?
The MasterBeat Project regularly covers hardstyle, hard dance, artist development and music discovery. Follow MBP for future selections, new releases and practical resources for independent artists.
Final Thoughts
A good monthly selection should do more than collect recent releases. It should make new music feel connected to the records that shaped previous summers.
The 2018 - 2026 collection does exactly that. D-Mind brings the list into the present, Fraqtion and JDX supply emotion and storytelling, Hard Driver raises the intensity, and “Travelling Through Time” closes the journey with the kind of anthem that made many listeners fall in love with hardstyle in the first place.
Save the tracks that speak to you, play them in the order that matches your night and make this August another month worth remembering.
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Listen and Learn More
Spotify – D-Mind: Catch My Breath
Spotify – Fraqtion: The Stereo
YouTube – Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston: Peace Of Mind (Solariser Remix)
Audiotricz – Bow Down release information
Hardstyle.com – Fraqtion: Back To You
Apple Music – Imperialite: Te Llevo Conmigo
Hard News – JDX returns with Making Memories
Apple Music – Hard Driver feat. Last Word: Wild Ones
Shazam – Travelling Through Time (Averro Remix)