It has been exactly one decade since the release of Hardwell’s smash single, Arcadia. Arcadia is a progressive Big Room/ Electro track that was initially released on July 7, 2014. It was the first single to release on his debut studio album in 2015 ‘United We Are’. Hardwell first performed an edit of the song live during Ultra Music festival in March 2014. Produced through an amazing collaboration with young talent, Joey Dale, the track was proven to be a festival banger.
Arcadia embodies the sound of Big Room dance music during the 2014 Golden Era. Every time the song is played you will get that nostalgic feeling invoked by Hardwell’s signature sound. The euphoric vocals provided by Luciana take the track on an exhilarating journey through ‘Arcadia’. The track was a heavy hitter in the 2015 Belgian charts reaching a peak position of 35 (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders). That uplifting feeling is what people loved about music during the golden years.
There was an official music video published 3 months after the release on August 8, 2015. The video gathered 6.7 million views as well as 63k likes on YouTube. It is just as fantastic and whimsical as the song itself taking on the Alice in Wonderland theme. The lyrics coordinate with the visuals as there are depictions of a woman crossing over into another world and joining a mad tea party.
Hardwell has made references to the electrifying track throughout the years. Most recently in 2020, he made a Facebook post sharing how special ‘Arcadia’ was for him to include in “The Story of Hardwell” album. The album is a compilation of Hardwell’s best work throughout the years released in 2020 right after his announcement of a much-needed hiatus. The single is listed as number 1 in the album.
