A coming-of-age rave story, 170BPM, a baby monitor blinking on the desk, and happy hardcore re-engineered for the now.

The Spotlight: Meet Perth’s Hardcore Powerhouse

If you’ve been craving that euphoric, hands-in-the-air energy that only 170 BPM can deliver, stop what you’re doing. Our Track of the Week winner is here, and she is bringing the heat from the West Coast.

Meet NextJen (Jennifer Melsopp), the Perth-based powerhouse who is single-handedly reigniting the city’s love affair with Happy Hardcore. Her winning track, “Red Flags,” is a masterclass in modern hard dance—euphoric leads, driving kicks, and a melody that refuses to leave your head.

But the story behind the track? It’s just as impressive as the drop. We sat down with NextJen to talk about her journey from teenage vinyl junkie to label-signing producer, and how she’s building a new “Ascension” for Perth’s underground.

🚩 The Anthem: Inside “Red Flags”

“Red Flags” isn’t just a banger; it’s a testament to the grind. Signed to the legendary OneSeventy label, the track is a euphoric slice of Happy Hardcore featuring a massive lead and a melody that screams mainstage energy.

Surprisingly, this festival-ready anthem was built in 30-minute windows.

“I’d just had a baby… so I could only work on music in tiny windows while he napped… The whole track was created in short, chaotic spurts of creativity.” — NextJen

Struggling with over 50 different melody ideas, NextJen finally locked in “the one.” She teamed up with producer Mike Reverie for the mixdown and mastering, elevating the track to the professional standard required by a major label like OneSeventy. The result? A track with a hard drop and a powerful vocal that “absolutely goes off on the dancefloor.”

🔊 Listen to “Red Flags” Now:

Spotify: Stream Here
SoundCloud: Listen Here
Beatport: Buy Here
YouTube: Watch Here

🎧 Track of the Week: NextJen Drops “Red Flags” & Reigns Over Perth’s Hardcore Scene

💿 The Journey: From Walkmans to Warehouses

NextJen’s roots in the scene run deep. It started in 2000, trawling file-sharing sites like Napster for new tunes and recording them onto cassette via a kid’s toy microphone. Her obsession led to buying her first decks at 16, but like many women in the scene at the time, “imposter syndrome” kept her from the spotlight.

“I constantly felt like I didn’t belong behind the decks… I didn’t see many other females up there at the time.”

Fast forward nearly two decades later. After returning to Perth from the UK, she missed the hardcore events she loved. Instead of waiting for a promoter to book her, she became the promoter. She launched her own night, ‘Rave On,’ and taught herself CDJs just so she could play the opening set.

That bold move led to a finalist spot in the Your Shot competition, kicking off her “second life” as a DJ.

🎚️ The Sound: 170 BPM & No Apologies

NextJen is on a mission to re-educate the dancefloor about Happy Hardcore.

“It’s a genre lots of people have never even encountered,” she explains. “People remember chipmunk vocals and cheesy hooks, but the modern sound is a completely different story. The production quality now is incredible.”

Her sets are a high-octane blend of Hard Dance and Drum and Bass—two genres she argues belong together (“they literally come from the same roots!”). While she respects the old school, she embraces the future, utilizing AI tools like Suno for vocal ideation and Don Darkoe’s TMA Skool for social strategy.

Her Mantra: “Go hard or go home.”

🚀 What’s Next for NextJen?

She’s already played the OneSeventy Cruise on Sydney Harbour and the main stage at Metro City, but NextJen’s heart is in the local community. Her event brand, Ascension, is building a dedicated space for harder styles in Perth—a place where the crowd is “friendly, open, and dances like no one’s watching.”

Her Advice for New DJs:

“Play the music that YOU are passionate about… and if there aren’t any gigs for you – create your own!”

⚡ Quickfire Round: Build Your Perfect Party

We asked NextJen to build her ultimate rave in 30 seconds. Here is the blueprint:

Genre: Happy Hardcore
Favourite Venue (Perth): Any warehouse with a decent sound system
Favourite DJ (Global): Darren Styles
Ideal Crowd Size: Intimate
Preferred Soundsystem: Funktion-One
Indoor or Outdoor: Warehouse
Party Vibe: Chaos
Drink of Choice: Pornstar Martini
Must-Have Party Element: Atmosphere (people who are there for the music)

🔮 The Final Question

We asked NextJen to leave a question for the next DJ we interview:

“How would you approach taking on the challenge of dropping a Happy Hardcore tune in your set the next time you play?”

Follow NextJen: Linktree Label: OneSeventy

Do you have a track that deserves the spotlight? Submit your demo to the PartyLine team today!