It’s fair to say that Amsterdam has incited and driven forward an exhilarating electronic revolution in recent years. The Dutch capital, hanging its dancefloor ambitions to a single, albeit legendary club, RoXY, during the late Eighties and Nineties, has since metamorphosed into a vibrant, fast-pulsing circuit of DJs, producers, globally-hyped parties and festivals, and state-of-the venues. The rise of marquee festival the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) wonderfully epitomises Amsterdam’s wider sonic rise. ADE is, today, one of clubland’s true global epicentres.
Gert Van Veen, owner of influential Amsterdam club Studio 80, told Defected three years ago that a large part of Amsterdam’s success was down to its focus on community and local talent. However, the city’s rapid development has made such focus more difficult, particularly around ADE.
“There have been complaints here this year” Van Veen freshly remarks. “The balance in Amsterdam is a little off-kilter. Our scene has grown so much, which has meant that everyone wants to come over and play. That’s really exciting on the one hand but causes politics on the other. Clubs like Studio 80 now have the opportunity to host international labels and artists that they’d never have thought they would get a couple of years ago. That means there’s less nights... less opportunity for the local guys, who we also like to support. It’s really noticeable during ADE. Amsterdam’s rise over the past few years has become self-perpetuating; today the city feeds from its own snowballing reputation.”
ADE, of course, does still pander to local music-makers; more so than many other global festivals and events are prepared to do. Its official party at the Central Amsterdam Arena on opening night October 17 will present a wide range of Dutch acts (big and small) such as Ferry Corsten, Joris Voorn, Sander Van Doorn, Sander Kleinenberg, Afrojack, Boris Werner, Bassjackers, Hardwell, Presk and Steve Rachmad alongside visiting A-listers Carl Cox, Carl Craig and Ricardo Villalobos.
ADE (credit: Martijn Klijmij)
Elsewhere, local bass-meister Cinnaman plays his own Colours shindig at Trouw, October 18, alongside Maya Jane Coles and Jackmaster. On the same night, city boys Joris Voorn and Edwin Oosterwal host a Rejected party at Studio 80 with special guests Derrick May and Deetron, and veteran Amsterdam techno label 100% Pure hits the Sugar Factory with the homegrown DJ Madskillz and 2000 And One.
The following evening legendary Dutch tech labels Clone, Rush Hour and Delsin (the former two record stores also) take over Trouw with Amsterdam-based DJs Tom Trago and Aroy Dee, and Rotterdam’s Gerd and Serge. On October 20 – the Saturday night – local ‘new school’ tech-house sensation Daniel Sanchez plays alongside compatriots Boris Werner, Nuno dos Santos and 2000 And One for the ‘BLA’ Next Monday’s Hangover bash at Het Sieraad & Edel; and then there’s ADE’s raft of ‘in-Conference’ platforms designed to uncover future Dutch masters – ADE Next and ADE University (October 17-21) being prime examples.
This year, ADE Next will include remix workshops, talks by those local artists who have now made it (Vato Gonzalez, for example) and one-to-one studio time with Sander van Doorn. ADE University, meanwhile, will present lectures by Junkie XL and Joost van Bellen to classes of eager-beaver countrymen and women on everything from label entrepreneurship and event management to artist career building.
The wider ADE conference - conference events housed at a number of venues: The Dylan Hotel, De Balie, De Melkweg, Parkhuis De Zwijger and , primarily, Felix Meritis – features talks by Francois K (How To Run Your Business As An Artist) and Coldcut’s Matt Black (25 Years Of Electronic Music), a round-table discussion on music journalism headed by Resident Advisor’s Editor-in-Chief Todd Burns, and Q&A (chaired by Dave Clarke) with Trevor Horn, the multi-award-winning mainstream producer of electronic-tinged hits for Grace Jones, The Pet Shop Boys, Seal and Art Of Noise.
Lights at Melkweg (credit: Betribes)
What else can we expect from ADE this year? “Amsterdam’s ‘new school’ has been discovering some of the older, longer established house labels and artists, so there will be a big focus on them” Van Veen urges. “The younger generations are opening their ears to the early American house sound, and the sounds of older, well respected outfits like Defected and Body & Soul.”
As such, Soul Heaven’s ‘ADE Special’ at De Bierfabriek on October 18 will feature Yank garage favourites DJ Spen and Terry Hunter alongside soulful club divas Barbara Tucker and Julie McKnight, whilst Body & Soul’s groove-a-thon at the MC Theater, October 20, presents New York royalty Francois K, Danny Krivit and ‘Joe’ Claussell; New Jersey don Dennis Ferrer hosts an Objektivity party, October 20, at De Bierfabriek; and Quentin Harris drops in on The Sounds Of Blackness jam, October 20, at Bump.
Still with the soulful, utterly melodic house flavour, The Djoon Experience hits Amsterdam’s Sugar Factory on October 17 - Djoon continues to push South Africa’s smooth take on Chicago and New York through performances by Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, Manoo and Rocco. Defected Records, meanwhile, commandeers AIR on October 19. Defected’s line-up is as funky as it is versatile, Tensnake and Sandy Rivera joining Dutch heroes Chocolate Puma and Franky Rizardo, not to mention Noir, Supernova, Andy Daniell and Lorenzo. A second room features Italians Flashmob (behind Ibiza anthem Need In Me), up-and-comers Larse, Hot Since 82 and NiCe7, and latest Defected signing Anna Wall.
ADE unofficially begins at Studio 80 on the Tuesday evening (October 16), Nic Fanciulli presenting a Saved showcase backed by Robert Dietz and Subb-An. Come Wednesday and the action massively intensifies. Seth Troxler and Ben Klock headline a Late Night Society & Imprint gig at Trouw; Detroit deity Jeff Mills soundtracks silent 1928 sci-fi film The Woman In The Moon, at EYE Film; Gui Boratto plays Melkweg’s Warung Beach Club/Kompakt showcase; Carl Cox joins Fatboy Slim at Gashouder; Dubfire and Davide Squillace work Studio 80 for SCI Tec/This & That, and Josh Wink brings Ovum to Chicago Social Club.
The big parties keep coming. On October 18, ADE revellers can expect to catch Pete Tong at AIR, alongside Damian Lazarus , Ryan Crosson and Shaun Reeves; Drumcode’s Adam Beyer fires out full-on techno at Gashouder; and Diynamic’s Solomun plays Schram Studio’s with both Stimming and Kollectiv Turmstrasse live. On October 19, there are further events for Chris Liebing (tough CLR-brand tech) at Undercurrent; for Mobilee at Het Sieraad & Ede (with Sebo K), Desolat at Studio 80 (Martin Buttrich, Guti, tINI), Bedrock at Melkweg (Digweed; but Dave Clarke, Green Velvet, Octave One and DJ Sneak feature separately), Richie Hawtin’s ENTER at Gashouder, and David Guetta at The Sand.
That leaves DJ Harvey and Andrew Weatherall’s exciting Trouw-based soundclash on October 20 and, same evening, Watergate’s 10th anniversary bash at Studio 80 (with Ellen Allien and Heidi), the Cocoon Heroes party at Amsterdam Convention Factory (with Ricardo Villalobos and Guy Gerber), Moon Harbour’s Odeon soiree (Matthias Tanzmann) and Tresor and Deeply Rooted House’s Hotel Arena blowout (Juan Atkins).
The final night of ADE, October 21, boasts a Secretsundaze & The Secret Agency show at Studio 80, headed by Motor City Drum Ensemble. Melkweg hosts Crew Love, with a line-up including Soul Clap, Wolf + Lamb and Pillow Talk; US house veteran Roger Sanchez plays Escape; there’s more from Jeff Mills at OT301; and Tale Of Us swing by Trouw for an ADE ‘Residents’ Special’. There are further reports of a Crosstown Rebels all-nighter back at the Amsterdam Convention Factory but details have yet to filter through.
“I would never have believed that Amsterdam would get so busy” Van Veen reflects. “More people come in for the clubs now than actually live in the city! The last two [Amsterdam] Dance Events were hugely successful and I’m sure this year’s will be too. It keeps getting bigger but not, so far, at the expense of the music or crowds, which is key. Where ADE goes next, I’m not sure, but for now it’s looking good. Everyone goes mad!”
ADE’s General Manager Richard Zijlma spells out the festival’s growth in more specific terms: “When we started we had 500 conference delegates. Now we have 3500 delegates and the festival will have 200.000 visitors this year. Every year sees new additions. This year, there are more than 250 different nights on the festival program with over 1000 DJs and acts performing at 80 locations every night, so it's not easy to pick out one particular highlight!”
What is the DJ’s perspective? Rejected’s Edwin Oosterwal can’t wait to get stuck in: “ADE is the most important event in the year. Every year there are more parties... it’s crazy... so much going on! Joris [Voorn] and I can’t wait for our own party at Studio 80; Derrick May [Rejected’s special guest] is one of our all-time heroes and one of the reasons I started DJing. But it’s not just about the parties. The business side is also important; there are always great new initiatives popping up. In turn, outside of the ADE, our scene is also great.”
Debate, and possibly even concern, as to where the Amsterdam Dance Event heads next might already be starting but, for now, clubland’s focus remains steadfastly short-term. ADE 2012 hits the starting grid with a programme of events wider and more involving than anything before it. Festival-goers are therefore expecting the most invigorating Dutch dancefloor experience yet....
Defected In The House ADE Special
AIR Amsterday
Friday 19 October 2012
Featuring Tensnake ‘Live’, Sandy Rivera, Chocolate Puma, Noir, Flashmob, Supernova, Larse. Hott Since 82, Franky Rizardo, Nice7,Andy Daniell, Anna Wall, Lorenzo (Live PA).
Buy tickets here
For more on ADE 2012, visit www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl
[Words - Ben Lovett]
