Next week, Europe’s foremost dance music conference and festival rolls into Amsterdam. Over the last two and a half decades, the Amsterdam Dance Event has grown from a gathering of a few hundred industry insiders to a huge, week-long musical extravaganza. Here, Defected’s Ben Lovett previews the 2013 edition.
It gets said every year but the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) just gets bigger and bigger. That’s remarkable when you consider the event’s low-key, business-focused roots back in 1996. But it’s also understandable. Over the last 25 years or so, Amsterdam has developed its underground electronic scene from something largely rallied beneath the local banner of one (legendary) club, RoXY, to an all-encompassing entity covering multiple artists, clubs, promoters – all with significant global appeal.
“In recent years, Amsterdam has developed a very healthy clublife, with at least five or six clubs, plus several one-off locations where you can party every weekend” says Gert Van Veen, owner of weighty Amsterdam club Studio 80. “The club scene is thriving. It’s no coincidence that four Amsterdam clubs secured a place in the [latest] DJ Mag International Club Top 100 – Trouw, Studio 80, Air and Melkweg.”
Dutch DJ-producer Edwin Oosterwal, co-director of influential city-based label Rejected (alongside countryman Joris Voorn), agrees: “It's amazing. The ADE just keeps growing and growing. Especially the amount of parties...is insane this year. I guess everybody really wants to be part of ADE. It's the place to be. And ADE is one of the few conferences where you can really get things done. It's definitely more than just a party.”
ADE’s General Manager Richard Zijlma is also, as one might expect, on board but makes the broader point that despite its undoubted evolution, the city’s nocturnal music scene has always packed a punch. All the more reason for ADE’s relentless success: “There has always been a strong underground scene in Holland – from legendary clubs like The RoXY to great club festivals like Dance Valley and Mysteryland. This year at ADE there will be a release of the book Mary Go Wild! where the entire history of the last 25 years of dance music in the Netherlands is told [via 60 authors and photographers, and over 140 interviews]. If you see this book you realise how many people were involved all those years ago – from organisers, to DJs, managers, VJ, designers – to make this all happen and develop the successful Dutch scene of today.”
So what is happening at this year’s ADE, October 16-20, then? According to Zijlma, a record-breaking 1750 acts performing at over 95 locations for starters.... ADE’s official opening party, October 16 at Melkweg, is a major highlight. The party, launching the aforementioned tome Mary Go Wild!, will feature a slew of talented Dutch DJ acts including Joost van Bellen, Secret Cinema, 2000 and One, Steve Rachmad, Michel De Hey, Fierce Ruling Diva, Quazar and Mr Oosterwal – a perfect reflection of ADE’s origins and local heritage.
There are other heady opening night treats. Dubfire leads an explosive gathering at Studio 80’s new ‘Warehouse’ space on Elementenstraat, promoting his label SCI TEC as well as the feisty flavour of Brazilian clubs D-Edge and Warung Beach Club. Elsewhere, DJ Sneak heads an I’m A House Gangster gathering with Todd Terry at Studio 80; Steve Lawler presents VIVa Warriors at Beatclub alongside Nick Curly and Robert Dietz; 4-4 heavyweights Luciano and Carl Craig present their respective labels Cadenza and Planet E at Gashouder; Julio Bashmore plays Trouw for Colors; and on an utterly soulful, deep Afro-house and disco tip, South Africa’s Black Coffee joins DJ Strat3gy and Soul Heaven associates RiskSoundSystem at Sugar Factory.
The following evening welcomes an Innervisions special at Trouw with Ame (playing a techno set), Dixon, Gerd Janson and another smooth South African houser Culoe De Song. Down at the Studio 80 Warehouse, Loco Dice plays alongside his Desolat signing Guti, whilst Guy Gerber transfers his Pacha Ibiza night Wisdom Of The Glove to NDSM Scheepsbouwloods and invites DJ Koze, Four Tet, and Martin Buttrich along for the ride. The Diynamic showcase at Amsterdam Studio’s features Solomun, H.O.S.H and Stimming; Pete Tong plays Air; Joris Voorn, Matthias Tanzmann and Oosterwal headline Amsterdam Roest; Carl Cox drops in to Gashouder; Heidi and Steve Bug host a Jackathon-Poker Flat mash-up at Barkode; Objektivity’s Dennis Ferrer lands at Het Sieraad; and Dekmentel conjures a delightfully eclectic MC Theater affair with Wolf + Lamb, Soul Clap, No Regular Play, Pillow Talk and Prins Thomas & Todd Terje (performing together).
Halfway through ADE, October 18, and revellers can grab Joy Orbison at Dekmentel’s second MC Theater party; Jamie Jones’ Paradise shebang (also featuring Ame and The Martinez Brothers) at NDSM Scheepsbouwloods; Visionquest’s absolutely massive Superpleasures concert (minus Lee Curtiss but plus Benoit & Sergio) at Amsterdam Roest; Ricardo Villalobos at the Studio 80 Warehouse; Kerri Chandler and Apollonia at Sugar Factory for label MN2S; and John Digweed’s Bedrock biggie at Melkweg.
Still on the same action-packed night, Richie Hawtin presents ENTER at Gashouder; Dutch EDM king Afrojack commandeers the Heineken Music Hall; and, at the other end of the house scale, Soul Heaven – recently repatriated to Defected – welcomes super slick and emotive groove to Het Sieraad via Yank grandees Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez and Terry Hunter, not to mention diva extraordinaire Ultra Nate, and local, funky residents RiskSoundSystem and Marly Mar. Speaking of Defected, the London label will host its own A-grade soiree at Air – as was successfully the case last year – featuring a stellar contemporary house line-up driven by talented German Nick Curly, dub-garage don MK and New Jersey’s finest Sandy Rivera. There’s room, too, for swinging Belgians FCL, great Dane Noir, Franky Rizardo, Sonny Fodera and Sam Divine.
On to October 19 and there’s no sign of the musical momentum easing. There are tougher delights via Chris Liebing at the Studio 80 Warehouse and Mathew Jonson & Minilogue and Levon Vincent at Melkweg’s Breakfast Club. Cassy plays the Odeon for Tour D’amsterdam; Dekmantel welcomes Nina Kraviz, Moodymann and Bicep to the MC Theater; and Gui Boratto, Pachanga Boys and Michael Mayer help Kompakt celebrate its 20th anniversary at NDSM Scheepsbouwloods. That leaves Studio 80’s Watergate Club jam with Tiga and Tensnake; Drumcode’s Adam Beyer at Gashouder; and the swaggering fusion of We Love..., Snowbombing and Future Disco at Air, ably represented by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Cajmere, Duke Dumont, Benoit & Sergio, Greg Wilson, Sean Brosnan and PBR Streetgang.
ADE’s final night, October 20, includes an Ostgut Ton showcase at MC Theater, fronted by Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann and Steffi; the Studio 80 Warehouse offers Laurent Garnier (and night Welcome To The Future); Roger Sanchez at Escape; Fritz Kalkbrenner at Gashouder; Danny Tenaglia at Melkweg; unpredictable hip-hoppers DJ Shadow & Machinedrum at Paradiso; and Mario Basanov at Needwant Records’ decidedly deep Barkode party.
“To be honest I am really surprised by all the things going on this year” Oosterwal remarks. “Every year there is more and more happening. And for the first time I feel there might be too much going on. But time will tell.”
Has the growth of ADE made things more difficult for both he and Voorn to throw their annual Rejected shindig? Not just them either, but, in general, has planning become more perilous for artists, labels and promoters? In the past, there were concerns about international brands silencing local talent but the talk this year is only about ADE’s sheer size, and that size must make it harder for all delegates and representatives to be individually heard. “Yes, it’s harder and harder to stand out with your event with so much going on” he says. “This year we were fairly late with planning, but it all worked out – I am very happy that we’re doing our event in such a unique location [Amsterdam Roest].”
According to Van Veen, the Rejected guys aren’t the only ones with concerns – however mild they might currently be: “With only one million inhabitants Amsterdam itself is way too small to support the crowd with so many parties, so everything depends on the international visitors. A lot of club promoters worry if we haven’t reached the limit already, or possibly overreached it....”
Where do ADE’s daytime ‘Conference’ and ‘Playground’ schedules fit in with all of this? They too have expanded. Aside from the usual raft of informative talks (2013 speakers including Nile Rodgers, Tiesto and Voorn) workshops, exhibitions and networking ops, there are a number of new projects including ADE Green (a dedicated sub-conference addressing the increasingly important green and sustainability issues surrounding today’s global club scene) and ADE Tech (a forum offering in-depth analysis of the latest technological thinking across all elements of the dance industry.)
Zijlma is adamant that night hasn’t overtaken day - there is, he feels, perfect equilibrium. “ADE has changed from a small B2B conference mainly focusing on labels and publishers who came over to license tracks, to a global platform serving the whole scene” he urges. “The event has now become a milestone for the electronic music scene.”
Feverish hands-on supervision at both Studio 80 and its new warehouse spin-off will keep Van Veen away from most of the Conference schedule, but he similarly supports its ongoing function: “The Conference is a great opportunity for people to discuss current affairs and exchange views. The Playground is gaining ground and is a welcome addition; it’s important as it highlights the fact that dance music has found its place in culture.”
Is he confident ADE can maintain its own place in dance music culture? “I really hope so” he beams, “it’s the most exciting week of the year!"
The Defected In The House party at AIR, Amsterdam is SOLD OUT!
Deep Down & Defected Vol.4 - Amsterdam 2013 is out 13th October - pre-order from iTunes
