Growing in size and stature with each year that passes, The Amsterdam Dance Event 2012 is now just around the corner, and while for many industry professionals it’s undoubtedly a place to do some serious business, for many more the ADE is about one thing; the parties.
With hundreds of them taking place at dozens of different venues around the city, the choice of where to spend your time is a potentially daunting one. However, if you’re looking for a good place to start, one of Amsterdam’s newest clubs AIR makes a strong case for closer inspection, as Defected’s Ben Lovett recently discovered…
Together with partners Niels de Geus and Sander Groet, Sjoerd Wynia launched AIR in 2010 to a storm of cynical, doom-mongering comment and opinion. Amsterdam was already overrun with clubs, industry soothsayers extolled, the economy was dire and clubbers’ tastes were growing increasingly fickle; a new club would never survive. Two years on and AIR is, as its name suggests, flying higher than high.
“A lot of people in Amsterdam thought that we would fail” opens Sjoerd. “It was a very difficult journey to establish ourselves. There were several other good clubs in the city at the time and with the economy being so poor, those clubs were fighting bitterly for the same party-goers. When you think of all the government regulations too, people were probably right to think we were crazy. But we believed and had a real passion to build something different.”
Literally build something. AIR was knocked up from scratch on the site of Amsterdam’s legendary gay club iT, which closed back in 2002 owing to long-standing complaints by local residents over noise. Several consortiums and promoters had circled the building – its basement, to be precise - with a view to launching something new but plans fell through. There were rumours, too, that Jay-Z was checking the space, and boastful claims about hot new venues gleaming with golden staircases and lustrous Grace Jones PAs but nothing came of them. The building was subsequently demolished and therein AIR’s opportunity arrived.
“We were rivals at the start, Niels and I working for one of the Netherland’s two big dance promoters ID&T, and Sander for the other, Dance Valley” Wynia outlines. “We bumped into Sander at a party, by chance, and he told us, quite candidly, that he wanted to open a bold new club and asked if we’d join him. We’d forgotten our dreams of opening our own venue; we thought our opportunities had passed. But suddenly here we were, having a coffee the following morning and working out plans for something immense.”
There were numerous advantages to building, rather than inheriting a club space. “It meant we could influence and steer from day one; we were able to control every aspect of AIR and make sure it was as good as it could be” Wynia says. “Having that blank canvas allowed us to demand the best quality and as elements of the build came together, see if those elements could be modified to become even better. We weren’t sitting back on an existing set-up.”
The fully functional AIR is an impressive structure. Conceptualized by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders – whose work regularly features in the world’s most influential design magazines – it spans several dancefloors and bars, catering for up to 1300 revellers, and incorporates a top-of-the-range soundsystem (Void Acoustics), cutting-edge video projection screens, and walls integrated with sophisticated LED lighting. However, such is its adaptable, partition-heavy design that a balance between mind-blowing scale and atmospheric intimacy is ably maintained. AIR’s sound insulation is also second to none, helping it avoid iT’s former woes.
Wynia, de Geus and Groet haven’t just focussed on design and layout - as striking as that is - either. Much thought has gone into organisation, too, and how the time-honoured textbook to club ownership might best be ripped up and re-constituted.
“We wanted to innovate the way the nightclub is run, so we thought about all the things that annoy you when you’re in a club and how to resolve them” Wynia explains. “Bar queues are really annoying, for example, so we introduced a pre-paid AIR card which can be used for quick payment for drinks. Customer service was also important. Generally speaking, Amsterdam has a poor reputation for service so we’ve put a lot of emphasis on how our staff members treat guests and even the artists themselves. We go the extra mile to create the best atmosphere. Things like that allow the focus to remain on entertaining and the music.
AIR’s musical policy takes it beyond most other clubs within Amsterdam, providing a wide range of programming as opposed to one distinct style. “That for me is our key differentiator, and the main reason we have done so well in our first two years” Wynia says. “There’s a formula to many clubs in the capital; they each pander to a niche scene. With AIR, we wanted to be different and appeal to everyone. We all had festival and event production backgrounds so our interests were always really broad.”
He continues: “We respect clubs here like Paradiso which has built its reputation over 40 or so years now. It’s fairly rock-focussed and has hosted bands like The Rolling Stones but will also put on nights with [Ricardo] Villalobos without any fear. We like that idea of opening people’s eyes and surprising them.”
AIR is open Thursday to Sunday nights every week, firing out everything from house and “Bristol bass” (Thursdays; a popular student night) to urban (Sundays) via underground tech and electronic (Fridays) and mainstream-edged dance (Saturdays, regular guests including Afrojack). That variety will be further emphasised later this month when the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) loudly returns.
AIR opens its ADE account on October 17 with a party hosted by former Aeroplane man Stephen Fasano under his swish disco guise The Magician, before pandering to peak-timer Pete Tong, October 18 and eclectic tech-sters Justin Martin, Damian Lazarus, Ryan Crosson and Shaun Reeves. Defected, of course, follows that, October 19, with a top-draw house line-up including Tensnake, Sandy Rivera, Noir, Supernova and Franky Rizardo (Defected also played AIR in 2011), before local techno imprint Electric Deluxe hosts a special Format (one of AIR’s monthly Friday events) after party headed by Speedy J and Juan Sanchez. The infamous We Love... crew round off October 20, presenting James Zabiela, DJ Hell and electro-clash dandy Fake Blood.
“ADE is one of two big projects for us each year” Wynia stresses, “the other is our anniversary, in April. There’s a huge amount of organisation; we started planning for this year’s ADE last November and haven’t really let up. It’s so important because the world is watching and we want to show AIR in its best, most beautiful light. You also have all these great artists coming to the city so you’re fighting to be first in line to host them.”
The overarching ADE image, then, of a city in perfect, musical harmony is not strictly true. Whilst local club owners, promoters and artists are proud to put on a ‘capital’ show for the global dance community they each have their livings at stake. “In times gone by you could advertised a line-up in June and have expected to sell-out fairly quickly” Wynia remarks. “Today, your June announcement needs an extra angle, an extra name. Everyone is fighting for those extras; the competition is cut-throat.”
AIR can draw a certain amount of reassurance from its architecture, its attitude towards customers and open-minded music policy but more, perhaps, from its three founders. According to Wynia, the distribution of skills between them is perfect – de Geus enjoys organisation and spreadsheets, whilst Groet’s “firestarter” personality prevents creative stagnation and Wynia’s own particularly strong musical background ensures a robust, engaging programme of events week in, week out. All three, however, share a deep affection for electronic music and atypical cautiousness around costs. “It’s because we’ve worked in events for so long” Wynia offers, “you learn how to manage money. Many a club has disappeared because of excessive spending; we won’t let that happen. It’s about having responsible fun.”
The trio’s festival experience has opened up other lucrative avenues too. AIR is already firmly established on the Dutch festival circuit, events such as July’s Milkshake gathering (in partnership with Paradiso) generating healthy ticket sales and vital brand awareness. “The activity works well because we fully share our efforts and profits with everyone” Wynia urges. “There is strength in numbers. Back at the club, we’re starting to see team members ready to leave the nest and try their own events. It’s a great feeling to develop people; we will continue to support them outside the club, and they will support us back, even if it’s indirect. It’s mutually beneficial, and makes us all that bit stronger.”
What does the future hold? “Well, you’re only as good as your last party. The environment is still a difficult one so we must continue to work hard” Wynia concludes. “But it’s important not to worry or else that affects what you do. We’ll keep investing in our club, our line-ups and our festivals, and look to grow steadily. We may also do some events in other countries. We won’t make radical changes though; we’ve managed to stay alive for these past two years and that’s more than enough for us.”
That may be the case but AIR’s founders have finally, within the past few months, drawn up a manifesto to thematically underpin the club’s future manoeuvres. “It’s like a 10-point mantra or something” Wynia casually replies. “Just a few things we wanted to put down about what we stand for. We couldn’t do it until recently. Early on, we were frantically sorting ourselves out and, frankly, it was impossible to sum anything up. But now we’re entering a new phase. We will never, I think, have the buying power of the Las Vegas and Dubai clubs but we’re really happy with where we’re heading right now. We’ve created a magical experience.”
It is remarkable Wynia and co. even have time to contemplate the future what with ADE immediately on the horizon: “That’s for sure. We’ve got a really exciting week planned. We’re all non-stop...no rest, but we can’t wait for all those sleepless nights. It’s going to be amazing as usual.”
‘AIR is young but nobody’s fool’ reads one of the club’s official bullets. It’s hard to disagree....
Words: Ben Lovett
Defected In The House ADE Special
AIR Amsterdam, Friday 19 October 2012
Featuring Tensnake (Live), Sandy Rivera, Chocolate Puma, Noir, Flashmob, Supernova, Larse, Hot Since 82, Franky Rizardo, Nice 7, Andy Daniell, Anna Wall and Lorenzo (Live PA)
