Outside of the Ibiza season, Amsterdam Dance Event is, without doubt, the best week of the whole electronic music calendar. It's basically a huge dance music community hangout that involves ridiculous raves in nightclubs, warehouses and creative spaces at night while continuing the party in the daytime with all your best friends at some of Amsterdam's coolest hotels, coffee shops and bars by the canal. And the best thing about it is, after doing yet another summer on the White Isle, we get to wear big coats, scarves and gloves. Do you know how long it has been since we've worn winter clothing?
Anyhow, the main focus of ADE alongside the parties is the music industry itself. If you're a manager, agent, PR, artist or general electronic music fan, ADE is the opportunity to put a face to an email address. You are also likely to meet your favourite DJ in the middle of the street right after he or she has done a tutorial on how they make your favourite beat by twisting some knobs and making some sounds in a dark basement in Berlin.
Last year's ADE had an overhanging Crisis in Clubland theme. Mental health was a big talking point, Fabric in London was forced to close and Space Ibiza had just thrown its final party after 27 years.
This year the music industry as a whole seems to have moved on and evolved in a positive manner. Hï Ibiza has begun to fill the void left by Space and London's clubland scene is 'proper vibey' again thanks to Fabric winning its appeal and Printworks London leading the way with a series of events that could well rival some of ADE's and Europe's biggest raves.
While most of the music industry will at ADE to talk business, we certainly won't be doing that! All our work is done. Summer is over and we haven't had a day off since April. This is our chance to head somewhere different and absolutely let loose!
Before we fly to the neverland of ADE, we've made you a bulletproof list of things to do this week. Because if there is one thing we're good at, it's knowing exactly where the parties are! Check out some of these venues and parties and you'll have an absolute belter of a time.
Techno Heaven at Gashouder
If you're into your techno then you will no doubt be familiar with the dark and ominous chamber that is Gashouder. If you're not familiar with it, Gashouder is a venue and event space housed in an old industrial building. It's a large, pillar-less chamber with an iron roof and a maximum capacity of 3,500. In other words, it's an absolute dream venue for those who love big-room techno events with insane production and killer line-ups.
The people behind the parties at Gashouder over ADE are techno power brand Awakenings. This year they are hosting six huge raves across five days, with lineups curated by the likes of Ben Klock, Adam Beyer, Len Faki, Joris Voorn and Paul Kalkbrenner.
We will be there on Thursday night rocking to the beats of Adam Beyer, Monika Kruse, Pig&Dan and Ilario Alicante at Drumcode. We recommend you do the same.
Ibiza Favourites at Loveland (Mediahaven)
Amsterdam-based party planner Loveland is best known for a summer festival that takes place in August but at ADE they take over Mediahaven, a 4,000 capacity space in Moermanskkade (don't worry, we don't know how to pronounce that either). Throughout ADE, Mediahaven will host four raves, including Ibiza favourites: Diynamic on Thursday, Afterlife on Friday and Circoloco on Saturday.
Diynamic and Afterlife may have sold out in advance, but tickets still remain for the crazy circus with Seth Troxler, Damian Lazarus, Davide Squillace, Gerd Janson, Jackmaster, Matthias Tanzmann and much much more. This a party you simply can't afford to miss...
Warehouse vibes at HYTE
Once again, techno titans HYTE head to ADE with four takeovers at the incredible Warehouse Elementenstraat. The first rave takes place on Friday night with Ricardo Villalobos, Seth Troxler, Sonja Moonear and Ferro all playing in Room 1, while our Ibiza friends at FUSE take over Room 2 with Enzo Siragusa being joined by Archie Hamilton x Rossko and Seb Zito x Rich NxT.
On Saturday HYTE hosts a day and night rave with the Saturday daytime party opening just two hours after Friday night's party closes. Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann is the main attraction on a stacked lineup that also features Robert Hood, Ryan Elliott, DJ Stingray and Amsterdam's Dekmantel Soundsystem. On Saturday night Chris Liebing plays a six-hour set before Loco Dice is joined by Guti and much more on Sunday. With HYTE x FUSE sold-out in advance, our pick is the Saturday daytime session...
62-hour non-stop rave at De School
Opening its doors in January 2016, De School has been a hit after the closure of Trouw left a gap in the Amsterdam clubbing market. The venue, which used to be a technical school, is more than a nightclub: it is also has a concert venue, a restaurant, a café, an exhibition space and a gym. The club has a capacity of 700 and is one of Amsterdam's many venues with a 24-hour license.
Last year De School hosted its famous Het Weekender for the first time. Now one year later the club itself is more established and ready to go one better. "After last year's ADE we realised that we weren't happy with separate events anymore," says De School promoter Luc Mastenbroek. "It seemed more fun to try and show how different disciplines, genres, and subcultures are related, instead of breaking them apart."
So what's the lineup we here you ask? The majority of the names are De School residents but there are some names that have appeared at DC10 this summer. Job Jobse, Tom Trago, Lucy and Avalon Emerson are all confirmed but it is respected selector Young Marco that we're the most excited about.
The After-Parties
When the weekend comes around, ADE really steps up its game. Wherever you look there is a party and when there is a party, there is often an after-party. We have already mentioned the 62-hour non-stop rave at De School and HYTE Daytime Session on Saturday but that's just the tip of the iceberg for those wanting to carry on. On Saturday morning Romanian wizard Rhadoo plays alongside Nicolas Lutz while SIT plays live alongside Jan Krueger and Ferro at VBX. If you're still going on Monday morning, the Desolat crew are promising something special with a special unannounced lineup at BRET.
Our tips for the after-parties, keep your ears and mind open. Last year we raved on a crane, on a boat and in secret hotel rooms. Also, don't forget about the after-after-parties... cuz y'know, they happen too...
Amsterdam Dance Event takes place Wednesday 18th October to Monday 25th October. Head to their official website for more information.
