Amsterdam Dance Event – 5 DAY DIARY

Amsterdam Dance Event – 5 DAY DIARY

February 8, 2017 Off By Editor

ADE 5 DAY DIARY By Victoria Ball

19th Oct Wednesday / Day:  Landed in Amsterdam for the legendary ADE Amsterdam Dance Event 2016, such a beautiful place with colourful buildings, canals, and Bikes!! Bikes are everywhere and I have no idea how it works… and death by push bike was looking on the cards from the beginning. Even the taxis seem to drive around them like Bangkok tut-tuts it’s an experience all on its own. Cosy hired Apartment but with Ladders for stairs and 4 huge flights of them with no lift!!! Met with wingman Alex Hodgkinson and cameraman for the next 5 days. Still catching my breath from the death stairs…and Craig Regan aka Phutek is on my doorstep within the hour… Of course, he is! When did he even get here? After our trip to Ibiza, it was awesome to see him again and a great surprise! However so much for sleep now until Friday when he left….. (True story)

ADE Profile

 Wednesday / Night:  Funk’n Deep Meet’n Greet at the Hunter’s The Bar…

Loved this night, and was a great networking night. Finally meeting some of the people you have chatted with for almost a year or more on FB and actually getting a hug and a big welcome hello!!! Such an awesome atmosphere with the DJs having a more fun and relaxed approach to playing it seemed but still top notch techno and tech house blasting out with a few B2B thrown in a true pleasure to watch and dance to in this friendly bar with hilarious and super kind people, the Dutch are so bloody nice a perfect start to my 5 days here. Playing on the night and had the pleasure to catching up with: Anti-Slam & W.E.A.P.O.N., Steve Mulder, Medhat & Dekkstrum, Kostas Maskalides and Ovi M. I did grab the Anti-Slam & W.E.A.P.O.N. brothers as a fan of their music for a while now, and awesome to finally meet in person, these guys know how to party and are great fun to be around…when it comes to DJing they are no strangers to the scene, having played all over Europe for some of the most well-known brands in the world including Cocoon, Meganite, and Global Gathering.

The Future Habs , Mo, Phutek Steve Mudler at Space VIP

Victoria: How are you both and enjoying your ADE experience here?

 A&W: “We’re good thanks, you?

Victoria: Yes thanks, kinda of having the time of my life!! I’m in Techno Heaven.

A&W: We are absolutely loving it, it’s the best event in the world in our favourite city, what more could we ask for?

Victoria: So come boys what can we expect from you both in 2017…

A&W: There’s a lot of stuff in the pipeline. We’ve got an album coming out on our vinyl label, Jumpmono Records, and some really big tracks coming out on Jumpstereo records as well. We have our own releases on various labels, as well as gigs lined up across Europe, including a couple of festivals… Watch this space.

Anti-Slam and W.E.A.P.O.N

Victoria: wow that’s all sounds awesome and definitely looking forward to the festivals…I can now say…one of the festivals is HOME 2017 on Facebook and Iconic Underground has already got to cover this wonderful event on 9th & 10th of June 2017.

As the night went into the morning with non-stop Techno from these outrageous and talented DJ’s I also found in my path more DJ’s Erich von K, SAMA, and Full on Funk more amazing characters …  Rens van Nellestijn (DJ Full on Funk) was a delightful character who I pretty much hit off with straight away, so took to the side for a more in-depth chat…

Victoria: So tell our readers a little about yourself and what ADE means to you?

Rens: Hi Everybody I’m Full On Funk. I produce and play the kind of techno for everyday usefulness. You know the strong and filthy kind (laughs) ADE always gives me a very special feeling. You live and work towards it every year and when it’s there you get goose bumps because you know what’s about to go down…for a whole week long nonstop.

Victoria: So what event are you looking forward too?

Rens: This year is an extra special edition since we’re hosting “The United Techno Showcase” with 50: HERTZ. Together with Diction, Jamie Fullick, Digital Duplex, SAMA, IGor and our event manager Nynke Blom we form the 50: HERTZ crew back in April of this year. You must come down and join us!

 Victoria: My first party invite, fantastic I would love to join you, so tell me more of this event?

Rens: We first started out with our radio show format which airs weekly on Deep FM (NL) and Diesel FM (USA) but now with the ADE we have taken the next step in our quest to make a difference in the scene. Our mission, in general, is to make the triangle relation between the producer community, the event scene and the Techno crowd itself a lot smaller as it has become these days. We believe that there are so many talented artists out there who are struggling just like ourselves to find fair opportunities to show what they can do. The solution simple lies in meeting the right people who are willing to get to know you further than just the tunes you make.

In Techno it’s not just about the music, it’s what you have to offer to the scene as a personality as well.  Therefore for our event, we got together 45 different amazing labels, event hosts, agencies, and artists. They all came together here today to network and enjoy music together with a nice crowd in the hope to form new relations, possibilities, and cooperation’s. We try to promote all of these participating organizations not only towards the crowd but even more importantly to each other. We made a 30-page booklet to feature all of them with all sorts of information about who they are and what they stand for in the scene. The support we have been getting has been very overwhelming and we are so grateful to all of them because we really came together as a Techno family to make this happen. This was just the first step in what we want to do.

50 HERTZ Event

We have a lot of ideas cooking up, both for the radio show as well as for events or workshops/masterclasses we want to start hosting in the future.” Over the last 2 years and especially over the last few months whilst preparing for our event I got to know so many great people, both from the event scene as well as a lot of great producers to whom I really look up to.  For 2017 I hope to get the opportunity to be able to work with a lot of them and of course like every DJ out there I hope I can be on stages as much as possible to do what I love so much, which is to entertain people with my music. I hope that our 50:HERTZ concept will develop a lot further in 2017 so it can create a lot of great things for our crew and for all the organizations and artists we are working with.

Victoria: This is amazing what you’re doing and have my support, will definitely be joining you Saturday.

The music and networking were on fire in this bar but who knows near the end… DJXXX eating Space cakes and passing them around comes to mind. Then Dawn!

20th Oct Thursday / day: Jumpstereo Label Showcase at The Cinema Club/Cafe

Unfortunately as sounded pumping and a great line-up but only popped by as was starving and weak from no real sleep! Even with 2hrs of Um music supplied from Phutek…this guy is so spiritual but which only reminded me of the Dark Crystal mystics starting their journey home. So straight onto Awakenings, it seems but not before steak & kidney pie and a Guinness in the Irish’s bar! Chatted again with Anti-Slam & W.E.A.P.O.N. who had already been kicked out for their hotel room after not even making a whole first night… Total respect to the boys!! RockStars!!!  It was an accident after all…also caught back up with Steve Mulder, the nicest guy you can meet but then his Dutch… no brainer!

Thursday / night: Awakenings x Adam Beyer presents Drumcode Special (SOLD OUT) at the Gashouder This wild building was the largest of its type in Europe when it was constructed back in 1902 and now it is one of the homes of Awakenings, and club event for 3500 people. However even sold out on this night, I never felt crowded and even the loos had no massive queues, nice to see a club that thinks about the clubbers by not ramming us in. I saw Nicole Moudaber, Adam Beyer & Alan Fitzpatrick… and literally had the Best night of my life. Starting with Nicole Moudaber dark, slick and dirty vibe outrageous Techno with her personal stamp all over it… no wonder she is called Queen of Techno! And found myself just fixed on her charismatic and magnetize pull, I think it because she looks so effortlessly up there…just too cool for words…Then Adam Beyer! Who totally brought the whole house down with his 2hr set of the best underground Techno I’ve ever heard and was the talk of the night!…

With Adam Beyer came fireworks to my delight … scratching above my head. Shooting across one side of this huge dome to the next…burning white and red bolts shooting by with tails of smoke behind them. Never before have I witnessed such an insane display and atmosphere in such an epic building. I could gush all day about this night and Alan Fitzpatrick didn’t hold back either… but I do feel it was the night I was baptized in Techno for the first time… I really got it, changed everything for me now…you know that experienced, even how I hear the music since I’ve been home… I have always loved it and listened to it… but it was a baptism of my Techno soul that night. Finally, it all came together in my head everything I’ve listen too, talked about I felt it all and am now lost to it forever….

Iconic team Alex and VictoriaThe ‘Techno’ tribe of the night my wing-man Alex Hodgkinson, Craig Regan (Phutek), Eric Vonke (Erich von K), Tibe Dengel (SAMA), Sarah Wesley, Jonny & James Herriot (Anti-Slam & W.E.A.P.O.N.) Rens van Nellestijn (Full on Funk), and every other f****** beautiful soul I felt…and was blessed with their company on that so special night…..  Coming home to my morning Angels Naomi Nae Ellis & Zoe Looker who just landed and were here to support me on my ADE guest and get their Techno on… so no rest for the ‘wicked’! ADE Continued….

 21st Oct Friday / night ADE: Terminal M x Tronic w/ Monika Kruse, Christian Smith & more at The Q-Factory

Thanks to the wonderful Emma Chambers, I had backstage passes for this evening and enjoyed getting up and personal with what can only be called some of the outstanding Techno DJ’s of this decade. First up ANNA with her energetic young and potent vibe and hard hitting Techno, the crowd took to her immediately … However Monika Kruse did take it to another level and the crowd, first time seeing her and a pleasure to meet her. She has such a bubbly and friendly soul and it showed in her outstanding set that night the crowd loved her!!! Christian Smith knocked the socks off the other room too… But for my personal favourite was Noir, I have followed this man, his energy and incredible tracks Noir – Lost & Broken / Persevere (Terminal M) is still one of my favourites. His energy and passion when playing, not alone the actual quality tracks he plays… Wow! I was flaking a bit by now and he brought me right back!!! This man is something else and if you ever get the chance go and see him live, you will not be disappointed, and his passion and tracks are mesmerizing … I feel like we are almost in a church and he is our preacher quite an experience to watch and feel…

22nd Oct Saturday / Day: 50: HERTZ presents: The United Techno Showcase ADE 2016 – Venue WesterUnie

Excited to come here from my invite on my first night off Full on Funk, great venue and awesome crew running this he was not wrong. Techno pumping out midday and having a dance has that wonderful feel about it, like having a crafty glass of wine for lunch. I was thrilled to meet DJ’s Blanda & Mike Ly (DURTYSOXXX) as a fan of their music and playing was SAMA B2B Full on Funk. I was delighted to catch up with DJ/Producer SAMA again who I had already been following, due to his tracks catching my ear when Medhat & Dekkstrum / sub:Merged played them in their mixes. A name to watch out for at only 19yrs very talented…so I took SAMA who is taller than the ‘Jolly Green Giant’ outside for a more formal interview on what he is up to at present.

Interview with SAMA 2

Victoria: So first tell our readers who you are?

SAMA: I’m SAMA. My real name is Tibe Dengel. I’m from Holland, Utrecht and I’m 19 years old.

Victoria: Is this your first time at ADE?

SAMA: Last year I went as well, but I didn’t really have a lot to show yet. So this was my first year to really get out there and meet everybody.

Victoria: And how did you get on this year then?

SAMA: On Wednesday I played at InDeep’nDance Records for the Techno Tuesday/Kraft Artists meeting. Thursday I played at the Generator for Funk’n Deep & Friends and Friday for the Funk’n Deep showcase in Cinema Club. Saturday I closed off at our own event with 50: HERTZ, back to back with Full On Funk.

Victoria: And how is your overall experience since you’ve got here?

SAMA: It’s been amazing. No more words for that really, meeting everybody from all around the world and just having a good time while still being productive. It’s the perfect blend of partying, networking, meeting new people and having fun.

Victoria:  We did catch up and ended up partying hard together at Awakenings in Drumcode which was awesome…What was your experience there?

SAMA: I have been to awakening two times before. I think it’s actually one of the best parties around, it everything is perfect, you know!

Victoria: Hell Yeah….I’m still a little shell-shocked from the night.

SAMA: The whole organization of the party is just flawless. The lighting is amazing, no queues for anything, great sound, awesome atmosphere. Just nothing bad about it really.

Victoria: It’s pretty special. It blew my mind!

SAMA: Yeah, yeah.

Victoria: So tell me, what have you got coming in the future?

SAMA: I have got 2 tracks coming on Respekt Recordings, which is run by Spektre. They liked my tracks, but thought that as an artist, I was still too small as an artist to get an EP for myself. But then they thought of opening a new kind of label called Prospekt I said to them that I didn’t want to be released on a smaller label, I wanted to be released on Respekt. They actually took that idea and made a Prospekt series. It’s a VA that showcases 3 artists, each showing 2 tracks, so we still get to reach all the big artists that Respekt does.

Victoria: I see you a lot with Mo & Darren from sub:Merged, over here.

SAMA: Yeah, definitely.

Victoria: So is there something going on there, as I personally love these guys with great personalities and again very talented DJ’s personally I love their “Dark Sessions”.

SAMA: Well yeah, I am really close to them and I really like them. They are amazing guys with huge plans for their brand, but right now it’s all. I don’t really see anything going on yet because everything is still behind the screens. But, yeah I am really hoping they can do what they are promising you know. They see me kind of like as their little child, as in that they want to help me grow big in the scene like they want to help themselves and their brand.

Victoria: {Laugh}

SAMA: No they really do!

Victoria: Even though you’re taller than all of them! {laugh}

SAMA: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I am definitely taller than Darren, not even speaking about Mo..(laughs) but.. Yeah, everytime Mo sees me, he’s like “man I love you so much, I really want to have you on the team” and stuff. You know… Not bad! {laughs}

Victoria: So where are you playing next?

SAMA: I am playing next at Techno Tuesday for my residency, next Tuesday the 25th October and the 15th of November. After that, it’s actually going to be a pretty quiet period.
 

Victoria: I’m sure they will be coming in soon!

SAMA: Yeah, for sure.

Victoria: So before we go back inside for a beer, some more of your own music coming out?

SAMA: I just recently signed a track with my friend Dave Sinner on Pleasurekraft’s Kraftek, which I’m pretty happy about. Also an EP on Oscar Aguilera’s He-Art in early 2017, and the release on Respekt as I said.

Victoria: Oh, that’s amazing! Good stuff!

SAMA: Yeah, so now I hope to keep that line of good releases.

Victoria: Thank you sweetheart and thank you for taking the time for talking to Iconic Underground!

SAMA: Thanks for taking the time talking to me! {laughs}

So returning inside grabbing another beer and having quick Techno stomp, I saw Eric Vonke (Erich von K). We had met on my first night here at Funk’n Deep Meet’n Greet and ended up partying with him at Awakenings/Drumcode. One of nicest guys you could meet he is a DJ and Producer and signed to: Distortus Music, Monotoon Recordings, Hypnotic Frames Records, sub:Merged Record labels. He also has recently started the ADE Techno Podcast found on Soundcloud, giving the more unknown or less known producers and labels a chance to play, among the bigger names played of course. So with that in mind, I grabbed a seat and Eric for a quick interview.

Eric von K and Yvonne Ubbink

 Victoria: So Eric my darling how are you enjoying your ADE experience?

Eric: My wife, Yvonne, and I are enjoying it even more than last year. It is one big party of meeting old friends and meeting new. People you only know from Facebook, well known and unknown, mix and are all so easy to talk to. Everybody is so relaxed and you can really feel the atmosphere of friendship and mutual love for the music. The label showcases we have attended (Funk’n Deep, Jumpstereo, Black Kat/White Kat, etc.) were absolutely amazing. The Awakenings event on Thursday was mind-blowing. And now, here at the 50Hertz gathering, it is that same unique vibe that for all I know can only be experienced here, at ADE.

 Victoria: I couldn’t agree more with you…how would you describe the music here at ADE?

Eric: In general every type of music is being represented all over Amsterdam. Whatever music you love, there is a party going on right now. So, everybody is in Amsterdam for the love of the music. That creates a unique vibe that you can really sense.

 Victoria: With the New Year approaching what’s coming up in the future for you?

Eric: I have some tracks coming up and a few remixes. I love to do collabs and there are a few in the making with producers I really admire. I intend to grow the audience for my ADE Techno Podcast but most of all I love to expand the knowledge and get better and better at producing. I started producing seriously about 10 years ago. I really wanted to make what was in my head. After a very long learning time of 8 years (watching lots and lots of Youtube tutorials, studying online with Point Blank and taking courses like TechProTorial) I released my very first EP on Distortus Music. Since then I am addicted to improving my techniques and release more and more. I have been encouraged to do gigs and I am starting to pick up DJing again and working hard towards my debut next year July for a very big Techno festival in Holland. And probably visit Awakenings in London too next year, where we have been invited to by Phutek. And I look forward to keeping in touch with all amazing people we have met at this ADE. For me, music is all about joy and relaxation. And now that friendships are being added it only gets better and better.

 Victoria: Biggest compliment at ADE

Eric: Phutek, a DJ and producer that I really admire came up to me and told me he really likes my tracks.

Victoria: Biggest insult (and funny)

Eric: A taxi driver asking me if there was also Dutch music at ADE because he saw me as a typical Dutch folk singer. LOL.

 Victoria: Lol Brilliant! Thank you, Eric, it’s been an absolute pleasure.

As I danced back around the room, I caught back up with DJ Blanda (or maybe stalked) and found he was off to a party… So with a little bit of kidnapping myself, Alex and Blanda took a taxi from 50: HERTZ, which was almost over and headed there. Having Blanda with me in a taxi I grabbed a couple of questions out of him,

  Victoria: How are you enjoying your ADE experience, any main thoughts stick out for you since arriving?

Blanda: ADE has been great! Business wise we are doing great things with sub:Merged and we have met a lot of great people!

 Victoria: So what can we expect from Blanda in 2017?

Blanda: There is a lot of new releases coming out around March and April 2017. Also, a lot of big gigs got confirmed but I cannot tell you the details until the labels and organizations are releasing it but I will promise you 2017 will be awesome!

As we carried on chatting in our taxi, I’m now finding out it is an invite only party..oops, but also sub:Merged were there. Quick phone call and kindly got my invite thanks to Mohamed Medhat and Darren Brennan / sub:Merged.

goodlife_presskit-10

 Saturday / afternoon: Goodlife (Private) Party on Balcony over the streets of Amsterdam.

We got out the taxi and started looking for the party… on hearing music in the street like the Pied Piper we followed it to a balcony above a seafood restaurant. There high above our heads were decks set out in this stunning carved stone balcony and DJ’s playing Tech house to the street below. A small door opened below and I saw Darren Brennan (sub:Merged) grinning at me. Up the stairs to a beautiful apartment with loads of friendly smiling faces, food, and cold beers a flowing wow where was I? Good vibe is an understatement to the ‘Goodlife’ Leroy Rodrigues and Gregory Stadwijk and their crew. Music blasting into the street, into us all dancing behind in a cozy house party vibe… it was like a U2 Statement in 1987 singing “Where the Streets Have No Name” performed on a Los Angeles rooftop. The music was on point with tech, tech house, Techno we had it all….Totally took back by all this I had to catch up with the boys and find out more about this party.

Victoria: Firstly let me thank you for your hospitality here, I am having just the best time. how did this happen? 

Leroy and Gregory: It started with the idea that we wanted to do a stream on the stream during ADE where we would have a camera face us and see the street behind us so that we with our crew could share the vibes with people on the street and start random spontaneous parties with them. The plan was to do a DJ marathon of 8 hours and invite friend DJs and maybe even invite people to live via the stream to join us if they are around to spin some tracks.

While looking for a location we got the opportunity to use a friend’s house in the Van Baerle street in Amsterdam. Her name is DJ Adriana S. This was a big change in our idea and it turned into something big.  We wanted to give people an experience they haven’t seen yet. We wanted to take people on a journey while we shaped the event, where people could follow on Facebook how we setup the event, where the event was held and who we would “Select” to join us.  Thierno Kensenhuis (one of the owners of Fijnproevers Events, which means Fine tasters) fixed 2 partners to help us with this party. Bavaria sponsored us the beer for that day and we had a good partner in T-mobile because they have a concept called 4G at home giving you the ability to have fast internet wherever you wanted, inside and out by using the 4G network and because we did not have the Internet in the house they were the perfect partner and also wanted to help us out so the full stream was done on the 4G network.

Goodlife partyy with subMerged

On Facebook, we started to invite DJ’s in a fun way and making people able to see the selections and also wait for replies and slowly see the event take shape.

Victoria: A great idea and good teamwork by the looks of your crew out there. Looking at all the equipment everywhere how was the setup and who have you had a play here today.

 Leroy and Gregory: At 14:00 we started our stream with a nice sun that hit the balcony and a lot of people that walked by and started filming and making pictures. The setting was, Pioneer CDJ/DJM on the balcony, 1 speaker turned outside for people outside, 1 speaker as a monitor speaker for the DJ and 2 big speakers inside for our guests. It was an exclusive party inside invite only and we kinda had a cap of 30 people.

The stream was set up with 4 camera’s, 1 aimed at the DJ and seeing the inside of the house behind the DJ, 1 aimed inside the house to see the vibe inside, 1 cam aimed at the mixer and decks and 1 aimed outside.  We had about 6 DJ’s invited to come and spin with us and we said there are no time tables you come you chill you spin if you want in a family setting. We ended up having a total of 12 people spinning the decks from 14:00 till 22:00 with names like Medhat & Dekkstrum, Rowen Clark, PAWSA, Lvibes, Roma S. Adriana S. Jack Doe, John White, Vinny James, Rowan Pierlot & Loco Dave, Harper, Vander, Pon Vio, Dyme, Peekay, Houseville and us Goodlife. We had DJ’s from Scotland, England, USA, Dominican Republic, Cape Verde, Indonesia, Holland and Australia.

Goodlife-4

 Victoria: This to me is one of the best house parties I’ve been to in an age…the vibes out there are mountain high with music to back it, I can’t stop smiling here… so much love and energy from everyone, it really is something quite special here today…. have you felt this.

Leroy and Gregory: Totally!! The uptown meat club was a burger restaurant next door who rang the bell and we thought is was because the music was to hard or something but no he came with hamburgers and French fries for people inside because he saw the vibe he said and he wanted to contribute.

We had a few people from the street invited inside to have fun with us and they had a blast.

We had 2 couples of around 45-55 years old that walked on the street saw the party came inside and said this is one of the best things we have ever experienced, they came in and we gave them soup, drinks, nice conversations, and music. They stayed till the end and kept asking where they could pay for the party because they wanted to contribute but we did not let them pay.

Somebody yelled out omfg we are on the snap chat of Loco Dice and it turned out that he walked past our balcony and posted 2 snapchats if we would have seen him he would have been rocking the deck with us maybe.

We saw PAWSA walking by and yelled at him, he had to catch a plane he said but still come into play some tracks and left fast to catch his plane.

There was a big demonstration in the street with hundreds of people (not because of us haha) and when they walked by the balcony they heard the music and started yelling dancing and smiling even tho they were demonstrating for something important.

I feel that people that watched the stream loved the vibe and also the fact that you did not know what or who would start spinning or take over the deck, all DJ’s did B2b2b with other DJ’s it was a lot of fun!

 Victoria: Well I’m blown away from what you’re doing here your music, energy and team out there are a force to be heard about. And I for one am happy to spread the word…

Leroy and Gregory: Victoria all we do for one goal Inspire people to enjoy more by showing them, telling them and letting them experience that they are the star in their own life. We don’t ask people to drastically change their live and stuff, we just want people to wake up and think I am important and make their day at least 51% about them, not about their manager, husband, wife, kid, dog but about them and that way they give people around them also the chance to choose for themselves and smile more. Keep this in mind: When you make the journey your destination you will start to focus on things that matter! Wake up and make every day your best day so when the day comes that you don’t wake up, you have lived the best life ❤️

I could talk to these guys all night you can feel the passion when talking to them and you know comes from the heart. Gregory and Leroy met each other at the age of 12 at a professional soccer club they played for and played there for 10 years together and both went fully the dream. During that period they always told each other Leroy & Greg, L&G Life is Good and Gregory & Leroy G&L Goodlife.

Goodlife-16

Their logo “Be the star of your own life” Goodlife and after seeing and hearing what I have here today I dare anyone to say anything bad you can’t and I guarantee we will be hearing a lot more from these two in the very near future.  Some fun things from that day:

They reached almost 400.000 people with our stream

They had almost 80.000 views

Stream was shared 400 times

Had 2200 likes on the stream

I stayed and listened to Medhat and Dekkstrum who played separately for once here…don’t think they could both actually fit on the balcony…however both played an outrageous slick and dirty Techno / tech house set and had the room buzzing but nighttime was approaching and after having some beautiful homemade soup, given to me by a Guillermo Fijnproevers Cameraman/Editor at ANDERS and Initiator at FijnProevers Events with just the best smile and dance moves… it was time to say goodbye ‘Goodlife’ and thank you so much for having us.

Sylvia Van Herk (DJ Adriana S.) Also her flat

 Saturday / night: SOLD OUT – HYTE ADE – w/ Collabs (Chris Liebing & Speedy J) all night long, ROD, Abstract Division, Doka & Sinfol at Warehouse Elementenstraat

So still buzzing from the ‘Goodlife’ it was time to hit HYTE and now for something completely different. I only stayed in the main room straight into the remaining 7hrs of a 10hr set of non-stop Hard/Core Techno… something else for your senses and unfortunately now the famous ade cold coming on! BUT still Amazing!!! Collabs (Chris Liebing & Speedy J) all night long true DJing at its best incredible!!! Spunk the Funk – 2000&One, Slippin’ – D-Unity, and Extase – Confident would be the three that I remember hitting hardest. With the heavily layered approach to their mixing, a lot of the mixes are various components from multiple tracks but these three stood out as raising big cheers of the night! Hard Techno isn’t one of my favourite techno’s but you could not underestimate the talent of these two DJ’s playing together and finding that many tracks that totally rocked you to your core!!! It was like taking one of my 6 times a year mini bus trips to ‘TRADE’ London in the 90’s to see Tony De Vit & Malcolm Duffy ….because sometimes you just need it hard! And let’s have it!

  23rd Oct Sunday: Venue Apartment Only!

So …No voice/flu/dying… it was the last Day/Night so stopped in with my HYTE Closing Party ticket going to waste and missing Loco Dice gutted but sadly could not be done. So stopped in eating cookies & drinking rum as really couldn’t do anything else. However this lead to a 22hr session of a nonstop music fest…. So awesome and including watching Carl Cox 9hrs set Final Chapter on Be-At TV, remembering the night and music only a few weeks ago…was amazing to watch from being there too….happy days again.

But when we got to the emotional final words of Jim Morrison’s voice shout “this is the end”… the Police Banged really loudly on the door……… Spooky!  It was ‘the end’ as I opened the door to two fully kitted uniformed Dutch Police man ….“it’s 5am GO TO BED” he boomed at me pointing a finger like Uncle Sam in my face! Er, oK with a mouse squeak lost voice only dogs could hear! Priceless!!! but a fitting ending I felt to this incredible adventure…

24th Oct Monday: Coffee shop, taxi to airport, fish & chips and beer!! Plenty of time…That’s another story…

Sleep in 5 days = 12-14hrs top… New Record and on par with SAS sleep deprivation torture.

So let me ask you! Have you ever just taken a whole 5 days and nights when nothing mattered than the music…? I mean no meaning in life as we know it but music…..24/7…non-stop… maybe thinking about drinking water, eating a banana and a wet wipe wash but what do you think that does to your soul, your mind…and the people and connections here… ADE I salute you wholeheartedly, I’ll see you in 2017 and again each year until the day I die… just because … and trust me this could not happen in any other city than Amsterdam, it’s people, venues and vibe shines a cut above the rest!….x

I like to dedicate this experience to Alex Hodgkinson, Naomi Nae Ellis & Zoe Looker and Craig Regan (Phutek) we found the Unicorn…

Photography – Alex Hodgkinson