Preparing for Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE): The highlights

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is a five-day electronic music conference and festival taking place in, you guessed it: Amsterdam. During those inevitably quick five days, the event features 2,500 performing artists in nearly 140 venues and around 600 speakers at the conference events. There are club parties, basement parties, secret parties, boat parties, ice cream socials, meet and greets, digital installations, interactive experiences, vinyl markets, and even that list cannot possibly cover the full variety.

Music fans, labels, producers, artists, and press, flock to Amsterdam to live the fast life. The city is transformed to welcome and facilitate music in its fullest. There is even an ADE University where artists can quite literary gather in a school-like environment to learn and network. This year, they will introduce the team behind Cocoon, “the label and party organization with one foot in Frankfurt, one in Ibiza, and activities that span the globe”

Needless to say, it would be impossible to fill you in on the entire ADE program so we will share just a few highlights. The full programs can be always found on their website.

The music lineup highlights

2manydjs, aka Soulwax, will return to ADE for a performance on Friday night with the likes of Axel Boman, DJ Seinfeld, DJ Tennis, Gommage DJ-team, Kastronaut, Omar Souleyman, Red Axes, Simple Symmetry and a handful more artists at Thuishaven warehouse nightclub.  Some other the other notable names participating are Shlømo, Bonobo, Hælos, Joris Voorn, Mr Scruff, Claptone, Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox,  Jon Hopkins, KiNK, Carnage, Ronnie Flex, and Helena Hauff, just to name a few.

This year, Tomorrowland celebrates their 15th anniversary at Ziggo Dome with a two-night, all-ages showcase (Thursday and Friday). The lineup of artists performing over those nights includes Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, GOOSE, Metropole Orkest, Netsky, Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots, and Tiësto.

Oosterbar, located the basement of a former zoological university, an underground club in the east of Amsterdam, will join ADE with six events, including a vinyl market. Amsterdam label Late Night Burners, is inviting Casablanca’s Casa Voyager label, Undefined Records will host a 12-hour showcase while Hausplant will turn some of the space into a botanical garden.

Sunday is an ADE hangover day and various venues will host events to embrace the occasion (or is it the feeling?). Oosterbar’s Hangover club, for example, is a space for attendees to “chill out and recover“ with massages, hangover food, juices, and much more.

Conference program highlights

The conference portion of ADE offers a wealth of industry insight. This year, the focus at ADE Pro is on billings and radius deals – a very common issue for many artists, promoters, and agents. ADE Pro will shine a spotlight on the future of clubbing, from the perspective of the power of design and the importance of strategy. Some of the confirmed speakers at the conference are AEG Studio’s Raymond Roker, Groove Armada’s Andy Cato will walkabout sustainable farming, Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, and Hannah Wants in conversation with Emerald Rose Lewis about the importance of well-being.

ADE Tech (Thursday) will showcase innovative technologies for festival makers and live performers. Naturally, a conversation about environmental sustainability will also take place on Friday exploring the newest and most impactful strategies for environmental and social change within the industry.

Somewhere else in the city Sound Lab will celebrate it’s 5th anniversary this year at ADE. Annual Q&A’s, live performances, workshops, and masterclasses will be hosted at the test lab area. Naturally, there will also be participation from Ableton who will host three main live sessions led by artists and Roland will also return with a showcase of their latest instruments and hardware. ADE Sound Lab, on the other hand, will also feature David Wrench, Roger Linn, Sunnery James, and Ryan Marciano.

With so much to do, see, and hear, planning ADE might be overwhelming but you can find a great ADE guide from Resident Advisor here. As first-timers to the festival, we will be using it too.