Amsterdam Dance Event 2016 – The Recap
The dust has settled, and the wild five days known as Amsterdam Dance Event have come to an end.
As a dance music world zeroed in on the Dutch capital for ADE’s 21st edition, many records were broken. The ADE conference sold out for the tenth consecutive year, with 550 speakers, over 2,200 artists in more than 140 venues, one thousand events and 375,000 visitors attending. You really could not take more than 10 steps without seeing some sort of Amsterdam Dance Event branding. With that in mind, let’s recap our team’s action-packed three days in Amsterdam.
Thursday
After flying in and figuring out what was what, we decided to take our first stop at the Monstercat Label Showcase. With a headlining set from JAUZ, the event brought some of the best upcoming names in trap music onto the global stage that ADE provides.
A shot of the stage as Conro played at the Monstercat Label Showcase.
Next, we headed over to Melkweg to check out Sander van Doorn‘s event. We arrived just in time to see Oliver Heldens take the stage alongside the headliner as they played their collaboration known as “This”. Kryder, Tom Staar and Fred Pellichero then closed down the party with plentiful groovy vibes.
Oliver Heldens and Sander van Doorn playing B2B.
Friday
Friday was when we finally realized how hectic ADE actually is. With a day full of interviews and meetings, we also got the chance to run around and see the city. That night, however, the focus was solely on Martin Garrix. He took over and immense amount of space at RAI Amsterdam for sold-out shows on consecutive nights. With support from Matisse & Sadko, Justin Mylo and Julian Jordan, the newly crowned No. 1 DJ in the world conquered the stage for three straight hours, playing his biggest tracks from throughout his career.
Mr. No. 1
Saturday
Saturday brought around more interviews and meetings, as well as a trip to Amsterdam Music Festival. There, The Chainsmokers and Alesso (among others) brought their massive sounds to the Amsterdam ArenA all afternoon before Axwell Λ Ingrosso played their sold-out event.
On the other side of the city, we also attended the Release Records party hosted by Third Party. There, we were treated to massive sets from Corey James, Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman, and of course, the label bosses themselves. The event brought a a variety of different house genres to the forefront, and had the crowd going crazy from open to close.
Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman: plenty of hair and plenty of hits.
The Amsterdam Dance Event experience is one that is truly unforgettable. Even the most casual dance music fan can find ways to get involved in industry thanks to the countless activities that occur throughout the five days. It’s exciting to see the entire community converge on the city to catch up, make deals and have a great time.
Keep it locked to Dance Rebels as we move on from ADE and look forward to Miami Music Week!
