Amsterdam Dance Event 2023

The annual pilgrimage to the capital of the Netherlands was upon the dance music community once again. And this year, it proved to be a record breaker. Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) 2023, now in its 28th year has hosted 2,900+ artists at over 1,000, parties and conference events, taking place in over 200 locations across the city. With such a huge array of talent on show, it seems no surprise that a record half a million people attended from across the globe, and 650,000 tickets were sold.

Zone Magazine arrived in the great city on the Thursday, and upon walking out of Amsterdam Centraal station, we headed straight to the ADE conference hub at Felix Meritis to catch fascinating interviews with global superstars The Blessed Madonna, and the mysterious Claptone in their first-ever live interview. Both gave fascinating insights into their careers and creative processes.

Friday gave us more time to explore the great city and everything ADE had to offer. We headed straight to the ADE Lab to check out everything technology and gear-related. Having the chance to get hands-on with all the latest equipment and studio toys from industry leaders such as Roland, Pioneer, Technics and more really shows how ADE is focused on as much the creative side of dance music as the clubbing experience. Whilst at Het Groene Paleis (where the ADE Lab was hosted) we managed to catch a fascinating panel discussion regarding The Impact of AI and Emerging Technologies in the Music Industry. It would prove to be the start of a conversation that would be a theme for the rest of the next few days as the influence of AI on the music industry as a whole is becoming more prominent.

From here we moved back to Felix Meritis to catch producer/DJ/AV artist Max Cooper give an intriguing interview regarding his production processes and creative methods. Dave Clarke did a wonderful job hosting, and we had the pleasure of bumping into him and having a quick chat beforehand, a true gent and a techno legend. Following his interview we were treated to an awe-inspiring live show from Cooper. A true multi-sensory experience where the music and visuals are entwined to the point they seem to be taking over the room. All this before 7pm!

We headed out to explore more. We swung by The Kadinski Café to catch Magnitude recordings before heading over to catch Leeds based DJ and producer Al Bradley of 3am Recordings lay down some quality deep house at JD Williams Whisky Bar. We rounded off the night at Gashouder for some techno from Awakenings and Adriatique.

Saturday saw us head to back to Felix Meritis for a captivating live performance from Sterac, full of live analogue and modular beats, it was the perfect start to the day. From here, on to Boom Chicago for a doubleheader of melodic progressive house. Jaap Lighthart and his crew where laying down some great relaxed house music for the mid-afternoon session before the Selador party later on at Boom Chicago. After this, it was back to our second home for the weekend Kadinski Café for the Manual ADE Get Together. Featuring performances from Around Us, Juliane Wolf, Greg Ochman and many many more, it was more progressive house, with a great atmosphere, full of smiles from the dancefloor and the DJ booth. As the lights came up at Kadinski we headed to Kollektiv Turmstrasse pres. Unity of Opposites, the launch part for their much-anticipated 2nd studio album. A true journey through house music. The night was rounded off with Sam Feldt at Melkweg with some more quality house music and an insanely friendly vibe.

As the weekend drew to a close, Sunday was spent taking in the last of the festivities. What better way to round things off than with house music legend Todd Terry. The 10th anniversary of his annual Todd Terry & Friends party, and he didn’t disappoint, bringing heavyweights DJ Sneak, Low Steppa and Ferrick Dawn to name a few with him.

ADE continues to prove the strength of dance music culture both in Europe and beyond. Bringing together individuals, brands and industry professionals from across the globe in a celebration of what makes the music, the clubs and everything in between great. We met so many amazing and inspiring people this year, and cannot wait to be back in 2024. *Just announced: next year’s edition of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) will take place on October 16—20, 2024.

Words & Photos By John Ricketts

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