EVENT REVIEW – ADE 2025 – Issue 049 –

Inside the Machine: Audio Obscura × Innervisions at ADE

By Nitetales 

We arrived right at the start, 2 p.m. sharp,  as Jamiee was warming up the large, covered outdoor stage. The sound rolled through the space with the confidence of someone who knows they’re opening for giants. Her set bridged warm house, stripped-back techno and a few jazzy flourishes that softened the edges. It wasn’t just a warm-up; it was a welcome. The kind that sets a tone instead of just filling time.

From there, we went underground (literally) into RAWFACTORY, the bunker-like club carved into a former car park. The air thickened instantly. The lights glowed blood-red, the ceiling low enough to feel the pressure. Ivory took the decks and I’d been waiting a long time to catch him live. He started slow and deliberate; ambient textures bleeding into deeper percussion, as the room filled out. Then came that pivot: into his signature house and techno blend, tight and hypnotic. Controlled chaos. The crowd locked in and the temperature rose a few degrees.

Next up: Trikk b2b Argia, the kind of pairing that shouldn’t work on paper but did effortlessly. Trikk, for me, is the Innervisions artist who keeps levelling up. His sound has matured without losing its edge. Argia matched him track for track, reading the room perfectly and the two crafted a set that moved from restrained groove to pure propulsion. It was one of those rare b2bs that felt like a conversation, not a competition.

Then we slipped upstairs for Âme DJ; Christian, always in control, guiding energy with the patience of someone who knows exactly how long to hold a moment before letting it break. His transitions were clean, his pacing masterful and emotional without leaning on easy nostalgia.

As dusk crept in, we drifted between Henrik Schwarz, whose live show reminded everyone what musicianship still means in electronic music and Jimi Jules vs Trikk, a playful clash of rhythm and experimentation. You could feel the looseness, the fun, the sense that ADE had fully arrived by then.

And then came Mano Le Tough, fresh from playing at Cocoon the night before; visibly relaxed, deeply locked in. Seeing him back at an Innervisions event felt like watching a homecoming. His set was rich and textured, perfectly paced; it built like a slow sunrise over a dancefloor that never wanted to end. The Irish contingent in the crowd felt that one, you could tell.

Finally, Âme Live closed the loop, a cinematic finale of layered chords, organic percussion and that unmistakable Innervisions discipline: precision as emotion.

We left around 11, ears ringing, grinning, and slightly dazed. Above ground, the Amsterdam night felt quieter than it should have. Down there, though in that red-lit car park, time bent a little.

Twenty years in, Innervisions still feel like they’re writing the rules on how to blend art, architecture and sound.
And for a few hours, Audio Obscura let us live inside that machine.