Looking for the worlds best parties and electronic music conferences?
Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is the one-stop-shop for dance music enthusiasts and dance music industry professional alike.
What is ADE
ADE is the worlds largest 5-day electronic music conference & networking platform.
It has two types of programmes, one during the day and the other during the night.
The Daytime Programme:
Attracts hoards of people from the fields of music, media and technology-based industry professionals. It’s a door for aspiring artists and producers who are invited to meet some of the world’s most popular and in-demand artists, DJs and producers face to face in order to network and get expert opinions on their work.
The Night Time Programme:
At night, Amsterdam turns into a city-wide dance music party. Featuring over 2,200 DJs and Artists as well as a selection of upcoming local and international talent that perform at different venues for more than 350,000 clubbers that are in attendance all over the city. This party scene is not exclusive to the nights alone, there are a few day time dance events that happen as well.
What to expect at the conference?
You’ll find people from all corners of the dance music industry at ADE. Booking agents, promoters, publicists, record label owners, up-and-comers hustling for a record deal…you name it. It remains the industry’s gold standard for networking and draws professionals to Amsterdam from every corner of the globe. While attendance for the combined conference and festival components grows closer to half a million people with each passing year. When it comes to industry grunt, nothing delivers like ADE.
My ADE Experience
I had the chance during the ADE to enjoy some of techno’s most formidable brands at the height of their powers. The biggest of them all was Awakenings, which hosts an unprecedented five-day run of parties at the spectacular Gashouder Gas Refinery.
Elsewhere, leading party brands like DGTL run multiple events, while labels from across the dance music spectrum hold their own intimate showcases throughout the city.
Everyone from Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings to Solomun’s Diynamic Music, and countless more. Whoever your favourite DJ happens to be, chances are you’ll find them at ADE.
What I learned at ADE
It was a phenomenal experience! This experience has opened a lot many doors for me in the field of brand building & marketing – to come across the latest business ideas and trends. ADE helped me to get connected with many agents and record labels. It helped me build my network stronger and better for my coming future.
Also, it was a great opportunity for me to hear about, how experts use the equipment to make the music that moves us.
Amsterdam still boasts an unsurpassable amount of brilliant venues for parties & networking – from historical buildings to debauched sweatboxes, epic arenas, cutting-edge spaces and gritty warehouses.
Venues at ADE
As a city, Amsterdam has it all and ADE has an array of quality venues. From purpose-built venues to converted spaces, with a clutch of new ones joining the plethora of event programming every year.
The Tropenmuseum (Museum of the Tropics) for example is the backdrop for melting of disco, house and acid from London, Paris, Chicago and Detroit.
De Tropen MuseumThe Gashouder Gas Refinery is a refurbished space with showcases from some leading labels, the likes of Drumcode. The pyrotechnics they cram into its silver domed ceiling has to be seen to be believed.
Out of all the clubs I visited, De Marktkantine, Warehouse Elementenstraat, Boat Party Scene (All night long) & Shelter were the most rocking places to be and have a ball of a time.
The chance to experience the kind of parties that only comes around once a year – The after-parties at The Loft at Amsterdam Tower – were amazing, with cosy crowds and sky-high vibes. I had such a great time that it is actually impossible for me to put down my entire ADE experience in words.
How ADE Inspired Me
Well yes, all the artists at ADE inspired me. Every single artist who I came across at ADE has inspired me in their own way. I attended some phenomenal events at ADE and the culture out there is so different and inspiring that I’ve already started building the same trend here in our own loving country.
It’s common to think of dance music as thoroughly synthetic. Its imagery being of the dance floor with lasers, strobes, LEDs or of digital visuals and a lot more. I attended various showcases and events at ADE. But my favourite one was hosted by Two underground heavyweights who teamed up for the Amsterdam Dance Event this year. Eelke Kleijn’s DAYS like NIGHTs and Guy J’s Lost & Found labels who put on an eight-hour daytime party that took over the industrial confines of Transformatorhuis in Westerpark with a stellar lineup of forward-leaning DJs, the day really felt like night.
This was by far the best party that I attended this year. I was extremely inspired and touched by GUY J – Being one of the most sophisticated and emotive producers in electronic music of the last decade, with a body of work and a sphere of influence that belies relatively short time in the spotlight. His sensual and hypnotic take on house music during that event touched me with magic and emotion.
Planning a trip to ADE
There really is no better place for electronic music lovers to be. ADE is for anyone and everyone with a love for electronic music. The sheer density of talent and experience that it creates – one can expect everything from performances by the world’s best DJs, to creative workshops run by industry experts. ADE unifies the entire city in a powerful way, and the Playground is a great opportunity to delve deeper into Amsterdam’s hidden gems, from record stores to high-street shops and downtown warehouses.
Tickets, Transportation, Food & Accommodation at Amsterdam
Since it was my first time in Amsterdam, I didn’t know much about the city, so I had booked my stay in this hotel named ‘Vossius Vondelpark’. It’s 20-25 mins away from Schiphol airport.
I had taken a bus from the airport to Vossiusstraat. The hotel is placed right in the centre of central Amsterdam. So for me, everything was close by.
Flights:
If you plan to visit, plan ahead and book as early as 3 months in advance. Round trip tickets from Mumbai to Amsterdam Via Istanbul cost me around 50,000 INR since I booked them in advance.
Accommodation:
Hotels & hostels are overflowing with people during ADE and it might be very difficult to find accommodation at the last moment. However, if you book them early then it would cost you around INR 3,000 – INR 4,000 INR per night approximately. So for a 6-day stay, the total would land up to about INR 18,000 – INR 24,000.
Getting around:
So for the first three days before the ADE, I moved around in the city and explored quite a few famous spots such as Dam square and Canals of Amsterdam etc. I took the metro, the bus, the tram (which was again more convenient for me) and even the ferry for exploring the eye-catching spots.
The cycle is very much important and a lot of fun since you get to take in the city like a local. It costs around 10 Euros per day and a deposit of 50 Euros.
Taxis are very expensive, but easier at night after partying. The most important thing that I did not know was that the public transport system is completely cashless. I was only able to purchase tickets using my credit card.
Food & Night Life:
Food isn’t my area of expertise, so I don’t have any great information on the fancy places to eat. I would always eat wok or grab a few bites from here and there.
I am more of a night person so for me it was just about exploring clubs and parties around. No matter what you choose you’ll surely be entertained in some way or another, there’s never a dull moment at ADE.
Budgets: With accomodation taken care of and being conservative, an estimated INR 6,000 – 8,000 per day would be sufficient to cover your food and travel expenses per day programme, but can be way higher if your eating at fancy places.
Thank you for reading my words…
But before I end my experience at ADE, your probably wondering who I Am and how I got to ADE… here is a bit about my self:
How I got an opportunity to play at ADE?
Over several years of being in the industry, I have managed to build my network. The network extended to a few record label owners, agents and management. Honest dedication and hard work towards music helped me to prove myself worthy. This got me my gateway to perform in two label showcases at ADE.
A little about Me
Hi, I am Hemant Wadhwani, a Dj/Producer hailing out of Mumbai – a city of lights & dreams.
I am a student of music, more preciously alumni of I Love Music Academy.
PS. My real name is my Stage Name. No pseudonyms for me.
I am a full-time DJ. Also, I run my own brand ‘SIRIUS’ – a nightlife solution company that curate events for nightclubs. I build Intellectual properties for brands and I also curate music festivals in terms of the artist line up.
My musical background?
With absolutely no musical background when I started; I was a regular joe from a family of fair-means. I worked in the textile industries for long 5 years before I could build my career in music. But, I always wanted to do music. Due to some family responsibilities, the process took some time to get into. However, I was constantly working towards my goals – the progress is feeling so much better.
Journey into music – Pre ADE
I was always, since my childhood, very passionate about music. I could play the melodies without even knowing the theory of music and by far this still is my truth.
Fascinated by the person playing music behind the console, controlling hundreds of people and making them have a good time. At the age of 14, I had decided I want to be that person. Someone who could spread love through music. I Believe, Music is the universal language and it only unites people.
It all started for me with mixing tracks on youtube by playing music on two different tabs on Mozilla Firefox. I was then introduced to Virtual Dj (Software) and that’s where I levelled up in mixing music. In terms of Djing, I started playing music at the Navarati festival, for passion, for the love of music. I had to give music a break for around 5 years and complete certain responsibilities. Once those duties were over, I packed my bags and made my way to I Love Music Academy in Gurgaon. There I decided to be a certified Dj/Producer.
After finishing my course, I moved back to Mumbai. I started working as an employee in operations and backend in a nightlife solution company. After 2 and a half years in the nightlife industry, I understood my path to success as a DJ. Djing is more than just mixing tracks and playing good music; a major part of your success requires PR & Communication / Social Media & Marketing. It took me several years of constant attention and dedication to figure out my way into the scene. Here I am in 2019 – running my own shows and playing music for the people who love to dance. Finally doing what I was meant to do – at the place where I was meant to be.
What the future holds – post ADE
My future plans are no different from any accomplished Dj/Producer artist in the Underground Music Scene. Someday, I want to run my own record label for which I am already working on the decided plans. But for now, I’m also working on my EP for release in 2020 with a big showcase. So a lot of planning and preparations are going on.
Want to know more about Sirius.
– Sirius >>> (the brightest star in the night sky) – is one-stop nightlife solution company. We seek to channel their sensory appetites lured through the vessels and push forward the dead-end lines of underground electronic music.
Basically the company hosts / curates and presents underground music events in several clubs across the country.
My advice for aspiring DJ’s and my peers starting out as DJs. (Nothing to do with ADE)
- Do it with passion or don’t do it at all. It takes a lot to become a DJ. Like I said it’s just not about how good you mix and play, it’s about how well you market yourself as a brand – as a Dj. So stay in the game every single day.
- Be connected with the senior people and influencers and get to know what’s going on in the industry.
- Stay updated about all the events and event companies that curate events for the kind of genre you’re keen on playing.
- Build your network with the curators and club management and festival owners.
- Present yourself smartly and cleverly.
- Set your goal wisely. Stay dedicated towards it. Devote yourself to music – if that’s something which makes you feel alive.
- Keep Hustling and one day you’ll get there.
A Message to all the Readers…
To everyone who’s been a part of my journey, who have always appreciated the kind of work I do with happy and positive energies, Just pure gratitude to everyone!!
Also, so grateful to this universe for conspiring my dreams so beautifully so far.
