As we finally get over our jet lag and recover from our extended hangovers we now look back on our ADE 2019 journey. The confrence attracted over 400,000 visitors from a record number of nearly 150 countries. 2019 also marked a record number of delegates with more than 9,000. Over 600 of the industries top professionals took part in keynotes, workshops and masterclasses on a variety of topics. While it brought a lot of productivity there was certainly a lot of entertainment t go with it. Here is a little diary of what this writer got up to event wise whilst over in Amsterdam.
Tuesday – Maxximize (Blasterjaxx)
Warming things up with a pre-party at the Chicago Social Club, Unfortunately, being on Tuesday, this event did not fall under the official ADE banner but with many revellers, artists and industry in town it was none the less a packed out show. It was an awesome party with the event hosts Blasterjaxx and their friends providing some main room bangers.
Wednesday – Oceania Electronic
Marking it’s official debut after a test run the previous yet, Oceana Electronic made its debut and showcased the best of Australian electronic music – the likes of Generik, Dave Winnel, Shock One, Yolanda Be Cool and many others took the reigns. It attracted a huge crowd and the artists put on a great show and proudly represented Australia, New Zealand and the pacific over in Europe.
Wednesday – Protocol Records (Nicky Romero)
Taking place at Melkweg, Protocol brought their artists along for an awesome 8th event at ADE. This time in addition to the main room they had the talented Raiden showcase his own lineup at the side room. I was there to interview DallasK (coming soon) and also enjoyed the spectacular show, especially label boss Nicky Romero’s extended set. He brought a few surprise acts on stage and the event definitely looked like it sold well.
Thursday – Heldeep Pop Up Store (Oliver Heldens)
We worked with Heldeep for an exclusive livestream at their pop up and broadcast it to our Facebook audience as many of you will have seen, including sets from GAWP, Chocolate Puma and more. It was awesome to check out the pop up store and they had some great acts on show throughout the night as well some really cool merch.
Thursday – 1001Tracklists
1001Tracklists was one of the most underrated events at ADE, making it’s debut to celebrate the reveal of their annual 101 Tracklists Producers list. The show included some unannounced B2B and significant special guests. Being the winner of the 1001Tracklists awards in 2019, none other than David Guetta came straight from the airport to collect his award.
Thursday – Tomorrowland – Our Story
To celebrate it’s 15 year anniversary, Tomorrowland teamed up with ADE for their ‘Our Story’ concept. The stage was filled with an orchestra and saw some of the biggest artists in the game appear on stage. As we were attending the 1001Tracklist’s party beforehand, we sadly did not arrive on time to see the full show – with only around an hour a little left. However 80% of the artists appeared for a 5-10 minute set, taking us back through the years – playing some of the anthems that have paved the way for Tomorrowland’s success. Acts such as Afrojack, Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Bloody Beetroots, Steve Aoki and more were on the lineup. The incorporation of the orchestra brought a whole new feel to the music. A notable surprise was the crowd being quite older other ADE events.
Thursday – Rave Culture (W&W)
W&W’s re-branded imprint hosted their first ADE event at the Q-Factory. Spread out across two rooms, the sold-out event delivered as expected a night fuelled with heaving music. The most notable performance was to no surprise W&W’s set, which also saw Armin van Buuren, Timmy Trumpet and Steve Aoki make surprise appearances.
Friday – Jack Back (David Guetta) & Mark Knight, Beatport Party
This exclusive Beatport party was the highlight of ADE for me. To be on top of A’DAM Tower at the 360° lookout and experiencing amazing house sets from Jack Back, Mark Knight and Martin Ikin at sunset was incredible. Having the view of basically the entirety of Amsterdam with incredible house music through some top-shelf speakers does not come often. Being invite only allowed for a smaller and fine-tuned attendance. The music was incredible and everything else was the icing on the top of an already great experience. You can catch the set below!
Saturday – Amsterdam Music Festival (AMF)
Where do you start with AMF? The festival hosted some incredible artists this year on their mammoth-sized stage and production. Once again, AMF packed more than punch – definitely being the most significant event at ADE. With over 40,000 people in attendance – the floor of the Johan Cruyff Arena was full from the front to the back. The lineup included acts such as David Guetta, Alesso, Jonas Blue, Don Diablo, W&W & Timmy Trumpet and the DJ Mag #1 DJ’s Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. Every act was great, but it was awesome to see Don Diablo for the first time. AMF continues to be the largest and best indoor electronic music festival.
