If you work in dance music, there's a good chance you're on a plane or train, or somehow en route to Amsterdam.
In keeping with dance music's mid-October tradition, the Amsterdam Dance Music Event, or ADE, takes place this week in the Dutch capital, bringing thousands of dance industry executives, artists and fans together for a dizzyingly powerful program aimed at professionals , people trying to get into the industry and people who just like music. The lineup includes representatives from companies like SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Tresor, Tunecore, Empire, Spotify and more.
While ADE always reliably draws industry types from across Europe, the event “is also seeing a notable increase in participants from the US, Africa and Asia this year,” says ADE CEO Jan-Willem van de Ven“so it's a good mix of electronic music industries and cultures and world regions that see ADE as a gateway to Europe in different ways.”
With Africa's thriving electronic music scene gaining more attention and global influence, ADE 2024 also hosts representatives from Nigeria's Homecoming festival for a special series of five panels on the dance scene in the country and across the continent.
“The roots of electronic music are deeply connected to African music and culture, so this focus felt timely and necessary,” says van de Ven. “Culture in many African regions offers so much that we can learn from, particularly in terms of creativity and community, and in return, we can hopefully contribute some knowledge about industrial infrastructure, things like that. Our partnership with Homecoming is designed as a mutual exchange where both sides—artists, audiences, professionals, and us—can be inspired and grow by each other's experiences.”
Overall, ADE programming is famous for offering more panels, networking events, performances and mixers than one person could possibly attend, so van de Ven advises attendees to create a schedule based on what they want to take in personally from the conference. She also recommends “taking full advantage of our networking sessions and new matchmaking formats, which are ideal for connecting with the right people.”
Jan-Willem van de Ven
Sarah Wijzenbeek
This year, ADE has also released a new ADE app that will help attendees navigate the program while maintaining their personal agendas, for maximum productivity and possibly quite a bit of fun. As always, ADE 2024 is split between PRO programming for industry professionals, workshop programming for those coming to the scene, festival programming for fans, and arts and culture programming for everyone.
Even van de Ven himself admits it's difficult to fit everything in at the conference, with his assistant helping him get everywhere he needs to. “I'm also a big fan of everything we do,” he adds, “so I really try to experience as much as possible.”
Here are van de Ven's ADE 2024 top picks across all categories. (All times are CEST.)
ADE Pro
20 Years of Tomorrowland: How to Rise and Stay On Top – Wednesday, October 16, 2:15 p.m.
In this talk, Tomorrowland founder Michiel Beers will discuss the 20-year anniversary of Belgium's annual mega dance festival, offering insight into the strategies that have made it the world's biggest dance festival.
SoundCloud – Essential Insider Knowledge – Thursday, October 17, 12:30 p.m.
Representatives from SoundCloud will take part in a discussion with Dutch producer Mau P, focusing on how the platform supports independent artists and offering insights into how artists can succeed on digital platforms.
From Detroit to Durban: The Learnings of 30 Years of Dance Music – Thursday, October 17, 1:30 p.m.
Artists such as Detroit legend Carl Craig and South African producers Major League DJz will take part in a panel exploring the origins and influence of the techno and amapiano genres. The discussion will focus on developing these genres while preserving their cultural heritage and ensuring that creators retain their ownership.
Amelie Lens x Charlotte de Witte – Friday, October 18, 4:30 p.m.
The techno titans will take part in a panel focusing on their individual careers and new collaboration.
ADE LAB
BIIANCO: How I Play Live hosted by DJ Mag – Thursday, October 17, 5:15 p.m.
Multi-arranger, producer and DJ BIIANCO — whose 2023 viral hit 'Against The Wall' garnered 35 million streams — will talk about live performance technology to creators looking to create a live show and incorporate live elements into hybrid DJ sets .
DJ Babatr: The Story of Raptor House – Saturday, October 19, 2:45 p.m.
Venezuelan DJ Babatr, pioneer of the Raptor House genre, will discuss his role in creating a sound that encapsulates the energy of Caracas.
CLUB Lab – Live Showcases (in association with DJMag) – Saturday, October 19, 8:30 p.m.
The nightclub component of ADE's Lab programming will feature live music, A/V performances and dancing, offering a place for ADE Lab attendees to celebrate at the end of the event.
ADE Arts & Culture
ADE Kickoff Concert: 50 Years of J Dilla – Wednesday, October 16, 11:00am
Speakers including Carl Craig and Miguel Atwood Ferguson will celebrate the legacy of game-changing producer J Dilla in what would have been the artist's 50th year. Atwood-Ferguson & Metropole Orchestra will perform the long-running Dilla tribute project Suite for Ma Dukes before the “Dilla 50” speech.
ADE Opening Concert: COCON II – Wednesday, October 16, 7:00 p.m.
Designed especially for ADE, the live audiovisual performance by Cello Octet Amsterdam and Nick Verstand will feature a combination of live performance and robotics.
ADE Opening Concert: 24classics Presents Philip Glass by Lavinia Meijer & Nikki Hock – Wednesday, October 16, 7:30 p.m.
Harpist Lavinia Meijer and multidisciplinary artist Nikki Hock will present a performance of Phillip's Glass music, with Meijer obtaining special permission from Glass himself to transcribe his music for harp. Hawke, meanwhile, will create graphics in the room.
Festival
Tomorrowland Presents Afterlife – Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17, 10:00 p.m
Tale of Us and a selection of other artists will play the city's famous Ziggo Dome venue for two nights of music.
Barry Can't Swim – Thursday 17 October, 8.30pm
The up-and-coming, award-nominated Scottish producer will perform a show incorporating piano and electronic productions.
Awakenings Upclose ADE presents Four Tet, Friday, October 18, 3:00 p.m.
The British producer will play an extended six-and-a-half-hour set at Amsterdam's Gashouder venue, a former industrial gasworks complex.
Jeff Mills presents: Tomorrow Comes The Harvest – Fri., Oct., 8:00 p.m.
The collaborative project Tomorrow Comes The Harvest was started by Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen and Detroit techno icon Jeff Mills. Along with keyboardist Jean Phi Dary, the trio toured the world until Allen's death in 2020. Now playing with tabla virtuoso Prabha Edouard, Tomorrow Comes The Harvest will present a new chapter of genre-spanning sounds and rhythms.
AMF 2024 – Saturday, October 19, 9:00 p.m
The one-night festival will feature a host of producers including Maddix, Martin Garrix, Tiësto, Timmy Trumpet and more.
