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feature text ALFRED BOS
whaT iS aDe?
The very epicenter of global dance music
the annual Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is the world’s leading electronic music event. Part conference for music industry professionals and part club-festival presenting every shade of electronic dance music, ADE covers all aspects of electronic music and club culture; visuals, technology, media, art, film, fashion, lifestyle and, of course, music: old, new and vanguard. Since its inception in 1996, ADE has been expanding its programme every year, and in 2013 the edition has grown to a three-pronged, five day and five-night event, of which there is the ADE Conference (daytime conference for professionals), ADE festival (nighttime events for fans of electronic dance music) and ADE Playground (daytime events for electronic dance music enthusiasts.) ADE turns the downtown area of Amsterdam’s historic canal-covered city center into a 120-hour celebration of all things dance music related, virtually shaping up Amsterdam into the very epicenter of club life and culture. ADE 2013 is bigger than ever, covering more ground and serving out more music at more venues than any previous edition. ADE Green (on sustainability) has been added to the ADE Conference programme, bringing the aggregate number of conferences, each exploring a specialist topic, to seven. This year the ADE Festival buzzes throughout the city, programming DJ sets and live performances at a record number of 80 venues, including many non-club related locales like the former shipyard buildings and abandoned warehouses in Amsterdam’s harbour area. ADE Playground, introduced last year, has expanded its programme of gear, art, movies and in-store related daytime activities, morphing ADE into a 24/7 event. This year marks the 25th anniversary of ‘the second Summer of Love,’ the historical summer of 1988 when house reared its day-glow head. Since then, club music’s appeal has grown exponentially and has evolved into an
astounding patchwork of styles and sub-styles that has become revered by a global audience. ADE 2013 celebrates the unique history and culture-shifting success of electronic dance music and the contribution of Dutch music on contemporary culture, including popular music, street art, video and film, performance and fashion. BuSInESS on EVERY LEVEL
ADE Conference covers the business side of things, with panels of top-ranking professionals, from old hands next to young Turks featuring lectures by industry insiders, interviews with some of dance music’s most successful artists and entrepreneurs who will share the secrets of their trade.
“The Amsterdam Dance Event creates a collective mindset for the global dance music scene,” says Richard Zijlma, managing director of ADE. “It is the place to network and set up deals, to meet new potential business partners and to hear about new developments and trends. ADE offers a window of opportunity for everyone that is professionally involved in dance music - record companies, managers, agents and artists – and want to make the next step,” comments Zijlma.