The tunes, the parties, the DJs, the gossip
DMCWORLD Magazine’s Guy Garrett drew the long straw and headed off to the Dam where he asked the most influential people at the weekend what was rocking this year. First up though Defected Records’ Greg Sawyer tells us all about the big one. For many, there was only going to be one party at ADE – Defected at AIR starring the first live performance of the newly re-formed Inner City with DJ sets courtesy of the main man Kevin Saunderson and the legendary Frankie Knuckles…
“In short, our party at AIR was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Rarely, if ever before have two of house and techno’s greatest innovators graced a single line-up with their presence, and to see Frankie Knuckles and Kevin Saunderson standing side by side in a DJ booth was truly inspiring. Knuckles and Saunderson are two of the most influential artists of house and techno and the utterly packed out main room of AIR proved that while both have had careers spanning more time than plenty of those in attendance have even been alive, both have arguably never been as relevant as they are today. Words cannot possibly do their performances justice, but to say that over the course of a few hours we were treated to tracks ranging from Marshall Jefferson’s ‘Move Your Body’, Platikman’s ‘Spastik’ and The Prodigy’s ‘Everybody In The Place’ goes some way to showing just how musically diverse a night it was. Inner City’s highly anticipated live set however was the undoubted highlight. Flanked by Paris Grey and Ann Saunderson, Kevin Saunderson guided the trio through seminal classics such as ‘Big Fun’ and ‘Good Life’ as well as their new track ‘Future’, Paris and Ann’s rich voices and Kevin’s throbbing beats and soaring chords causing almost frenzied adulation from the packed main room.”
Check out our party at…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEGsBIpYYuU
And now over to more troopers from the Dam’s big dancefloors with Guy Garrett…
What was THE party of ADE 2011?
“Wow, it’s a hard one to call as there was so much going on. Trouw is always one of my favourite venues at the ADE and it didn’t disappoint this year with a run of great parties. Artists across the four days included Ame, Dixon and Henrik Schwarz on Thursday, Martyn, Julio Bashmore on Friday and great to kick back once all the work was out of the way on Saturday at the RA X Party with Tyrant (Craig Richards, Sasha and Lee Burridge), Agoria and Patrice Baumel. Other than that, the secretsundaze party at Studio 80 was buzzing!” Clare Dover – Global Publicity
“Although ADE is a music conference, I gotta say that there’s no shortage of evening events. Because Morales and Knuckles played just about every night during the conference I didn’t get to venture out much to other events. BUT, I can tell you that Frankie’s gig for Defected was amazing at Club Air – this venue has one of the best sound systems I’ve heard in Europe and although I missed it, I hear Inner City did an amazing live performance to debut their new single ‘Future’ (which I love!). That very same evening Morales played with Quentin Harris and Phil Asher to a packed hot, sweaty room at Sugar Factory for the MN2S party. So these are two events I was part of and really enjoyed the vibe. And for a city that’s so into the ‘Dirty Dutch’ sound, I can tell you from being an eye witness that the locals LOVE proper House Music!” Hector Romero – Def Mix
“I know it sounds biased, but the Toolroom Knights event at The Escape was amazing, the line up of talent was huge with so much energy in the club!” Pete Griffiths – Toolroom
“Definitely our own showcase ‘Blended’ held on Thursday night in Club Rain in collaboration with Dutch booking agencies 010 Bookings and Global DJ Bookings. We had a packed room, an amazing atmosphere and fantastic energetic sets by all of our artists. Especially Vato Gonzalez, Steve Sweet vs. The Outsiders, Lucky Charmes, UK duo Sharp Boys and La Fuente all rocked the venue. And the live performance of house diva Robin S was one for the books, that was absolutely legendary. While singing her classics ‘Show Me Love’, ‘Love For Love’ and her current single ‘Shake It’, she walked through the audience and took pictures with the clubbers. Amazing!” Niels Pijpers – Selekted Music
“The biggest highlight was Defected’s party. Inner City live was something special, I never thought I’d get to see them live and they near enough got me into house music. ‘Good Life’ literally blew the roof off with Kevin Saunderson on the 1’s and 2’s.” James Jackson – Listen Up Promotions
“The talk was all about the Ed Banger and Fool’s Gold Party as the stand out one and Defected In The House was real fun too. But shame on me as I wasn’t able to party there due to late dinner meetings. I was at Toolroom Knights at Escape too which was also cool.” Matteo Esse – Ego Records
“Sander vs Ferry at The Escape!” Jacob Van Hage-DJ/Producer
“The Studio 80 Moonharbour 24 hour party was the best night quality wise with AMAZING music. The Defected party was cheesy but the best though.” Alexander Fog – techno producer/DJ
“After our Phonetic party at Pacha on the Saturday before, meetings every 20 minutes, dinner and drinks…I didn’t actually make it to a club at ADE. Very rare as we’d normally be on a mission. Had dinner and late drinks with a few key people, which in turn had lead to some good things materializing for future projects. Thats the beauty of ADE.” Rob Roar – Phonetic Records
“Deepheat at Little Buddha with Chus, David Penn, Simon Dunmore and many more…” Lanfree – Usefull Records
“The Ed Banger party and also Groove Armada.” Mark Hadfield – One More Tune Records
“Had a great time at the Sander van Doorn and Ferry Corsten event at The Escape on Wednesday. Ended up on Thursday night at a very underground club called Canvas with DJ Deep. Had a good laugh with some Spinnin’ colleagues that night.” Robert Tammens – Spinnin Records
“For me I have to say the DJ Magazine Top 100 party witnessing Fedde Le Grand and Armin Van Buuren playing live was an absolute buzz. And hanging out with Ander & Hannah from Snowdog Records watching Armin drop Hannah’s massive new single ‘Falling Away’ was brilliant.” Mark Loverush-Power Promotions
“Too many parties to visit, so impossible to give a fair judgement…but from the ones I did visit, on the Friday it was Fedde le Grand’s Takeover night. It was so packed, damn!! On Saturday it was Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano party.” Dick De Groot – Be Yourself Music
“Kings Of Ace at The Sand. The people were amazing.” Quintino – DJ/producer
“I heard that Defected In The House on Saturday was pretty good, reading the reviews afterwards made me feel I missed out on something really exciting!” Niels Pijpers-Selekted Music
What was THE tune of the week?
“Looking at our own repertoire, we raised heavy interest for the new Robin S single ‘Shake It’ (feat. CtK) and the Robin S follow up single ‘Be Thankful’. We signed this to loads of territories already and I’m sure to close on additional territories in the weeks to come. Besides the Robin S singles, we presented a single by upcoming man Lucky Charmes named ‘Get Outta That Corner’ (feat. Perry Mystique and Natalie May) – a hybrid between urban and house. We signed this to All Around The World for the UK – set for release early 2012 with A-list remixes – and we have a great deal of labels interested throughout the globe after ADE. Industry insiders already label Lucky Charmes as “the next big thing” so keep a close eye on this!” Niels Pijpers-Selekted Music
“Tough one, depends what club nights you went to. For me Miguel Campbell’s ‘Something Special’.” Pete Griffiths – Toolroom
“Felix Da Housecat feat. WILL.I.AM ‘D.I.S.C.O.’ (Ultra), Afrojack & Shermanology ‘Can’t Stop’ (Spinnin’) and The Orion Experience ‘NYC Girl’ (Ego).” Matteo Esse – Ego Records
“Judging by major label and big independent A&R interest, the sheer energy, calibre of the track and the reaction of every person that’s heard it? It’s Colorless ‘Tiny Piano’.” Rob Roar – Phonetic Records
“Green Velvet Feat. Russoul ‘Millie Vanilli’ – Quentin Harris Re-Prodction – Unreleased. Quentin replayed the Bassline from Liz Torres ‘Can’t Get Enough’ which takes this already popular tune to another level. When he dropped it at MN2S party the crowd went nuts!” Hector Romero- Def Mix
“Jacob van Hage – ‘Convoi’.” Jacob Van Hage – DJ/producer
“Far too many to choose from! Visionquest seemed to be the label of the moment as ever and was great to hear some of the new material from Magda, Marc Houle and Troy Pierce’s newly relaunched label Items & Things.” Clare Dover – Global Publicity
“Hard to choose with so much new music flying about. Personally, Noir & Haze ‘Around’ Sub-An mix is still killing it for me, and I still can’t stop listening to Intruder – ‘Amame’ (Murk feat. Jei). Professionally, the new act to look out for is Siege -,he’s got some killer cuts in the locker.” James Jackson – Listen Up Promotions
“Lanfree – ‘Up’.” Lanfree – Usefull Records
“For me it had to be Hannah’s ‘Falling Away’ – the Armin van Buuren remix. That mix is just off the hook and to see it dropped made me a very happy person. Another big tune for me was hearing Fedde Le Grand drop his mix of Coldplay ‘Parachute’. In the conference it was quite a huge buzz to play the brand new Loverush UK! single featuring a mysterious A List legendary artist…no names just yet, the response we got from the labels was huge!!!!!” Mark Loverush – Power Promotions
“Surprisingly (like every year), every label claimed to have the biggest track on the ADE… LOL. A tune though which caused some talk: Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano – ‘Lethal Industry’. Dick De Groot – Be Yourself Music
“Hertz – ‘In My Mind’ (Original Mix) [PRAXXIZ]…is a BOMB and I’m remixing it !” Alexander Fog – techno producer/DJ
“Norman Doray vs Tawiha ‘Breakaway’.” Mark Hadfield – One More Tune Records
“For us that has to be the new Afrojack single featuring Shermanology.” Robert Tammens-Spinnin Records
“For me, it was my own ‘EPIC’.” Quintino – DJ/producer
The 20 Buzz tracks of the ADE Conference – DMCs tips for 2012
1. Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano – Lethal Industry – (Unsigned)
2. Tommie Sunshine & Midnight Magic – I Found Love – (Unsigned)
3. Colorless – Tiny Piano – (Phonetic)
4. Siege – Roads- (Unsigned)
5. Daddy’s Groove – Wild World – (Test Pressing)
6. TV Rock Feat Dino – Save Me Now – (Neon)
7. Robin S – Be Thankful – (Selekted)
8. The Orion Experience – NYC Girl – (Ego)
9. HJM – 222 – (Magnificent)
10. Jay C & Pray For More – Jibaro- (Unsigned)
11. Carl Ryden – Sake Bitch – (Test Pressing)
12. Dyro – Daftastic/Metaphor – (Revealed)
13. Robbie Groove & Mattias feat. Ce Ce Rogers – You – (Molto)
14. Bimbo Jones – Questions – (Ego)
15. Tram Dolls – Kiss Me – (Skint)
16. Yass & Jay Sebag– Lonely – (Poole Music)
17. Danny Dove Vs Unclubbed – We Are The People- (New State)
18. Wise D & Kobe – Still The Same- (Blacksoul Music)
19. Will Clarke – Next Stop (Stylus)
20. Steve Westover feat. Sarah Story – Childhood Dreams- (Unsigned)
Who was THE big DJ at ADE?
“Frankie Knuckles? Derrick May? Dave Clarke? Depended on what you wanted to hear…” Dick De Groot – Be Yourself Music
“For me it has to be the one and only Frankie Knuckles. I’ve always been a huge fan of Mr. Knuckles but it’s been around 17 years since I last saw him play at a Back 2 Basics night in Leeds. It was great to see him back out on the scene after a bit of a hiatus, showing how he still knows exactly how to get a dancefloor moving after over 40 years in the business. His Q&A at the conference, hosted by Derrick May was inspiring too.” Clare Dover – Global Publicity
“Karotte / Matthias Tanzmann.” Alexander Fog – techno producer/DJ
“Frankie Knuckles, an absolute legend.” Mark Hadfield – One More Tune Records
“There were a few legendary DJs at ADE and this proves how relevant this conference is.” Hector Romero – Def Mix
“Was great to see and listen to David Morales and Carl Cox on the ‘Putting A Into Authenticity’ panel. Very informative.” Rob Roar – Phonetic Records
“Sander van Doorn.” Jacob Van Hage-DJ/producer
“Raymundo.” Lanfree – Usefull Records
“Too many to mention, but for me Derrick May is still a legend! The party he did two years ago at Paradiso during ADE is still one of the best party’s I’ve ever been to!” Robert Tammens – Spinnin Records
“It has to be Carl Craig followed by Richie Hawtin and Apparat. Legends indeed.” Matteo Esse – Ego Records
“Afrojack, he is killin’ it right now.”Quintino – DJ/producer
“Knuckles & Saunderson – they really don’t come much more legendary than that.” James Jackson – Listen Up Promotions
“I didn’t actually make it to see him but after what I have heard, Frankie Knuckles at the Defected party wins that title!” Pete Griffiths – Toolroom
“I have to say it was great seeing Carl Cox and Ferry Corsten at the conference, but also for me was seeing Armin van Buuren playing live at DJ Mag Top 100. He really knows how to get the audience going.” Mark Loverush – Power Promotions
“As I’m a big Kaskade fan, I’m sure his set was a legendary one although I didn’t get to see him myself. I’d rather go for the Legendary Artist at ADE and say Robin S. With so many years in the game, she still has a sublime voice which I got to witness on our own event ‘Blended’ from just a few feet away…resulting in goose bumps all over.” Niels Pijpers-Selekted Music
How many meetings did you miss Friday morning?
“Only one. They didn’t register and when they tried to guide me to the cafe/pub where they we having their meetings, Amsterdam turned into a labyrinth and my name is not Alice…” Dick De Groot – Be Yourself
“Ha! Good question – I’m a professional so I never schedule meetings in the AM! New jacks do that.” Hector Romero – Def Mix
“Three. But on Saturday I missed like four, so Friday was not that bad.” Alexander Fog – techno producer/DJ
“Too many!! But it’s all worth it…” Quintino – DJ/producer
“None, I was very professional and made sure that my first meeting started at 12pm.” Mark Hadfield – One More Tune Records
“Zero. I’m the ultimate professional!!” James Jackson – Listen Up Promotions
“Eeehm…let’s just say we had a great night on Thursday.” Robert Tammens – Spinnin Records
“None, as I was smart enough to not plan any meetings before noon!” Niels Pijpers-Selekted Music
“Next question!” Matteo Esse – Ego Records
“I was actually a good boy and didn’t miss one meeting in the morning on the Friday although I could have easily had an extra couple of hours sleep.” Mark Loverush – Power Promotions
“None! This is a genuine first. I’ll make up for it next year!” Rob Roar – Phonetic Records
“Believe it or not none! After three years of working on the event I know not to book any meetings before noon as it’s very likely you’ll end up sitting alone for a few hours. Afternoon and evening meetings are the way to go!” Clare Dover – Global Publicity
“Ha ha, only three I think. But not due to oversleeping…I lost my phone, honest!” Pete Griffiths – Toolroom
“All ahahah…” Lanfree – Usefull Records
And finally. The best bit. The gossip…
Which London label boss spent more time window shopping in the red light area than at meetings all week? Answers on a postcard…
Which person who has had a Buzz No. 1 this year was not happy with the top 100 DJ result and had to be removed from the awards by 5 security men?
Sad to see so many porn stars wanting to become celeb DJs. Have a guess which massive techno DJ was, let’s say, giving a very ‘hands on experience’ with the girls?
After a big session of Amsterdam skunk, heard the one about label manager who decided to borrow a boat at 5am and go for a float. Next time dude, make sure you get one with oars so you’re not stuck for floating two hours.
Which major UK dance label offered just £1 to sign a new track at ADE? They were refused in just two words.
We overheard a conversation between two Ibiza resident DJs who were driven to the middle of a deserted field just to hear a superstar DJ play his latest riffs on a keyboard out of his car boot.
The advice from one legendary American DJ to the new breed of superstar DJs: “Why bother using headphones when your music is automated for you?”. Their reply: “Sorry for being born in this decade and not 40 years ago’!”
Never a good scene when a label boss smokes too much hash and gets sick in the club and outside.
Then there was the comedy fake sex party doing the rounds from a certain DJ resulting in an expensive cab journey for many gullible industry bods looking for a quickie…
