ADE’s Influence on the Global Electronic Music Scene

Amsterdam Dance Event is one of the biggest electronic music gatherings in the world. Now we take a look at ADE’s influence on the global Electronic Music scene.

The Amsterdam Dance Event is a well-known event series for all electronic music fans, with an incredible cultural heritage in the Dutch capital. Let’s take a look at the impact ADE has had on the global electronic music scene.

ADE dates back to 1996, originally a three-day event with thirty DJs and approximately 300 attendees. Over the past decades, it has grown to such an extent that it now counts 500,000 participants from almost all over the world to the now, five-day event. This huge number of attendees is welcomed to a wide range of venues within the ADE, led by some of the world’s top DJs. The scale of ADE 2023 (18 – 22 October) becomes readily apparent when it is considered that roughly one in every four of these inhabitants is estimated to be joined in the nighttime revelry by event organizers.

The cultural heritage of the Netherlands

There’s no question about it, as the Netherlands is one of the biggest exporters of electronic music, making it one of their cultural heritages, and many say that this genre could be the basis of their national folk songs. In the Netherlands, the love of electronic music is so strong that Werner Hans Peter Vogels, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Amazon, has put it this way: “Of course I can DJ, I’m Dutch. We come out of the womb riding a bicycle and behind the decks.” The Amsterdam Dance Event boasts a diverse program, encompassing four distinct tracks that address various facets of the electronic music world.

ADE Programmes

Among the programs is ADE Pro, described as “The ultimate business and inspiration gathering for electronic music.”. This event will be hosted mainly by corporate giants of the music industry, such as Spotify, Warner Music, Beatport, Sony Music, and TikTok.

During ADE Startups Day on October 19th, eight founders handpicked from 500 music startups, will be showcased at the second ADE Programme. ADE Chorus, operated by a team of music experts and investors, acts as a bridge between these visionary entrepreneurs and potential investors.

ADE Lab is perhaps one of their best-known events, where you can develop your music writing and DJing skills in an academic setting, where great producers showcase their talents through workshops.

ADE Arts and Culture focuses on electronic music art, giving us an insight into the world of film and art. This year, artificial intelligence has also entered the picture, as it is now an integral part of our lives. As a good example, Armin van Buuren, who performed at ADE Pro this year, used AI to create an official music video for “Easy To Love” based on Teddy Swims’ vocals, this summer.

The ADE Festival, which is perhaps the event with the most events and attracts the most fans year after year. Over 2,900 artists are scheduled to perform across 1,000 events hosted in 200 diverse locations. Within the ADE Festival, for example, labels also organise label nights, which can take place in renowned nightclubs such as Paradiso, and Escape, but it’s also not difficult to catch special places such as a tram or a museum.

Image credit: Tom Doms/ADE Press, We Rave You