30 YEARS ADE Editorial: the story of DJ Isis
by Joshua Broadley
Amsterdam is a mosaic, a dense, crowded city with people living literally on top of each other, an amalgamation of cultures and ideologies co-existing and creating, echoing within the walls of the apartments and the lofts, reverberating into dancefloors and stuffy spaces. The city that hosts us may have come together over generations, but the people who have shaped nightlife are still here.
DJ Isis is one of those people, buying her first house record when she was around 12 years old, sneaking into clubs from the age of 14, meeting Dimitri Kneppers and getting her start at RoXY, being one of the 300 attendees of the first ADE 30 years ago, to becoming Nachtburgemeester (night-mayor) in 2010. Her career highlights as a DJ include opening for Prince, three mixes entering the national top 10, worldwide tours, starting her own record label and agency.
Big by being small
Isis has seen ADE grow from a ‘small, quite personal event to a giant institutionalized organization with a worldwide… appearance’, a theme which is reflected in her story of the Netherlands, a country that ‘has become big by being small.’ and combines ‘freedom and entrepreneurship that makes the Netherlands stand out.’
ADE has grown rapidly from a small conference and festival to the international meeting place that it is today, balancing different influences and motivations to bring together all parts of the dance music scene. The business side, Arts & Culture, large-scale festival events housed in stadiums, small parties thrown in basements, DJs from across the world, all come to this place to participate in this expression of a culture that personifies this city. Amsterdam remains small enough to feel connected, while international enough to draw people from across the world.
Isis has shaped her part of the city, being instrumental in the introduction of 24-hour licences in her role as Nachtburgemeester. Talking about the practicality of hard closing times, both as a DJ and a punter, she recalls the chaos of crowds leaving venues at the same time. Speaking on the benefits of 24-hour licences, she says ‘cultural expression doesn’t stop as the clock ticks.’ But extending the night is also a balancing act in a city as dense as Amsterdam, where clubs, residents and the city itself are constantly negotiating for space.
Amsterdam is a mosaic, a dense, crowded city with people living literally on top of each other, an amalgamation of cultures and ideologies co-existing and creating, echoing within the walls of the apartments and the lofts, reverberating into dancefloors and stuffy spaces. The city that hosts us may have come together over generations, but the people who have shaped nightlife are still here.
DJ Isis is one of those people, buying her first house record when she was around 12 years old, sneaking into clubs from the age of 14, meeting Dimitri Kneppers and getting her start at RoXY, being one of the 300 attendees of the first ADE 30 years ago, to becoming Nachtburgemeester (night-mayor) in 2010. Her career highlights as a DJ include opening for Prince, three mixes entering the national top 10, worldwide tours, starting her own record label and agency.
Big by being small
Isis has seen ADE grow from a ‘small, quite personal event to a giant institutionalized organization with a worldwide… appearance’, a theme which is reflected in her story of the Netherlands, a country that ‘has become big by being small.’ and combines ‘freedom and entrepreneurship that makes the Netherlands stand out.’
ADE has grown rapidly from a small conference and festival to the international meeting place that it is today, balancing different influences and motivations to bring together all parts of the dance music scene. The business side, Arts & Culture, large-scale festival events housed in stadiums, small parties thrown in basements, DJs from across the world, all come to this place to participate in this expression of a culture that personifies this city. Amsterdam remains small enough to feel connected, while international enough to draw people from across the world.
Isis has shaped her part of the city, being instrumental in the introduction of 24-hour licences in her role as Nachtburgemeester. Talking about the practicality of hard closing times, both as a DJ and a punter, she recalls the chaos of crowds leaving venues at the same time. Speaking on the benefits of 24-hour licences, she says ‘cultural expression doesn’t stop as the clock ticks.’ But extending the night is also a balancing act in a city as dense as Amsterdam, where clubs, residents and the city itself are constantly negotiating for space.
An entire scene
The story of Isis would be incomplete without RoXY, a club in an old theatre where art and culture collided to produce something closer to performance than clubnight. A living organism that brought together artists of all disciplines. It was there that Isis began opening for Dimitri Kneppers, eventually becoming a resident DJ. The spaces that define us and the cities we live in, affect us well after they shut their doors, or burn down as in RoXY’s case. You can see that ethos shining through in what ADE has become, bringing together all parts of the electronic music spectrum. Isis pointed out that she believes a lot in communal art projects, and what is ADE if not a communal art project that takes over the whole city? She describes RoXY as ‘a massive team of people working there. So it was not just a DJ and some bartenders. It was like a whole scene of performers.’
Isis and Dimitri started playing at Kaap Amsterdam during ADE after the first COVID lockdown, celebrating the return to normality for the ‘people who thrive on healthy dance every now and then’, which has since become an annual tradition that always sells out in advance. If you can’t catch them there, you can see them at Four Decades of Detroit Techno on ADE Friday at Q-Factory alongside DJ Pierre, Kenny Larkin, Octave One + more.
An entire scene
The story of Isis would be incomplete without RoXY, a club in an old theatre where art and culture collided to produce something closer to performance than clubnight. A living organism that brought together artists of all disciplines. It was there that Isis began opening for Dimitri Kneppers, eventually becoming a resident DJ. The spaces that define us and the cities we live in, affect us well after they shut their doors, or burn down as in RoXY’s case. You can see that ethos shining through in what ADE has become, bringing together all parts of the electronic music spectrum. Isis pointed out that she believes a lot in communal art projects, and what is ADE if not a communal art project that takes over the whole city? She describes RoXY as ‘a massive team of people working there. So it was not just a DJ and some bartenders. It was like a whole scene of performers.’
Isis and Dimitri started playing at Kaap Amsterdam during ADE after the first COVID lockdown, celebrating the return to normality for the ‘people who thrive on healthy dance every now and then’, which has since become an annual tradition that always sells out in advance. If you can’t catch them there, you can see them at Four Decades of Detroit Techno on ADE Friday at Q-Factory alongside DJ Pierre, Kenny Larkin, Octave One + more.
'If you like romance and you like to get into more like a dream state, then Amsterdam is definitely very welcoming to anybody visiting.’
Thirty years ago, DJ Isis was one of 300 attendees at the first ADE, watching it grow from a small weekend event into a week-long takeover of the city. Three decades later, she is still here shaping the city and the culture that makes ADE possible.
Catch Isis & Dimitri together again at Four Decades of Detroit Techno at Q-Factory this ADE!
Photography by Dennis Bouman, Anne Harbers, Romy Muristo and Janne Wolterbeek