ADE Editorial: ZWART GOUD — Ten years of of going strong
words by Meike Jentjens
‘I just wanted to sell my own music,’ Ilker Soylu says, grinning. ‘Now I have a shop, a distribution network, and about a hundred labels to keep track of. It got a bit out of hand.’
It’s been ten years since he opened the doors on Amsterdam’s Geldersekade, and then three more years of having the name and a dream of his own universe. Since finding a spot in Amsterdam, it's been a decade of building a home for people who love their music tactile, a little rough around the edges, and always 'boutique'. The name ZWART GOUD is Dutch for black gold (talk about a double entendre), and existed before the store did. Back in Antwerp, Ilker used it for club nights that hosted labels like Kompakt and DJ Koze's Pampa. When he moved back to the Netherlands, he brought the name, the spirit, coffee beans, and a love for darker sounds with him.
At the time, Amsterdam was mostly a house city. Think: piano chords, four-to-the-floor, the sweetest groove. The RoXY had long since defined the city’s musical DNA in the late 1980s, when DJs like Eddy de Clercq and Peter Gontha brought house from Chicago to the canals. Even in the 2000s, Amsterdam still danced to the warmth of its heritage, and everything but the dirtiness of the city felt slightly sun-kissed, musically speaking.
Not that guy
ZWART GOUD's Ilker Soylu answered with something grittier and noisier. A sound more familiar to styles in some cities in neighbouring country Belgium and parts of The Netherlands, like Eindhoven and Rotterdam. While many clubs leaned into vocal house and melodic build-ups, Ilker leaned into texture, rawness, and, as his fashion sense might give away to those looking: darkness. The counterweight to the groove of the capital seemed to pay off for him; the store, distribution centre, and back then blog, found its home. ‘We were the alternative,’ he says. ‘People were ready for something rougher. A little bit of edge.’
ZWART GOUD’s ten-year success run has a lot to do with how personal it feels. Every record in the shop is handpicked. Every regular customer is a friend. And every curious visitor gets a gentle introduction to vinyl culture. ‘I never wanted to be that guy who says, you don’t know how to use a turntable? Then get out,’ Ilker says. ‘If someone comes in asking for Tiësto, I’ll say: alright, let’s start there. Maybe you’ll leave with something else. You can teach without judging', he laughs.
What started as a few pop-ups turned into a full distribution platform and analog DJ academy. Hundreds of students have passed through, many of them now part of Amsterdam’s club circuit. Each year, during ADE, the DJ Café All Stars night lets Ilker’s best students play their first set. For a few hours, the store turns into a tiny club full of nerves, laughter, and feedback loops.
‘I just wanted to sell my own music,’ Ilker Soylu says, grinning. ‘Now I have a shop, a distribution network, and about a hundred labels to keep track of. It got a bit out of hand.’
It’s been ten years since he opened the doors on Amsterdam’s Geldersekade, and then three more years of having the name and a dream of his own universe. Since finding a spot in Amsterdam, it's been a decade of building a home for people who love their music tactile, a little rough around the edges, and always 'boutique'. The name ZWART GOUD is Dutch for black gold (talk about a double entendre), and existed before the store did. Back in Antwerp, Ilker used it for club nights that hosted labels like Kompakt and DJ Koze's Pampa. When he moved back to the Netherlands, he brought the name, the spirit, coffee beans, and a love for darker sounds with him.
At the time, Amsterdam was mostly a house city. Think: piano chords, four-to-the-floor, the sweetest groove. The RoXY had long since defined the city’s musical DNA in the late 1980s, when DJs like Eddy de Clercq and Peter Gontha brought house from Chicago to the canals. Even in the 2000s, Amsterdam still danced to the warmth of its heritage, and everything but the dirtiness of the city felt slightly sun-kissed, musically speaking.
Not that guy
ZWART GOUD's Ilker Soylu answered with something grittier and noisier. A sound more familiar to styles in some cities in neighbouring country Belgium and parts of The Netherlands, like Eindhoven and Rotterdam. While many clubs leaned into vocal house and melodic build-ups, Ilker leaned into texture, rawness, and, as his fashion sense might give away to those looking: darkness. The counterweight to the groove of the capital seemed to pay off for him; the store, distribution centre, and back then blog, found its home. ‘We were the alternative,’ he says. ‘People were ready for something rougher. A little bit of edge.’
ZWART GOUD’s ten-year success run has a lot to do with how personal it feels. Every record in the shop is handpicked. Every regular customer is a friend. And every curious visitor gets a gentle introduction to vinyl culture. ‘I never wanted to be that guy who says, you don’t know how to use a turntable? Then get out,’ Ilker says. ‘If someone comes in asking for Tiësto, I’ll say: alright, let’s start there. Maybe you’ll leave with something else. You can teach without judging', he laughs.
What started as a few pop-ups turned into a full distribution platform and analog DJ academy. Hundreds of students have passed through, many of them now part of Amsterdam’s club circuit. Each year, during ADE, the DJ Café All Stars night lets Ilker’s best students play their first set. For a few hours, the store turns into a tiny club full of nerves, laughter, and feedback loops.
Not everything was smooth. By 2018, vinyl sales alone couldn’t keep the lights on. Ilker started a European distribution arm, connecting over a hundred labels and giving small imprints global reach. To balance the intensity of it all, he added a coffee bar. ‘Records take time,’ he says. ‘Coffee doesn’t. And it brings people together.’ That combination of slow art and quick connection feels very Amsterdam. A feeling Ilker Soylu embraced ages ago. Born in Istanbul and raised partly in Rotterdam, he calls the capital gritty but cozy. ‘Every time I crossed into the city, I felt a spark,’ he says. ‘It’s liberal, open, and diverse. You can still make it your own. And every ADE, I wanted to live here.'
It’s the same openness that made the city a hub for electronic music in the first place. From the early days of The RoXY and Mazzo to the later explosion of festivals like Dekmantel and clubs like De School, Amsterdam has always balanced heritage with reinvention. ZWART GOUD fits squarely in that lineage, a physical anchor in a digital era. The future of the little universe of its own sounds ambitious: expanding the label side, diving into audiovisual projects, and creating performance-driven events that blur the line between club and cinema. Ilker talks about Warp Records as a model: labels that produce not just music, but meaning. ‘I want to go more into film, short performances, things that connect people differently,’ he says. ‘But always from this space, surrounded by records.’
Not everything was smooth. By 2018, vinyl sales alone couldn’t keep the lights on. Ilker started a European distribution arm, connecting over a hundred labels and giving small imprints global reach. To balance the intensity of it all, he added a coffee bar. ‘Records take time,’ he says. ‘Coffee doesn’t. And it brings people together.’ That combination of slow art and quick connection feels very Amsterdam. A feeling Ilker Soylu embraced ages ago. Born in Istanbul and raised partly in Rotterdam, he calls the capital gritty but cozy. ‘Every time I crossed into the city, I felt a spark,’ he says. ‘It’s liberal, open, and diverse. You can still make it your own. And every ADE, I wanted to live here.'
It’s the same openness that made the city a hub for electronic music in the first place. From the early days of The RoXY and Mazzo to the later explosion of festivals like Dekmantel and clubs like De School, Amsterdam has always balanced heritage with reinvention. ZWART GOUD fits squarely in that lineage, a physical anchor in a digital era. The future of the little universe of its own sounds ambitious: expanding the label side, diving into audiovisual projects, and creating performance-driven events that blur the line between club and cinema. Ilker talks about Warp Records as a model: labels that produce not just music, but meaning. ‘I want to go more into film, short performances, things that connect people differently,’ he says. ‘But always from this space, surrounded by records.’
Ten years, ten ADEs
When Richie Hawtin steps behind the decks on ADE Thursday, it won’t just be another in-store session. It’ll be a full-circle moment: the artist who inspired ZWART GOUD’s beginnings returns for the store's tenth year (of ADE). Hawtin, also known as Plastikman, is a pioneering electronic artist and technologist, and plays a key part in Beatport. Artists like IMOGEN, Altinbas, and Dr Banana, will be celebrating the diversity of the records in-store; making the circle even rounder.
The shop will most likely be packed with students, collectors, curious passers-by, all orbiting around the turntables and coffee machine. Because that’s what ZWART GOUD does best. It keeps the underground alive and warm, personal, and the neighbourhood, especially during ADE, lively.
Click to explore all ZWART GOUD events.
Ten years, ten ADEs
When Richie Hawtin steps behind the decks on ADE Thursday, it won’t just be another in-store session. It’ll be a full-circle moment: the artist who inspired ZWART GOUD’s beginnings returns for the store's tenth year (of ADE). Hawtin, also known as Plastikman, is a pioneering electronic artist and technologist, and plays a key part in Beatport. Artists like IMOGEN, Altinbas, and Dr Banana, will be celebrating the diversity of the records in-store; making the circle even rounder.
The shop will most likely be packed with students, collectors, curious passers-by, all orbiting around the turntables and coffee machine. Because that’s what ZWART GOUD does best. It keeps the underground alive and warm, personal, and the neighbourhood, especially during ADE, lively.
Click to explore all ZWART GOUD events.
ADE events at ZWART GOUD are part of Amsterdam 750, a program to celebrate the city's birthday. Explore all Amsterdam 750 events via the link below.