Underground culture and clubbing collide in West

Tuesday, 08 October 2019

Getting to the unusual or exquisite places in the midst of ADE is not always easy with a program consisting of more than 200 locations and 2.500 artists. Therefore our team has created several routes trough the different districts of Amsterdam, which will give you an idea of what to expect and where.

West

Following up on our guide through the northern part of Amsterdam, we'd like to highlight various must-visits in the westside.

This year's ADE features almost 200 venues - all spread across Amsterdam - playing host to different festival and conference events throughout the week. If you like your ADE a little rough around the edges, Amsterdam West has got you covered.

From warehouses to an abandoned funeral home
Venue OT301, has been part of Amsterdam's underground culture for years. Squatters took over the former film school building in 1999, and they’re amidst the preparations for their 11th consecutive ADE with a mixed bag of drum & bass, cumbia and more. Arthouse cinema Lab111 is just a stones throw away and is where you can find a beautifully crafted film program that was tailor-made for ADE, running from Wednesday till Sunday.

There are also plenty of raw locations and warehouses in West that have been transformed into (temporary) clubs and art spaces. Think of De School, where you can watch the climax of the RA Cup unfold and dance 62 hours with their Marathon "Het Weekend". And what about Radion hosting 7 ADE events including Breakfast Club with Ben Ufo and Peggy Gou amongst others. De Marktkantine has got a program running all 5 days varying from a label night to different all-nighters.

Close to Radion you can find hidden gem VLLA, an abandoned funeral home, where now, next to a range of club nights, they have a program crafted by the International Choreographic Arts Centre, who are bringing choreographers and DJs together to explore the intersection of their art forms.

Loveland is set to take over Warehouse Houthavens and Mediahaven once again, this year with a special (seated)show including RY X and visual artist and dance maker Nina Kurtela.

Depart for Art
Officially just outside Amsterdam on the west part, the newly opened Het HEM, a home for contemporary culture, based in a former ammunitions factory, sees Nicolás Jaar and Vincent de Belleval create an ever-changing environment of interlinked reflections and feedback chains. Kunstfort is also worth a visit for art enthusiasts. The exhibition space is located inside a concrete bunker that changes into an intimate setting for Bogomir Doringer's Defence Club.

Going to the Chapel
Ruigoord is a unique creative village surrounded by an industrial harbor, nested in the western outskirts of Amsterdam. In 1973, under the threat of the village being torn down by the surrounding industry, a group of artists climbed the trees and refused to leave. After several weeks of protesting they finally prevailed and were allowed to stay, making Ruigoord the source of many major Dutch creative movements. It continues to play a central role in Amsterdam's underground art scene. The village church will form the backdrop for three ADE nights featuring events ranging from Psy-trance to Pornceptual.

Speaking of churches, Aether is the latest performance by Boris Acket, Nick Verstand and Maarten Vos, who are about to redefine Noorderkerk’s sacred interior. Expect (and experience) an evening ritual that redefines and emphasizes the church’s architecture with "air fresco's" and a surround installation that features no less than 20 speaker points.

Westerpark area
The Westerpark is a patch of beautiful greenery, and it plays host to multiple cultural events and festivals throughout the year. It also houses a range of music venues, like the cozy DJ bar Radio Radio which joins ADE for its second year with vinyl-only DJ sets, a Clone Records pop-up store and multiple day and night events. A short walk across the park takes you to de Gashouder best known for its techno extravaganzas like Awakenings. Its next door neighbor Westerunie also hosts a varied program through a range of six events. And don't forget to check out the newly renovated Pacific where you can dance to music from the Middle East, a live brass band and Chicago legend DJ Sneak.

Brazilian Beats and Hard Dance
If you head a bit more further west you will find a new addition to Amsterdam's nightlife in the form of Lofi. They’re hosting events in collaboration with Fuse10, Zeezout, VBX and Supernature, ensuring their ADE story starts out with a bang. A few blocks away at the Box expect This is Psychdelic plus a night that showcases electro and house from Brazil.

Down the street Intercell goes for a 4 night-program at H7 Warehouse, and Warehouse Elementenstraat is just around the corner filled with six day and night events starring, among others, HDE for Hard Dance lovers. While you're there, don't forget to visit hidden gem BRET, a cozy venue built from red containers that sees the likes of Joseph Capriati at the decks on ADE Sunday. If you like to dance in the open air, Thuishaven, Dockyard and Mystic Garden are your go-to’s.

Photo credits: Awakenings, Breakfast Club, Floris Leeuwenberg, Lab 111, Menno Kok, OT301 and Thuishaven.

Underground culture and clubbing collide in West

Venues in West

BRET

De Marktkantine

Gashouder

H7 Warehouse

Het HEM

Kunstfort

LAB111

Mediahaven

OT301

Noorderkerk

Pacific

Radio Radio

RADION

Ruigoord

The Box

Thuishaven

VLLA

Warehouse Houthavens

Warehouse Elementenstraat

Access

News - Festival

Find the latest Bogomir Doringer exhibition at UNESCO World Heritage Site Vijfhuizen

Events at Radio Radio

Nine films and documentaries not to miss

Modular Synth Performances by Colin Benders, Nick Verstand & Salvador Breed

ADE Hangover is the perfect ending of your up tempo week

Nicolás Jaar and Vincent de Belleval to premiere new work at Het HEM during ADE

Club AMF to take on The Artist World

Get a view of ADE from the water with these boat events

OT301 ventures into drum 'n' bass, cumbia and a new kind of clubbing

Festival program complete

Club Mystique debuts at ADE with five events

The RA Cup returns to ADE

Four ADE days up ahead at BRET

Chicago house and Middle Eastern soundscapes find their way to Pacific

Pop-up venue temp. to host Netsky, Sam Feldt, Soulection and many more

Caterina Barbieri, Ruben Spini and Tim Hecker to take on Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

Pllek explores the conscious side of music during ADE

Noorderkerk opens its doors for AETHER

Ruigoord announces their three-day program

Studio/K offers movie previews, a modular synth night and more for ADE program

Festival program almost complete

From Rush Hour to Homeless Homies: explore Shelter's ADE schedule

Ponton launches five events during ADE

ADE LIVE adds De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig to its line-up

Claire reveals full ADE program

Audio Obscura expands program by adding two events at Lil' Amsterdam Central Station

Vinyl markets and club nights: see what Oosterbar has in store during ADE

Oliver Heldens & Friends to take over Paradiso

Sam Feldt enters ADE with fundraising event 'Heartfeldt Neon Jungle'

House My Disco invites Eric Redd, Norwood & The Weather Girls to The Queen's Head

Thuishaven announces four ADE day- and nighttime events

Breakfast Club makes its way back to ADE with a two day program

Dockyard and Mystic Garden join forces to host more than 50 artists at Havenpark

Monstercat returns for a two-room takeover

Two nights of STRAF_WERK at De Kromhouthal

De Marktkantine to host KOMPAKT Label night on ADE Saturday

Paradiso introduces 'A Night By..' at ADE

Audio Obscura invites Adriatique, Dr. Rubinstein, Joris Voorn, Len Faki and more to Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

Intercell announces their four day techno schedule at H7 Warehouse

Nicky Romero and Protocol Recordings to take on Melkweg

Reinier Zonneveld set to perform a 12-hour live set at De Marktkantine

Verknipt rejoins ADE with Fjaak, Matador, ROD and many more

Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano to launch Exposed at ADE

Rounding up the first artists of ADE 2019

Dave Clarke announces Luke Slater, Paula Temple and many others for the Melkweg

Martin Garrix returns to ADE for his signature all ages and 18+ nights

Loveland presents full ADE program

TIKTAK back at ADE with Carnage, Lil Kleine, Ronnie Flex and more

DGTL announces complete program with Marcel Dettmann, Richie Hawtin and more

Hospitality brings Drum & Bass to ADE

SOHN & Metropole Orkest to perform ADE opening concert

Tomorrowland adds line-up to Our Story nights

Armin van Buuren and Tiësto set to play AMF

Felabration will bring Dele Sosimi, Onipa and Pat Thomas to ADE

Awakenings back at ADE with no less than ten events

DJ collective Kraak & Smaak rejoin ADE for sixth year in a row

Tchami & Malaa join forces in Paradiso