Echoes of the Underground

VibeLab, EMC, DARKMATTER Collective and Podiumkunst.net will host a day on archiving Club Culture, legacy and local identity in one of the most culturally relevant and creative places of Amsterdam.

Popular and vernacular cultures—such as club culture, electronic music, and other night culture practices—have historically been overlooked in the formal cultural canon, deemed unworthy of preservation. However, recent years have seen the beginnings of a shift: club and night cultures, particularly electronic music, are now being showcased in academic scholarship, exhibitions, and museums across cities in the US and Europe. This emerging focus underscores the need to give a platform to lesser-known contributions, emphasising the importance of preserving the rich, often marginalised legacies of these vibrant cultural movements.

Flyer Scan Day

VibeLab, in collaboration with Dutch performing arts platform Podiumkunst.net, invites you to dive into the past and help preserve the history of Dutch club and night culture. We're hosting a Flyer Scan Day to capture the essence of nightlife through the flyers that defined its moments.
We’re mapping out the legacy of the scene—and we need your help. Flyers, posters, and event materials hold the metadata that tells the story of our culture. Bring anything related to parties, festivals, or events. If it fits under the scanner, it fits into our archive. Let’s immortalise these moments together to save our legacy for future generations.


Focus group

We invite curators, DJs, organisers, venues, policymakers, scene enthusiasts, night mayors, and heritage specialists with an interest in night culture to participate in this focus group. During the focus group, Dutch heritage creators from past and present night culture will discuss the current status of this heritage and formulate recommendations for its preservation and future recognition.


EMC & Mixmag Asia presents Stewardship in the Global Club Culture Expansion: Navigating Growth, Legacy, and Local Identity

As global club culture expands across continents, the electronic and dance music industry faces a critical juncture in fast-growing markets like APAC and MENA. This session explores the delicate balance between rapid corporate growth and the preservation of authentic local scenes, emphasising the importance of genuine engagement and relationship-building. Through the insights of respected cultural and industry leaders, we'll uncover strategies for creating lasting legacies that honour local pioneers and communities, from underground techno bunkers to large mainstream festivals.

For all stakeholders passionate about the future of global club culture, this session examines how brands and businesses can make meaningful impacts and build enduring legacies in emerging markets through respect, fairness, and collaboration. By navigating the confluence of commerce and culture, we'll explore new paradigms of opportunity and responsibility that ensure the globalisation of club culture enriches rather than erodes local communities. Whether you're a passionate raver, visionary promoter, or corporate strategist, this session promises insights that will shape the future of our collective club culture and inform legacy-building efforts in these burgeoning markets.


Speakers:
Dane Gorrell, Club 77 (AU)
DIORA (SA/NL)
Faustin (NL)
Jack Colquhoun, Mixmag ANZ (AU)
Kamma & Masalo, Brighter Days (NL)
Mengzy (Li Meng de Bakker) (HK/NL)
Miles Niemeijer (NL)
Shelley Liu, Foreign Echo/Mushroom Group (AU)
Shivani Sharma (AU)
Zach Kim, Blackout Agency (SG)


Program:

3.00 pm: Welcome / walk in
4:00 pm Panel 1: DARKMATTER Collective & Podiumkunst.net present: VibeLab Archiving Club Culture and Preserving Untold Legacies
5.00 pm Focus Group Archiving Dutch Club Culture
6.00 pm EMC & Mixmag Asia presents: Stewardship in the Global Club Culture Expansion: Navigating Growth, Legacy, and Local Identity
7.00 pm Mixer: Music by Oli Neate, House Music With Love (HMWL)
8.00 pm End

Sexyland World

SEXYLAND World is a club, an art house, a meeting place, two restaurants, a hairdresser and a gallery. A labyrinth of diverse cultural, creative and social initiatives. A cacophony of spaces and programs, with one entrance door and a shared vision. The building is a necessary place for cultural freedom, inclusivity and creative experimentation. No closed doors, closed studios or offices, but 400m2 of organized chaos. A house where you can wander and get lost. Flexible and noisy, accessible and diverse, high and low quality and always unpretentious.


SEXYLAND World is an attempt to connect (sub)cultures, arts and other expressions of enthusiasm, across all layers of society. Solidarity and radical heterogeneity form the foundation; unexpected encounters are the result.

View Venue

SEXYLAND World is a club, an art house, a meeting place, two restaurants, a hairdresser and a gallery. A labyrinth of diverse cultural, creative and social initiatives. A cacophony of spaces and programs, with one entrance door and a shared vision. The building is a necessary place for cultural freedom, inclusivity and creative experimentation. No closed doors, closed studios or offices, but 400m2 of organized chaos. A house where you can wander and get lost. Flexible and noisy, accessible and diverse, high and low quality and always unpretentious.


SEXYLAND World is an attempt to connect (sub)cultures, arts and other expressions of enthusiasm, across all layers of society. Solidarity and radical heterogeneity form the foundation; unexpected encounters are the result.

View Venue

Festival FAQ

The ADE 2024 program is complete! View all ADE Festival events and all participating venues and artists.

Check out the ADE Program page to discover the full ADE 2024 program.

Get your ticket(s) via the "buy tickets" button on the page of the event you'd like to attend.

Click here to dive into the program.

Not to worry! Make sure to contact the event (or their ticketing provider) you are visiting as soon as possible with as many details about your order; name, email address, amount of tickets, etc. Once they've recovered your order, the tickets can be resent to your email.

Need help to find your event's contact details? Message us at [email protected] and we'll be happy to help.

Most festival events have an age limit of 18+ (and sometimes even 21+ or 23+). These are Dutch governmental rules which state that below the age of 18 you are not allowed to enter a club.

Please double-check the promoter's or venue's website to be sure you can access the event!

Yes, the Pro Pass grants you access to all ADE official festival events. Even if a festival event is sold out, you can still access the event with your ADE Pro Pass wristband. During ADE there are over 500 festival events and hundreds more cultural and conference events you can enter with the wristband. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a limited capacity that each venue can take into account for ADE Pro wristband holders. This means that, for some of the more crowded events, you have to arrive early to ensure attendance. Once capacity is reached, ADE Pro holders will be let into the event on a one in-one-out basis.

We dance together, so please be mindful of yourself and each other. We expect an open attitude from our visitors towards other guests, regardless of their origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion and age. If you see or experience any unwanted attention, harassment or behavior of any kind that makes you uncomfortable, please speak out and notify staff.

Please keep in mind: we love being your annual host, therefore, we would like to ask you to enjoy yourself responsibly.

ADE is proud partner of the Celebrate Safe campaign.
Check out Unity's tips to Celebrate Safe during ADE:

♥ Respect each other’s beliefs and differences

♥ I love my ears

♥ Using alcohol or other drugs is never without risks

♥ Know your limits and respect those of others

♥ Enjoy safe sex without regrets

♥ Love your body

♥ Get home safe

♥ Take care of each other

♥ The crew is there to keep you safe


Have fun and Celebrate Safe!