24/10

Back to Reality

Conference

Line-up

Dare Balogun (Homecoming, NG) / ELIJAH (Creative Consultant, Writer & DJ, GB) / Lee-Ann Johanna / Thaniel Owusu Agyemang

Date

Sat, Oct 24, 2026
13:15 - 14:00

Location

Felix Meritis (Teekenzaal 1) | Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam

Interests

Artists / Culture / ADE Pro / Keynotes, Talks & Panels

Buy Tickets

Disclaimer

Back to Reality

Speakers: Thaniel Owusu Agyemang, Lee-Ann Johanna, Dare Balogun

Moderator: Elijah

Writer, DJ and lecturer Elijah, co-founder of the record label Butterz, hosts a conversation about the return to the physical. Based in London, he has worked across artist management, event production and creative direction. He writes about Black British culture, electronic music and the creator economy through his multimedia design system the "Yellow Square", which lives as a podcast, an album, a public artwork, a global lecture and club series.

After years of online culture consumption, people are going back to listening bars, record shops and community spaces, rooms where culture is shared in person instead of scrolled past. Elijah talks it through with Thaniel Owusu Agyemang of Sankofa Archives, the Amsterdam-based organisation working with archiving, events and community space; Lee-Ann Johanna, founder of Vanguard, A music platform for homegrown music in NL + EU and Dare Balogun, a London-based DJ, writer and curator who founded Roots to Rhythm.

We will discuss why vinyl and physical media are making a comeback? What does the "third space" mean today? And what do we gain when culture has a place to live? Looking back to move forward, in the spirit of Sankofa.

About Sankofa Archives

Sankofa Archives is a cultural platform based in the H-buurt in Amsterdam Southeast, founded in 2022 by artist and creative director Thaniel Owusu Agyemang. It documents and presents contemporary African and diaspora culture across music, film, photography, fashion and design. The name comes from the Akan word sankofa: to go back and retrieve. Its premise is that much of the work made by African and diaspora creatives in Europe circulates briefly and then disappears, so Sankofa Archives programmes that work and archives it in the same movement. Every edition leaves something behind, whether a film, a photo series or a printed publication.

Since 2022 it has run more than 40 programmes in five cities for more than 13,500 on-site visitors, inside institutions such as Eye Filmmuseum, Paradiso, Melkweg, OSCAM and the Amsterdam Museum, and in club and community spaces such as Garage Noord, Skatecafé and Kazerne Reigersbos. House of Artistry is the name of Sankofa Archives' workshop series and fair, taught by working artists, and of its physical space in Amsterdam Southeast, which recently opened as a pop-up.

About Vanguard

Vanguard is a platform and gathering space for forward-looking, English-language music from the Netherlands and Europe, at the crossroads of soul, R&B, hip-hop, jazz and afrobeats. It grew under the name Elsewhere, with the songwriting camp The Gathering as its first proof of concept, and has since developed into a blog, a production house and a series of live events, all built around the same artists and community. The production house supports artists with fundraising, creative direction, and video and concert production.

Since its first edition in 2023, Vanguard has run 19 programs across three cities for more than 8,500 visitors, with venues and festivals including Paradiso, Melkweg, Vondelparktheater, MONO and Sloterplas Festival. Current projects include Project 48 and a recurring Block Party, both with Sankofa Archives, and the Listening Room, a pop-up community space for listening sessions, workshops and talks exploring music from the diaspora.

Felix Meritis

Conference FAQ

The ADE Pro Pass  provides access to our complete conference program. As well as:

+ Year round access to ADE Pro's networking platform & database
+ Join dedicated networking events and sessions
+ Access to all official ADE Business Hubs
+ Access to the complete festival program (limited capacity at venues)
+ Access to the Arts & Culture program (limited capacity at venues)
+ Receive the official ADE bag

We do not sell ADE Conference only or Day Passes. The only way to get access to the ADE Pro Conference is the ADE Pro Pass.

✓ Valid all five days

ADE Pro conference takes place from Wednesday through Saturday, but the ADE Pro Pass benefits go well beyond those four days. The ticket grants access to ADE’s full offering, including all conference programs as well as all ADE Festival and Arts & Culture events* — read on below to get an impression of everything included with your ADE Pro Pass.

✓ Full access to all conference keynotes, panels and locations

ADE Pro is the ultimate business and inspiration gathering for the electronic music industry. The four-day conference returns to live action at our iconic home base Felix Meritis and features dedicated programming at the forefront of our industry. In addition, ADE will also continue to host conference programs dedicated to young creators and aspiring professionals.

✓ Year round access to ADE Pro's networking platform & database

Get a head start on connecting with fellow music professionals and companies with the ADE Pro networking database, available throughout the year. The online networking tool enables you to find and connect with all ADE Pro delegates, showcase your business with a dedicated profile page, plan meetings during ADE and much more. Over 50.000 messages are being sent on the platform yearly, with new professional connections being made on the regular.

✓ Join dedicated networking events and sessions

With over 11.000 music professionals from around the globe gathering in Amsterdam, you’re almost guaranteed to find who you need. An abundance of networking events and opportunities with fellow ADE delegates and industry leaders provides an advantageous base for dealmaking and career advancement.

✓ Access to all official Business Hubs

Whether you’re planning a meeting with fellow delegates, looking for a comfortable spot to work or simply want to hang out between conference events, your ADE Pro Pass grants access to all of ADE’s official Business Hubs.

✓ Access to the complete ADE Festival and Arts & Culture program*

With the entirety of ADE Festival and ADE Arts & Culture accessible with the ADE Pro Pass, your ticket enables you to explore the full spectrum of electronic subgenres in over 300 of Amsterdam’s finest music and nightlife spaces — with 3.300+ artists performing at 1.200+ events during five days and nights.

* Limited capacity at high-demand venues – read more at our FAQ.

✓ Receive the official ADE 2026 Bag

Your ADE Pro Pass comes with the limited edition ADE 2026 Bag, an ADE Pro Pass exclusive included with your ticket.

✓ And many more Pro Pass benefits

ADE Pro Pass holders receive 7 days free access to all 250 Basic-Fit clubs across the Netherlands.
ADE Pro Pass holders can claim a free eSIM with unlimited data for one week during ADE.
Exclusive to all ADE Pro Pass buyers, GVB offers public transport, free of charge, for five whole days

Our conferences are accessible for all ages in general. Do note that when alcoholic beverages are served, access can be denied.

If you want to apply for ADE 2027, you can fill in the form here. If you're interested in contributing to ADE Pro or Lab, whether through a keynote, panel, workshop, or proposal for a relevant speaker or topic, we’re open to ideas with clear focus and industry value.

We have various hotel recommendations to ensure you get through ADE well rested. Our recommendations can be found here.

Info & Ticket Desks for picking up your personal ADE Pro Pass badge & wristband

Felix Meritis (outside)
Address: Keizersgracht 324, 1016EZ Amsterdam

Tuesday October 20: 14:00 to 20:00
Wednesday October 21: 09:00 to 20:00
Thursday October 22: 09:00 to 20:00
Friday October 23: 09:00 to 20:00
Saturday October 24: 10:00 to 20:00
Sunday October 25: CLOSED

~ The best location for collecting your accreditation when you want to visit the ADE Pro Conference immediately after pick up.

Stromma - Pier 6 | Central Station
Address: Damrak 16, 1012 LH Amsterdam

Tuesday October 20: 10:00 to 22:00
Wednesday October 21: 09:00 to 22:00
Thursday October 22: 09:00 to 22:00
Friday October 23: 09:00 to 22:00
Saturday October 24: 09:00 to 22:00
Sunday October 25: 12:00 to 18:00

~ This Info & Ticket desk is the most convenient location for people who'd like to pick up their accreditation right after arriving in Amsterdam at the central train station.

NOTE

Please be aware that your e-ticket is strictly personal and non-transferable. It is mandatory to show your ID/passport during pick-up. Your items cannot be picked up by someone else.

Also, don’t forget to complete your profile details before ADE, to make sure we have the right information to prepare your personal badge.

Haven't received your ticket(s) or cannot find them? You can easily find them by following the steps on this page.

NOTE: This leads you to a page of the Weeztix website, where you can find your ADE passes, as well as some ADE festival tickets - only if the tickets of the event are sold via ticket provider Weeztix.

If you are stil unable to find your festival ticket(s), please contact the individual festival event organizers.

If you are still unable to find your Pro Pass, please contact us at [email protected].

Scrolling through ADE’s festival page can often feel overwhelming, with takeovers happening across the city at all hours. Together with EY, we’re introducing the ADE Assistant, a tool built into the ADE web app that considers the human factors behind your ideal night out: vibe, energy, timing, venue size and a range of personal preferences that you can define on a spectrum- from niche to mainstream and every shade in between.

Discover your new Favorites with the ADE Assistant.