This week, from Wednesday to Saturday, Amsterdam is the center of the world’s dance music industry.

I’m Storyteller, and it’s my pleasure to bring coverage of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) to the RV community.

Oddly enough, I wasn’t initially planning to go to ADE because I have so many work-related deadlines this week. I had identified some parties I wanted to check out, but I didn’t get around to actually pulling the trigger. My plans changed about a week ago when RV contacted me to discuss the idea of covering ADE as a guest blogger. This was all the incentive I needed; so I got tickets to some of the events, and I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with you here on the RV blog! There are tons of parties, taking place in more than 40 locations. ADE is exciting, and I’ve really been looking forward to it!

Last night, I kicked off my ADE week by checking out the Armada Night, featuring Blake Jarrell, Way Out West, Chicane (live), and Armin van Buuren!

I’m a sucker for the old trance/progressive legends. I’ve been an especially big Chicane fan for years. I chose to go to this event just to see Chicane and then I found out, only a couple hours before the party, that Way Out West would be there as well!

When I arrived at the Escape venue in Amsterdam, Way Out West had already started, which meant I was too late to catch Blake Jarrell in action. They played groovy progressive tracks, occasionally sprinkling in Way Out West classics like “Killa” and “Mindcircus,” which are great tunes. I think they also played some tracks from their forthcoming album. The crowd was absolutely loving it, and the atmosphere in general was great.

Next, Chicane stepped up! As expected, this was the highlight of the evening for me. Everybody seemed to reach a state of euphoria as his live act progressed. I sure did, and so did the two girls from Singapore who I met and hung out with for the rest of the night. The roof nearly exploded with every track Chicane performed. Over the course of an hour, I heard all of his big hits like “Bruised Water,” “Offshore,” “Stoned in Love,” and “Don’t Give Up.” I loved every bit of it!

My newly found friends from Singapore kicked it up a notch when Armin started. In fact, the entire audience went mental as Armin took his place in the DJ Booth. After all, he’s still Mixmag’s #1 DJ, and he was probably the DJ most people came to see. Soon, punchy progressive trance was filling the room. The party kept pulsing until the early morning…eventually, it was time to go home.

Until this event, I hadn’t been to any ADE parties, but if this is what the ADE is about, I will be back in the years to come. As I write this article, I can physically feel the excitement as well as the exhaustion from last night. The Armada Night was, without a doubt, one of the best parties I’ve been to in quite some time. It rekindled my love for the music of both Chicane and Way Out West.

Next up for this Friday: Jerome Isma-Ae and Remy – two of my favorite producers – and more…so stay tuned!

Storyteller