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Dutch Dance Agenda: August

Find out when & where your favorite Dutch DJs will be spinning it this month in the US!

Do you want to know when your favorite DJ will be playing some tracks, or are you curious about new Dutch voices in town? In our #DutchDanceAgenda, we will post monthly updates on who is playing when and where, and highlight different Dutch DJs that are spinning their decks in the US at the moment.

Let’s face it: the best party is a Dutch party. As a brand, a passion, and a movement, “Dutch Dance” has been dominating the international dance scene for years. Many Dutch DJs have gathered a worldwide following, and fly all around the globe to move from one enthusiastic crowd to the other. Proving that established dance icons and fresh talent do not need to stand in each other’s way, Dutch legends like Tiësto and Hardwell have been taking the new generation underneath their wings.

From underground talent to household names, the Netherlands’ party scene has built the reputation for harboring everyone’s kind of DJ. However, with so many successful and famous DJs from such a small dot on the map, it is almost impossible to keep track of all the Dutch DJs that are performing in the United States. So for the latest updates tune in on our Twitter page!

 

 

16 Bit Lolitas

16 Bit Lolitas ©

After becoming part of the management roster of Armada Music, Dutch duo 16 Bit Lolitas also joined the award-winning record company with their Bits & Pieces label. The label, a realm for progressive-house fans since 2007, is home to all 16 Bit releases.

16 Bit Lolitas claimed worldwide recognition with tracks like ‘Murder Weapon’, ‘Nobody Seems To Care’, ‘Sedna’ and remixes for the likes of Sander Kleinenberg and Armin van Buuren. Their productions are known for their patiently crafted, sophisticated sound, produced with emotion and care. The Bits & Pieces label represents tracks that create a spark upon the dance floor, delivering atmosphere as well as a killer payoff. Next up on the label, is the new 16 Bit Lolitas E.P., ‘The Rise’ & ‘You Are An Astronaut’. Averaging 4 quality releases a year, the label lives up to the ‘quality over quantity’ rule.

 

Afrojack

Afrojack

Nick van de Wall, better known as Afrojack, started his career at the age of 14, as he performed at local pubs and clubs, and earning additional income with designing websites for fellow musicians. In 2007 he released “In Your Face”, the first recording under the Afrojack name. He received international success with the song “Take Over Control” featuring Eva Simons, which charted in 10 different countries. He took part in Episode 2 of ‘Behind The Speedo’, which is a comedy series by Redfoo. Currently, Afrojack is listed as number eight in the DJ Mag Top 100.

 

Antal

Antal © Resident Advisor

Antal Heitlager is many things: DJ, football coach, family man and the central figure at Amsterdam’s Rush Hour, a globally respected record shop, label and distributor based in Amsterdam. Though his taste is anchored by house and techno from Chicago and Detroit, his musical knowledge touches on many genres and most corners of the world, from South Africa to Brazil to Japan. It’s hard to say what ties his tastes together, but perhaps it’s his love for music that’s soulful, whether it was crafted with a piano or a drum machine.

 

Eelke Kleijn

Eelke Kleijn. Courtesy of the artist.

Eelke Kleijn is a rare talent. With work stretching across movie trailer scores, deep live shows, and incredibly well-formed production, he crosses a boundary between electronic producer and into a true modern-day composer. With peers and tastemakers standing up for this unmistakable imagination, the Rotterdam-based music maker’s potential has no bounds. With 2 artist albums delivered, an array of originals and first class remixes what he has achieved thus far would be any DJ’s reverie. Ultra to EMI, Global Underground to Eskimo Recordings and Spinnin’ to Suara have seen the young Dutchman’s vision in productions become world heard. 

 

Estiva

Estiva © Echostage - Washington, DC

Estiva (Steven Baan) has been welcomed globally into the Electronic Dance Music industry as one of the leading artists of Tritonal‘s Enhanced Music – “the label that delivers tune, after tune”.

With a much loved, personal approach and a loyal fan base, Estiva’s melodic, emotive and upbeat style has lead to consistent support from the industry’s biggest influences, including; Tiësto, Nicky Romero, Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, Dash Berlin and many more – all whilst having tracks regularly featured on the United States’ pioneering satellite radio station, Sirius XM.

 

Fedde Le Grand

Fedde le Grand. Courtesy of the artist.

Fedde Le Grand is considered to be one of the most defining figures in the fast-evolving genre of House music. His influence is felt continually throughout the electronic landscape; Fedde’s beats, grooves, melodies, and rhythms surround us all and have done for many years. He belonged for nearly a decade as one of the top 30 most influential DJ’s according to the prestigious DJ Mag Top 100, has been credited countless awards and remixed the biggest artists around – from Coldplay, Madonna, will.i.am, Robbie Williams, Everything But The Girl, Fatboy Slim, to more.

 

Hardwell 

Hardwell ©

At the age of 25, Robbert van de Corput, better known as Hardwell, capped off a 10 year journey when he was crowned World’s #1 DJ in the 2013 Top 100 DJs Poll cementing his position as the electronic scenes newest superstar DJ and becoming the youngest ever winner of the coveted Top 100 DJs award. In 2014 the Dutch megastar was crowned World’s #1 DJ for a second consecutive year. Having conquered almost every global territory from Asia to Africa, South America, Australia and Europe, the remarkable story behind this archetypal international DJ is one of devotion and relentless hard work. Currently, Hardwell ranks number four on DJ Mag Top 100. 

 

Jay Hardway

Jay Hardway, Courtesy of the Artist

Starting with small gigs in pubs on his 18th, Jobke Heiblom soon played for bigger crowds in clubs. Inspired by Tiësto because of his ideas about DJ-ing, as wel as by the productions of Afrojack, Laidback Luke and Vato Gonzales, he developed his own skills. Collaborating with Martin Garrix, Jay Hardway now has two big releases on his name: “Error 404” and “Wizard”. His “Inspire” podcasts are frequently online and Jay Hardway did some successful remixes for Norwegian singer Margaret Berger and Dutch duo the Opposites.

  • August 25 | LAVO | New York, NY

 

Laidback Luke 

Laid Back Luke. Courtesy of the artist.

Born in the Philippines, raised in Holland, Luke van Scheppingen, known as Laidback Luke with no exaggeration is the reference point of the dance scene for the thousands of clubbers these days. His unlimited energy brightly results in both stunning live sets and ongoing anticipated studio hits. The Dutch heavy weight house master is loved all over the globe: they worship him in Amnesia on Ibiza, they sell out his Super You&Me event wherever it goes to, and they put him on the 20th place on By-All-Means-Wanted TOP 100 DJs list. With the crazy energy that Luke conveys and the martial arts that he practices, rest assured his future will be out of this world!

 

Martin Garrix 

Courtesy of Martin Garrix

Part of the explosion of Dutch EDM DJs who emerged during the 2012-2013 season, Martin Garrix kicked off his career in a high-profile way, first landing on the dance charts with his 2012 remix of Christina Aguilera’s “Your Body.” Born Martijn Garritsen, the then-16-year-old DJ spent 2012 remixing Aguilera, signing with Spinnin’ Records, and releasing the “BFAM” single in collaboration with Julian Jordan.

In 2013 he released his solo single “Animals,” which hit number one in the U.K. and reached the Top Ten in eight other countries. His Gold Skies EP rounded up those tracks, adding two more charting songs: “Tremor” and the title track. Garrix also found time to perform and mix the world over, resulting in being the number 1 DJ in the world today.

 

Moksi

MOKSI © Stephan Colen Photo

A house party can be the perfect place for creative minds to sync. It happened with Samir and Diego, the Dutch duo better known as Moksi, although it took a few years for them to perfect their kaleidoscopic sound of screaming leads and bassface-perfect subwoofer-loving drops, inspired by a mutual love of late-’90s UK garage.

Highlights of Moksi’s summer 2017 tour include performances at both Lollapalooza Paris and Chicago, DJ Snake flying in by helicopter for an appearance at a Moksi headline gig in Los Angeles and two consecutive weekends of rocking Tomorrowland. They have released over 45 tracks since that fateful beginning. Once they get going, Moksi are never slowing down.

 

Mike Williams

Mike Williams. Courtesy of the artist.

Mike Williams is known as a versatile artist, passionate and fascinated by music from an early age. Recently Mike signed with Spinnin’ Records and MusicAllStars Management, adding an exciting new chapter to his career. As a child Mike Williams can already be found behind a keyboard. At the age of 12 he starts to take his DJing more seriously. He gets booked on several events, sharing the stage with DJs like Martin Garrix, Jay Hardway, Yellow Claw and Alvaro, while he also starts producing tracks of his own. When his bootleg of Calvin Harris’ track ‘Blame’ gets picked up on social media, he starts receiving support from various artists, including Oliver Heldens. 

2015 sees him play different festivals, in the meantime Mike drops a successful bootleg of Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘I Really Like You’, gaining over 3 million SoundCloud plays. By the end of summer 2015 the young artist is being approached by several dance parties and signs a contract with renowned label Spinnin’ Records.

  • August 03 | LAVO | New York, NY

 

Nicky Romero

Strike up a conversation about the current state of electronic music and it won’t be long before Nicky Romero gets an emphatic mention. And quite rightly so—because at the age of just twenty-six and in the space of only a few prolific years, the Amsterdam-based superstar has managed to build nothing short of a remarkable musical empire.

Celebrated the world over for countless chart-topping records and his electrifying energy in front of hundreds of thousands on the world’s most distinguished stages, the loveable Dutch performer, producer, Protocol Recordings chief and global brand ambassador has already carved an international reputation for himself as one of the most exciting and industrious artists of his generation.

Perpetually dedicated to growing and maturing the Nicky Romero brand at every turn the Protocol don continues to vindicate his position as one in just a handful of the most influential and venerated forces in the international music arena today.

 

Noisia

Noisia - Courtesy of the artist

Working from the studio in their hometown of Groningen Nik Roos, Martijn Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger have gradually developed and cultivated a sound that’s all their own; a sound that’s obsessed with production techniques; a sound that’s instantly recognisable whether you’re hearing three minutes of a Noisia track dropped at a festival or three hours of it while playing Devil May Cry 5. Having pushed the envelope and successfully managed to blend incredible sound design with unrelenting and uncompromising beats and basslines, Noisia’s sound is undoubtedly unique.

 

Quintino

Quintino is one of the true DJ’s with a lifelong passion for dance music and on the verge of becoming one of the leading forces in the global music scene today. His high profile work with the likes of Tiësto and Afrojack has made him a household name and his excellent DJ sets across the globe have made his position a highly respected name in the scene. Discovered by Laidback Luke at the age of 18, Quintino started to take his stature as a DJ and producer beyond the normal club scene, playing landmark gigs and high profile festivals. In between producing and releasing songs, Quintino keeps performing worldwide with an estimate of 250 gigs a year. 

 

San Holo

San Holo

Sander van Dijck commonly known by his stage name San Holo, is a Dutch DJ, musician, record producer, and composer. He gained international recognition for his remix of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode”, which currently has over 150 million views on YouTube. He has released music on several record labels including Spinnin’ Records, OWSLA, Barong Family, and Monstercat.

He also founded bitbird, a label which has released several of his singles including “Still Looking” and “Light”. San Holo’s first EP, Cosmos, was released via Heroic on 18 September 2014 and was in the Top 100 Electronic category of iTunes.

 

Sam Feldt

Sam Feldt

While only in his early twenties, Dutchman Sam Feldt has become quite the deep house tastemaker of his day. With amazing remix work as well as solid hits like the early 2015 release ‘Show Me Love’, which proved to be his definite claim to fame, he’s one of the DJs to watch when it comes to a new sound flooding the scene. Sam Feldt is definitely not a stranger to the house music scene. After working behind the scenes as a producer for a long time, perfecting his musical talents, he decides to show the world what he’s capable of by uploading his first tunes by the end of summer ‘13. Within a year Sam signs with Spinnin’ Records and releases his first track on the label.

It doesn’t take long for the young producer to get sensed by international dance media as part of a new exciting wave of melodic deep house. With almost two million plays on SoundCloud and 250.000 plays in one week as well as a #1 Hypem spot for his remix of the Sander van Doorn & Firebeatz release ‘Guitar Track’, Sam established himself in the scene.

 

Sander Kleinenberg

Sander Kleinenberg, courtesy of the artist.

Whether it’s producing, remixing or DJing, Sander Kleinenberg has been building credibility in on all fronts for over two decades. With twenty years of experience behind him, he’s established himself as an advocate for progress and most of all, a pivotal player on the frontier of electronic music. Sander’s passion for perfection has kept him away from classification, putting hours upon hours into the enrichment of his dj- and producer-skills. Constantly twisting and shaping sounds, progressing in the studio and experimenting on an unprecedented level have brought Sander to the point where a jaw-dropping remix for Justin Timberlake was soon followed by another one for Daft Punk, Madonna, Janet Jackson, N*E*R*D and so on. 

 

Spag Heddy

Spag Heddy ©

Straight from the kitchens of Pastanistan, Spag Heddy delivers your daily need for tomato bass. Releases like Oh My! [Never Say Die], OG Meatball EP [Buygore] and the official remix for platinum hit Don’t Let Me Down (The Chainsmokers ft. Daya) made waves in the world of bass music, and have secured him a spot amongst the bass lords.

Spag gained fame in the bass market giant USA with several headlined tours, from festival main stages to intimate and raw spots, leaving every witness destroyed with a snapped neck. Don’t miss out and be embraced by his noodly appendage.

 

Tiësto

Tiësto. Courtesy of the artist.

Highly regarded by both DJ Magazine and fans of electronic dance music, Tiësto launched his career as one of the world’s foremost trance DJs, due in part to his legendary six-hour live sets, and went on to embrace a more pop-oriented EDM approach. 

The fifth Tiësto studio album, A Town Called Paradise, appeared in 2014 on Casablanca. It featured the most pop-oriented productions of his career and a slew of guest vocalists who included Ladyhawke and Icona Pop. Tiësto appeared on DJ Mag Top 100 2016 as number 5.

 

W&W

After meeting up back in 2007 Willem van Hanegem & Ward van der Harst came together to form W&W and they haven’t looked back since. The past years this Dutch production and DJ duo have transcended the boundaries of genre and traverse the globe with their music and performances. Fusing styles and mixing influences, W&W combine the uplifting and melodic elements of trance with the raw intensity of electro and progressiveness of house to create a sound that is uniquely their own. Infectious, rebellious and highly energetic, their list of productions is championed by the likes of Hardwell, Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, David Guetta and more for its breadth, diversity and massive appeal to multiple audiences.

 

Yellow Claw

Yellow Claw may not be a household name outside of the Netherlands but have a look at their YouTube channel and you’ll be hard-pressed to find one of their singles with less than 2,000,000 views. They take the newest sounds from the club and drive them off a cliff.

Hailing from Amsterdam, the trio first exploded into the scene after founding the Yellow Claw Thursday night party at the Jimmy Woo, which quickly gained a reputation as being one of the wildest and most unique parties in the city. The gang recently released their new album, “New Blood”, you’ll be sure to hear it at their shows!

DutchCulture USA
 

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