Dutch Dance Agenda: December 2021

As a brand, a passion, and a movement, “Dutch Dance” has dominated the international dance scene for years. Many Dutch DJs have gathered a worldwide following and fly all around the globe to entertain one energetic crowd after another. From underground talent to household names, the Dutch party scene has built a reputation for harboring everyone’s kind of DJ. However, with so many successful and famous DJs coming from such a small dot on the map, it is almost impossible to keep track of all their performances in the United States. Luckily, we did that for you.

Afrojack

Building an early underground following in his native Holland, Afrojack’s initial explosion onto the scene came with the release of his single ‘Take Over Control’. The song was an instant hit, filling dancefloors all over the world and even reaching Platinum status in the US.

Around this time Afrojack also launched his label imprint ‘Wall Recordings’, a place where he could begin to nurture and grow new EDM talent under his tutorage. He also became one of the first artists to sign a residency in Las Vegas, performing there over a dozen times. Its moves like this that have helped him to ranked by Forbes as one of the highest paid DJ’s in the world.

Collaborations with the likes of EDM royalty such as David Guetta and pop superstars like Chris Brown and Madonna, helped to build Afrojack’s profile and it wasn’t long before he was headlining festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival, playing to over 300,000 people.

2014 saw the release of his debut album ‘Forget The World’ and was a huge success, spurred on by monster singles like ‘The Spark’. His talents have not only been recognized through commercial success but he has been voted at number 9 in ‘Dj Mag’s top Djs’ two years in a row. All of this makes for an impressive resume for someone who is young enough to have plenty left to give – expect to hear a lot more about Afrojack in years to come.

December 31 – Countdown NYE, San Bernardino, CA

DROELOE

This duo’s emphasis on their artistic strengths has seen them weave sonically and visually intricate stories through their music. Droeloe‘s signature skull has quickly become synonymous with progressive music and breathtaking art highlighted by their impeccable percussion-heavy sound infused with the catchiest melodies and stunning use of visuals.

December 3 – The Midway, San Francisco, CA (Dreamworld Festival 2021)

December 10 – Liquid, Madison, WI, US

December 15 – Bottled Blonde, Dallas, TX

December 17 – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL

December 31 – Abduction NYE, Seattle, WA

Laidback Luke

Born in 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!

December 18 – Soundcheck, Washington, DC

Nicky Romero

Strike up a conversation about the current state of electronic music and it won’t be long before Nicky Romero gets mentioned, and quite rightly so. At the age of just twenty-six and in only a few prolific years, the Amsterdam-based superstar has managed to build nothing short of a remarkable musical empire. Internationally celebrated for countless chart-topping records and his electrifying energy on the world’s most distinguished stages, the 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, he continues to vindicate his position as one in just a handful of the most influential forces in the international music arena today.

December 4 – Academy LA, Los Angeles (LA), CA, US

December 10 – Stereo Live Dallas, Dallas, TX

Oliver Heldens

Oliver Heldens caught the attention of Tiësto, when he released his single ‘Gecko’. Tiesto immediately signed him to his label; Musical Freedom and released the track with vocals from British singer Becky Hill on June 23, 2014. Heldens also has a weekly podcast titled Heldeep Radio. His songs “Gecko”, “Last All Night” and his remix of Dr Kucho!’s “Can’t Stop Playing” charted as top 5 singles in the UK, reaching 1st, 5th and 4th position respectively. Since 2015, Heldens has been performing under the alias HiLo as well.

December 30 – Prysm Nightclub, Chicago, IL

January 1, 2022 – DAER Dayclub South Florida, Hollywood, FL

San Holo

Sander van Dijck, commonly known by his stage name San Holo, is not just a DJ. As DJ, singer, guitar player and lyricist, San taught himself music at an early age. He gained international recognition for his remix of Dr Dre’s “The Next Episode”, which currently has over 200 million views on YouTube. He has toured the world and has gained a credible reputation in the EDM world. Now, San Holo is taking inspiration from bands like Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros, working with very ethereal soundscapes and beautiful melancholic music as he creates a new sound. He is motivated by the fact that he’s never found a way to get that kind of vibe into the EDM music he was producing before, until half a year ago when he realized that he could use guitars instead of synth and still make it into a drop and a buildup.

December 2 – The Sylvee, Madison, WI

December 3 – Royal Oak Music Theater, Royal Oak, MI

December 4 – Radius, Chicago, IL

December 8 – Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH

December 9 – Old National Centre, Indianapolis, IN

December 10 – 9.30 CLUB, Washington, DC

December 11 – 9.30 CLUB, Washington, DC

December 12 – Rams Head Live!, Baltimore, MD

December 15 – Buffalo RiverWorks, Buffalo, NY

December 16 – House of Blues Boston, Boston, MA

December 17 – Terminal 5, New York, NY

December 19 – Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA

December 21 – The Signal, Chattanooga, TN

December 22 – The Eastern, Atlanta, GA

December 23 – Jannus Live, Saint Petersburg, FL

Tiesto

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.

December 28 – Echostage, Washington, DC

December 31 – Countdown NYE, San Bernardino, CA

Tinlicker

Crafted by an expression of computerised soul, Tinlicker are the modern face of Dutch electronic dance music. Based out of Utrecht, the guys started their journey towards today in late 2012, honing their sound, continually shaping their destination, creating their new ideal in music. Initially, self-releasing music it wasn’t long before said sound was noticed by none other than Feed Me, who was quick to sign a number of songs to his tastemaking Sotto Voce label. From there the ears of Zerothree tuned in and the world was given an array of head-turning singles, including the irrepressible ‘Maandag’. Fans of Above & Beyond and Deadmau5 will be no stranger to Tinlicker, who have supported their beats many times across their live shows, Group Therapy and BBC radio shows. It’s no surprise then that when the time came to find a home for the 2017 hit ‘Soon You’ll Be Gone’ Anjunadeep was quick to put their hand up. Recently followed by the smashing ‘Because You Move Me’ on Armada and the ‘Jalapeño EP’ on Mau5trap.

December 2 – Fulton 55, Fresno, CA, US

December 3 – Audio, San Francisco, CA, US

December 4 – Quartyard, San Diego, CA, US

December 5 – Ocotillo, Phoenix, AZ, US

December 17 – Otherworld, Columbus, OH

December 18 – Exchange LA, Los Angeles (LA), CA

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.

December 4 – Time Nightclub, Costa Mesa, CA

December 10 – NOTO, Philadelphia, PA

December 29 – Exchange LA, Los Angeles (LA), CA