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Dutch Dance Agenda: February 2019

Spag Heddy © Bassmnt, San Diego, CA

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 post monthly updates on who is playing when and where, and we 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 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 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 coming from such a small dot on the map, it is almost impossible to keep track of all their performance in the United States. Luckily, we did exactly that, so for the latest updates tune in on our Twitter and Facebook page! Also, be sure to check out our Soundcloud to hear all the latest, Dutch-produced tracks and live-sets.

This month, R3hab officially kicks off his “The Wave Tour” (read more about the tour here), and Spag Heddy racks up an impressive number of US gigs too on his “Noodle Neck Tour” (read more about that tour here)!

Agenda

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.

Events:

February 1 | Sound Nightclub | Los Angeles, CA

 

Bassjackers

Bassjackers

Best friends since high school, DJ, Marlon Flohr, and producer, Ralph van Hilst came together in 2007 to create the Dutch duo known as Bassjackers. The duo exploded onto the scene and in 2011 their dancefloor bomb “Mush Mush” was picked up by Tiësto and released on his label Musical Freedom.

Since then, Bassjackers have reached massive new heights in their career with numerous chart-topping bangers and hit-collaborations with the likes of Martin Garrix, Afrojack, KSHMR, and Showtek, to name a few, as well as remixes for A-list artists including Rihanna, Enrique Iglesias, and Ne-Yo.

Events:

February 15 | Park City Live | Park City, UT

February 16 | District Nightclub | Atlanta, GA

 

Brooks

Pioneering his own blend of electronic dance music over the past two years, Dutch producer Brooks has carved a solid name for himself with a selection of outstanding originals and remixes which have caught the world’s attention. Brooks has managed to stand out from the masses and gain increasing recognition with his innovative style of rhythmic electro house and melodic future house. For his contribution to the scene so far in 2018, Brooks has just picked up the SLAM! Award for Best Talent and he’s not stopping there.

Alongside his clear production talent, Brooks ability to showcase a stellar performance on-stage has earned him a reputation as one of electronic music’s most heterogenous DJs. From Europe to Asia, Africa and beyond, the producer is maintaining a lasting impression on a global scale.

With artists like Martin Garrix and David Guetta championing Brooks as one of their favorite DJs for the coming months and beyond, it’s evident that this is one young producer who is destined to make a prominent mark on the electronic dance music scene.

Events:

February 2 | 89th Street | Oklahoma City, OK

February 7 | Elsewhere | Brooklyn, NY

 

Laidback Luke

Laidback Luke

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!

Events:

February 15 | Echostage | Washington, DC

February 16 | HQ2 Nightclub | Atlantic City, NJ

 

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 for the third year in a row.

Events:

February 1 | Park City Live | Park City, UT

February 2 | OMNIA Nightclub | Las Vegas, NV

February 2 | Birds Nest | Scottsdale, AZ

 

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.

Events:

February 1 | Academy Nightclub | Los Angeles, CA

February 2 | Haven Nightclub | Atlantic City, NJ

 

R3hab

Performing and recording under the name R3hab, EDM artist Fadil El Ghoul started his career in 2008 producing the track “Mrkrstft” for Hardwell. He teamed up with Hardwell once again in 2009 on the single “Blue Magic,” and worked with Afrojack in 2011 on “Aces High (Prutata).”

He subsequently garnered prestigious 2014 slots at Tomorrowland, Future Music, Creamfields, and Summerburst, and that same year he put out the 12″ “Androids,” “Flashlight” with Deorro, and “Ready for the Weekend,” which were among some of his biggest-selling singles.

He also landed a featured spot on Calvin Harris’ 2014 album Motion, and a DJ set at the Coachella Music Festival followed in 2015. In 2016, he teamed with the R&B vocalist Ciara for the single “Get Up.”

Events:

February 2 | Echostage | Washington, DC

February 8 | The Church Nightclub | Denver, CO

February 9 | Marquee | Las Vegas, NV

February 15 | Mezzanine | San Francisco, CA

February 16 | The Belasco Theater | Los Angeles, CA

February 23 | Concord Music Hall | Chicago, IL

February 26 | Shrine | Ledyard, CT

 

Showtek

Over the past two years, Showtek has become more than an act; it’s a movement, a tribe formed by the producer duo and its fans that is united in its love for music, excitement, artistic freedom and adventure. Wouter and Sjoerd Janssen, aka Showtek, two brothers from Eindhoven have been making music for over a decade.

Two rebels kicking against the shins of the establishment, speaking a language the party crowd could believe in. It was in 2012 when they truly exploded onto the global dance scene with the release of ‘Cannonball’. Countless new fans joined, new productions got recognized and reached all corners of the planet.

Events:

February 9 | Fillmore Auditorium | Denver, CO

February 16 | Crush Southern California | San Bernardino, CA

 

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.

Events:

February 1 | The Great Saltair | Magna, UT

February 2 | Skyway Theatre | Minneapolis, MN

February 8 | 1up | Reno, NV

February 9 | Hardrock Hotel | Las Vegas, NV

February  15 | Rawhide | Chandler, AZ

February 16 | Bassmnt | San Diego, CA

February 20 | Amplify | San Francisco, CA

February 22 | District | Atlanta, GA

 

The Him

Hailing from the dance capital of the world, Amsterdam, the Dutch team of Jeroen Kerstens and Steven Berghuijs formed their partnership in 2015 when they teamed up with melodic house mastermind Sam Feldt for their breakout collaboration “Midnight Hearts,” of which has amassed over 17 million streams to date.

Shortly after, the Him launched their own mix series, Midnight Mixtapes, to paint an auditory picture of what their project’s style and sound was like. Following their first collaboration with Feldt, the Him teamed up with their compatriot on another original called “Drive You Home.”

After a number of bootleg remixes of Robin Schulz, Maroon 5, and Mumford & Sons that further solidified their stance in the SoundCloud world, The Him turned the attention to their first solo production, “Feels Like Home.” Quickly amassing 12 million streams on SoundCloud alone and hitting #1 on SoundCloud’s Deep House Charts in the first six months of the record’s release, “Feels Like Home” marked a massive milestone for the duo and paid an integral role in catapulting The Him into the spotlight. The track attracted major press looks from leading dance outlets like Dancing Astronaut, Your EDM, DJ Mag NL, MrSuicideSheep, Chill Nation, and more.

Events:

February 23 | The Globe Theatre | Los Angeles, CA

 

Tiësto

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.

Events:

February 1 | Ravine | Atlanta, GA

February 1 | Shaq’s Fun House | Atlanta, GA

February 2 | Hakkasan Nightclub | Las Vegas, NV

 

Ummet Ozcan

In an age where very few Artists break the mold and truly shine through as unique and innovative, Dutch/Turkish star Ummet Ozcan raises the bar and continues to surge in popularity worldwide.

Continuously garnering huge support from a broad array of the world’s top jocks like Tiesto, Hardwell, David Guetta, Avicii, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and many many more, Ummet Ozcan is firming his position at the forefront of the next generation of brilliant Dance Music Producers. With an unprecedented amount of artists seeking the formula for club-­‐friendly absolution, Ummet continues to deliver dancefloor- and festival essentials with each unique release and can frequently be found in the highest regions of the global charts. Ummet is also known for his softsynth and soundbank design for well-established music software houses like Rob Papen (Albino, Predator) and Acces Music (Virus).

Events:

February 15 | Academy Nightclub | Los Angeles, CA

February 22 | NOTO | Philadelphia, PA

February 23 | Marquee | New York, NY

 

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.

Events:

February 1 | HQ2 Nightclub | Atlantic City, NJ

February 2 | Exchange LA | Los Angeles, CA

February 8 | Marquee | New York, NY

February 11 | The Grand Boston | Boston, MA

 

Wildstylez

Joram Metekohy, better known by his stage name Wildstylez, has previously released hardstyle records under the alias ‘Seizure’ but made his first solo release as Wildstylez in 2007 on the Scantraxx sub-label Scantraxx Reloaded. In 2010 he started the record label ‘Digital:Age’ in collaboration with fellow Dutch DJ Noisecontrollers. After he stopped releasing on ‘Digital:Age’, Wildstylez had a string of releases on Q-Dance Records and also released many tracks for free via social media. In 2013, Wildstylez founded his own Hardstyle label, ‘Lose Control Music’, under the parent label ‘Be Yourself Music’. As of 2014, he and Max Enforcer now release their own music through ‘Lose Control Music’.

Throughout his career as a Hardstyle artist, Wildstylez has made numerous collaborations with other Hardstyle artists, the most notable of these being the influential Project One, which he formed with Headhunterz in 2008. He has also done collaborations with other artists such as Noisecontrollers, The Prophet, Ran-D, Alpha², Max Enforcer and D-Block & S-te-Fan. Wildstylez remains a standard feature at Dutch festivals, especially on the energetic hardstyle stages, but also remain international fame in the US and elsewhere.

Events:

February 22 | Academy Nightclub | Los Angeles, CA

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