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Your Dutch Dance Agenda: February
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Your monthly DJ update, with this month: Armin van Buuren, Laidback Luke, W&W and more!
Do you want to know when your favorite DJ will be laying some tracks, or are you curious about new Dutch voices in town? In “Your Dutch Dance Agenda,” 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 have been taking the new generation underneath their wings.
From underground talents 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 Dutch DJs that are performing in the United States.
Don’t worry: we are here to help out!
FEBRUARY
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 ten in the DJ Mag Top 100.
Events
- February 4: Omnia Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
- February 10: Create Nightclub – Los Angeles, CA
- February 11: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA
Armin van Buuren
For more than 15 years, the Grammy nominated Dutchman has been living to the rhythm of his own, international success. Armin van Buuren‘s 5 times number one position in the critically acclaimed DJ Mag’s Top 100 poll has been the result of his loyalty to fans, his creativity in the studio, the perseverance with which he hosts his weekly radio show “A State of Trance” and the energy he transcends to the crowds in front of him. Despite the heavy pressure that comes along with being one of the world’s most popular DJ, Armin has always kept his focus on the music. And that’s exactly what keeps him going.
Events
- February 3: Oracle Arena – Oakland, CA
- February 4: The Forum – Inglewood, CA
- February 10: Marquee NYC New York NY
- February 11: Omnia Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
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 17: Pure Lounge – Sunnyvale, CA
- February 18: Jalapeño Festival – Laredo, TX
Dash Berlin
Dutch DJ and producer Dash Berlin is recognized as one of the leading names in Trance music. As a true icon of the electronic world,Dash Berlin is no stranger to the DJ Mag Top 100 poll and was able to secure a place in the Top 10 for three consecutive years. He is well known for his breakthrough track “Till the Sky Falls Down” and has received several International Dance Music Awards. Dashers! Get ready to dance until the sky falls down with Dash Berlin.
Events
- February 3: Marquee NYC – New York, NY
Don Diablo
Dutch DJ / producer Don Diablo was born and raised in Holland and is currently working on rapidly expanding his discography in between his global touring schedule. After scoring multiple number one hits on Beatport he became the third bestselling artist of the year in 2015 and also managed to rack up over a hundred million views on Youtube in the same year. In the meanwhile the Dutchman also became an in demand remixer, adding names like Madonna, Ed Sheeran, Rudimental, Birdy and many others to his portfolio.
Performance
- February 24: Kingdom Nightclub – Austin, TX
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 three on DJ Mag Top 100.
Dates
- February 24: Omnia Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
Jay Hardway
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 succesful remixes for Norwegian singer Margaret Berger and Dutch duo the Opposites.
Events
- February 25: Temple Nightclub – San Francisco, CA
Joris Voorn
Joris Voorn is a record producer and Dj from Rotterdam, Netherlands. Raised in a musical family, music naturally became an important part of Voornʼs life from an early age. Electronic music first caught his attention in the mid- 90ʼs, and he started DJʼing in 1997. After developing a more focused interest in house and techno, Joris invested in the versatile MC-303 Groovebox and began to experiment with synth sounds and drumloops. In 2002 his carreer took off with the release of his EP “Muted Trax”, and with the 2003 release “Lost Memories” he really started to make a name for himself.
Events
- February 17: Output – New York, NY
- February 18: The MID – Chicago, IL
Julian Jordan
When Julian Doppenberg was signed by Spinnin’ Records on the age of 16. In a collaboration with another young Dutch DJ Martin Garrix he released the track “BFAM”, which immediately became a success. Collaborating with other artists such as Sander van Doorn and Firebeatz, Julian Jordan is able to make a name for himself. He brings a fresh spin to the dance scene, fusing some of its trademark sound and bombast with exciting new twists and influences. MTV cites him as “one to watch”, which is definitely possible with his busy tour schedule.
Events
- February 7: Omnia Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
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!
Events
- February 3: Mosaic – Kansas City, MO
- February 4: Intrigue Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
- February 11: Premier Nightclub – Atlantic City, NJ
- February 17: Intrigue Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
- February 18: Create – Los Angeles, CA
- February 19: Valley View Casino Center – San Diego, CA
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
- February 10: Omnia Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
Oliver Heldens
.jpg "Oliver Heldens, Courtesy of the artist.")
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.
Events
- February 11: Golden Nugget – Atlantic City, NJ
- February 18: Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA
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.
Dates
- February 18: Holi Colors Fest – San Juan, PR
- February 24: Maya Nightclub – Scottsdale, AZ
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 3: Royale – Boston, MA
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.
Events
- February 23: Liv – Miami, FL
Sander Kleinenberg
Whether it’s producing, remixing or DJing, SanderKleinenberg 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.
Dates
- February 24: Mynt – Miami, FL
- February 25: Sound Nightclub – Los Angeles, CA
Sander van Doorn
Sander van Doorn got in touch with the musical scene in the year of 1995 when he was sixteen years old. His brother’s latest gadget, a “Groovebox 303”, caught his attention. He was astounded when he first experienced the amount of creativity that could be put into creating music. Time and time again, Sander would borrow his brother’s Groovebox and his nephew’s vinyl records and he played the life out of those records. Since then, Sander’s heart belonged to music and it still does today.
Today, Sander has performed thousands of shows in every corner of the world and released numerous solo records, yet Sander is still part of a group of innovative and progressive artists. Sander’s creative process exists of re-inventing musical styles, taking risks in regards to the sound he creates and most importantly staying ahead of the masses.
With two full-length albums, numerous hit-singles, remixes of the worlds biggest artists, sold out gigs in all major venues and festivals worldwide, his own successful record label Doorn Records, and a weekly radio show named Identity, Sander van Doorn continues his musical journey into the heart of fans around the world.
Events
- February 18: Lavo New York – New York, NY
- February 24: Omnia San Diego – San Diego, CA
Tiësto
.jpg "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.
Events
- February 3: Clé – Houston, TX
- February 4: Hakkasan – Las Vegas, NV
- February 24: The Brooklyn Hangar – Brooklyn, NY
- February 25: The Brooklyn Hangar – Brooklyn, NY
Tom Trago
Tom Trago’s relationship with music has always been particularly intense. “I couldn’t imagine life without music,” he says. “I feel this physical need to make music every day. It’s like my body needs it as much as it needs food, water or sunshine.” Right now, Trago’s immersion in music is almost total. An internationally renowned DJ, producer, live performer and label owner with three critically acclaimed albums to his name, the Dutchman divides his time between all-day studio sessions, DJ gigs and live shows all over the world, and a steady stream of musical collaborations. You sometimes wonder how he finds time to sleep.
By the time local label Rush Hour snapped up his debut single, “Live With The BBQ”, in 2006, he’d already developed a trademark style that blended the best of three decades of dance music – disco, boogie, synth funk, Detroit techno and more – with insatiable house rhythms and an intrinsic grasp of what makes dancefloors tick. It’s this blend, not to mention his love of collaborating with musicians, vocalists and producers from Amsterdam and beyond (think Romanthony, San Proper, Awanto 3, Cinnaman, Tyree Cooper and Bok Bok), which makes his music so irresistible
Dates
- February 10: Union – Los Angeles, CA
- February 11: Monarch – San Francisco, 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.
Dates
- February 16: Liv – Miami, FL
- February 17: The Church – Denver, CO
- February 18: Crush – Chandler, AZ
- February 19: Marquee Dayclub Dome – Las Vegas, NV
- February 24: Royale Boston MA
- February 25: Belasco Theater – Los Angeles, CA
Wiwek
Wiwek, living in the small town IJsselstein in the Netherlands, is known for fusing electronic elements with tropical rhythms to create a distinctive and refreshing sound, which he likes to call “Jungle Terror”. The jungle terror style, created by himself, got inspired by his own Indian roots in combination with the love for Tribal House and Hip-Hop music. After releasing the highly anticipated tracks “Angry Birdz” and “On Your Mark”, two tracks that were among the most played tunes at Miami Music Week 2014, the Jungle Terror sound left its mark in the rapidly changing electronic music industry.
Events
- February 10: Shady Jungle – Tempe, AZ
- February 11: Crush SF 2017 – San Francisco, CA
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 a 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 party at the Jimmy Woo, which quickly gained a reputation as being one of the wildest and most unique parties in the city.
Events
- February 3: Echostage – Washington, DC
- February 4: Golden Nugget – Atlantic City, NJ
- February 6: Xs – Las Vegas, NV
- February 11: South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX
- February 17: Bassmnt – San Diego, CA
- February 18: Rawhide Event Center – Chandler, AZ
- February 24: Surrender – Las Vegas, NV
- February 25: Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO