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Your Dutch Dance Agenda: May

Your monthly DJ update, with this month: Detroit Swindle, Ferry Corsten and Laidback Luke

Mon, May 1 - Wed, May 31  2017

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!

MAY

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 ten in the DJ Mag Top 100.

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Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren, Courtesy of the artist.

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.

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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. 

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Bingo Players

Maarten Hoogstraten wasn’t like other kids his age. When he was 10, his friends were buying toys to play with, but Maarten was already spending his cash on vinyl and CDs.“You know how it starts,” he said with a chuckle. “I was the one who bought records when I was young, I bought lots of vinyl, seven-inches, twelve inches, and when CDs came about I bought a lot of CDs, growing up, I spent all my money on music.”

When he was a teenager, two events would change his life. An early music software program called ProTracker was released, and he would meet Paul Baümer, who would become his musical partner for the better part of the next 15 years until he suddenly passed away from cancer in 2013.  Though they didn’t start out as DJs, once the demand grew for them to play out live, they learned how to mix on CDJs. Soon, they became regulars on the EDM circuit, playing massive festivals, like Electric Daily Carnival, Tomorrowland, and Coachella.“I think we started to become better producers once we started to DJ,” he said, noting that they would bring new tunes on the road and play for a crowd to gauge their reaction.

But in June 2013, at the height of their success, Paul suddenly fell ill. Maarten was stunned and didn’t know what to do. But Paul’s last wishes were for his best friend and his musical partner to keep making music. “He always said to me, ‘If you can find solace and continue what we started, please do so. Please continue the music. Carry on the Bingo Players flag,’” said Maarten. 

This year, Bingo Players will do a 10 year anniversary tour in the United States. The proceeds of all tickets go to F Cancer and towards their efforts in fighting cancer.

Events

Chuckie

Chuckie’s leading mixing skills and distinctive productions not only show an indispensable complement to the Dutch dance industry, the international dance-scene has also been giving him a warm welcome. Driven by ambition, enthusiasm and pure passion for music, his characteristic set makes the crowd go wild and his many productions reflect his true visionary in his craft works. Nowadays, Chuckie still continues to surprise the crowd with his mind-blowing style and his story is yet to continue. 

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Cinnaman

Cinnaman

Cinnaman is part of the infamous Rush Hour Record Store crew. He is also one of the most talented and diverse djs to emerge from Holland. He hosted several clubnights like Viral Radio and Colors at Club 11 and Trouw. You can’t really define Cinnaman’s style. It’s somewhere between the spectrum of House, Garage, Dubstep, UK Funky, Two Step, Detroit Techno and UK Techno.

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Dash Berlin

Dash Berlin, Courtesy of the Artist.

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.

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David Gravell

David Gravell

Danny de Graaf, who performs under the stage name David Gravell, is a Dutch trance DJ and music producer. He was voted for several IDMA’s in 2015. David Gravell first gained recognition in 2014 for his original ‘Bulldozer’, released on W&W’s label Mainstage Music. He is signed exclusively to Armada. 

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Detroit Swindle

Detroit Swindle

The Dutch duo of Detroit Swindle (Lars and Maarten) are busy busy bees. Not content with just making awesome underground sounds, they have club nights, remixing the likes of Daft Punk or Chet Faker, and running their own label: Heist. They work hard to give Heist that unique edge with the artists they work with, the artwork they put forward and the special projects they have. Of course, Detroit Swindle have been playing live shows right from the get go, and have expanded their setup ever since. Currently, they’re touring with an extensive setup of analogue and digital instruments and perform their own music, unexpected covers and improvise on the spot.

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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.

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Ferry Corsten 

Ferry Corsten. Courtesy of the artist.

Hailing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Ferry Corsten’s lustrous career is exemplified by a passion for music that began as a hobby and spiraled into a full-blown profession. Today, as it was in the beginning, Corsten’s skills lie in his ability to coax the maximum emotional impact from electronic dance music of all genres, not just trance, but also progressive house and electro. He remains and has always been ahead-of-his-time, making music that becomes a template for others to follow.

Events

Hardwell 

Hardwell. Courtesy of the artist.

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. 

Events

Headhunterz

Dutch DJ & producer Willem Rebergen, better known as Headhunterz, pulls off an admirable balancing act between his own creative freedom and the high expectations of success. He’s blazed his own trail, making music his very own, open-minded playground. In the past 15 years, Headhunterz has shown to be following his inner flow, with a unique sound that’s ever genre-bending, yet truly his. Outstanding performances at festivals like Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival, as well as more intimate venues like Ruby Skye, LA Exchange, ZOUK and Ushuaia, have wowed fans all across the globe.

Events

Julian Jordan

Julian Jordan, Courtesy of the Artist

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

  • May 26: Mosaic, Kansas City, MO
  • May 27: E11EVEN, Miami, FL
  • May 30: Omnia Nightclub, Las Vegas, NV

Laidback Luke 

Laid Back Luke. Courtesy of the artist.

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

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.

Events

  • May 17: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
  • May 18: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
  • May 19: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
  • May 20: Omnia Nightclub, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 23: Omnia Nightclub, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 27: Omnia Nightclub, Las Vegas, NV

Menno de Jong

Menno de Jong, courtesy of the artist.

Menno de Jong is primarily known as a Trance DJ and producer with an international following. Based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, de Jong was born on March 17, 1984 and was interested in music — classical as well as modern — at a young age. Being classically trained on the piano and incredibly passionate about music led to him taking up DJing and producing in his early teenage years. he first established himself as a producer with the release of ‘Guanxi’ on the British label Anjunabeats in 2004. In the years that followed he took the Trance scene by storm with singles such as ‘Tundra.’ He went on to perform at major clubs and festivals worldwide, including EDC. 

Events

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.

Events

  • May 27: 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.

Events

  • May 19: Stereo Live, Houston, TX

Oliver Heldens

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

  • May 25: Power 96.1 – Gold Room, Atlanta, GA

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

R3hab

R3hab, courtesy of the artist.

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

Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano 

Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, two notable personalities with a single goal: to entertain as many people as possible with their deep and funky house sound. As a DJ duo, they are irresistible. Put them in a DJ booth together and instant interaction and chemistry is there, with an eye for the audience and an ear for each other. Effortlessly adapting to one another seems to be no problem for these two best friends and partners in crime. Besides performing, they are very busy with producing. Even that is something they do together. As if they don’t see enough of one another during gigs and their private lives, they’re also studio buddies. In May 2008 they released their first track ‘PINA’. One month later, Sunnery and Ryan released the clubhit ‘Lift U Up’, featuring Melvin Reese and Chappell. After these successful productions, Sunnery & Ryan continued with tracks such as ‘The Desert’, which has been released on D.O.N.S.’s Kingdome Cuts, and several remixes such as Sander Kleinenberg’s ‘This Is Our Night’ and Kaskade’s ‘Dynasty’.

Events

  • May 21: Beach Tampa, Tampa, FL

Sander Kleinenberg

Sander Kleinenberg, courtesy of the artist.

Whether it’s producing, remixing or dj’ing, 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. 

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Sander van Doorn

Sander Van Doorn, Courtesy of the Artist

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

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.

Events

  • May 11: Hakkasan, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 13: Hakkasan, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 18: Hakkasan, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 20: Hakkasan, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 21: Wet Republic, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 27: Hakkasan, Las Vegas, NV
  • May 28: Wet Republic, Las Vegas, NV

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

Wiwek

Wiwek. Courtesy of the artist.

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

 

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