Amsterdam Dance Event has a plethora of pioneers on the bill - artists who helped define genres back in the 80s, and who are still around to redefine them. Whether it's your first exposure or the many of multiples, lap up the chance to see some of dance music's founding fathers.
Kevin Saunderson invented techno in Detroit along with high-school buddies Juan Atkins and Derrick May. Together they formed the 'Belleville Three' - the group responsible for the birth of the Detroit sound in the 80s. See Saunderson at Escape on Friday. Currently riding on a tech-house wave is another producer from the US with a long history in dance music: Dennis Ferrer. He launched his career as a techno producer in the very early 90s with some of the first ever records on NYC's renowned Synewave label.
From Canada is John Acquaviva at the Hotel Arena Tonight. Acquaviva helped launch Beatport and made one of the first albums using Final Scratch, but his career stretches back to the late eighties when he set up the Plus8 imprint with Richie Hawtin, home to Hawtin's Plastikman and F.U.S.E works as well as early Speedy J and Kenny Larkin 12"s. Rotterdam's Jochem Paap started out mixing for a local hip hop outfit in the late 80s, where he picked up the Speedy J moniker. He went on to become a member of the techno hierarchy with his dancefloor releases on Plus 8. Speedy will be at the Melkweg for Thursday's Dave Clarke (who's also well and truly paid his dues in the club world).
Germany's Sven Väth has been at the decks since the tender age of 16, when he started DJing at the Dorian Gray club. Ten years later – in 1992 – he was DJing in leading clubs around the world and had established his first imprint, Harthouse, before going on to dominate the club world with Cocoon. Väth will be spinning at The Sand on Saturday.
The pioneering Harthouse label was host to one of the first Alter Ego records in 1994, though Roman Fluegel and Joern Elling Wuttke had been a production team since the late 80s. In1993 - together with the DJs Ata and Heiko Mso, they established the three labels Ongaku, Klang Electronic and Playhouse. Catch Alter Ego live at the Melkweg. Meanwhile, after a childhood spent in the GDR covertly listening to radio stations from across the border, Paul van Dyk was DJing at Berlin's Tresor from its very earliest days in 1991. He went on to become one of the world's most successful DJs - the first to perform solo concerts - beloved by millions. See him doing what he does best at Powerzone. -- www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl
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