As summer approaches, many of us look for ways to escape the city and take a little break from our daily routine – one would argue (me) that is kind of what summer is made for. The DJs and selectors who are usually soundtracking our favourite clubs in the city across the year are no different in that regard, touring festivals across Europe (and beyond). If you trust our locals to guide you to the best summer music getaways, we’ve put together a short guide that takes Amsterdam’s homegrown sound beyond the city limits and onto festival grounds across Europe. Where can you catch Amsterdam-based DJs performing this summer outside the Dutch capital?
Primavera Sound
When & Where? 3–7 June / Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, SP
This festival needs little introduction, as it has been one of Europe’s most visited and all-star lineup-filled festivals for years.
This year is no less spectacular, announcing artists like The Cure, Massive Attack, Gorillaz or Pink Pathress to play at Barcelona’s most famous festival grounds.
Among this stellar lineup is also a number of carefully selected electronic DJs, including some Amsterdam locals: a veteran selector, many of your favourite DJs’ favourite, legendary DJ Marcelle. Basque-born, Amsterdam-based neska, whose authenticity shines through the soundscapes she creates with her educated selections, regardless of whether she’s playing a morning radio show or a peak-time club set.
Solstice Festival
When & Where? 18–20 June / Kuusamo, FIN
Celebrating what is the most important to celebrate in the Nordic regions (but Amsterdam could relate too) – Sun, Solstice Festival might be the summer getaway you didn’t know you needed: contrasting sea breeze, hot Mediterranean days (and nights) geared only with flip-flops, Finnish summer is definitely fresher but as day-dreamy as it gets: the midsummer magic taking over rich landscapes.
Tucked in Kuusamo’s lush nature, Solstice hosts an extraordinary lineup of some of currently finest producers, diverse DJs in combination with indie artists and poets. Joining this lineup for the curious are Amsterdam’s mad miran, who’s sets are definitely mad – in a good way: techno to break to psychadelia, the dancefloor is never calm when she’s in control. Pairing up with Finnish-born, Berlin-based, but frequently present in Amsterdam – Sansibar, is the local hero Spekki Webbu, whose skilled festival sets are as equally compelling as his bold productions.
Transit Festival
When & Where? June 20 / Antwerp, BE
Another one-day getaway that’s a short train ride away from Amsterdam is the Transit festival, taking place in the outskirts of Antwerp. Precisely self-described as a festival ‘creating experiences through atmosphere and scenography’, Transit is indeed a fully immersive experience. Accompanied by compelling spatial interventions in Antwerp’s summer greenery, the programme is equally interesting, spanning over a diverse list of global and local electronic acts.
Among those is Teqmun, a heavy on the bass DJ, biologist and a standout producer of the current Amsterdam’s (and wider) electronic scene. Joining him in repping the Amsterdam scene is JERRAU, never seizing to serve exquisite percussions and bass-filled riddims, securing non-stop movement on the dancefloor.
Surf Festival
When & Where? 25–28 June / Punat, the island of Krk, HRV
If you’d rather choose warmer summer nights and if you need your dose of Eurosummer in the south on the continent, Croatia is waiting for you with a debuting Surf Festival. Idyllic island landscapes paired up with sophisticated programming that combines international club trailblazers and seasoned selectors together with indie live acts – Surf is the one to discover.
Among the global shapeshifters like Chaos in The CBD or Bradley Zero, Amsterdam-based DJs who’ll be performing either next to the sea or in it (on the festival’s boat parties) is Rozaly, bringing his rich musical catalogue that spans to the global sounds mostly infused from his native Curaçao and wider Caribbean. To take you to more ambient soundscapes and contemplating rhythms, the selections of Fenna Fiction & Karim Semin are there to match the flickering of the sunlight on the crystal-clear Adriatic sea surface.
Stone Techno Festival
When & Where? 10–12 July / Essen, GER
Located at the UNESCO-protected site of Zollverein, this festival for the ones who are there for music first, bonus the impressive environment of the once-heavily industrialised area. The German festival programme is curated by Third Room, the highly acclaimed label, studio and event platform. Seeking to explore the bold, unexpected and innovative in electronic music, the lineup spans across (sub)genres, styles, regions, but also an extended festival area.
Amsterdam’s DJs making appearances among the 100+ act lineup is dancefloor connoisseurs, Carlos Valdes, whose sets are often filled with powerful energy spiced with a hint of unpredictability. Additionally, Stone Techno welcomes the DJ coming from a newer generation of turning the club dust upside down – AMORAL, as well as one of the most remarkable producers and DJs from the contemporary scene – upsammy, whose music is a world for its own – explorative but dreamy, edgy but calming at the same time.
BASILAR Festival
When & Where? 10–13 September / Fafe, PT
For those who seek to extend their summer, the beginning of September sounds like the time for getting that last tan before clouds take over Amsterdam’s skies again. This intimate festival situated around a lake is both a celebration of music and nature. It hosts only one stage, in order to create full immersion into the well-researched programme and connect the people.
Afra and Valody are among the locals bringing a fresh squeeze of layered techno. The artist with one of the longest-standing DJ careers within The Netherlands, Steve Rachmad, performing under his alias STERAC, is coming too, sealing the guarantee of quality musical experience: witness deep musical knowledge in motion.
