During this year’s epic chapter of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), Music Festival Central journalist and dance music enthusiast, James Vercamenn, had the pleasure to sit down with one of the main players from Liaison Artists, Jon Sax, for a brief interview about ADE and what makes the conference unlike any event in the dance music community.
What do you think is the most important aspect of ADE?
Putting faces to names! It doesn’t matter what nook or cranny of the [electronic music] scene you’re from — artists, managers, publicists, agents — they’re all at ADE. As an agent, email and phone are two of my most-important tools for success. We’re in a remarkably social industry. Shaking hands and having a quick meeting at ADE, and building camaraderie (in person) really facilitates year-round communication.
What sets ADE apart from all other music conferences around the world? From an economic perspective, how is the conference viewed from the involved community?
There’s a certain professional initiative at ADE that is unparalleled. Of course we have fun. But at the end of each ADE, I regularly feel more caught up, well-networked, freshly educated by various conference activities/tutorials/panels, and ahead of schedule in my work. The same cannot be said for several other festivals.
What aspect of the conference do you most look forward to?
The inspiration I always bring home to the USA afterwards. I often tell people I have two divergent feelings ahead of ADE. On one hand, I’m excited to be blown away by the events: the venues, the sound, the production, the attendance, the culture, the overall experience. On the other hand, it’s daunting, because we have room for improvement in the States. I channel these two opposing reactions into inspiration to improve and expand our scene in the USA. I’m in a very good position as an agent to make that positive effect on my country. It’s a very moving and uplifting feeling that always comes at the hands of ADE.
How does a day at the festival look for someone in your position, and what goals does one hope to achieve while here?
Meetings. All day, for days. Preparing my ADE schedule is like building a tour for one of my artists; it starts early, and I need to make sure the routing is proper. Locations vary from the Liaison Artists canal house, to nearby hotels/restaurants, and even at various gigs throughout the week.. or even while I’m in transit to the next meeting! I try to see as many people I don’t normally get to see. I still get nervous for some [meetings] like I did when I was in college preparing for a presentation or final exam. But that just reinforces the potency and effectiveness of this conference.
You have told me previously that ADE is the most important event of the year for dance music. Please describe how you formed this opinion. Do others in the involved community agree?
Well it’s definitely one of the most important events for industry. The overall scale of this event, even despite it’s very niche direction, is remarkable. I think is estimated that over 400,000 people, Dutch and international, will be involved in Amsterdam Dance Event this year. This will be my sixth ADE, and to see it grow by so much every year has been truly amazing.
Would the progress that dance music has made over time be as drastic without the event?
I personally come back home year after year with so much more worldwide knowledge of artists, equipment, music, history, promoters. Now multiply that by the amount of people that hit ADE with the same or more intensity and vigor that I bring. The progress dance music makes at each of these is off the charts!
What is the most significant experience you have had at the conference? What do you envision achieving at future ADE conferences?
My most significant contribution to the actual ADE Conference Program was when I was on the ADE Next panel in 2012. It was an honor to be on a diverse international panel, meeting individually with up-and-coming European artists. I would listen to their music, future plans, and give them my feedback. It was so cool to be surrounded by unfamiliar industry professionals as the only agent and the only American, listening to (and learning from) everyone’s insight. I would like to participate in more panels, equipment tutorials, and conference activities at future ADE conferences.
As one can see the influence that ADE has on the dance music scene is enormous; from the growth of artists and music to the planning of shows and festivals all the way to development of music technologies. As a first-time conference attendee, it was clear that more than just parties are occurring during the week-long celebration.
Lots of people I spoke with at ADE had some role in the dance music scene, and this was just at the regular parties. But so much more than just parties occur at the conference. With such a range of activities one can choose from, ADE begs the question, is the conference more centered on business or pleasure?
It’s no doubt that each and every party that occurs at ADE is a huge thing, the production was like I have never seen before and the lineups are the best in the world. My thoughts are that promoters and the music business use this conference as a type of showcase for what they can do. It’s a way to promote not just their parties but also show off to the music world of what they are capable of. It seemed to me that ADE is what sets the bar for the year concerning dance music.
There are also many other events that are strictly based on the business of music. Expose’s on lighting, sound and technology are a huge part of the week/weekend as well as marketing concepts, help for promoters and the single most important part of the music business which is networking. Although there isn’t exactly one single event where everyone gets together and just talks business, it seems like people are talking business the entire time. As Jon Sax said, the conference is “meetings all day; for days.”
Conversely, the 5-day conference contains countless amounts of events that are specifically designed for the music consumer. The shows and mini-festivals are full-on spectacles of dance music culture and it’s quite evident that people from all over the world make the journey to Amsterdam to enjoy both the sounds and the sights that ADE produces.
With both sides of the coin in mind, the answer to business or pleasure question is quite evident; the Amsterdam Dance Event is a business conference with a side of fun.
Although there are hundreds of thousands that descend upon the city for the weekend just to listen to music, the true importance of the conference lies in its contribution to the dance music business. In terms of an actual festival, the logistics of participating in the full weekend are both incredibly expensive and difficult but it’s all part of the experience. Either way, you can’t help but feel the importance of the weekend in dance music culture while at ADE! By no means does the above take away from either part of the festival; if you enjoy dance music make the time to see Amsterdam during this week, it’s like nothing you have ever experienced