CITY MAP // DISCOUNTS & OFFERS // NEWS & EVENTS // ART & CULTURE // CLUBS // TECH // STYLE // FILM OCTOBER
OPEN UP OCTOBER
INSIGHT - STEDELIJK MUSEUM
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Photograph: Tim Collins - Amsterdam Photo Safari
IN THIS ISSUE:
THIS DAM LIFE - LIVING IN AMSTERDAM
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TOP 5 - ROCK&ROLL STORIES
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6 FEATURE - MISS IQ
STAGE & SCREEN
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THE TASTE
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15 THE CITY RITES
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AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT STREETS OF OUR CITY
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CITY MAP
16 14
THAT DAM TECH
LOCAL BEAT - ART & MUSIC
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CLUBS & EVENTS
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23 LOKAL MOKUM
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR DEAR AMSTERDAM,
Hello there Amsterdam and welcome to October and the 5th edition of AmsterDO. Well, it is official, autumn is here and while the last of the summer leaves fill the streets and canals the denizens of this fair city brace themselves in one big huddle. For - in the words of the Starks – ‘’winter is coming’’ (Game Of Thrones fans, you know what I mean) Personally, this will be my 4th straight winter here and while its icy touch is still a little way away I am kind of looking forward to it. Well, not towards the -20 degree days but Oliebollen, Gluhwein and ice skating on canals! And as my mother always told me ‘’there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes’’. But who knows… we might get a little Indian summer yet. September? Here at AmsterDO we had a pretty interesting September, indeed. First off we were on the radio (and will be again) we got to spend a couple of great days at the Picnic Festival at the IJ Film Institute and we were able to catch up with some very lovely people over the month as well (see That Dam Tech and This Dam Life) As always the feedback from the Amsterdam community has been amazing and the amount of support and enthusiasm you guys give back to us constantly amazes me. We are working really hard to constantly improve AmsterDO and give as much back to Amsterdam as we can. The next month should be very interesting, so please watch this space.... October... hmm... I know there is a bunch happening but the one resounding event banging away in my head is AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT! This city is going to go absolutely bananas from the 17th till the 22nd (see our ADE special) so get your tickets now!
INTERACT WITH THE WORLD AROUND YOU! Layar is a mobile app for discovering information about the world around you. Using Augmented Reality (AR) technology, Layar displays digital information, unsurprisingly called “layers” into your smartphone’s field of vision. We at AmsterDO like to embrace innovation, as well as support our local start-ups, we are very excited by our augmented edition, and would love to hear your views. Look out for the Layar Logo throughout the newspaper for more interactive media content. After installing Layar scan this page with the app to see a welcome message from the AmsterDo Team.
I could blabber on forever but I better go make myself useful somewhere. So, enjoy the month everyone and make the most of the +degrees! You are AmsterDO
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Yuri Cartland
1. Go to get.layar.com to install the app on your smart phone.
chiefeditor@amsterdo.com
2. Look for pages and content with the Layar Logo
3. Open the app and press the ‘Tap to view’ button...
DIRECTOR
AMSTERDO WANTS YOU!
Baz Riachi
do@amsterdo.com
SENIOR EDITOR
Joe Wegecsanyi
4. ...and discover an amazing extra layer of content.
‘EVERYTHING AMSTERDAM’
Welcome to Amsterdam's newest community newspaper! We aim to provide a reliable source of news, opinion and insight into the depth and diversity of Amsterdam, whilst simultaneously providing visitors with a unique guide to the various levels of the city.
senioreditor@amsterdo.com
ART DIRECTOR
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
grafix@amsterdo.com
dan@amsterdo.com
Ben Neill
Dan van Dahl
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND SALES
PHOTOGRAPHER
sales@amsterdo.com
pics@amsterdo.com
Michael Raciti
David Cenzar
CONTRIBUTORS
David Beckett, Yahaira L. Reyes, Jaime Menchén López, Anna Plaza, David Cenzer, Tim Collins, Catherine Smyth, Gerard Looker Special thanks to – Picnic Festival, Marleen Stikker, Emir Sergo, David Julian Lake, Patricia Hofstede, Jefferey Babcock, Coronel Adventure, IQ Beauty, Yvon Reitsma and the crew at WhizPR
The team at AmsterDO come from all over the world and have a very mixed background, but one thing we all have in common is that we all love Amsterdam! We at AmsterDO don’t pretend to know it all. We don’t want this paper to voice the thoughts and opinions of a select group of people. We want this paper to be the voice of a city! We want local writers, photographers, artists, organizations and businesses to all be a part of AmsterDO. Each month we will be holding parties and competitions for everyone who wants to get involved. If you have an event, a story, some artwork, a good cause, a mission or a dream.... Please get into contact with us and we will share it with the city.
The AmsterDO Team - contribute@amsterdo.com
INSIGHT
STEDELIJK MUSEUM F
or the better part of a decade, the recognized cultural center of Amsterdam (Museumplein) has been running with two of the capital’s three gems in its crown of museum glory, either being partially or fully closed due to construction. But all that’s about to change with last month’s long awaited re-opening of the Stedelijk Museum Closed in 2004 the Stedelijk was scheduled for a bit of a makeover that would only take three years. In keeping with the traditions of Dutch efficiency the museum opened its doors only five years later than expected. It’s not that bad (Google ‘Noord Zuid Line’) But the wait is more than worth it for some. Now adorning Museumplein we have what many locals have already dubbed ‘’the bath tub’’. The new and improved Modern Art Museum does indeed resemble a large white tub-like structure. Made out of a substance that for years was used only in the realm of space craft design and hockey sticks, ‘’Twaron’’ has finally made its debut appearance as a building. (What else do you expect from a modern art museum?) But in all seriousness the Stedelijk will breathe a new sense of life into Museumplein at just the right time. The Rijksmuseum (National Museum) is still only 1/5th open and the game of musical museums continues with the Van Gogh Museum closing its doors and moving out of its home next to Stedelijk (now referred to as ‘’Tubbie’’) and down the road to crash on the couch of his old mate, The Hermitage Museum. So, do yourself a favour in the autumn months and go and check out the inspirational, thought-provoking, wacky, and sometimes darn right confusing world that is Modern Art. For opening times and admission prices visit Stedelijk.nl
AmsterDO
Photographs: GJ. Van Rooij
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TOP
AMSTERDAM ROCK & ROLL STORIES
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Amsterdam is meant to be a city of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, so what have been the great rock stories to have occurred in this town? Our Top 5 of this month pays homage to some of the great contributions to rock n’ roll – Dutch style.
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msterdam truly is one of those funny places. Countless celebrities and rock stars find their way here at some point and, generally, many of them go into to the premiere clubs, explore coffee-shops, consume cannabis or get a new tattoo from one of Amsterdam’s famous artists. Many things that would be considered ‘rock n’ roll’ in other countries would not be given much attention here at all. So in compiling a list of the Top 5 Rock and Roll Stories, we wanted to find more than cases of wired up musicians throwing TVs out of hotel windows; we wanted to find some stories and cases that speak of the heart and of nonchalance towards the order of society; of craziness and random odd eventualities that can strike this city and the people in it, and which can truly be described as rock n’ roll – doing it hard, fast, differently and without caring what anybody thinks about any of it.
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3. John & Yoko Bed-in.
Whatever you thought of their antics, they were certainly original in how they used the media attention afforded to them. Their honeymoon in March 1969 involved spending a week in bed at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam for the promotion of peace. They would follow this up with a bed-in in Montreal, before launching their War is Over campaign. Although not particularly rock n’ roll (no televisions out the window or drug overdoses), it would be remiss of us to not include what became one of the 20th century’s enduring images.
5. The Lone Raver gets up there!
4. André Hazes’ life in general
2. Chet Baker falls out window
1. The Death of Herman Brood
On the comeback after a 16 year break, The Stone Roses July reunion in Amsterdam didn’t seem to be going so well when drummer Reni stood up, walked off stage and went home, as soon as their last set had finished. With the crowd getting upset, and frontman Ian Brown abusing his absent drummer, our very own clubs editor, The Lone Raver, promptly (and drunkenly) lifted himself on stage to tell the stage manager he was the replacement drummer. In the chaos, he found himself seated at the kit with sticks in hand before he told them he couldn’t drum to save himself. Rock n’ roll!
The trail-blazing jazz musician of the 1950’s West Coast scene, famous for his voice and trumpet, had enjoyed a steady rock n’ roll life which included success, failure, prison and drugs… and then some more success. In Amsterdam during March of 1988, he was found in the early hours of the morning, dead outside the Prins Hendrik Hotel near Zeedijk, where he had been staying. The death was ruled an accident, as he had apparently just fallen out of the window whilst probably very stoned. A plaque adourns the face of the hotel in commemoration.
Born in de Pijp, André Haze lived hard and fast and became an integral part of the Dutch cultural landscape. He was a child-star, before becoming known simply as ‘the singing bartender’, around Amsterdam. He took fame in his stride; his heavy drinking was widely known and he once famously said that “if it wasn’t for fame, I would be a full-blown alcoholic.” In 2004 he was due to play a farewell concert at Amsterdam ArenA, but tragically suffered two heart attacks and died. The concert became a tribute memorial to him, and was attended by 48,000 and televised nationally.
In tribute to Herman Brood, it was only necessary that he be put at number one in any regard to Dutch rock n’ roll heritage. Achieving commercial success in the 1970’s as a musician, and later as a painter, his attitude, debauchery-laden approach to life, heavy drug use and general hedonism lent him the reputation as the Netherlands’ greatest Rock n’ Roll star. His suicide, when he jumped from the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton on July 11, 2001, is considered the biggest event to have occurred in Dutch pop culture history.
6 THIS DAM LIFE
ARE YOU A TOURIST? I
t’s an intriguing word, ‘tourist’. Ask yourself: if you go on holiday, do you consider the label relevant for you? Have you ever mentioned to your travelling partner as you leave the hotel ready to sample the city’s delights, “Hey, let’s see if we can score us a Tourist Menu”? No, I thought not. It stuns me that even in Amsterdam, this so-called culinary phrase continues to be chalked up on outdoor restaurant menus. That means there must be people who order it, right? Who are these people that see themselves as the ideal customer for a Tourist Menu? Maybe there’s a way to test this out. Just imagine: if you went to Amsterdam’s top tourist attraction, the Van Gogh museum, on a mid-summer Saturday afternoon and ask those straining in the endless queues whether they consider themselves ‘a tourist’, how many do you think answer ‘Yes’? I can tell you, very precisely, actually, because I did exactly that. For three days solid this summer, I asked that very question. In fact, I asked it of 743 people. And here’s the result. 7.9% said ‘Yes’. 63.3% said ‘No.’ 22.7% replied, approximately, ‘You’ve got to be joking.’ And 6.1% gave comments something along the lines of ‘Get the F*** out of here, I ain’t no tourist!’ I sympathise. A few years ago, I made a Round-TheWorld trip, and stowed away the whopping bricks of guidance that are Lonely Planet for New Zealand, Australia and South America. Following LP’s recommendations left a sense of pursuing a path trodden deep into the sod of the supposedly lesser-known world. I formed a vision of a never ending stream of backpackers piling into the same back-alley reserves of culture and flooding elusive bars ‘where only the locals go’, all of it rendered utterly mainstream by their appearance in the Blue Brick Bible. Was I a tourist on that trip? No, no, no… you’ve got that completely wrong. I was a Traveller! And that’s what those outside the Van Gogh museum said too. “I’m a Visitor.” “I’m a Traveller.” “I’m on a journey.” For expats, it’s even more galling constantly to be taken for a tourist. Expatica tap into this paranoia with their ‘I Am Not A Tourist’ fair on 7th October, at the Beurs van Berlage. It’s an opportunity to revel in your ability to live in city where you need not master the local language and can still survive. (If you feel like coming and saying hello, I’ll be launching a new book at stand 82.) Perhaps the strangest observation of tourism in Amsterdam is the ability of Brits to drive local business to match their needs. I lived on the Nieuwezijds Kolk for a while, with its spacious terrace area and numerous Steakhouses and cafés. A sign sporting the offer, “Full English Breakfast – and pint of beer” seemed to sum it up. Now that’s a tourist business that understands its customers!
David Beckett is author of 'Amsterdam... The Essence', a book which tells the city's story in the words of 25 people who shape it. It's recently been converted as an enhanced ebook for iPad - with 250 pictures, 28 sound clips and 17 movies bringing the story into vivid life. You can download 3 free chapters from iTunes by scanning the QR code to the right (just search under Amsterdam on iTunes). More information can be found at www.theessenceonline.com
Yahaira L. Reyes
JUST ADD CULTURE
Amsterdam… a melting pot of cultures and characters; ours is home to many different nationalities and ethnic groups; just like a poster child for openness and independent thinking.
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f course, the city as in many others nowadays, many different groups exist; but there is a difference in Amsterdam which makes it cut away from the norm and be unique. It is, I believe, a fantastic mix. Compared to cities like London or New York characterized by its polarity among the population where ethnic, religious and other types of groups keep to themselves, mixing maybe within similar circles ; a culture of successful integration combined with respect for other cultures occurs faster and with more success in Amsterdam. Places like Zeedijk or De Bijlmer, where the population – due to different factors like low incoming houses and the location of the area – seen once as homes for one particular ethnic group quickly became colorful neighborhoods; they are in reality the home of many nationalities and cultures. From artists to students and from Indians to Porto Ricans, these types of suburbs represent the depth of integration in Amsterdam. This blend is not only found in the burrows but also in its people. A group of friends in the city can have differences in nationalities, religion and even political affiliation and yet be friends, enjoy each other’s company and often create happy families. It is the Amsterdam way. Of course, Amsterdam is not a Utopia. Characters such as Geert Wilders and Mohammed B, can be found, even in a fully integrated society. However, when compared, the country can be proud of its continuous efforts to tolerate and embrace other cultures without loosing its own. Outside and inside the country the Dutch integration process is a topic
for discussion. In general most Dutch people see the relative success of the “inburgering” (integration) policies as part of their inherent tolerance towards other cultures. They see themselves – perhaps in comparison to other North European countries – as more welcoming to other nationalities; electing the appropriate government to develop and execute rules and regulations to receive, with readiness, other nationals into their territory. Now, who are these “foreigners”? What attracts them to the Netherlands and to the city of Amsterdam? I.e. My story: I have been in the country for 11 years. After finishing my bachelor degree in Law, in the Dominican Republic, I came to Groningen in 2001 to study a Masters in International Law and Human Rights. I confess that, before 1999, I did not know much about the Netherlands; with the exception of Tulips, Cheese and Erasmus of Rotterdam, this country was of little interest to me. Why the Netherlands then? Plainly and simply, love; as many others, I met a Dutch guy while studying in Santo Domingo and within two years I was in the Netherlands for good. The relationship was not a success, and in April 2006, I moved to Amsterdam, stood in front of a bus stop and said to myself: “I’m home”. I love this city and everything about it. One can find entertainment, culture and much more, all within a bike ride. I have made many close friends, and the challenges have allowed me much personal growth and learning to appreciate where I am. What about the others? Is this the way nationals of developing countries see Amsterdam? Do they feel accepted and welcomed? What is the opinion of those arriving every year looking to have a better life? In this segment, we will discuss a different group from a developing country every month. Bringing their story; what brought them to Amsterdam? What are the challenges they face and what is their “Amsterdam Experience”?We will explain what characteristics are inherent of each group; their values and beliefs, with opinions and verifiable facts about how they integrate whilst trying to maintain their own traditions and ideals. This is a brand new section in AmsterDO, to show the many cultures within the expat life in Amsterdam and make your experience in the city even more beautiful. Yahaira L. Reyes
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Photo: Peter Stigter
A LITTLE BIT OF BRAVOURE
This month, Emir Sergo introduces us to someone on the frontline of the creative entrepreneurship Patricia is that perfect combination of a dreamer and a doer – someone who can have the vision but also implement the actions necessary to make it happen. A simple idea three and a half years ago to design stage outfits for bands and artists gave Patricia and Kim a reputation of cutting edge designs and full expressive talents. In the time since then, they have come as far as presenting their range at the Amsterdam Fashion Week, the industry’s biggest event. This is a fantastic achievement, but not in the least surprising considering Patricia’s approach to life. She seems to be in a kind of flow where, although she feels the same fear of risk and uncertainty as everyone, she follows her instinct and gets things done. AmsterDO had the pleasure of catching up with Patricia for a cup of tea and a chat at her pop-up studio inside the former Film Museum in Vondel Park. Patricia, can you tell us a bit more about your label, Bravoure? ‘’Haha, I like it when people say Bravoure with a strong accent’’ How should I say it? ‘’Well, it’s French for Bravery’’ If I had of known I would have put my French accent on. ‘’I like it, it sounds very strong. Well, Bravoure started three and a half years ago, because Kim and I would love to make a connection between music and fashion after we both did studies in fashion and media. We started to create stage outfits and after a while we started creating unique pieces. The interest in items of Bravoure grew, so we decided to make
Photo: Dim Balsem, Model: Eva Bartels
Photo: Peter Stigter, Model: Nienke van Hofslot.
a collection. Now we are four collections, two Amsterdam fashion week shows and we sell to some beautiful shops.” Was it always your goal to get into fashion? “I was always super interested in, umm…what I was wearing. I had a period when I was 8 that I only wanted to wear black and I really wanted to have these cowboy boots and the earrings of my mother. I always wanted to try different things but to do something in fashion... that was not really my goal.” What’s happening right now in the world of Bravoure? “Right now I am focussing on a tour with the pieces of Bravoure. A little journey with the collection ‘Glass Nouveau’ in the Netherlands, visiting different places, like gallery’s, for a day or a few. I will start in our studio on the 13th and 14th of October, so people can visit, see and buy the pieces. Next to this we are working on projects, like creating costumes for theatre plays.” Do you have any advice for any young designers looking to get into fashion? “Just do it. Start. You get so much energy from doing it, and getting reactions. As soon as you see someone wearing a piece you designed you draw a lot of inspiration and pride out of it’’ Does Amsterdam as a city give you inspiration for your collections? “Yes, of course the streets are very inspirational but also buildings, the lines and shapes that you can see in them. For one of my collections, “Glass Nouveau”, I just started to draw some art-deco lines. Then when I was biking I was just seeing these lines everywhere and I started to breathe art-deco. It is how a lot of my collections start” What do you think of the street style here in Amsterdam? “I think that mainstream is very casual…and what I want to say is that I hope people take the time to decorate themselves a little more…for a special moment…for these special moments we all have Everyone has sexiness in them…it’s crazy…the practical is not always practical… People need a little bit more courage, a little bit more Bravoure!” Check out Patricias work at Bravoure.com
AmsterDO
Photo: Emir Sergo, Model:Patricia Hofstede
8 FEATURE
MISS IQ AMBASSADOR T
VIEW THIS PAGE WITH
One local NGO is taking it upon themselves to rebuild the bridge between the Netherlands and its former colonies, and all in a fashionable, creative and engaging way.
he history between Europe and South America is long, deep and extremely complicated. Widely known are the stories of subjugation, slavery and oppression which were all maintained by European powers over the local populations, for many years. One of these European countries was the Dutch Republic (which eventually morphed into the Kingdom of the Netherlands). During the 17th century, the Republic became embroiled in a running series of naval battles against, well, pretty much everyone. This included the Spanish, the French and the British. For many of these battles, the stage was set on the waves of the Pacific, in and around the Caribbean islands which had become vital locations for the worldwide trade of exotic goods, and primarily of slaves. Curaçao is one of these islands, whose development over the last 400 years has occurred against the backdrop of its past as a prime market for the slave trade. From 1634, the Dutch began to settle on the island, under the guise of the Dutch West Indies Company, and established plantations, markets and mining infrastructure. The ramifications of this treatment are still being felt, and expressed by wide social disparities across the Curaçaoen community. So where does this lead us to today? Well, it leads us to the mission of local NGO, MissIQ Beauty, which aims to take young Dutch females, exceptional in their intelligence, passion and determination, and connect them with needy children in Caribbean islands. 2012 is their first year of operations, and Curaçao is their primary mission objective. Founder, Ruth Groenewoud, is a native to Curaçao and longtime resident of the Netherlands. As a life-long professional carer, Ruth’s passion has always been to ensure the wellbeing of those in greater need. Asked about her drive to create MissIQ Beauty, Ruth says simply that ‘my heart beats for people who have difficulty, particularly for the less fortunate on my native island’. So the aim of MissIQ Beauty is to provide a bridge of assistance between the Netherlands and Curaçao (and eventually all the Caribbean islands) and they have a very clear picture of how to go about it. It’s all about creating ambassadors, through a more refined version of the beauty contest concept. Several months have been spent fielding applications, running events and choosing a select group of young, impassioned and dedicated women, one of whom will provide the face and drive for bringing publicity and funds to the education of children in Curaçao. On the 26th of October, a score of guests will be treated to a huge event, held at De Koning hotel, in Sloterdijk. DJs, bands, VIPs and, of course, this select group of driven women will all come together to make a difference to a world which, whilst far away, is intricately connected to their own past and heritage. On the night, the potential ambassadors will first be holding an auction, for various ‘cultural’ goods to be bought and the money donated to the foundation’s mission - providing better education and health care for impoverished children in Curaçao. From this stage, a select group of judges, who include Miss Universe 2001, Reshma Roopram, will decide on the first round qualifiers. Further activities, concepts and initiatives will follow, giving each of the ladies a chance to show why they are the best choice as ambassador on this mission of change. For the guests, it proves to be a night of fun, inspiration and social enterprise. In what is a test-run for the concept, MissIQ gives everyone a chance to jump on board and help establish a foundation that truly can and will make a difference to the lives of thousands of Caribbean children. Each year will focus on the needs of a different island, meaning that the breadth of MissIQ’s mission will expand and have a wider impact on a yearly basis. We won’t find out until the night which of these special women will get to go to Curaçao, as an ambassador for the good intentions of Dutch society but, because of the focus on goodwill, creativity and intelligence, it is sure that she will represent us all admirably. All we have to do is get on board and give her a hand, as she undertakes this very important mission.
AmsterDO
Photographs: Emir Sergo Productions
THE TASTE
FRAICHE
A comfortable cycle ride away from the over populated city centre, deep in the realm of the Jordaan lies the hidden gem that is Fraiche. Regardless of the fact that it is a mere stroll from the Marnixstraat, it is in a relatively quiet and peaceful part of town where many expats happen to dwell.
I
t was my lucky day when I walked into Fraiche and I was more than pleasantly surprised when I met Anthony Joseph and Noah Tucker (the minds and motors behind it). My first impression was as good as they come and it only got better! Two of the nicest and most charismatic expats I've had the pleasure of meeting since coming to the Dam. I was ambushed by a sense of belonging and a general consciousness of wellbeing upon entering their lair, not to mention the welcoming atmosphere created by the huge smiles on their faces and the open-plan windows that give an aura of simple elegance. Fraiche came into existence due to the artful workmanship and pizazz of Noah and Tony. When they first met in a kitchen nearby, it triggered years of careful planning and mutual drive and respect for what they believe in, and Fraiche is the result. When Fraiche opened in May 2011, Noah and Tony very quickly established their individual roles. The menu changes every week, mainly because they get bored of cooking the same thing day in-day out and like keeping people on their toes, and all produce is local and...well…fresh! There is a huge variety, with dishes ranging from: Plaice Fillet with Fennel and Citrus Purée and a Shellfish Vinaigrette to a surreptitiously cunning Venison Loin with Chanterelles, Chocolate, Barley, Purple Cabbage, Black Garlic, Espresso and Venison Jus. If you're not a manic meat muncher, not to fret because Noah's passion is his fish and on the menu this week was Striped Bass and Langoustine with a Smoked Apple Purée, Hazelnuts, Leeks, Cauliflower and Brown Butter. In terms of wine, these guys don't mess about; they recommend a flight of wine - that is, food specific wine (as it is rare that one wine will compliment all dishes). But it’s easy and enjoyable as all their wines are great, even the house . After some fresh African coffee (blended by local coffee blenders: 'Trakten') Tony created us a mouth-watering White Chocolate Truffle and Baked Plums dessert... Need I say more? It was tantalising, textured and tonsil tingling! If I can say one thing, it’s that...these guys love food!! Their passion seeps through at every opportunity and it’s hard not to feel compelled by their combined force. Tony and Noah hail from totally different ends of the spectrum in terms of location, but both can proudly boast of a Michelin Star background adorned with years of experience and graft that has built a solid relationship between them based on mutual understanding, honesty and most of all trust. Tony is an old school London boy from Stepney who has shared 'sweat and blood' in the kitchen with the likes of Marco Pierre White and has been in and out of Michelin Star kitchens for almost half of his life, he has been homing his skills in our very own Venice of the North - Amsterdam - for the previous 9 years...Whereas Noah's heart lies in the city that never sleeps, the big apple...yes, that right; New York City. He grew up around Manhattan and Brooklyn and started cooking at the tender age of 18, he attended the military where he had the esteemed role of cooking for his admiral. That took him to Japan amongst other places and then he eventually ended up working in Michelin Star kitchens for 6 or 7 years in California and New York before making his way to these shores a few years back. However, a pretentious atmosphere and over-priced food was not the future they wanted for their baby, some might dare call them control freaks but the idea behind Fraiche is that there is no snobbery in food and the whole experience surrounding it. They believe there is no reason why you cant cook Michelin Star quality food but in a homely and cosy environment.
'We wanted a restaurant where chefs would actually wanna eat! Cooks are the biggest critics...it’s just the nature of the beast' They strive to keep the restaurant seasonal, economical and most of all; keep it fresh! The ethos of the chefs is to keep customers satisfied and coming back while still being able to get to know the people they are feeding and maybe make some friends along the way. This is made even more poignant by the fact that they don't turn tables; once you sit down its yours for
Promotional Feature the night..Nice! While sitting having a chat with my new buddies, in popped a regular customer turned friend of Fraiche called Jeroen. After graciously accepting an invite of a glass of wine from his hosts he was more than happy to tell us why he kept on coming back for more!:
'I obviously love the fact that the menu is continuously changing and the food is incredible, not to mention the local and noticeably fresh produce used - what you see is what you taste!' (Jeroen) On a final, rather heart-warmingly quirky note; the last Sunday of the month, 'brunch' is served from 12:00-16:00 on a walk-in basis (the AmsterDO guys were lucky enough to attend and boy it is worth it!). Once a month the restaurant also doubles as an Art Gallery, showing how these guys are dedicated to creative enhancement. Fraiche really is an experience we highly recommend, through and through. Keep reading and see you all soon! Tom Denicolai
RESTURANT INFORMATION: LOCATION:
WEB:
CUISINE:
PHONE:
Westerstraat 264
www.restaurantfraiche.nl Between €16 - €49
Fusion
TASTE & QUALITY
OUR RATING:
CUSTOMER SERVICE
INTERIOR
VALUE FOR MONEY
FINAL SCORE:
8.0
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10 THE CITY RITES DEATH OF A MAN, BIRTH OF A LEGEND A
This month, we pay testament to the life and work of a Dutch icon, who made his name in this town, which became his home.
t this point in time, in the year 1669, an old man, who had shouldered his fair share of struggle and loss, was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Amsterdam’s Westerkerk. He had lived his life through the most momentous period his country had ever seen. His work, as it turned out, would carry his name through history, and become one of the defining testaments to this glorious era in Dutch culture. This name, of course, was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and his story is intricately woven into the very fabric of Amsterdam’s Golden Age history. Rembrandt’s life and work has been under study and discussion for nearly 400 years. He is known as a leader in the Dutch cultural renaissance of the 17th century and is also one of those rare people in history whose reputations are borne by their first name alone. Having lived in Amsterdam for over thirty years, it was here that he forged his name, reputation and a hefty list of clientele, many of which were amongst the city’s elite and powerful. His fortunes rose and fell, arguably in sync with the fortunes of Amsterdam. If not a driver of the Golden Age, he was certainly a major contributor. Coming here as a 25 year old with an opportunity, Rembrandt entered the city much as many of us have since; not sure what Amsterdam would have in store for him, but ready to find out. He’d been discovered, after spending several years painting and teaching in his hometown of Leiden. He then married into the realm of Amsterdam’s wealthy merchants and became very successful as a portraitist. So what kind of city did Rembrandt walk into here? Well, one of the inspiring things about his work is that you can still walk the same streets, look upon the same canals, and try to muster up for yourself a sense of what Amsterdam was like during this incredible period. His first big commission came as a result of one of the city’s more odd public events, a human dissection by the chief anatomist, Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. The body of a criminal, Aris Kindt, had been brought to the surgeon’s guild tower in De Waag building, which still stands on the Nieuwemarkt square. These instructive demonstrations, which drew a public, ticket-buying audience, were conducted once a year. The successful reception of The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp was the trigger for establishing Rembrandt as Amsterdam’s new, emerging talent. You can still stand in the place where Kindt was executed on the square, before his dissection. On open-day occasions inside De Waag, you can still visit the tower room where the scene was set. It is possible to literally immerse yourself in the same spaces where many of Rembrandt’s visions were born. It has been argued that Rembrandt’s popularity, wealth and mood all degraded after 1642. Much of the problem with knowing exactly what happened, lies in the humility of Dutch artists who did not write about themselves, each other, or their work. What fragments of information exist about Rembrandt tell a story that has undoubtedly been emphasised and romanticised over the years - The tragic downfall of the greatest artist. However, it does seem that 1642 was a life changing year for him. He finished his most famous work, The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, in this year. From the 18th century onwards, this would become widely known as The Night Watch and still hangs in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum today. Probably more importantly for Rembrandt, however, was that his wife Saskia also died in 1942, not long after giving birth to their only surviving son, Titus. For Amsterdam, this was also a time of regeneration. The Dutch war of independence against the Spanish was drawing to a close, over half of the world’s trade was carried by Dutch ships, and the world’s most progressive government system was being established by the Dutch Republic. For the country, these were the good times, but for Rembrandt, things were taking a turn for
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn - Self Portrait
the worse. It is often remarked about Rembrandt’s portraits that they did not shy from showing the realities of his subject’s faces, incumbent with all their flaws and emotions. Perhaps that is why his self-portraits are so telling (He left around 90 of them). Spanning his thirty years of working and living in Amsterdam, they seem an apt guide to the story of decline that his fortune took, and of his slide out of the public spotlight. By 1656, Rembrandt had become bankrupt, largely because of financial mismanagement. Simultaneously, his country was at war with the UK, and had begun its own slide into decline. His house on Sint Antoniesbreestraat, in Amsterdam’s Jewish district, had to be sold, along with his workshop and a full list of his huge collection, which varied from busts of Roman Emperors to full scale Japanese armour and other oriental items. He was forced to move to a house on the Rozengracht, quite far from the city centre, but in pursuit of his wealthier clientele who had begun to relocate to the new elitist neighbourhood (today’s Grachtengordel). While his name still carried weight, and some of Amsterdam’s rich merchant class continued to patronise his work, many others had begun to seek out the skills of his younger contemporaries. He had remarried a common serving girl, Hendrickje Stoffels, much against general public convention, and
continued to paint, etch and draw. However, the painters’ guild of Amsterdam had passed laws which disallowed anyone of such poor financial standing to work as a painter, generally in a response to his circumstances. His new wife and son, Titus, were forced to open an art-dealership, which allowed them to employ him. In the end, Rembrandt outlived both of them and, after the death of Hendrickje in 1664, was consigned to wandering the streets, alone but for his sketch pad and pencil. Perhaps the most telling piece of his mind-frame from this period is Elsje Christiaens - a sketch of a young Danish girl who had been executed for murder and strung up over the IJ. When he sketched her, she’d been hanging there for a few days already, as her bloated and stale features so aptly convey. After his son Titus died in 1668, it seems that Rembrandt had lost everything that was important to him. Less than a year later the great master, whose work and teachings had impressed upon, influenced and given direction to a whole generation of Dutch artists, passed away alone and impoverished. Perhaps it is fitting that his grave, which is still unknown, accepted his body into the realm of the obscure and unremarkable. After all, his life and work was enough to carry his name on through history, for the benefit of the generations that followed him.
AmsterDO
STREETS OF OUR CITY
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WARMOESSTRAAT
This month, we take a look at Amsterdam’s second oldest street. A place where the heavy stereo types of Amsterdam shine through, what was once a vegetable market and the romping ground of sailors. Now it’s modern day sailors who fill the streets (drunken backpackers) and a slightly different version of vegetable being sold in coffee-shops. The Warmoesstraat brings out the best and the worst Amsterdam has to offer.
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hen Amsterdam was founded, somewhere around the early 13th century, it was a very muddy place. The river Amstel, running north to south, was connected to the IJ harbour through a ‘rak’ - a reach of water - upon which was built a dam, and alongside which was constructed a series of protective dikes. On the banks of this rak (today’s Damrak) was a series of houses, behind which ran one of two streets that this tiny community used. This street was the Warmoesstraat and, in the 800 or so years that it has existed, it has never ceased being one of the city’s main arterial passages, having borne witness to countless footsteps, stories, and incidents. For a long time, this street actually had two names. The northern part was called Kerkstraat, or Church Street. The oldest church in Amsterdam (creatively known as the Old Church), stood as the predominant structure in the city from the very beginning. In 1306 it was rebuilt from being a wooden building to an imposing brick one. This area was the domain for Amsterdam’s first parish and also for the city’s blossoming prostitution industry. The connection between these two seemingly adverse institutions was in the form of the countless sailors who passed through, eager to both commit and atone for countless sins whilst here. The Warmoesstraat catered to these demands admirably and has always bordered Amsterdam’s district of debauchery and forgiveness. Nowadays, this northern part of the street is one of the hotspots for the hardcore gay scene in Amsterdam, with venues such as Argos, Dirty Dicks and Fuxxx. There are also a score of restaurants, bars and coffeeshops. In fact, the Warmoesstraat is considered to be the most densely populated area of cannabis consumers in the world. Of course, this has much to do with the tourist industry of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, the street does not have a good reputation amongst locals; it is known to be laden with drunken and stoned tourists, British (and other) stag groups, streetdealers doling out fake drugs and, most annoying of all, it is
Photographs: David Cenzer
very difficult to ride a bicycle down there. Some of these elements of the strip give a driving force to Project 1012 - a governmental plan to ‘clean-up’ the Red Light District. This project has been more than a concept for some years now, but has stalled since the Global Financial Crisis. The idea is to refocus on more culturally enlightening aspects of the district, such as the churches and original canal-house architecture, rather than on the weed, sex-shows and the newest ranges of vibrators that currently tend to receive more attention. The southern part of the street is what lent the name that it carries. Warmoes is Dutch for chard, that leafy vegetable that your mum used to love putting in salads, and Warmoesstraat was, unsurprisingly, the place to pick up your chard during Amsterdam’s middle ages. Actually, along this part of the street ran a big market where many goods could be sold and bought, with a big focus on vegetables. In fact, Joost van den Vondel, Holland’s answer to William Shakespeare and after whom the famous Vondelpark is named, ran a hosiery shop here - selling silks and other such garmentry - before he really got to writing his genius down. Until the 17th century, this street housed the wealthiest of Amsterdam’s citizens - that score of merchants who drove the commercial enterprise that made Amsterdam the world’s
premier trading port. Unfortunately, to them, this status drew countless folk into the city, looking for an opportunity to taste success. The population grew and, eventually, these wealthy burghers decided to relocate away from the unwashed masses. They had the Canal-belt neighbourhood constructed to the west of the city centre and gradually moved out of the Warmoesstraat area. It was then that the street completed its full transformation into a shopping street, where many new businesses set up shop. By the late 20th century, however, the street had succumbed to the influence of drug and sex related crime syndicates. It’s reputation as one of Europe’s most crimeladen streets grew, along with that of its neighbouring street, the Zeedijk. Eventually, Amsterdam’s police made a concerted effort to clean this reputation up, and it is today one of the safer areas of Amsterdam. Nobody knows what transformation the Warmoesstraat will undergo next. The stalled project 1012 may yet exert the influence it desires and manage to create a cleaner, less sexand-drug related atmosphere. Alternatively, things could remain just as they are now. Of course, whatever happens, this street will never cease being as important as it has always been, giving access into Amsterdam’s oldest and most interesting districts. AmsterDO
14 THAT DAM TECH MARLEEN STIKKER
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Meet the "Mayor" of this dam digital city, Marleen Stikker is the Director and CEO of the Waag Society, godmother to the PICNIC network and founder of the Amsterdam Media Guild, to mention just a few of her accomplishments. She is, quite simply, an integral piece of the creative spirit that permeates the city we like to call home. AmsterDO wanted to dig a little deeper and to discover what the future may hold for Marleen, with her many (many, many...) associated initiatives, projects and digital disruptions, and were fortunate enough to catch up with her at Waag HQ shortly after the 7th Annual PICNIC festival hosted at the Eye film museum during September.
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he Waag Society emerged from an informal collective of media enthusiasts and technology hackers, originally identifiable as the “Society for New and Old Media”, but rebranded upon their successful bid to move into the Waag building on the Nieuwmarkt. The Waag, translated to English, means “the weighing house”, and seemed to metaphorically encapsulate the collective identity of its new inhabitants, so they adopted the name and kept the Society. Now it functions as a cultural research and innovation hub that develops media applications in various domains of society; including health care, culture and education, with the crosspollination of new and old media still very much intertwined within the DNA of the Waag Society and Marleen herself. She is keen to promote the history of the building itself, which has, at various times functioned as a guildhall, museum, fire station and anatomical theater, with the latter allowing the general public to purchase tickets in order to witness operations and dissections. To bear witness to such ‘displays’ was, in the 17th century, to be standing on the frontiers of science and technology, and to be participating in the development of new knowledge and critical thinking... a philosophy that the Waag Society continues to promote and nurture today. “What we do is always in a public environment, it’s always participation of people, and not a lab positioned outside of society... it’s inside society” Upon being quizzed on her motivations for initiating the PICNIC network in 2006, it seems there are obvious parallels with the emergent nature of her previous initiatives, combined with a keen eye for spotting trends (as well as talents), and a confidence to follow her intuitions. Back then, people were only just beginning to recognise that Amsterdam was a fertile plane for technologies as well as content, but Marleen and co-PICNIC founder Bas Verhart (Media Republic) saw that in the combination of these lay a breeding ground for creative technological solutions to current events and the major questions and concerns that face a modern society. “We thought it would be good to stage an event that would give an identity to this international group of new media enthusiasts. Profiling and organising this field within Amsterdam itself, and taking it to the international scene.” By bringing a new dimension to the traditional tech conference, PICNIC attracts a complete mash-up of backgrounds from technology addicts and engineers to content creators, hence the original title of cross media week, and continues to provide a platform for bringing together established academics and businesses with NGO’s, researchers and even a sprinkling of internet guru and celebrity. It truly is a cross industry event, with technology very much at the core of the broad range of themes that span across medical, defence, education, culture, aerospace and engineering... (pssst... don’t forget printed media!). From the very first days it’s been an overwhelming success, solidifying the realisation and experience of having common interests and similar motivations to your peers when attending a PICNIC. The theme and two keywords of this year have been: New Ownership, the very essence of what is occurring in the world around us right now. The event sold out on both days at the Eye film museum and housed twice as many participants than PICNIC’s previous home at NDSM wharf. The fantastic architecture and unique character of Amsterdam’s newest attraction really amplified the PICNIC vibe, coupled with a picturesque location overlooking the IJ harbour. By the end, PICNIC attendees had only one shared concern, in that there were simply too many inspirational
Marleen Stikker sharing the stage with Tim O’Reilly at PICNIC 2012
and provocative speakers, workshops and exhibitions to see everything... oh well, it’s a good job that most of the talks and lectures were recorded and archived, check out some here with Layar. "It’s a real PICNIC - everybody brings something… and gets something out of it" The Waag Society is best described as an ecosystem, complete with its component parts, including a research foundation, incubator and the PICNIC platform itself. All these three things are independent entities with their own specific mission and governance, but (co)operate as a single machine. More specifically, the incubator acts as a platform to nurture seedling companies, many of which began life as an idea, researched and developed within the Waag research foundation, in collaboration with third parties... and Fablab. It seems complicated, but in reality it’s a very pragmatic, efficient and effective model, in that the Waag Society can support and promote these initiatives in-house throughout their entire conception and development. For the Waag the mission is to empower people and help society to organise their lives. Sometimes technologies do not help, so it matters how we design, and that it’s for real people, seeking real solutions to significant problems. Now that technology is in the hands of the masses and networked (internet connected), people can start companies and initiate social enterprises that rethink government, rethink industry or even rethink factories. For example, the 3D printing movement is, in a way, distributed factories; everything changes from that perspective, and the world needs to adapt to this, and even rethink its own reality, existence and purpose. “The disruptive factor, which helps us reorganise and take this new ownership, and make it realistic... it’s not just a wish, it’s really happening.” We, that’s myself and the Chief (...editor!), had a very proactive workshop with 7 Scenes, (a mobile storytelling platform) which really got the creative juices flowing early at the Monday morning kick-off, and has proven useful as we are in the process of designing the AmsterDO app. Platforms like this aid us in incorporating educational value and provide a usable testbed for rapid prototyping. So it was equally nice to bump into Ronald Lenz at Waag HQ. As we later found out, 7 scenes is one of the very start ups being supported by the Waag ecosystem, and
a living, breathing case study of what the infrastructure that the Waag Society have worked so hard to build can, and has achieved. “Trade, in a sense of knowledge and exchange of values, of course... not only of information and ideas, but to also make it practical, just to act, so we can act now, not tomorrow… NOW!” So what does the future hold for Marleen and her co creators? Apart from taking PICNIC to New York, Brazil and Hong Kong, of course. Marleen wishes for our city of Amsterdam to BE the PICNIC platform... and continue to be the leading digital city in terms of content, technology and creativity. This year saw the city host (mostly free) OFF PICNIC events on the previous Sunday at venues including Nemo, ARCAM, Waag, Toren Overhoeks, NIMk, DUS Architecten and the OBA Library, so that everyone can bring something to the feast and take something valuable away with them. There are still lots of hidden treasures to be found in this city, an observation echoed by us here at AmsterDO, so we hope that we can work together to reveal not only the popular cultural places but also insights into the creative spaces and talents of our beloved city. This year saw Marleen achieve one of her lifetime goals, in having a socratic dialogue with one of her heroes Tim O’Reilly. Back in 1993, Marleen read one of Tim’s books, on the technologies, languages and infrastructure that went on to describe and create the internet... the rest, we can say, is history. This particular session preceded the encore of the PICNIC festival, and was completely experimental, which worked out even better than predicted (or should I say intended?), and what Marleen now affectionately refers to as the sculptural dialogue. It has been an honour and a privilege to share a coffee and conversation with one of Amsterdam’s very own heroes, and we hope that there are many more stories to be written, and objectives to be achieved for Marleen... So, as the mayor of this dam digital city... we salute you, and wish you the very best success in the future.
For the latest events and information from The Waag Society see: www.waag.org/events
Dan van Dahl, AmsterDO
STAGE & SCREEN
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FILM REVIEWS
KILLING THEM SOFTLY (2012)
Jeffery Babcock
JEFFREY BABCOCKUNDERGROUND CINEMA
Every week, Jeffrey Babcock shows unique movies in English or with English subtitles at a number of venues in Amsterdam, as part of his underground cinemas. He talked to AmsterDO about the ideas behind the cinemas, the evolution of Amsterdam over the years and the new building for the Eye, among other things.
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here was a time in which Amsterdam was one of the freest cities in Europe. At least that was the impression American-born Jeffrey Babcock had when he arrived to the Dutch capital in the late 80s and decided to settle here. “I came to Amsterdam at a time when Amsterdam was an incredibly tolerant and diverse city. There was a normal economy, one in which you had a normal job in an office or a store, and there was also another possibility, and people could really choose how to live their life.” That other possibility was based on squatting and the refusal to enter the dominant business model, but things have been changing over the years. “I saw here in Amsterdam so much culture that was disconnected from business, in terms of cinema and everyday life, and I wanted to keep that alive. I see myself refusing to be incorporated into the mainstream commercial business model. That’s why I created a series of cinemas throughout the city.”
The cinemas he refers to are a series of places that host regular screenings, such as De Nieuwe Anita, OT301, De Slang, Filmhuis Cavia or Wilhemina Pakhuis. They are free or reasonable prized, and the movies range from “big budget films to absolute trash films,” from American ones such as Richard Linklater’s “Waking Life” to the first Lars Von Trier movie, “The Element of Crime”. “The only real criterion is that every film I show has something absolutely unique about it, which makes it different than any other movie ever made. It could be a trashy movie, have no budget, or could be a big film, as long as it is not a formula.” The idea behind the cinemas, as it happens with all good things, is quite simple: to gather together around a movie. Jeffrey introduces the movie and is available for discussion afterwards. The small sizes of the locations favour a sense of intimacy and friendship. “What I’m trying is to get people back together again, and experience things and dream together. Watching a film is like being in a dream and I think it is very important to be in a whole room with people going through that experience together. And of course it is very important that people stay afterwards and discuss the movie, that there is a social interaction going on.” He is critical with the art house cinemas in Amsterdam, which he considers too tied to business, with some exceptions, like Kriterion (“because it is run by students and is always changing, this keeps it more alive.”); and he also doesn’t have good words for the brand new building of the Eye Film Institute. “The previous building was one of the best of the city, right in the city centre. The problem was that the programming was so bad that they couldn’t get people going there, so they thought that they had to start a new project, which became a bigger building. For me this is doing it all backwards. I don’t believe that bigger is better, but everything is built in that direction. They are trying to make Amsterdam bigger, but the charm of Amsterdam is its size.” Jeffrey Babcock has been running the underground cinemas for seven years now, starting at a squat in the city centre and continuing at De Nieuwe Anita, with sustained success. He announces the program one week in advance, so you have to check the different locations websites regularly or, even better, drop him an email to be included in the mailing list (cinema. acephale@gmail.com).
The third film by Andrew Dominik (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) draws inspiration from the films of Scorsese and Tarantino, from TV shows such as The Wire, The Sopranos and from classical heist movies. The film is based on a 1974 novel by George V. Higgins, but the action is set during the electoral campaign of 2008, in order to establish a parallelism between organized crime, politics and the financial meltdown. The plot centers on a card-game heist and its consequences felt by the people involved. Actors Scott McNairy and Ben Meldensohn play brilliantly the two guys who rob the game under the orders of a mob leader, while Brad Pitt is Corgan, a professional yet atypical killer hired to take care of the situation. All this looks like a genre movie, it is, but just partially. The preparation and execution of the heist, which occupies about a third of the movie, is shot in a sober and realistic way, but after that, when Brad Pitt’s character comes into scene, the pace slows down and the film turns more philosophical and abstract, more based on dialogues than on action or suspense. The reflection about organized crime and the economic crisis is interesting, but it is shown in a too obvious way (even with the presidential candidates’ speeches playing in the background), while the story never gets really exciting. Brad Pitt’s magnetism and the director’s overall good work keep the interest up, but the result is uneven. Rating: 3/5
RUBY SPARKS (2012) The premise of Ruby Sparks is certainly not original: A struggling young writer, Calvin, sees how one of his characters comes to life, and they both fall in love. More than on Pygmalion, I’m thinking of Woody Allen’s “The Purple Rose of Cairo”. But, originality aside, it is an idea with possibilities, which this film just partially exploit. Actually, the introduction of the characters and situation is the best part of the movie. Calvin is a young writer who succeeded very young and now faces writer’s block. He lives alone with a small dog, and seems quite disconnected from the world. Calvin starts dreaming about this girl... Ruby Sparks, 26 years old, Dayton, Ohio; and words start flowing smoothly at the typewriter. How she comes to life and how he faces this new circumstance, makes for charming, witty comedy. After this, however, not everything works at the same level. Calvin’s eccentric family comes into the scene, and they seem much more a creation from a writer’s mind than Ruby herself (even resembling “Meet the Fockers”). Also, the conflicts between the couple, while interesting on paper (drawing sharp reflections over the nature of relationships and the character of the writer), are a bit erratic, and the film loses some of the amusing simplicity of the beginning. All in all, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan (also author of the script) form a charming couple. Don’t expect much and you’ll get decent, occasionally brilliant entertainment. Rating: 3/5 Jaime Menchén López is passionate about all types of films, to read more, visit his blog jaimemenchen.wordpress. com and UA magazine (united-academics.org/magazine).
Jaime Menchén López
16 ADE SPECIAL
Photographs: Aico Lind
IF GOD IS A DJ AMSTERDAM IS HEAVEN
The 17th of October is the day that will attract a horde of around 200,000 dance devoting pilgrims as they venture their way to the Mecca that is the world's largest electronic music event; the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE)
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he 17th of October is the day that will attract a horde of around 200,000 dance devoting pilgrims as they venture their way to the Mecca that is the world's largest electronic music event; the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) A festival that had its birth in 1996, what started as a humble attempt to please local music lovers, has now turned into an event occupying more than 75 different venues across the city. ADE covers the entire aspect of the music industry organogram and Amsterdam will host the most influential people in the business. Aside from the numbers of participants, the event has gone from a length of three days to five, artist participation of 30 to 800 and from locals only to tourists arriving from more than 62 countries – so what is the dirty secret behind such a success? Truth is there is no dirty secret but merely a creation of an entertainment platform for people to not only network but to express their passion in a crowd of alike thinkers. In the eighties, after the US and UK, Holland was the following pivotal country to take on house music and by looking at the achievements of ADE alone, one needs no doubt that the Dutch are still taking this task seriously and doing a superb job having dance music as one of Netherland’s most important exports. (For
Conference putting the 'A' in Authenticity
more information on the Dutch role within international dance music, do not miss Harvard professor keynote speaker Wayne Marshall at the ADE Pro on the 17th of October.) The project is organized by the Amsterdam Dance Event Foundation, a part of Buma Cultuur, which is a non-profit organization that supports Dutch music copyrights and everything else that involves spreading Dutch music worldwide. And from the 17th until the 21st of October, visitors have the choice of participating in three main events; ADE festival, ADE Playground and ADE conference. All three of these also involve sub-events, making this year’s program a cause for definite stress if you plan on attending most of the activities. ADE FESTIVAL The main reason for many visitors’ participation is the Festival. During these few days the home to the 800 performing DJs will be the 75 of the best clubs in town including the new Ziggo Dome arena along with Paradisio and Melkweg; two of the three original festival venues from the start in 96. ADE PLAYGROUND With a continuously expanding festival such as this one, innovation is necessary to keep up with the high demand interest and so this year the ADE is presenting a new platform called the ADE Playground. The concept of this daytime event is to keep the party going even when the sun (let’s hope for it at least) is shining, and the aim is to make it the world’s largest pop-up shop in the world. Central Amsterdam locations such as roof top terraces, clothing shops and cinemas will be filled with exhibitions, movies, showcases, master classes, workshops and much more. Most of these events have free entry, but some exclusive ones do not. For those who wish to participate in these latter events a so called ADE Card can be purchased, which entitles you certain exclusivity along with free promotional items, goodie-bags, discount vouchers and more. ADE CONFERENCE Eager to listen to and learn from some of the most experienced professionals in the world of entertainment? Then forget about all the other events this year, at the ADE conference is where the crème de la crème is going to be. The conference consists of several sessions targeted towards all kinds of people sharing that one same interest of music.
Conference Dj-Cook-Off, Seth Troxler & Dubfire
Taking place at the Felix Meritis and The Dylan Hotel, is the main program of the conference; ADE Pro. Around 3,500 delegates from all over the globe join to listen, learn and discuss today’s most exciting music business topics in the many scheduled interactive debates, Q&A sessions and keynote speeches. Whilst the experts mingle in the name of work, the up and coming ambitious talents attend another side of the conference; the ADE Next, in which their drive is to learn what it takes to make it from top DJs, legendary producers, booking agents and more. If you on the other hand are one of those who feel like you have the talent but are not yet quite sure how to express it or what to do with it, then ADE University is the place for you. The purpose of this three-day conference is to educate and motivate newbies in the music industry to pursue their dreams, and what better way to get to the teens than making them listen to lectures by artists Simon Dunmore and Afrojack who were some of the “tutors” in 2011. Any tech geeks out there? We thought so. And so did the organizers of the ADE and have therefore created a special conference just for you. Held at the original ADE conference venue De Balie, the Music and Bits is ADE’s official technology forum which this year also includes a dedicated area for tech startups; the Tech Lounge. The lounge will include representatives from today’s most front-line digital technology companies, along with presenting the public with the best innovations in music creation today. As if that was not enough, there is also a choice for all those fans of the somewhat harder style of dance music; The Hard Dance Event (HDE), inviting artists, promoters, entrepreneurs and other professionals to network around their subject. And as a final treat, with the amount of world class performing DJs gathered in one city alone, an award is bound to be presented. And what better honour than to be part of the DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJs. With half a million votes from 167 countries, the competition becomes the largest music poll in the world and whose winner will be crowned at the Convention Factory on Friday the 19th of October. The past two years have been won by French DJ David Guetta but having a Dutch representative (DJ Armin van Buuren) winning the previous four years before that, the Dutch are now ready to ready to get the trophy back. Anna Plaza
17
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THE LONE RAVER'S ADE MISSION.
ADE boogies into town this month, with over 800 artists and 300 events held in 75 venues around town. With so much going on, thank the Dance Gods that The Lone Raver is here to shepherd us through the best that these five days of foot frenzy have to offer. It’s on!
R
ight then my fellow Ravers, it’s the beginning of the month and this is the week we've been waiting for, the time to start getting overly excited about ADE has arrived. If electronic music is your thing then you’re probably well aware of the ensuing madness that is about to take over this fine city of ours. If, however, you are an outsider looking in then you may be wondering what all the fuss is about and why there will be so many yellow and black flags fluttering away in the rain. So for those wondering, I'll let you in on a little secret…come closer so I can whisper it in your ear. IT’S THE BIGGEST CLUB FESTIVAL FOR ELECTRONIC MUSIC…IN THE WORLD! Every year the festival seems to get bigger and better with more innovative venues being utilised, a wider range of styles represented and a growing number of international visitors streaming into the arrival halls of Schipol and Centraal Station. It's now a ‘can't miss’ opportunity for some of the world’s greatest parties to display the creativity and vision that makes them such a hit in their respective homelands. There’ll be showcases from Secretsundaze, Awakenings, Ministry of Sound and what appears at first glance to be an after-hours session every day from Electric Deluxe. The whole shebang officially kicks off on Wednesday 17th, but that won't stop the sneaky folk at Studio 80 from getting in there first with a Tuesday night "Saved" special featuring NIc Fanciulli, Robert Dietz and Subb-An, However when the
starter’s gun officially fires the next day I'll be heading out for early drinks and beats at the Cue Bar for the Sleepwalkers showcase before making the short bike ride to Trouw. This will be, in my opinion, the venue’s best night of ADE. Seth Troxler and Makam are guests in the main room with Sandrien inviting Ben Klock to deliver the techno downstairs in De Verdieping. Other highlights around town will include Carl Craig, Paul Woolford and Nina Kravitz at MC Theater and Josh Wink and Steve Bug at Chicago Social Club. Thursday brings the ADE debut of "The Amsterdam Convention Factory" as a venue. This vast former stork factory should prove the perfect place for Ame, Extrawelt and Oliver Koletzki to perform live deep house music in a suitably industrial venue. Elsewhere, On and On go for a 10 hour special at the Transformatorhuis in Westerpark with special guest Shifted, while Amsterdam Drum and Bass institute Cheeky Monday's throw a party to launch their new label of the same name with special guest Nicky Blackmarket amply supported by mainstays Sinistah and Insom, to name just a few. One of the first things I noticed when perusing the program was that the after-hour parties that have been notable in their absence in previous years are well represented from the Friday morning through to Monday, hopefully giving it a truly 24 hour vibe. The first of these on the Friday will see the newly opened Club Lite invite Berlin's Frucht Records Label for a special all day session starting from 6am till mid afternoon. Later in the day the Click crew put together a 12 hour special at the Westerunie complex with The Advent, Slam, Monika Kruse and local legend Steve Rachmad forming the pick of the bunch. Staying in the west, Elastic Artists present's a UK special with Julio Bashmore, Joy Orbison and Lone taking to the controls in the MC Theater. Friday's highlight comes in the form of the "Next Monday’s Hangovers" ADE special. Known for picking unusual venues and locations for their parties the NMH crew do not disappoint on this front again as "Het Sieraad" is chosen to host a Mobilee special. While living a mere 200 meters away I had no idea this place had the potential to be used for a rave up, but upon closer inspection it almost shouts out “Party!” and with Pan-Pot, Anja Schneider, Sebo K and a live set from Rodriguez JR, this will be one to remember.
Conference Pioneer presents industry network 'Drink Miss Nine'
Festival 'Carl Cox' intec digital at Paradiso; Betribes)
Festival vrij ADE weekender, Day 1; Martijn Klijmij
Saturday is the traditional big night of ADE and, with no fewer than 70 different events taking place all over the city, it’s gonna’ be very hard to choose where to dance the night away. So to continue the loose theme of unusual venues that appears to have developed in this piece, we start the night off in the former squat bar Café 't Schuim on Spuistraat for ‘’Delicious Grooves meets Cosmic Disco’’. Thereafter it’s down to Roest, a former gasworks building, for the Weerloos Label night where Santa Ballistol offer something very different from the usual; a live performance of jazz infused techno with live poetry providing the vocals for this experimental live ensemble. Staying east, Studio K hosts VBX Goes Berlin Underground with Margaret Dygas, Vera and Carlos Valdes. Later on we head back into the city to take in Schmeck Pony's ADE special at Club Home as they attempt a 16 hour marathon starting at 11pm and taking us nicely into Sunday with a genuinely international line that includes Christian Smith, Mauro Picotto, Dosem and Amsterdam's very own Bart Skils. So Sunday is upon us and, as we try to shake of the dreaded feeling that the fun is almost over, the festival continues to throw up some huge names with Detroit legend Jeff Mills taking his familiar position behind the decks at OT301 for a 6 hour set, Speedy J and Sandwell District performing at the Melkweg followed by Soul Clap taking on Wolf and Lamb later in the day. However, the final destination for us on this journey through ADE is back to Studio 80 for Secretsundaze’s first full blown ADE party. After occupying Studio 80's back room last year the London mainstay takes over the whole place this time ‘round and invites Motor City Drum Ensemble, Delano Smith, Brawther and Patrice Scott to join residents Giles Smith and James Priestly for one final blow out that promises to be up there with very best of the last few days. So that rounds up my take on how this year’s ADE is looking, but I can't get across the scale of the event in 1000 woods so head to www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl for full listings and details about ticket's times etc. Have a good one and if I have one top tip, it's that you book your tickets in advance.
THE
18 CLUBS & EVENTS PARADISO
STUDIO 80
SUGARFACTORY
Weteringschans 6 | www.paradiso.nl UPCOMING EVENTS:
Rembrandtplein 17 | www.studio-80.nl UPCOMING EVENTS:
Lijnbaansgracht 238 | www.sugarfactory.nl UPCOMING EVENTS:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Line-up: Skip&Die Genre: House, Techno | Time: 20:30 | Price: ¤7
Line-up: Ewan Pearson, Terry Toner, Live: Arjuna Schiks Genre: Electro, Techno | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤12.50
Line-up: Dr. Phil Omanski, Monsieur Plastique, Sick Boy Genre: Electro, House | Time: 23:00 - 03:00 | Price: ¤3
Skip & Die
We are E
Pump
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Line-up: Afrojack, Apster, Bobby Burns, Quintino Genre: House, Techno | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤25
Line-up: Brent Roozendaal, Cardboard Motel, Jan Zuilhof, Mark E, Tijn Benedek | Genre: House | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤10
Line-up: GoodLuck Genre: Electro, House | Time: 21:00 - 23:00 | Price: ¤10
Jacked
Cartel · Invites Mark E
GoodLuck
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Line-up: Bear, Marius, Palmbomen, Renkas Genre: Minimal, Techno | Time: 23:30 - 05:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: Flem, Joran van Pol, Lone Striker, Marcus Gehring, Whyt Noyz, Live: Hülsken & Heuvel | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤10
Line-up: Afshin, Alex Finkin, Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, Leroy Styles, Manoo, Rocco | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤12.50
MON Records
Rebellion
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
Line-up: Simian Mobile Disco Genre: Minimal, Techno | Time: 20:00 - 23:00 | Price: ¤20
Line-up: &ME, Nic Fanciulli, ONNO, Robert Dietz, Subb-an Genre: Electro, Techno | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤10
Simian Mobile Disco
The Djoon Experience
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Saved
100% Pure Label Night
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Line-up: Obey, Dismantle, Benga, Kutz , Gomes Genre: House, Techno | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤18
Line-up: Carlo Lio, Davide Squillace, Dubfire, Patrick Lindsey, Philip Bader, Shaded, The Junkies | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤15
Oi! · ADE special
Line-up: 2000 and One, Gabriel Ananda , Kaiserdisco, Madskillz Genre: House, Techno | Time: 24:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤15
SCI+TEC and This And That
The Third Movement & PRSPCT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Line-up: Bart Skils, Mathias Kaden, Minilogue, Mathew Jonson Genre: Techno, House | Time: 22:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤20.50
Line-up: Deetron, Derrick May, Florian Kruse, Huxley, Joris Voorn, Maher Daniel, Nils Nürnberg | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Hector Romero, Meme | Genre: Minimal, Techno | Time: 24:00 | Price: ¤18
Voltt · ADE Special
Rejected
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
Line-up: Azzeration, Cyberpunkers, NATION, The Oddword The S, Rusty Warriors | Time: 22:30 - 05:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: Ewan Pearson, Terry Toner, Live: Arjuna Schiks Genre: Electro, Techno | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤12.50
Fuze · ADE's Electro Mash-Up Madness
Line-up: Limewax, Promo, Sinister Souls, The Outside Agency Thrasher | Genre: Drum&Bass | Time: 18:30 - 23:30 | Price: ¤10
MN2S 2012 Presents:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Desolat Used & Abused
Forma.T Records Presents AKS & Friends
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, CLUB PARADISO PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, STUDIO 80 PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, SUGAR FACTORY PRESENTS:
Line-up: Alican Yuksel, UHR, Murat Uncuoglu, Ahmet Sendil Genre: Dubstep, House | Time: 22:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤12.50
Line-up: Ewan Pearson, Terry Toner, Live: Arjuna Schiks Genre: Electro, Techno | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤12.50
Istanbul Hi-Fi Connection
10 Years Watergate · ADE Special
Line-up: AKS, Bad Dancer, Surfing Leons Genre: Electro, Techno | Time: 19:00 - 23:00 | Price: ¤10
NGHTDVSN & Plantage 13
Line-up: Oliver Huntemann, Skeet, Stephan Bodzin, Super Flu Genre: House, Techno | Time: 23:00 | Price: ¤15
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ESCAPE
PANAMA
CLUB NL
19
Rembrandtplein 11 | www.escape.nl UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oostelijke Handelskade 4 | www.panama.nl UPCOMING EVENTS:
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 169 | www.clubnl.nl UPCOMING EVENTS:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Various R&B Artists Genre: R&B | Time: 19:00 - 23:00 | Price: ¤25
Line-up: Various Urban Artists Genre: Urban | Time: 23:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤10
Line-up: Fady Ferraye, Johnny de Mol, Marcella Genre: Dirty house, House | Time: 23:00 - 03:00
Live R&B Concert: Next & Horace Brown
#Epic
Hurly Burly
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Adi-j, Insom, Karimooo, Nymfo, Ravage, Subculture Genre: Drum&Bass | Time: 22:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤7.50
Line-up: Sharam Genre: Trance, House | Time: 22:00 - 03:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: Live: Charles Davos, Miss Melera, Eelke Kleijn Genre: Minimal, Techno | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤12.50
Rough x Cheeky
Sharam and Friends · Night & Day
Miss Melera & Friends
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Sander van Doorn, Firebeatz, Julian Jordan Genre: House, Trance | Time: 22:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤17.50
Line-up: Delivio Reavon & Aaron Gill, Genairo Nvilla, Luciën Foort, Michael Mendoza | Time: 22:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: Eric de Man, Ferdinand, Ramos Genre: House, Techno | Time: 06:00 - 12:00 | Price: ¤9
Sander van Doorn
Steel
Alalart
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Andy Leka, Biggi, Jess & Miss, Marc MacRowland, Mell Tierra, Paul Veth, Yonathan Zvi | Time: 23:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤10
Line-up: Mark Knight Genre: Techno | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: Fady Ferraye, Johnny de Mol, Nhar, Fady Ferraye Genre: House, Techno | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤10
Be Bigger by Biggi · ADE Special
Toolroom Knights
Hurly Burly ADE Special
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Bad HabitZ, Charly & Nazzz, Evanti, Fausto, Jim Justice Phil York, Thilo, Wragg & Log | Time: 22:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: Hernan Cattaneo, Jerry van Schie, Nick Warren Genre: Techno | Time: 23:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤17.50
Line-up: Dave Seaman, Guy Mantzur, Jody Wisternoff, Murray Mckee, Pete Gooding, C-Jay | Time: 22:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤10
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Danny Avila, Deniz Koyu, Fedde le Grand, MC: Gee Genre: House | Price: ¤20
Line-up: Baggi Begovic, David Penn, Shapeshifters, The Cube Guys, Franky Rizardo | Genre: House | Time: 19:00 - 02:00
Line-up: Stefano Richetta Genre: Deephouse, Techhouse | Time: 23:00 - 03:00
Crossover & Evolved Artists ADE Showcase Hernan Cattaneo b2b Nick Warren Fedde Le Grand ADE Takeover
Sundaypeople · ADE Special
Two Point Zero Agency & The Sessions Club NL Invites
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Alesso, Raymundo, 2 Muchlipstick, Danney Canova Fullscale | Genre: House | Time: 22:00 - 05:00 | Price: ¤20
Line-up: Various Urban Artists Genre: Urban | Time: 23:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤10
Line-up: Kadiks, Reuben Alexander Genre: House | Time: 23:00 - 03:00
Alesso ADE Takeover
#Epic
Sub
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, CLUB ESCAPE PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, CLUB PANAMA PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, CLUB NL PRESENTS:
Line-up: Roger Sanchez Genre: House | Time: 22:00 - 04:00 | Price: ¤17.50
Line-up: Best hits from the 80's & 90's Genre: Classics, Disco | Time: 22:00 - 03:00 | Price: ¤15
Line-up: Paul Sparkes Genre: House | Time: 23:00 - 03:00
Roger Sanchez Presents Stealth
We all love '80's & '90's
Floorplay
20
GIRLS LOVE DJS ADE SPECIAL I
t’s October again, autumn is coming. Days are getting shorter, nights are getting longer. During these nightly hours, the Amsterdam dance scene gets a treat from international and national level. On Wednesday 17th of October, GirlsLoveDJs will throw his party at the Odeon Theatre, together with the Australian Label, Sweat it Out, where world wide famous DJ duo Yolanda be Cool is signed. The evening will be a perfect combination of GirlsLoveDJs residents, Sweat it Out artists and a really special guest, all the way from the states: Drop the Lime. Last year he was one of the most discussed talent full upcoming artists. Drop the Lime combines his love for rockmusic with electronic music, what ends up in a great mix of a new style. During ADE there will be an extra soundsystem in the Odeon Theatre, so the quality of music will surely be great. Absolutely a party to not be missed out on.
LOCAL BEAT
LASER 3.14
His artwork is simple but snatches your attention. It’s short, sharp and blunt, both clever and wise, stamped across construction material all over the city. It’s not bright, not deep or detailed; it’s not even in picture form. aser 3.14 is the anonymous Amsterdam street graffer who uses words instead of images in his street art scrawling single, simple, thought provoking sentences on temporary surfaces causing streams of cyclists to twist their necks and pedestrians to stop in their tracks just to read the mysterious and powerful messages left by the faceless literary graffer. Having been leaving his words around the city for more than a decade, the iconic script and signature of Laser 3.14 has become an established and recognised feature of the Amsterdam city scenery. Laser’s work is always seen branded across temporary construction material such as plywood or containers, never on permanent structures. “It’s not so much a moral decision, I’m not really good at morals, it’s more about the philosophy behind it than the morals. I like the dynamics of it, everything changes. It has a here today gone tomorrow feel to it and I like the surprise that comes with it. Construction material can be taken away, moved and reused, they travel. Sometimes I will see an old tag that’s six years old or something pop up suddenly, they’ll move out of the city, then come back again. When you write on stone you know that it will probably still be there in ten years. Sometimes the builders are artists themselves, they just don’t know it yet, they will move and attach and mix up my work. It makes it more dynamic, it makes it come to life” Laser’s work often references politics, literature, religion, ancient mythology and the city of Amsterdam itself. He insists that “I don’t write so much from inspiration, it’s things that keep me busy, things I see around me, whether it be religion or politics, I’m interested in all the aspects of what we are now as a society. I write from emotion and feeling- something will suddenly come into my head and I’ll instantly write it down, it’s spontaneous. At the very beginning I would quote other people when I was trying things out, but I eventually thought- I have enough sentences of my own, I don’t have to use other peoples work, so I stopped doing that and focused on my own. Sometimes I’ll take sentences from my poetry, sometimes just a title that’s strong in itself. I like to keep my work simple and direct. I could use very pretentious words, but that’s just finding a difficult way to say something simple, by doing it my way, most people will understand”. Examining Laser’s book shelves in his cool artist’s studio, the variety in his collection of books is fascinating. “I don’t like novels, I’m more into historical, biographic or scientific stuff. Comic books too, it was always my dream growing up to make my own comic book and I managed to make my first when I was about 20. It was something of a springboard for me, every time I made money I invested it back into making more. I sold about 1000 which I guess is pretty good by Dutch standards. Comic books are definitely something I’d like to do again, but it takes a lot of time and focus, so It might be a long time coming’’. Along with the comic books, bound classical mythology tomes and framed pictures of a cute niece, Laser also has titles from other artists such as “Subway Art” and “Watching My Name Go By” on his shelf. In 2009 he published his own photographic picture book “Are You Reading Me” “In the beginning I wanted to put poetry in it but that idea was discarded pretty quickly, it wasn’t necessary, the city is poetic enough but I’m very happy with it as it is. It was more to do with the tags in the city in their urban surroundings, it was important to me to show them in the environment of the city, so not so much close ups. I also had it in my head that this city isn’t going to be the same in 20 years, so it’s something of a time document.” One of Lasers tags references project 1012 stating that it “killed the soul of Amsterdam” “That’s to do with the closing down of the Red Light District and the coffee shops which I believe would be terrible for the city. I don’t believe in repression in anyway. I always say that repression is the best thing for criminal activity because then everything goes underground and you don’t have any control over it. It makes sense, especially when it comes to marijuana. It makes no sense to destroy peoples’ lives, to destroy families, to ruin peoples’ lives by prosecuting them – people who haven’t done anything wrong, people who aren’t harming anyone. Marijuana is natural, it grows in the ground. How can you prohibit nature”?
L
Catherine Smyth
21
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THE DAM REGULARS
If you are looking for an event a little off the beaten track – Look no further. Check out the ‘Dam Regulars’ for some real local events and a chance to mingle with some like minded people.
EVERY SUNDAY
Comedy Workshop @ CREA Café
LOKAL MOKUM
23
DJ & MUSIC PRODUCTION COURSES
Cultural student centre for the University of Amsterdam Time: 15:00 | Location: Nieuwe Achtergracht 170 | Price: ¤30 for 4 work-shops EVERY MONDAY
Okido Yoga: Training for health, strength and mobility @ OT301
Famous squat which contributes immensely towards community activities. Check out their program! ¤12 EVERY TUESDAY
Open Mic Night @ Jet Lounge
Great venue, great vibe and totally acoustic. Time: 21:00 | Location: Groen van Prinstererstraat 41 EVERY THURSDAY
Salsa Dancing Night
Local Latin Night Time: 21:00-01:00 | Location: Klonneplein 4-6 | Price: Free EVERY SATURDAY
Organic Farmers Market
Organic Local Produce Time: 9:00-16:00 | Location: Noordermarkt, De Jordaan EVERY SUNDAY
Nude Swimming @ Zuiderbad
Not for everyone, but if you’re into it, well here it is, strip of a few layers and jump in! Time: 16:30-17:30 | Location: Hobbemastraat 26 | Price: ¤3.30 EVERY MONDAY
Sophie’s Quiz Night @ Café Thijssen
All questions are in English too! You can reserve a table on the facebook site ‘Café Thijssen’ Time: 20:00 | Location: Brouwersgracht 107 | Price: ¤2.50 p.p 1ST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Sivananda Yoga with Janaki
Learn how to relax, recharge, detox and energise! Time: Thursdays 9.15am - 10.30am, Saturdays 10.00am 11.15am | Location: Cornelis Anthoniszstraat 53hs | Price: ¤10 EVERY MONDAY
Drag Bingo @ The Queen’s Head Pub
A night which everybody should experience at least once, if not regularly! Time: 22:00-03:00 | Location: Zeedijk 20 | Price: ¤2.50 EVERY MONDAY
Sneak Preview @ Kriterion Movie Theatre Locally famous student-run theatre Time: 22:15 | Location: Roetersstraat 170 | Price: ¤5
Have you got a small local event or activity and want to let people know? Send us an email @ events@amsterdo.com
DJ Courses
4 HOURS INTENSIVE, PRICE: 120 EUROS Learn, mix & upload your first DJ MIX-TAPE to the internet within 4 hours of intensive course. 100% student satisfaction guaranteed. - DJ Setup: Turntables, CDJ's, Mixer & Headphones - Introduction to digital DJing with Traktor - Counting beats & beat matching - Mixing techniques, EQ's and effects - Record, upload & promote your first mix-tape
Music Production Course
4 HOURS INTENSIVE, PRICE: 150 EUROS Learn, Produce & Perform your first track idea with Ableton. Within this 4 hours intensive program you will learn & produce your first: - Drum Beats - Phat Bass Lines - Melodies - Record & Sample Sounds - Composition Techniques - Live Performance You can book: every Friday - Saturday - Sunday from Oude Waal 26 Sous, 1011EE Amsterdam info@unis-academy.com | Cenk Unis: +31(0)646 06 40 62
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