Grooving in Dam at Dekmantel Festival

Wowzaas, what a weekend! My friends and I embarked on a journey to Amsterdam to enter the haven for quality House and Techno, also known as Dekmantel Festival. Now in its third year, Dekmantel has already established itself as one of the best European music festivals in the world. And I can totally agree! Dekmantel has been one of the most exceptional festivals I have been to. Its fully fledged crowd and stellar line up with the finest House and Techno are just three reasons why.

As we stepped into the grounds of Amsterdamse Bos on the first day of the festival, we immediately shot our way to the frontlines of the main stage where Ricardo Villalobos & Zip took over the decks playing a back to back set. There was no better timing than to walk through the festival for the first time than to hear Villalobos drop one of my favourite Floorplan tunes, Baby Baby. The crowd buzzed with excitement as Baby Baby kick-started the audience in a united fist-pump frenzy. Too soon, the set had finished and we found ourselves weaving around the festival, exploring what else was on offer. We settled for Roy Ayers playing inside The Lab, a space that resembled a green house (a lot like Studio 338). The Jazz legend toned things down for us as he sang his uplifting classics such as Everybody Loves the Sunshine live. A perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon!

That evening I left captivated by the influential and pioneering Floorplan (Robert Hood). Playing at the Boiler Room stage in the midst of a forest, Floorplan worked through a seamless set of House, Techno and of course mixing it with his very own Gospel touch. The stage was brimming with dozens of Hood fans, watching in awe as him and Lyric (his daughter) played tracks such as the epic Never Grow Old, We Magnify His Name and Hallelujah Anyway. The Boiler Room crew even recall this special moment as "Dekmantel's highest of highlights". But enough of me rambling on, you can go ahead and check out the whole set for yourself below:

As Friday ended at a high, we kept the same levels going for the Saturday. Starting off at the main stage was Four Tet where he delivered an experimental set playing his new track Morning and ending with a few Grime instrumentals, including XTC's Functions On The Low - taking us UK Grime fans on a nostalgic trip! The rest of the day continued with us bopping along to Floating Points back to back with Hunee and Antal that consisted of impeccable funk and soul tracks. The night ended at the Boiler Room stage again, where Jeremy Underground tore down the area with hard and heavy tracks, clearly feeding off the enthusiastic crowd. There again, it was the last set of the day that had gripped me into loving Dekmantel just that little bit more.

As the final day of the festival arrived and the heat soared to a scorching 30 degrees, we were more than ready to give it one final blast in support of such an amazing weekend. The day started off with a lot of floating around; I began at the main stage for Midland, then pondered off to The Lab to discover Helena Hauff - a wonderful talent that plays smooth techno with a righteous flair. The Hessle Audio trio (Ben UFO, Pangea and Pearson Sound) then brought the festival to a close with a continuous bass laden oeuvre set. Over at the Selectors stage, I-F played astoundingly - he was easily one of my highlights of the weekend. Dropping Abba (Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie and Lay All Your Love On Me) laced within Techno beats drove the crowd nuts for the final set of the festival - a spontaneous and brilliant move that closed the festival as a memorable and emotional one!

The night wasn't over just yet for us. We decided to attend the after party at Melkweg - one of the most well-known electronic music venues in the town centre of Amsterdam. With Prosumer back to back with Tama Sumo and Paranoid London (Live) headlining, it was not one to be missed. Whilst Dekmantel by day is chilled and mellow, Dekmantel by night is vigorous and intense (we ended up leaving at around 9am). The afters was a fantastically chaotic party with Paranoid London tearing the crowd apart in the main room. As the morning went on, Prosumer took the reins upstairs with an eclectic and diverse set to keep the crowd going. I smile and close my eyes as I hear Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes' The Block Party, a child-hood fave song of mine that took me back years.

Melkweg afters!

It was just all about the music at Dekmantel. A slick, smooth and sophisticated festival that delivers the best contemporary House and Techno around. With it being only in its third year, Dekmantel has already earned its reputation as a triumphal festival that celebrates the most talented and diverse DJs in the electronic music community.

Until next time Dekmantel!

Tania x