Het Twiske, Amsterdam

Celebrating the past, present and, well, future of dance music, Amsterdam festival institution Welcome to the Future hosted another stacked line-up of electronic music favourites in the city’s massive northerly green space, Het Twiske, for its 11th edition.

These rolling fields played host to eight stages, some named after their respective musical focus (House and Techno, for example), others by location (Forest, Garden, Amsterdam) or theme (Circus, Basement). Each stage was exuberantly decorated, reminiscent of a travelling carnival with a massive, elevated Main Stage holding court over all with its pseudo castle, 3D Design.

Over on the House and Techno stages, a handful of sets stood out. On the House stage, Noir’s Scandinavian tech-house, which included a peak-time drop of Solomun’s summer anthem The Age of Love remix, and his consistent energy kept the packed tent moving from front to back despite the day’s heaviest rainfall. Matador’s renowned live act brought a more melodic vibe to the Circus area, ultimately peaking with selections of his recent Velvet Revolver EP. Elsewhere on the premises, Damian Lazarus’ tribal laden set was a welcome dose of wiggy electronic music from one of the originators of mindful house, transitioning nicely into the soulful, piano-heavy work of Kerri Chandler before ending on the pure Chicago thump of Lil Louis.

The festival’s local showcase on the Amsterdam stage was the site of some of the day’s best music. It also hosted some of the festival’s best décor, including a full on dancer-in-the-window Red Light District backdrop. Igniting the most infectious energy seen at the event, the stage picked up steam with city favourite Tom Trago’s relentless selections, which led into a pure “DJ’s DJ” set from Steve Rachmad before closing with Jackmaster b2b Cinnamon.

All in all, Welcome to the Future is one of those Amsterdam events that has simply perfected its formula over the years, attracting some of the industry’s top names and ultimately setting them up with a space and atmosphere in tune for success. It is also a festival that focuses on sustainability (as recognised in 2016 by ADE Green’s Greener Festival honours). The Function One sound systems pounded out their patently crystal clear audio throughout each area, while its combined line-ups of locals and internationals, mainstream stars and underground heroes, kept things interesting. After 11 years, Welcome to the Future is grounded deeply into the foundations of the city’s musical landscape.