Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) will open its 2025 edition on Wednesday, October 15, with six Opening Specials that highlight the crossover between electronic music and other art forms. These multidisciplinary events set the tone for the week, showing how sound connects to community, creativity, and culture.
Music and orchestras
- DBN Gogo & Metropole Orkest @ Melkweg
In true ADE tradition, Metropole Orkest joins forces with South African DJ and producer DBN Gogo for a special tribute to Amapiano – the influential hybrid of deep house, jazz, kwaito, and lounge. - 24classics presents: Canto Ostinato by Helena Basilova x Nick Verstand @ Zuiderkerk
Two intimate shows where pianist Helena Basilova merges Simeon ten Holt’s hypnotic Canto Ostinato with deep electronic textures. Visual artist Nick Verstand amplifies the performance with an immersive light installation responding in real time.
Immersive arts
- Dome Concerts presents: Julius Horsthuis & Suzanne Ciani @ Artis Planetarium
Fractal artist Julius Horsthuis and Buchla synthesizer pioneer Suzanne Ciani transform the ARTIS Planetarium into a 360° audiovisual universe. - CYCLES: GiGi FM x Lumus Instruments @ Felix Meritis
‘POLYNODE: CYCLES’, a digital media installation by Lumus Instruments, meets the artistry of GiGi FM, who blends sound, movement, poetry, and storytelling into an immersive AV journey.
Visual arts
- Opening Exhibition: ClubCult @ Door Open Space
Over 200 portraits captured during De School’s closing weekend reimagined as large-scale projections and video works, curated with music by Beste Hira. - Opening Exhibition: A Scan Through Dutch Rave Culture: 1990–2005 @ Door Open Space
An expanded archive of rave flyers, visuals, and cultural artifacts, tracing the history and identity of Dutch rave culture.
Club culture and performance
- The Grid: Embodied @ Door Open Space
A premiere by Victor Dissel and Bram van Ravenhorst with choreography by Arno Schuitemaker. Sixteen moving light columns and a solo dancer explore the tension between human and machine in a 20-minute performance. - ARK x Before/After present GATE @ Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum becomes a stage for interactive dance, where collectives Alyson Sillon (Before/After) and Connor Schumacher (ARK) merge audience participation with performance among Van Gogh’s works.
Expanding beyond the club
These Opening Specials show how ADE continues to push the boundaries of electronic music, extending into performance, visual culture, orchestral reinterpretations, and interdisciplinary art. From iconic venues like Melkweg and Zuiderkerk to institutions such as the Van Gogh Museum, ADE 2025 promises an opening day that merges nightlife with creativity in unexpected ways.