First Day in Amsterdam

First Day in Amsterdam.. On the hotel shuttle, I overheard a few British teenagers talking about the ADE. Listening in, I discovered that they had travelled to party for a couple of nights and hear DJs who hadn't played in London yet. Open-minded dance music lovers, that's a great way to start the event.

So what is the first thing a DJ does when they enter a new town? Check out the record shops, of course! In the course of three hours, I visited six different record stores, where I was consistently impressed with the selection, display and clerks.

At Midtown Records (Nieuwendijk 104), I checked out the ADE poster before heading downstairs to their massive hard house and techno section. Over at Boudisque (Haringpakkerssteeg 10/18), the CD selection was varied, separated by genre with a lot of DVDs. When I saw a section labeled clickhouse, a clerk descibed it as a fusion of house, electro and glitch and played a sample.

Killa Cutz (Nieuwe Nieuwstraat 19) and Dance Tracks (Nieuwe Niewstraat 69), located in close proximity to each other, both reminded me of New York record shops with sleeves on display and turntables lined up to preview your tempting purchases. The design of Rhythm Import (Dukdalfweg 44), with a salon and clothing room, proves the point that dance music is not just about records, it is a lifestyle.

Walking around the city I noticed ADE signs everywhere, whether the black and white posters for the Dance Records & DJ Equipment Fair (Melkweg) or the yellow posters trumpeting Deep Dish (Panama). Just about every record store had the ADE booklets on display and several even had welcome signs. The ADE poster is the first thing you see when you walk into Concerto (Utrechtsestraat 52).

While you are in the city, check out these dance record stores and support the retailers!