DJ Ron Slomowicz: When did the Amsterdam Dance Event begin and why was it created?
Pieter Van Adrichem: In 1996, dance and electronic music was already the most important music genre in Europe. We figured that it would be good to have a hub for professionals to meet and get to know each others music. At the time Midem was very important for anyone trading dance music, and so was WMC in Miami, but there wasn't a specialized forum for electronic music in Europe. None of these events really catered new talent, and we thought it would be good to have that too.
RS: How did you get involved with ADE?
Pieter Van Adrichem: I was asked to do the PR six weeks before the first edition and stayed
on.
RS: What is your role in the madness?
Pieter Van Adrichem: Well, I still do most PR, but I organize a few panels, speak to a few
partners and in general try to sustain the efficiency, wisdom and
creative force of the event...
RS: How has it grown over the years?
Pieter Van Adrichem: We started out with close to 500 participants and we're on 1300 now.
What's more important however is that the 'quality' of our participants
is very high: we have the MD's of the truly important dance record
companies, the bookers to the festivals, the agents and promoters that
really matter. We want people at the ADE to learn from each other, and
we want a lot of new music to be heard.
RS: What's the difference between the Festival and the Conference?
Pieter Van Adrichem: Well, the festival is for the general public, while the conference is
more business oriented. But there is a strong connection: the fact that
there are so many companies present means that a lot of them will go to
great lengths to present there artists and DJ's at the ADE - for this
year we have a lot of showcases, including Ministry of Sound, Defected,
Warp, Delsin and probably over 15 others. The festival is actually on of the five biggest dance events in the Netherlands, with over 300 Dj's and artists. We've always put a lot of emphasis on having a broad vision: every genre of electronic music deserves a place at the ADE...
RS: How is ADE different than Winter Music Conference?
Pieter Van Adrichem: In my opinion, WMC is more for aspiring DJ's looking for gigs and
promo's while the ADE want to cater to the industry looking for new
talent and for records to license. We try to support our participants
with getting in touch with each other, so with us, people can contact
each other even before the ADE through an online database. And with our badge, you DO get into the clubs at night...
