Loveland, Amsterdam you have managed to once again prove to us why this city is so magical to party in. With the absolutely world class line up you had in store we had been buzzing for this for months.

With the festival located by the lake in Sloterpark, the setting was perfect. What’s more, the weather played its part for most of the day and as a result, there was a really great summer festival vibe.

As always the festival attracted ravers from all over Europe, each giving their own unique style to the party and it was an amazing sight to see the music we love unite so many cultures and breaking down language barriers.

First up we saw British house don Huxley play in the ‘Nest’ located right by the water at a man-made beach and playground. The dance floor was already packed as we got there, so people started using the playground equipment as overflow space to not miss this! Pretty much upon arrival Huxley started playing in Sable Sheep – Rise of the fallen.

As the funky beat started kicking in you could just see smiles and euphoria spreading everywhere, which escalated into exhilaration once the bass kicked in after the first vocals. Brilliant way to set the tone and get everyone moving!

As we headed towards the Fire Stage you could already sense the anticipation as the crowds were building up fast. The closer we got the more intense the minimal sound of Egberts live show was becoming. The stage was gigantic with three speaker towers, each increasing in height, as well as the lasers built into the pyramid shaped cubes above the DJ. It was impossible to stand still as the energy of the crowd was going into overdrive.

One amazing track onto the next you could sense Egbert had found his groove and was not going to let it go. His set took us higher and higher towards Techno heaven, reaching its peak with Stellar – Keif. As he worked it in you could feel the kickdrum hitting like a wrecking ball as the warped elements added a spooky element to the track, creating a perfect soundtrack for sunset that was cast in the background.

Hats off to Egbert who got given the challenging task of taking over from Richie Hawtin and warming up for Sven Väth.

At 8pm it was finally time for the godfather of Techno, Sven Väth. A master of his craft for the past 35 years, at the fast approaching age of 52 it is hard to believe he is still headlining the biggest festivals in Europe with bookings seemingly every night of the week.

Starting off his set with a few slower tracks we soon got to experience why he is still the king as he dropped Danny Daze – Swim. A fantastic track stripped right back to the basics that is always a hit on the dancefloor.

With the set getting more and more intense he pulled out KiNK’s remix of one of his own productions, Accident in Paradise. The synth is so beautifully composed and truly produced to bring the dance floor into a feeling of ecstasy. The rather unexpected drop spread jubilation throughout the red laser lit dancefloor.

As is typical with Dutch festivals the promoter made an announcement telling us who had just played and thanking us for coming, however not even he was expecting the crowd to react so loudly in asking Sven to play one more track.

We seem to fall more and more in love with Amsterdam upon every visit as they just about perfect every festival, all the way from organisation to bookings. It seems in the wake of the Fabric controversy due to circumstances beyond their control that it can be worth seeing an example other cities set on how to deal with these problems, and Amsterdam sets a very good one.

They understand that these things cannot be avoided, so rather than work against the clubs and events, its seen as productive to combine the efforts and work with them – this approach can be seen clearly in all of the events within the city.

Thank you Loveland, Amsterdam and we cannot wait to attend your Amsterdam Dance Event shows!

Written by Daniel Brenner