A great experience, like a great meal, starts with basic ingredients. The preparation and presentation are what turn the raw materials into fine dining or, in the case of my most recent trip, fine dancing. From Oct 18-21st, The W Hotel Amsterdam took their on-the-pulse sense of style, partnered with the fast-growing French production company Cercle, and flung their doors open to all the flavors of the Amsterdam Dance Event — a week-long, city-wide celebration of EDM, drawing big name artists and industry insiders from across the globe.
The result was a metaphorically Michelin-worthy week of programming and parties. A far cry from the glorious chaos of Burning Man only a month prior, this week was curated to a T.
The undeniable success of the event started with aesthetics — something the W brand has hung its hat on since they popped onto the scene and virtually created the playbook for modern luxury hotels. Located in the very center of the city, the Amsterdam W boasts a two-building complex that pairs together perfectly. On one side, the “Bank Building” features a more classic European exterior and a series of suites that blend old-world charm with just the right touch of modern flair. Across the narrow red brick road, the “Exchange Building” leans into a clean, minimalist motif with modern art touches around every corner.
This was my home for the week. Not a bad base for some revelry.
Upon arrival, I found all the essentials for a week of partying laid on my bed — a sleek black reusable water bottle, high-quality earplugs designed for the dance floor, a scented candle for the comedown, and even a coconut milk face mask for recharging. Sitting on the desk I found a fresh fruit tart with a happy birthday message drizzled in dark chocolate. (My actual b-day was Monday. I arrived on Wed… Three cheers for celebrating the full birthday week!)
As I made my way up to the roof to meet one of my liaisons for the week, I walked through Mr. Porter, a five-star steak house that opens up with a glass-walled, dry aging meat locker that looks more like a high-end retail display window than a pantry. I’ve been vegan for seven years now so I didn’t get to make the most of this meat lover’s menagerie; however, throughout the week I heard multiple people raving about their menu. If you’re partial to a steak dinner, consider this a must while visiting. The restaurant features 180 degrees worth of floor-to-ceiling windows that give patrons a beautiful view of the city, including the Royal Palace, literally next door. The space encompasses half of the top floor of the hotel, the other half is the W lounge and bar which boasts equally stunning panoramic views and that with the help of an incredible production team, was transformed into a full on club every night. This is where we danced to a highly curated roster of DJs from around the world. More on that in a bit.
A few floors beneath the bar and restaurant, the team at Cercle had transformed the “Great Room” into a livestream production studio that hosted daily panel discussions and workshops. With topics such as “Clarity in Chaos: Mental Health Within the Electronic Music Ecosystem” the speakers kept a packed room leaning forward in their seats. Possibly the most attended of the talks was “The Art of Exponential Growth: Capturing an Audience” featuring the fast-rising star DJs Mochakk & Indira Paganotto. Young, fun, and ruthlessly authentic, they gave the crowd the best social media advice that anyone could possibly offer — “there is no formula, just be yourself and let the world in”
For more hands-on how-tos, Cercle created two exclusive experiential workshops that were both edifying and engaging. First, they invited two of their premier drone pilots to teach a class on flying FPV (first person view) drones. If you’ve never watched a Cercle video, do so here. Their niche is creating one-off live events in magically unique destinations across the globe. Their drone work is a key element to each of their video presentations, giving a sense of space and wonder to each hand-picked location. Now it was our turn to see just how much skill it takes to pull off those epic shots.
We started the class with a brief talk, then were quickly let loose to start our training in a simulator lab they’d built. Within an hour, they gave us the actual controls and we all got to fly a real drone in a controlled setting. Yes, I crashed. We all did. But by the end I truly got the feel for it and was buzzing around faster and faster, earning the title of “most aggressive” new pilot of the day.
What can I say? I like to play hard.
On the flip side, the second exclusive workshop was a refined cooking class and beat pairing aptly dubbed “Kitchn’ Klub.” The Cercle team might as well have reconstructed a Top Chef set for us, I couldn’t tell you the difference. Well, I suppose the fact that we didn’t work with any open flame helped mitigate the inherent liability factor.
Still, the knives were sharp, the beats were banging and the menu was sublime. Belgian Chef Paul Delrez and DJ Calao (a solid chef in her own right!) led us through two courses of fresh and healthy recovery food. First, we made a hearty labneh and lentil salad with a hot harissa kicker that definitely cleared the nostrils. We followed this with a shot of fresh-pressed green juice and finished out with a citrus and fennel-topped hummus plate that I would have gladly ordered on repeat if room service offered it. The whole experience flew by in a short 45 minutes but it was the perfect light menu for those of us who’d been burning the candle at both ends and making the most of the nightlife.
Speaking of the night, the lights and the Cercle x W dance floor were not to be trifled with. Cercle’s artistic director Phil Tuchmann and global music director for the W brand, LP Giobbi handpicked a lineup of DJs and artists that absolutely electrified the crowd. With a female-forward roster that definitely highlighted its share of male artists too, the musical offerings spanned a diverse blend of styles that kept us all on our toes, both literally and figuratively.
While all of the talent deserves their flowers, a few of my personal favorites included Francis Mercier, AWAN, Desire, Cassian, Gordo, Mind Against, and Friend of Uproxx LP Giobbi herself. Mind you, ADE is a massive playground of over 2,500+ artists, two hundred + venues that quite literally take the whole city of Amsterdam by storm for a full five days of non-stop EDM action. To collect and consolidate the caliber and consistency of talent that the W held for four straight nights felt like nothing short of wizardry.
Jumping out beyond the W-alls, the city of Amsterdam herself deserves an entirely separate article. This was my first visit to the famed land of winding canals and cannabis cafes and she certainly didn’t disappoint. I only had a limited time to explore amidst the ADE programming and some significant precipitation, but what I did get to experience enchanted me.
On my first full morning, I did my favorite “new city” ritual — laced up my running shoes and walked out the door without any planned direction or destination. I just went and let my instincts take me on a tour. I wound my way past the palatial facade of the Centraal train station and through the fabled Red Light district. I sprinted along riverfronts and slowed my pace through zig-zagging alleys with buildings quite literally leaning in over me (their foundations have shifted due to the soaked ground below). Every block I passed seemed to have its own unique blend of Old World energy melding with modern adaptations.
In my limited experience, the whole of Amsterdam is like a patchwork quilt. There is no particular pattern that I can point to, but it feels fundamentally warm and well balanced as if stitched together by the coolest grandma you’ve ever known. Although I think the word “charming” can often verge on pejorative and is way overused in travel writing, Amsterdam is charming in the “warts and all” sense — you see the upsides and downsides pretty quickly but you love it just the same.
As those of us who travel often know well, sometimes you visit a place and feel totally complete, like it’s been checked off the list and requires no further exploration. Other places leave you with the entirely opposite feeling; a deep knowing that you’ve only just scratched the surface and a return trip is not only warranted, it’s mandatory. In the case of Amsterdam and even more specifically ADE, I’m all the way in the latter category. I’ll definitely be heading back for a second serving of both — hopefully with another W x Cercle collab waiting for me.
