ADE Spotlight: The sounds of Breakfast Club are sensitive, but not to hypes

Walking into Der Hintergarten on the Saturday morning, a well-hidden industrial sight that gives off 90s rave vibes and isn't a garden at all, you'll notice a queue straight away. Make no mistake, the queue is not made out of people waiting to get in: it's people queueing for the sourdough croissants on display, served with fresh fruits and coffees to get their morning started. Programmer Pieter Jansen explains the choice for this concept: 'Breakfast Club started as an afterparty. We wanted program longer sets than artists would usually play, so they would have the creative freedom to take people on a journey with them. The concept is that no artist should have to perform in a straight line, or try to one up their predecessor. Nowadays, people come in fresh to enjoy the music to the fullest, without the feeling of being in a rush.' To put it short, when you buy a ticket to Breakfast Club, expect a day of sonic storytelling and deep cuts.

This summer edition of the event proves that it pays off to stick with the niche you've chosen as an artist. What qualities would you need to have to get programmer (and artist) Pieter Jansen to book you? 'It's about good quality DJ sets', explains Pieter Jansen. Although it's almost an obvious answer, he speaks with a fire that says he means it. He is responsible for the music at any Breakfast Club event, besides founder Brent Roozendaal. As they put it, they want to walk around during an event and hear quality music everywhere they go, whatever stage at whatever time. 'Almost everyone plays with vinyl. We book people who truly get it and can deliver whenever we invite them.'

Sensitive, but not to hypes

The pair sees playing well-thought-out sets as the highest art form on the planet. Next to those euphoric moments on the dance floor where everything comes together in one magnificent track or perfectly timed wave of release, the electronic music scene has its challenges, too. Jansen briefly touches on past events that weren't as successful as they'd hoped, and if the duo's being perfectly honest, they would also much rather party with loads of other people than dance to an artist staring into the void in front of them.

'There's always the challenge of catering to people's wants and doing what our musical DNA tells us to. This comes straight out of our hearts', adds Brent Roozendaal. 'We're not going with hype-sensitive sounds, but we do know what's going on. We've gathered a good group of people at our events that can't be fooled. Breakfast Club has to deliver good names, so artists and dancers keep coming back. Creating a solid line-up is as much an art form as playing a good show', he concludes.

Dancers who've been to previous ADE editions will know what Roozendaal means. The event series works with residents, which is more frequently seen in regards to clubs than in day events. During ADE 2023, Breakfast Club hosted a 'marathon' spanning across four events in two days. The lineup included artists like Ben UFO, who also headlined the recent 'Summer In The City' day festival, Kia b2b Moopie, Nelly, mad miran b2b Oceanic, Marcel Dettman, Spekki Webu, and residents Ogazón, Marie K, and Eversines. This year, it's not a marathon..

Our manic duo (Roozendaal and Jansen) is not scared of the future: the two take on an even bigger risk than in the past. This ADE, Breakfast Club returns with a triathlon. Recently, an Instagram post emerged in which the Amsterdam-focused events collective seems to tease a collaboration with the iconic German festival Nachtdigital. The first official confirmations for the three days of breakfast boogie madness will reach us pretty soon, but until then, let's look at the artists who have shaped its sound so far.

Marie K

Classically schooled and bringing South American influences with her on her USB and out of her precious bag of records, Marie K is hard to pigeonhole as an artist. Her sets are a therapeutic way to release energy and feed off her audience. The Rotterdam-based artist knows how to build a set – no matter which time slot she plays. During Breakfast Club: Summer In The City, Marie K opened the Loading Dock stage by Phonoteque, a Uruguayan club. It appears to be a perfect match with the wholesome sounds the Dutch artist showcases. It's quite hot already when she opens the outdoor dance floor, the sun's out, and so are a lot of early birds. Above the wooden panel that saves the DJ gear from getting fried from the sun shines an even brighter light: resident Marie K is in her element.

Next to playing Breakfast Club's ADE triathlon, Marie K is set to deliver harder sounds during Speedy J's STOOR at Paradiso on ADE Sunday.

Eversines

Known to many as a solid but still somewhat niche producer, Breakfast Club resident Eversines can't be overlooked as a performing artist as well. He's almost like a shapeshifter; whether he opens for Jane Fitz at Butik Festival (go a bit darker) or plays an extended live set with Marie K at Nous'klaer Audio's 'XYF Festival' (find each other by creating new music altogether), he finds the right tracks to go with the setting. Pinning him down to only house music won't do him justice, as he sees every set as an opportunity to show his passion for the craft of DJ'ing with vinyl. He played the afterparty of Breakfast Club: Summer In The City (appropriately called Shadow in the City) back-to-back with Penelope, who he greatly admires, and now looks forward to the big breakfast triathlon, where he gets a live slot with Marie K, bringing their newly composed music to life for the second time ever.

Expect a long live performance from the duo, who try to create a 'pleasant togetherness' within dancers but also keep people on their toes with their pocket of house music. Eversines: 'See it as a spectrum. On one end, you have people who sell out big stadiums; on the other, you have people who maybe only have two Bandcamp followers. I may be in a niche in the grand scheme of things, but I will always try to keep people dancing and empathise with the crowd.' The producer of the warm and gooey EP 'Achterna', of which songs were played at many dance floors by other artists, adds that the daytime events of Breakfast Club are the parties he enjoys going to when he's not playing, too. 'People at Breakfast Club are very open. They understand what we are building together', the Dutch producer adds.

Luna Ludmila (live)

Maybe the most frequently asked question about artists who do a 'live' performance is what they actually do live. There's no doubt about that this morning when Luna Ludmila plays, who has created her own 'electronic micro cosmos' for the last twenty years. She treats us to a down-tempo, dub-infused live set, where you see her work hard during the set, although her ambient simultaneously has a calming effect on her and everyone listening. It's take your croissant to the dance floor day. Luna Ludmila has three hours to get the sleep out of everyone's eyes. She builds a musical story softer than anyone's pillow, and the first dances are in.

Monty DJ

Monty DJ is just as hard to pin down to one genre as anyone else on the lineup today, but what's obvious more than anything is that the 'Flippen Disks' label head chooses a bassy approach to his sun-soaked set. You'll most likely find this Amsterdam-based artist in club Radio Radio, where he programs the radio broadcasts. As a DJ, it's fun to dance in front of Monty, who seamlessly blends percussion-infused tracks with housey elements. He's yet to make his ADE debut, but he always shows that he represents the sounds of the moment when he plays at other events.

Ciel & Priori

Be honest, DJs: who doesn't have any Priori tracks on their USBs? The Canadian musician walks around Der Hintergarten all day, dancing to the sets by other artists on the lineup. He seems calm, but his back-to-back with Ciel is nothing like that. Pairing up the two is a wise choice, their tracks blend effortlessly. If you play a game of counting the bass faces in the crowd, you'll lose track. What even are they playing? It's not trance, it's not breaks and it's not tech-house, but it does hit the spot for everyone on the Mainstage. Rinse FM resident Ciel takes her 'grassroots rave promoter' energy to the stage and shows that it doesn't matter what the genre actually is. We're all here to have a good time.

While we wait for Breakfast Club's first announcements, the first ADE Festival confirmations are in.