On the 17th of October, Solid Grooves came back to Amsterdam for its recurring collaboration with STRAF_WERK at Amsterdam Dance Event. Solid Grooves, founded by Michael Bibi and PAWSA in 2015, was already a familiar concept to us. We’ve been there in the UK, Ibiza and before in Amsterdam. What we’ve always really loved about the party is the real down-to-earth, like-minded crowd who gathers for Solid Grooves. You know each one of them came down to enjoy AMAZING music from a select group of GREAT talents. This year was no different.
A great mix of house and tech house for music lovers
For us, Amsterdam Dance Event is always a week of running up and down to catch a lot of our favorite artists and events. This party felt like a place where we could really ground and be ourselves, just soaking in the unique combo of flourishing tech and house sounds.
Out or inside festival
One of the great assets of the event was the venue. Solid Grooves x STRAF_WERK (let’s cut it short from now on) was being held at the NDSM Loods (warehouse). The warehouse is part of the former NDSM shipyard, which we think is very cool. The warehouse gave a very industrial and cool feeling, like if we were at a big -illegal- rave. On top of that, it was a good temperature, not too hot or cold. Small detail, but very important to me. The venue has a lot of big windows, which gave a lot of daylight, and it made us feel like we were at an outside festival. Also, the food court, which was all vegetarian (YAY), was outside. How nice to go for fresh air during an inside party!
Two first-class stages
SG x SWF had two stages. One inside (dark) stage with an amazing and beautiful light show, provided by Bob Roijen and his company, Raito . This stage featured artists like Michael Bibi and PAWSA themselves, but also Dennis Cruz and Paco Osuna gave an outstanding show, with a crazy mix of Dimensions by no other than Ben Sterling.
The second stage was the one surrounded by big windows and a lot of shipping containers. These containers gave the venue and stage such an underground and industrial feeling, which was mesmerizing. At this stage, we’ve had astounding performances from artists like Locklead, Fabe, and Chris Stussy. With their deep rolling basslines and groovy sounds, they got the whole crowd dancing their hearts out!
All of the performances we’ve seen were nothing but great, and we could not be other than positive about such an event and day.
More party more better
We are so happy that we can finally be in our natural habitat again. Dancing, connecting, enjoying music. STRAF_WERK, for us, is one of the events which never disappoints. From the festivals being held in summer to Elrow in the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven. The last one we’re particularly excited about, because (when COVID doesn’t F*** it up) is being held again on the 4th and 5th of December.
Ticket Sales are on the 28th of October. Pre-register till tomorrow [27th October]. Presale on Thursday [28th October] from 11 a.m. [24h] and on Friday [28th October] the regular sale. Here’s a ticket link for you to make it easier.
When you get the chance, check it out. Celebrating Brazilian Carnival, pretending you’re in a 30 degree Rio de Janeiro but then in winter. Also, this party is one of my personal favorites in the Netherlands. Trust me on this one!
Would we go again
Well, I could go on and on about all this, but let’s round this up. Would I go to SG X SWF again? HELL to the YEAH! It was a fantastic event paired with fantastic, vegetarian food, amazing live music, lovely people, and not forgetting very nice Fritz Kola (thanks for my play cards!) We’ve really enjoyed it and I will certainly be going back for more – so see you in 2022!
