The Netherlands capital has always been the face of the country’s progressive nature, or as the prudish might call it, depravity.
A popular stop on the typical ‘Eurotrip’ circuit, Amsterdam embodies everything that notion represents in the eye of a young tourist, and the sex shows in the red light district and the ‘treats’ in the coffee shops are popular tourist fodder.
While it’s easy to get distracted by such novelties amongst the canals in this incredibly beautiful metropolis, doing so overlooks the greatest by-product of the country’s liberties; which is to say the cultural aspects of Amsterdam. While being eclectic and outstanding in their own right, they are largely missed by the hoards of tourist that descend upon this European city every year.
Sure the lines to get inside Anne Frank’s house and the Van Gogh Museum flow outside their doors on a regular basis, but we’re talking more specifically about Amsterdam’s music culture, which is far from as recognised as it should be.
The city’s electronic music scene is the exception to that rule though. As the short documentary Why Amsterdam? – The City’s Underground Dance Scene At A Glance details below, music labels like Rush Hour ( we detail their record store equivalent below), station Red Light Radio, and various other club nights have helped to promote Amsterdam’s burgeoning party scene.
But the part of Amsterdam’s music scene that is largely being overlooked is often the diverse venues that represent music from the most obscure backgrounds.
As Melkweg and OCCII evidence below, one of the best parts of the Amsterdam music scene is that it combines a variety of art spaces into the one building.
Olaf Boswijk, owner of Trouw, a restaurant/club located in an old newspaper warehouse, envisages in the above documentary the direction that he hopes to take his club in:
“Where you’re not only going to a club, or at a place where you’re going to eat but you can actually wonder about the building and be surprised by art installations, or maybe’s there a 24 hour book and vinyl shop or get your t-shirt printed or maybe there’s like a movie. It’s kinda like a city within a city feel.”
With venues looking to expand in these directions and already offering more than just your straight up gig and bar contribution Amsterdam is a city that sits in its own league of exciting possibilities.
EDM Lovers: Amsterdam Music Festival Is Definitely Your Kind Of Thing
With people from over 63 countries attending the 2013 event we wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t already know about this festival, but if you didn’t, this event will take over the Amsterdam ArenA in October this year with the world’s biggest DJs set to soundtrack the city’s biggest party. If last year’s lineup, consisting of Alesso, Armin Van Buuren and Fredde Legrand amongst others, is anything to go by than we’re in for a big one.
Take A Walk To The Red Light District For The Hells Angels Owned Café Excalibur
Oudezijds Achterburgwal 48
While many a tourist might consider visiting this café just so they can provide a decent FOMO-inducing social media anecdote, for metal fans there’s nothing light hearted about this venue. Yes, it is said to be owned by a Hells Angel, and yes, the place is filled with armour (and a pool table) but the main attraction here are the metal bands. There’s a coffee shop too, just in case you wanted to take an extra ‘trip’ within this metal haven.
Head to Concerto For Amsterdam’s Best Cheap Vinyl
Utrechtsestraat 52-60
If you were worried this independent record store would be ambiguous (like many are) you can breathe easy, there should be little worry that you’ll miss this establishment. While it may have started as a small enterprise it now occupies five storefronts in a row. That’s right, five. It’s known for being the best and cheapest vinyl store in the city. It’s also quite the maze inside, as you’d expect. There’s everything from the obscure to the obvious, with both new and used goods stocked.
Bow Down To Live Music At Paradiso
Weteringschans 6-8
Regardless of your view on religion you can’t deny that churches have made for great music venues. They provide acoustics that you won’t get in any ordinary space. Paradiso first become a music establishment in the ’60s when hippies squatted here and it has since transformed into one of the most popular live music venues in the city. While a small room upstairs hosts smaller acts, the main hall, with two balconies included, has seen Queens Of The Stone Age play to a packed room of 1,500, amongst others.
Experience It All At The Cultural Centre, Melkweg
Spuistraat 98
Lijnbaansgracht 234a
When an establishment has two concert halls, a cinema, café, upstairs theatre, photography galley, and a newly built hall you tend to think of it as a finely polished cultural mall. But Melkweg sticks to its typically Amsterdam roots. The brick aesthetic of this former dairy factory still retains the rock image it had when it was first taken over in 1970. To this day the centre supports rock and any other form of music that walks through its doors. The Wu-Tang Clan, Libertines, and The Prodigy have all played here in the past.
Shop For Vinyl Until You Drop At Distortion Records
Westerstraat 244
Fitting in with the old adage of dishevelled record stores, where among the piles of unorganised vinyl there is gold waiting to be found, Distortion Records is chaotic to say the least. But rather than be full of junk like its image might suggest there are plenty of new releases and rarities to find here. Their selection varies from ’70s punk rock, jazz, funk, soul, and Latin, to soundtracks, indie, hip-hop, reggae and electronic.
Experience The World Class Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ
Piet Heinkade 1
Even if you’re not a fan of contemporary classical music you should probably head to this concert hall just to check out this impressive piece of modern day architecture. Opened in 2005 this concert hall has an incredible sound system and it’s located just 10 minutes from the Amsterdam Central Station; there’s no excuse to miss it.
Witness Everything From Experimental to Punk At OCCII
Amstelveenseweg 134
Much like Melkweg, OCCII is a multi-purpose building. This time we have a rehearsal studio, children’s theatre, vegan café, squatter library room, and a gig space rolled into one. With the gig room recently refurbished the music program is as obscure and as eclectic as they come. Whether it be glitchcore, queer punk, hardcore, art-rock and jazz freak out – OCCII has you covered.
Rush Hour Has You Sorted For Your Electronic Records
Spuistraat 98
This record store is small, but the focus here is on the selection not the amount of records they can hold. They’ve got the very best of house, techno, hip-hop, electronica, soul, jazz, and world. While there’s plenty of new releases there are a few second hand goods and CDs on offer too. It’s not always the cheapest, but you pay for what you get at Rush Hour.
Catch Local Acts At De Nieuwe Anita
Frederik Hendrikstraat 111
Like your typical hipster hangout this establishment has secondhand armchairs and grandma lamps. The crowd here are as friendly as they come and if you afraid you won’t be able to see the stage just walk upstairs and through the door disguised as a bookshelf and you’ll find yourself on a mezzanine that looks over the main stage. Local bands and alternative international acts all play here.
