Amsterdam Dance Event News
LNY TNZ Talks About His Origin, Earliest Dance Music Memories & More!
We sat down with LNY TNZ to discuss why he doesn’t like to be called a DJ, why we should forgo genres all together and just focus on the music.
This interview was originally published on the Drop Bass Not Bombs podcast. The following is a transcribed excerpt from that interview hosted by Amy Farina (MC Unicorn).
Can you let everyone know a bit more about you. Who you are, where you’re from, what do you do? What’s your story?
Oh, my story. So, my name is Jan. I’m from Holland. My artist name is LNY TNZ so Looney Tunes without the vowels. Started making music back in the day with my ex-partner Mitchell. We started in 2003, we had our first official release on vinyl, a 12-inch record. So that’s crazy, that’s 20 years ago. Then we made music for a couple of years. Then we had a short break, I went to college, finished my degree. Mitchell took a break and did his own stuff then in 2013 we decided to make some new music. Following that we had an official release “Last Night Ever” with Yellow Claw. That’s almost ten years ago, so that’s funny! Ever since 2013, I’ve been focusing on music full time.
So much has changed since then, since 2013, 2014. I remember especially a track really fondly, “Fired Up”, that was such a party anthem for me back in the day.
It was quite a challenge to come up with the original music because back in the day in the Harder Styles scene, there was a lot of sampling going on, like old records, old movies, or whatever samples, vocal samples from a movie. You name it. But I think we started making some original music as in original singers, songwriters, and that was quite a new thing I think in the Harder Styles scene. So for example, “Last Night Ever” was very original. Our follow up track was “Fired Up” with the Chemist, from Miami, from Jamacia but he lives in Miami, and there was a whole thing with Hardstyle and a Hip-Hop vocalist. Jamaican reggae and a Hip-Hop vocalist. There was something crazy! Then we did the track “Techno” with Yellow Claw, Diplo, and Waka Flocka Flame. Everyone was like, what’s going on here? Combining Trap and Hardstyle with a Hip-Hop focus. That was quite interesting back in the day.
So looking way back in the day, so prior to 2013, prior to 2014, what’s your earliest electronic music memory?
Obviously in the Netherlands you hear it everywhere, but do you have a moment when you were a kid where you heard a record or a CD for the first time and you’re like, this is my music, I want to become a DJ. But no, no, I never had that, my dream was never to become a DJ. Also, I don’t like the name DJ because I think when people, when I meet new people or whatever and they ask me like, hey, what do you do, I’m like, I’m in the music industry, I make music and then they’re like, oh, you’re a DJ. And like to be honest, I don’t think being a DJ is cool, you know, because in my opinion, a DJ is when you think about the DJ, you think about partying, drugs, alcohol, after parties. And I’m the opposite of that, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, I drink tea, basically like a grandpa. But I’ve always tried to take this job very seriously and I’ve never been drunk on the on the stage or whatever. Of course, back in the day, once in a while I had a few shots. When you meet the promoter or the guy who invited you to play, like to be polite, you take a few drinks. But I know my limits, one time I remember I had a few shots too much. That was at Electric Love Festival in Austria. But that’s only one of the few experiences that I was like a little bit wasted. I just take it seriously, I don’t want to be that drunk guy or whatever.
So do you prefer DJ, Producer, Artist, or just LNY TNZ?
The DJing part is only a small part of it on the weekends. The other seven days a week. I’m working my ass off, like in the studio, or making new connections, working out contracts, managing other artists, being creative. So much stuff going on and then the weekend hits and then of course you’re traveling. And then the moment, the big moment is your set and your set or hour and a half set and then you go back on the plane, and the whole week starts again finishing music studio. So the DJing part itself is only like an hour or depends on how many sets you do in the weekends. I think of myself as more of an entrepreneur in the music industry, it sounds a little bit more boring, but that covers the whole thing.
Do you have a moment then when you decided you wanted to work in the music industry?
It basically kind of happened as a hobby for fun. Back in the day we were making beats, making mash ups, always working with music, going out on the weekends. Back in the day you had the site Party Flock, it’s still around but back in the day it was the main calendar of all the events in Holland. You could select the city and what DJs were playing. We could see who’s playing on what day for example tomorrow in Amsterdam and the next day in Limburg or whatever and we were just jumping to see those guys who had new music that was not out there yet…It was impossible to listen to their music anywhere outside of the club DJ sets. If we were a fan of the track, we would just follow the DJ to enjoy the exclusive tracks.
You’ve been in the scene for a long time, how has the Hard Dance scene specifically changed since you first got into it?
When I first got into it, songs were seven to eight minutes long, there would be an intro and an outro. Then in the past ten years, songs have become shorter and shorter. So, my single “Rainbow” for example, the main version is two minutes and twenty nine seconds, back in the day it would have been seven or eight minutes. People don’t have the attention span anymore to listen for eight minutes.
Do you think tracks will get shorter and shorter then?
I think back in the day, the radio version was tops three minutes and thirty seconds I think and now I recently saw a song that was two minutes and ten seconds. I was like wow that’s almost a minute shorter already. If you asked me ten years ago, do you think songs will be two minutes and ten seconds in the future? I would have been like you’re crazy that’s impossible. It’s interesting, maybe in the future songs will be one minute but I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I don’t know.
You’re known to take a f**k genres approach, why has it been important to you throughout your career to not put yourself in a box to not call yourself hardstyle or trap?
What I think is annoying during the production process of a song or track there are rules. Hardstyle is like this, kick, snare, clap whatever. At some point we were making tracks and it’s like let’s add something different you know but then the guys were like oh that’s not Hardstyle. Then I was thinking if it’s not Hardstyle then why not? You know it’s like just do whatever feels good, whatever you like and try to be different so that’s also we were one of the first using real Hip-Hop vocals in hardstyle tracks which was back in the day impossible. It was like Hardstyle and Hip-Hop are two different worlds they can’t be combined. Why would you limit yourself with following the book?
To full episode can be viewed below.
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Amsterdam Dance Event 2026 adds Eric Prydz, Afrojack, DJ Snake and more as 1,500+ artists are confirmed
Amsterdam Dance Event 2026 has announced another major group of artists for its 30th anniversary edition, with more than 1,500 artists and DJs now confirmed across Amsterdam this October. The latest additions include Eric Prydz, Afrojack, DJ Snake, Boris Brejcha, Miss Monique, Oliver Heldens, Paul van Dyk, I Hate Models, Maceo Plex, Hot Since 82 and many more, adding further depth across house, techno, trance, progressive and other areas of electronic music ahead of ADE 2026.
Eric Prydz, Afrojack And DJ Snake Lead The Latest Additions
Among the biggest names announced are Eric Prydz, Afrojack and DJ Snake, joined by Boris Brejcha, Miss Monique, Oliver Heldens, Paul van Dyk, Paul Kalkbrenner, Sasha, Patrick Topping, Pan-Pot, Mike Williams, Mr. Belt & Wezol, Major League DJz and Low Steppa.
The announcement also brings together several artists with decades of history in electronic music. Todd Terry, Scooter, Kittin & The Hacker, Egyptian Lover, CJ Bolland, Dave Clarke and Kerri Chandler are all confirmed, while names including Âme, Seth Troxler, Apollonia, East End Dubs, Prunk, Manda Moor and Sidney Charles add to the house-focused events taking place throughout the week.
Techno Makes Up A Large Part Of The New Announcement
A substantial part of the latest artist announcement comes from techno, with Ben Klock, DVS1, Rødhåd, Luke Slater, DYEN, DJ Stingray 313, Patrick Mason, MARRØN, Donato Dozzy, The Lady Machine and Dasha Rush among those confirmed.
I Hate Models, JakoJako, Salome, Sedef Adasi, Colin Benders, DJ Gigola, Bad Boombox, Narciss and Partiboi69 are also included, bringing together established techno artists with names that have become increasingly present across clubs and festivals in recent years. With artists such as HAAi, Hunee, CARISTA, Silva Bumpa, Luke Dean, Sweely and L.P. Rhythm also joining the schedule, the latest announcement covers a wide section of contemporary electronic music without being tied to a single style.
ADE 2026 Celebrates 30 Years Across Amsterdam
Amsterdam Dance Event 2026 will take place from October 21 to 25, marking 30 years since the event began. More than 1,500 artists and DJs have now been confirmed, with events scheduled across venues throughout Amsterdam during the five-day edition.
Alongside the festival events, ADE will continue its conference and networking activities as part of the wider anniversary schedule. With more announcements still expected before October, the current artist list already places ADE 2026 among the largest editions of the event to date.
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ADE Reveals 250+ Artists For 30th Anniversary Edition With David Guetta, Skepta, Armin van Buuren And More
Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), the world’s largest festival and business gathering for electronic music, has revealed the first wave of artists confirmed for its 30 YEARS ADE anniversary edition. Taking place from October 21 to 25, 2026, ADE 2026 has announced more than 250 artists in its first lineup release, including Avalon Emerson, DJ Nobu, Eris Drew, Folamour, Jyoty, Octo Octa, Scooter, Skepta, Skin On Skin, and more. Recent highlights include Skepta returning in 2026 with an even larger Más Tiempo show at Warehouse Elementenstraat, David Guetta bringing his Monolith show to AMF, and Gashouder finally back at ADE in its pre opening season as part of a broader new chapter for the venue. The first announcement also includes major program updates from MOJO, Melkweg, Paradiso, Intercell, DGTL, and Into the Woods, with the full ADE program set to grow to more than 3,000 artists across 200+ venues in Amsterdam.
ADE 2026 First Lineup Includes David Guetta, Skepta, Gashouder Return And More
Recent highlights from the first ADE 2026 announcement include Skepta returning in 2026 with an even larger Más Tiempo show at Warehouse Elementenstraat, while David Guetta will bring his Monolith show to AMF. Another major update is the return of Gashouder, which is finally back at ADE in its pre opening season as part of a broader new chapter for the venue. Eight shows have already been confirmed at Gashouder, including Armin van Buuren and Benwal, I Hate Models and Nico Moreno, Job Jobse, Mochakk, Franky Rizardo, Sammy Virji, and Josh Baker.
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The first announcement also shows how widely the 30 YEARS ADE program is already spreading across Amsterdam. MOJO branches out in 2026 with two KI/KI 5 Hours shows and OUTWORLD: Klangkuenstler All Night Long at Ziggo Dome, alongside Jean Michel Jarre as the 30 YEARS ADE guest of honour, 10 Years of STMPD RCRDS, and Unreal Germany at AFAS Live. Melkweg has confirmed the ADE Opening Concert: Kybba & Metropole Orkest, plus FACE 2 FACE, San Holo & Droeloe, Nimino, Starjunk 95, and Dave Clarke Presents: 30 Years of ADE, among others. Paradiso has also revealed the first part of its program, including Malugi, State OFFF, Lawrence Hart, Speedy J presents STOOR Live, and more.
Intercell, DGTL And Into the Woods Expand ADE 2026
The first ADE 2026 announcement also includes major promoter updates, with Intercell, DGTL, and Into the Woods adding a large part of the early event calendar across Amsterdam. Intercell has revealed more than 65 artists across 13 events, bringing in names such as Lola Edo, Ines Isla, MCR-T, Cleopard2000, Olive Anguz, GiGi FM, I-RO, Philippa Pacho, SPFDJ, 999999999, Blanka, Freddy K, Phil Berg, and Yanamaste. The announcement also adds to the already confirmed large scale shows, venue returns, and anniversary specials across the first ADE 2026 release.
DGTL continues with more than 45 artists across seven events, including Joris Voorn, Kevin de Vries, Miss Monique, NTO live, Ashibah, EMILIJA, Faster Horses, Novah, Øtta, STAFFY, JAMIIE, Meera, Philou Louzolo, Tinlicker, Benwal, DJ EZ, Lammer, MPH, and Olive Anguz among its first names. The promoter updates continue with Into the Woods, which has revealed more than 25 artists including ANNĒ, Boss Priester, Clara Cuvé, Davyboi, Deer Jade, DJ BORING, ELIF, Essi, Freddi, future.666, Gaskin, KELLAR, Kyle Starkey, Lamsi, Marsolo, newtone, Obskür, ØTTA, Sam Alfred, and Young Marco, adding another major set of names to the first ADE 2026 announcement.
ADE 2026 Tickets, Pro Pass And 30th Anniversary Details
The first announcement represents the opening 8% of artists and DJs confirmed for ADE 2026, with the complete ADE program set to be announced in the coming months. Individual tickets are now available through ADE’s program, while the ADE Pro Pass is also available for those attending the conference and wider industry events.
The 2026 edition marks 30 years since Amsterdam Dance Event began in 1996. Over the past three decades, ADE has grown into one of electronic music’s most important global gatherings, bringing artists, labels, promoters, venues, and industry professionals together across Amsterdam each October. More specials, initiatives, and events celebrating 30 YEARS ADE will be revealed throughout the coming months.
photo credit: Enrique Meesters
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DGTL Announces ADE 2026 Lineup in Amsterdam, with eight shows across NDSM Warehouse and Kromhouthal
From Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, October 25, DGTL returns to Amsterdam Dance Event with a program spanning eight shows across two locations: the NDSM Warehouse and the Kromhouthal. For ADE 2026, DGTL brings a wider Amsterdam edition that stretches from daytime showcases to late night events, with the full Generator stage appearing in the daytime schedule for the first time and Frequency taking over the night shows. The lineup brings together Tinlicker, Joris Voorn, Kevin de Vries, Miss Monique, Nicky Elisabeth, Shimza, Lane 8, Yotto, Sultan + Shepard, Novah, and Folamour, with each day moving between live electronic music, melodic house, progressive house, Afro house, techno, disco, garage, and bass. Alongside the main NDSM Warehouse events, Kromhouthal adds two daytime shows to the week, including Lane 8 presents This Never Happened on Saturday and Folamour All Day Long on Sunday. With eight shows planned across four days, DGTL ADE 2026 gives Amsterdam Dance Event a broad electronic music schedule that connects bigger live shows, curated all day events, and late night warehouse sets across Amsterdam Nort.
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DGTL Expands Its ADE 2026 Run Across Two Amsterdam Venues
The addition of Kromhouthal gives DGTL a second Amsterdam North location for ADE 2026, with two daytime events running away from the main NDSM Warehouse schedule. On Saturday, Lane 8 brings This Never Happened to the former industrial hall on the IJ, joined by Yotto, Mees Salomé, Sultan + Shepard, Kasbo, and Ashibah for a daytime show centered on melodic house and progressive influences. The concept has long been tied to its no phone policy, which gives the Kromhouthal date a different feel from the warehouse shows happening elsewhere in the week. On Sunday, Folamour closes the Kromhouthal run with an exclusive All Day Long show, moving through disco, house, funk, and soul across an extended daytime set.
At NDSM Warehouse, DGTL keeps the four day schedule closer to its main ADE identity, starting with DGTL Opening Day on Thursday before Tinlicker bring their live show on Friday evening. Later that night, the venue turns toward progressive house and melodic techno with Joris Voorn, Kevin de Vries, Miss Monique, Nicky Elisabeth, and NTO live, while Saturday gives Shimza his first full DGTL curation with Âme DJ, Desiree, Bedouin, Arodes, and Stoffela. The late Saturday show then shifts into Novah & Friends, with Ciara Cuvé, Ueberrest, EMILIJA, Faster Horses, Øtta, and more placed around hard techno, trance, bounce, and rave influences. The split between NDSM Warehouse and Kromhouthal gives DGTL ADE 2026 a clearer four day arc, with live shows, curated artist events, no phone daytime concepts, and late night warehouse dates running across the same Amsterdam Dance Event week.
DGTL Brings Its Festival Stage Setup Into ADE 2026
Since its first edition in early 2013, DGTL has grown around a festival format where music sits alongside art, sustainability, social safety, and circular event production. Those parts of the brand are relevant here because Generator is coming into Amsterdam Dance Event from the wider DGTL Festival world, where stages are part of the event’s own structure instead of being used as simple room labels. For ADE 2026, Generator brings that festival connection into the daytime schedule, while Frequency keeps the later shows tied to a separate part of DGTL’s stage setup. It adds a stronger event identity to the week without needing to go back through the artist list or the venue split again.
The background also connects to Monumental, the event company behind Awakenings, which has been running events for over 29 years and welcomes around 300,000 visitors annually through the Awakenings brand. With DGTL now part of that wider portfolio, the press release places the festival alongside a larger push toward sustainable event production, lower ecological impact, and a broader electronic music range across house, techno, disco, and related sounds. That makes Generator and Frequency useful details for this section because they show how DGTL ADE 2026 is carrying the brand’s festival framework into Amsterdam Dance Event, while the earlier sections have already covered the dates, venues, artists, and show split
Tickets for DGTL ADE 2026 are available now through dgtl.nl, with presale starting on Wednesday, June 24 at 16:00 CEST and the regular sale opening on Thursday, June 25 at 16:00 CEST. Attendees can check the full timetable, compare the different show times, and choose which part of the week fits their Amsterdam Dance Event plans before tickets move into general sale. With press images and accreditation already shared alongside the announcement, DGTL’s latest ADE update also gives media and attendees a clear place to start planning for October. Visit DGTL’s official website for tickets, event details, and the complete ADE 2026 schedule
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