The Netherlands has a feisty reputation for pumping out some of the biggest names in electronic dance music. Countless famed DJs and producers hail from the small country, where it seems the art of creating soul-moving melodies and ear-blowing basslines has been perfected over the years. While many people would agree that it is silly to correlate ethnicity to skill, an even greater amount of people would agree that Dutchman know what it takes to rock a club, festival, or private windmill party. Experiencing the magic of one Dutch DJ behind the turn tables is no doubt a treat, but having two lined up for one night is simply put, phenomenal.
Superstar DJ Sander Van Doorn graced The Estate sound system on Thursday, accompanied by young rising superstar Julian Jordan and Miami DJ Kaeno. Part of a tour promoting the success of Sander’s record label, DOORN Records, All three delivered high-quality sets, giving party goers a wonderful mix of deep house, trance, and electro beats. First up on the decks was Kaeno, a producer from Miami who opened the night with a nice mix of deep house and trance. Much like athletes warm up for a sport, Kaeno gradually warmed up the crowd through his set, eventually riling them up to await the next artist. It is crucial not to undermine opening acts, as they can greatly affect how a crowd reacts the rest of the night. If an athlete skips stretching and goes straight into the game without warming up, their chances of getting injured increase. Start the night with something too aggressive and you risk a broken heal. Since paramedics aren’t stationed throughout the venue to assist clubbers who have suffered the tragedy of ruined attire, it is important for the DJ in charge to take hold of the crowd and to lead them, which, simply speaking, Kaeno did perfectly. Opening with “Voodoo People” by Rex Mundi, Kaeno spun groovy beats such as the Dubfire Dub of “Float Away” by Robbie Rivera and “Jump” by Ludowick. Additional tracks included the Chris Schweixer remix of “Orbithing”, a collaboration by Andy Moor and Orkidea, as well as a club mix Tritonal did for their own song “Now Or Never”, featuring Phoebe Ryan.
Kaeno did a brilliant job of warming up the crowd for the first of the two Dutchman of the night, and upon closing with a great song “Virus” by Fisherman & Hawkins, young Dutch prodigy Julian Jordan took the stage. At 16 years of age, Julian Jordan is already making a buzz throughout the music industry. He has released many songs on the prestigious Spinnin’ Records, and even collaborated with the DOORN Label master himself, Sander Van Doorn, on a smashing club hit called “Kangaroo”. Julian was absolutely on his game with his set, unleashing banger after banger into the crowd. Julian cleverly teased the crowd with various bootlegs and mashups, included the hooks of popular chart-topping songs from which he would drop into more underground beats. Songs he played included the Alesso remix of “Lose Myself” by One Republic, and “Boneless”, the collaboration ever body loves by Dim Mak boss Steve Aoki, Tujamo, and Chris Lake. Julian also played “Dechorro” by Deorro, “BFAM”, his collaboration with fellow young prodigy Martin Garixx, and one of the greatest club tunes at the moment, “Booyah!” by Showtek. People clapped, whistled, and danced to each song, waving various glow sticks in the air. Never one to conform to a certain genre or style, Julian mixed it up in his set (ha) by playing the Heroes x Villains & Carnage remix of “Mammoth”, a clubbing favorite by Belgian duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike turned trap mix, which was a refreshing style to hear. Overall, Julian’s set was fantastic, and he certainly put on a show worthy of his accomplishments.
By the time Sander Van Doorn took to the stage, the majority of the crowd had crammed the dance floor and pushed towards the stage. Even the second floor balcony of Estate was crowded and lined with faces. Everyone wanted to see the famous Dutch producer, who by reputation has a tendency for delivering some of the most dynamic sets out there. He manages to find a balance between uplifting, euphoric house and nasty, pulsing electro, which is good because partiers often get tired of hearing the same genre throughout the night. Sander cued up his first track of the night, and when the recognizable riff of “Intro” by The xx eased through the speakers, the entire club exploded in screams of joy and satisfaction. Sander definitely knows how to please a crowd, and like Julian Jordan before him, sampled and mixed various popular songs with lesser-known bangers that still achieved the goal of making people move. Early in his set he played “Starlight”, an absolutely beautiful track by Don Diablo released on Axtone Records (Axwell’s label), which had everyone singing along. Hearing the mix of the crowd with the soothing vocals of Noonie Bao was chilling, a definite high-point of the night. Hypnotized by Sander’s flawless mixing and on-point song selection, the crowd jumped and happily danced to some of the best music currently circulating and playing on radio airwaves.
Tracks included “SLVR”, an original production by 1/3 of Swedish House Mafia and SIZE Record owner Steve Angello, “I Can’t Explain” by Bomdogs, and “Legacy”, a collaboration between Nicky Romero and Krewella. An additional hit that Sander played included “Sound of the Underground”, a collaboration by Nicky Romero with Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, a track that has found its way into numerous DJ sets. The Estate made good use of its foam systems, spraying the crowd with fog which was then intersected by beautiful, intricate laser patterns that gave the party feel an other-worldy vibe. On top of that, euphoric big-room anthems such as “Into the Night” by Sander Van Doorn & Dubvision were synced to Estate’s confetti cannons, which showered happy partiers with confetti and glitter when the beat dropped. Overall, the Dutch craze Sander and his team brought to the dance floor was absolutely mayhem, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he headlined at Estate again in the future. Without a doubt, there is a general consensus that Boston wants to see him, and if you were unlucky enough to catch his performance, check him out on Soundcloud, Beatport, or iTunes; they are all treasure troves of what good music should sound like.