- Rembrandtplein, by day, is by far one of the busiest squares in Amsterdam, where tram rails converge, cyclists sprint dangerously close to pedestrians and tourists regroup around a colored umbrella. At night, as bars start playing Hed Kandi mix CDs and the coffee shops open their doors, confusion reigns supreme. If you're not from Amsterdam, it's easy to miss the entrance to Studio 80, as there are no signs on the door or on the building. Look around. In the middle of the square you will likely spot a long line of clubbers and hear a "different" type of sound coming from within the building: You found the hotspot.
A long corridor takes you to the main room, which—on this night—was already crowded by 12 AM. Behind the decks, Belgian DJ Hermanez was spinning some quality microhouse, getting everybody in the spacious room in the mood to dance. Apart from those huge red lights hanging from the ceiling that burn your face, and the constant, annoying use of the microphone (virtually on every track) by some chap standing at the lighting control booth, the night kicked off in a good way, with the far-reaching soundsystem providing an excellent vibe.
Acumen played a one-hour live set, standing behind his Mac, increasing BPMs and switching between mainly minimal and tech house sounds. Unfortunately, despite masterful technique, Acumen struggled to keep the crowd dancing in the main room, with many people quickly leaving for the second room or for a break outside. In room two, Daniel Sanchez, "the bad boy of the Amsterdam techno Underground," as his RA page reads, was playing an effervescent mix of house and techno behind the decks, keeping people smiling from ear to ear. I wsa able to identify new Cocoon and Remote Area tracks, as well as old favourites such as Onur Ozer & Tobi Neumann's "Viola Tricolor."
Hoping to hear more inspired music, I went back to the main room after a couple of rounds at the bar, just as Robert Dietz took the stage. He lightened the tone considerably from the very first records. Warm house grooves and energizing rhythms brought back clubbers to the room, and luckily the microphone remained silent during most of his three hour set. Dietz's track selection ranged from deep house to tribal minimal, with a new Reboot promo, Pablo Cahn-Speyer's "Elle" and Gavin Herlily's "Back Burner"—all Cadenza releases—featuring.
Dietz's talent for squeezing one track into another, forcing a point of music climax and then dropping back, is one of his trademarks. A couple of these endlessly building house chords, supported by a heavy bass techno framework, kept the mood effervescent throughout. At 5 AM, as clubbers, Amsterdamers and tourists alike, left the club, the morning light was beginning to shine over the still packed Rembrandtplein square.