- Last month a gay man was attacked after he thought he was meeting another man for a date in Dordrecht. Instead of meeting the man he had been chatting with, he was faced with an organized group of around 16 men who beat him up. Our heterosexist culture leaves Dutch queer people susceptible to this kind of violence. So, we move underground. Like generations before us, we use music, dance floors, nightlife and the night itself in response to such intolerance. With a loud and clear "Gaynight" in its event titles, Is Burning is still burning for the gay DJ and dancer.
After four years of throwing parties around the city, the country and abroad, Is Burning returned to Warehouse Elementenstraat for its birthday celebration. The venue was a bit impersonal in its magnitude. Locker systems, tokens and long lines aren't exactly the warm welcome you expect from a local party. In any case, the initial awkwardness of the logistics quickly faded to the background after a look at the lineup, which had until then been kept secret.
The bill was a mix of local and international talent. Nijmegen's DJ Pure shared the smallest room with Is Burning's own Sandrien and Carlos Valdes. In the bigger room, Job Jobse started out, followed by Gideön and Nick V, while the biggest room was for Carlos Valdes, Matrixxman and Dr. Rubinstein. I received the most "come to the front" texts during Nick V, who was playing a ballroom-infused set and rocking a T-Shirt by local queer collective Dance With Pride. The biggest tune of the night would be a hard choice between him playing Masters At Work's "The Ha Dance" and S-X's "Woooo Riddim," which was dropped unexpectedly by Matrixxman. Selections like these show the laidback vibe classics can create when chosen carefully.
Dr. Rubinstein was a perfect fit to close a warehouse filled with hungry dancers. Her acid selections kept the energy level high without turning to the darkest sounds. As the night progressed, the crowd got smaller and visibly more comfortable. Staff stopped worrying about the girls in the boys bathroom and the boys in the girls bathroom—as they should at a gay party, especially when women are, unfortunately, still a minority group. When the vibe got more relaxed, the size of the venue, including its huge toilet stalls with big bright lights, turned from an annoyance to a luxury. These parties are a true showcase of queer talent, which in light of recent events feels especially empowering. Amsterdam Is Burning and the flame is looking big and bright.