The duo Adriatique stands by one powerful ethos, that music should be meditation. Their long-form, slow-building take on house and techno invites their listeners to go deeper into the music, before throwing in a couple of unexpected twists along the way.

It makes sense why this Swiss duo would have a metaphysical take on dance music. Their story does seem a bit magical. Adrian Shala and Adrian Schweizer met in Zürich in 2008. The pair have been inseparable as friends and as artists ever since. Their debut EP 

was released in 2011 to Suruba Records. The debut was a smashing showcase of the pair’s technical abilities with an underground, minimal tech-house feel. Each with their own individual taste, they combined to make one unique yet unified sound.

As they gained notoriety for their crisp production and powerful vision, they were tapped to produce remixes for artists like moby, DJ Hell, Rüfüs Du Sol, and The Weeknd. Their vision was so strong, in 2016 they started their record label / platform for the arts, fittingly named Siamese. The Adrians are both avid supporters of all forms of art, not just dance music. As such, they made sure their label went above and beyond. Siamese also supports visual and performance artists, organizing club nights that place these collaborators in the spotlights just as much as the musical stars.

In 2017, Adriatique recorded its very own BBC Radio 1 Essentials Mix. Then in 2018, a decade after the Adrians began making music together, they released their debut album 

Sometimes there’s a rare and immediate connection that people share, a bond stronger than friendship or mutual interest. When that bond can expand to a creative vision that impacts the community, it really is something special. Though they’ve been in the game for more than a decade already, the Adriatique vision is still blossoming and inspiring others along the way.

Switzerland

deep disco house

melodic house

melodic techno

swiss house

Adriatique

Italy

italian techno

minimal tech house

Tale of Us

arab alternative

Lost Souls Of Saturn

Germany

industrial techno

Kobosil

minimal dub

Somewhen

Melis

Glowal

Spain

Hï Ibiza

Tale Of Us present Afterlife

Afterlife Ibiza

brazilian techno

dark techno

electra

ANNA

United Kingdom

Elkka

Jaguar

minimal techno

techno

Joseph Capriati

Ireland

irish electronic

nu disco

Krystal Klear

United States

house

latin tech house

microhouse

Maceo Plex

Türkiye

O.Bee

Israel

float house

Red Axes

Lebanon

Rony Seikaly

DC-10 Ibiza

Circoloco

United Arab Emirates

acid techno

frankfurt electronic

german techno

Butch

raw techno

FJAAK

german house

Gerd Janson

garage house

Honey Dijon

uk house

Jaden Thompson

Loco Dice

Rampa

Adam Port

Netherlands

dutch tech house

ANOTR

arab electronic

organic electronic

organic house

Bedouin

detroit techno

outsider house

Carl Craig

Dixon

electronica

Âme

italian electronica

DJ Tennis

Carlita

Ellen Allien

Australia

australian experimental

HAAi

irish rebel song

Saoirse

deep house

deep techno

Mano Le Tough

Matisa

Prospa

detroit house

Seth Troxler

urbano ecuatoriano

Sossa

Tania Vulcano

TSHA

deconstructed club

fluxwork

hauntology

intelligent dance music

wonky

Actress

Circoloco Closing Party 2023

999999999

Sweden

schranz

swedish electronic

swedish techno

Adam Beyer

deep minimal techno

Alan Fitzpatrick

afro house

Alex Wann

spanish techno

Andres Campo

Anfisa Letyago

Bart Skils

Ben Böhmer

Ben Klock

Russia

russian electronic

russian techno

Nina Kraviz

DJ Gigola

 is a legendary name in electronic music, especially for techno lovers. What began as a humble techno night in Amsterdam over two decades ago has exploded into the Netherlands’ leading techno event, now renowned worldwide.

It was founded in the late 1990s by Rocco Veenboer, who felt a void in the Dutch scene for pure techno amid the prevailing house and hardcore sounds. The very first Awakenings party in Amsterdam’s Gashouder venue sold out and proved he was onto something big. Since then, Awakenings has blossomed into a globally recognized festival brand, drawing over 300,000 visitors annually from all corners of the world. For many fans, Awakenings is a pilgrimage and a symbol of the Netherlands’ influential role in techno culture.

From its early days as single-night raves, Awakenings quickly grew into multi-day extravaganzas. Before long, those one-off parties turned into weekenders and then full-blown festivals, as demand from the techno community kept rising.

Today, Awakenings spans multiple events a year, including an iconic spring gathering near Amsterdam and a summer weekender in the woods of Hilvarenbeek. At the current festival grounds in Hilvarenbeek, up to 80,000 attendees from more than 80 countries come together for a three-day techno marathon. The scale is immense - over a hundred artists perform across eight stages, ranging from intimate tents to gigantic open-air arenas. Every year the organizers up the ante with groundbreaking stage designs, jaw-dropping laser shows and even carnival touches (a luminous ferris wheel, for example) to immerse the fans in “techno madness”. The result is an almost surreal rave wonderland: crazy visuals, booming sound, and fireworks that light up the night sky.

Despite growing bigger and bolder, Awakenings has stayed true to its roots. It remains fiercely focused on techno music rather than chasing mainstream trends, a commitment that earns it huge respect in the scene.

One of Awakenings’ biggest draws is its consistently incredible line-ups. The festival is essentially a “who’s who” of techno DJs, featuring legendary pioneers alongside fresh talent. Dance music icons like 

 or Detroit’s Derrick May have all graced the Awakenings stage over the years, cementing its reputation for top-tier bookings. At the same time, newer generations of techno stars, from drum-machine wizards like 

The programming balances the genre’s underground purists and big-name crowd-pleasers in equal measure. Fans love that mix; many attend annually knowing they’ll see their favorite DJs who return year after year, as well as discover cutting-edge acts. This loyalty goes both ways: artists often speak fondly of the “Awakenings vibe” and how energetic and dedicated the crowds are. The festival’s commitment to true techno has nurtured a loyal community that keeps coming back for more.

Awakenings has left its mark on several locations, each adding to its character. Its spiritual home is undoubtedly the Gashouder in Amsterdam, an immense circular industrial gas tank turned party arena often nicknamed the “Temple of Techno”. Many of Awakenings’ legendary nights have happened under the Gashouder’s wrought-iron dome, with its spider-like web of lights beaming across the ceiling. For years, the brand’s flagship outdoor festival took place at the scenic Spaarnwoude recreational area just outside Amsterdam - a green park that was transformed into a techno playground every summer.

As the festival grew larger, it eventually moved to an even bigger outdoor site in Beekse Bergen (Hilvarenbeek) in the south of the Netherlands, providing more room for its expanding stages and audience. Beyond these mainstay venues, Awakenings has also ventured into other Dutch cities; at times it staged events in Rotterdam’s warehouses and Eindhoven’s Klokgebouw, showing it can bring the party anywhere.

The Awakenings experience has even gone international on occasion, with one-off shows popping up in places like New York and London to spread the techno gospel abroad. Still, the heart and soul of Awakenings remains firmly in the Netherlands, where its combination of iconic venues, enthusiastic crowds, and uncompromising techno sound continues to thrive as a cornerstone of electronic music culture.

Adriatique

Past events

Other artists