ADE opens the week with six Opening Specials that highlight the crossover between electronic music and other art forms. These Opening Specials on ADE Wednesday are designed to explore new ideas, to bring together disciplines that don’t always meet, and to create space for experimentation and artistic growth. From orchestras reinterpreting Amapiano to an immersive rendition of ‘Canto Ostinato’ by Helena Basilova and Nick Verstand, or a dance inside the Van Gogh Museum; each event shows how sound connects to community. Together, they set the stage for five days where electronic music expands beyond the club, crossing into performance, visual culture, and interdisciplinary art.
Live performance is at the heart of ADE. These Opening Specials show how classical traditions and global club sounds meet in bold, new interpretations.
DBN Gogo & Metropole Orkest @ Melkweg
Metropole Orkest and Melkweg open ADE Wednesday together in true ADE tradition once again, this time joined by South African DJ and producer DBN Gogo. Known for her dynamic presence and eclectic sets, she brings a special tribute to Amapiano, the hybrid sound of deep house, jazz, kwaito, and lounge that has become one of South Africa’s most influential exports.
24classics presents: Canto Ostinato by Helena Basilova x Nick Verstand @ Zuiderkerk
For two shows on ADE Wednesday only, 24classics invites pianist Helena Basilova and contemporary artist Nick Verstand to take over the iconic Zuiderkerk for a special rendition of Simeon ten Holt’s iconic, hypnotic masterpiece Canto Ostinato. She will be merging solo piano with deep electronic textures that heighten its intensity and emotional power. To amplify the experience, Nick Verstand‘s immersive light installation reimagines the Canto Ostinato in a completely new dimension, responding in real time to every powerful nuance of the music.
The first show starts at 20:00 CET, and the second at 22:00 CET.
When music merges with digital art, the audience becomes part of the work. These Opening Specials create multisensory experiences where sound, image, and movement intertwine.
Dome Concerts presents: Julius Horsthuis & Suzanne Ciani @ Artis Planetarium
From ADE Wednesday to Friday, the dome of the ARTIS Planetarium becomes a 360° canvas for fractal artist Julius Horsthuis. On ADE Wednesday, as one of the Opening Specials, he joins forces with Suzanne Ciani: pioneer of electronic sound and five-time Grammy nominee. Her Buchla synthesizer performance unfolds beneath Horsthuis’ fractal worlds, setting the tone for three nights of live A/V concerts and screenings inside the Planetarium, where music and image move as one.
CYCLES: GiGi FM x Lumus Instruments @ Felix Meritis
‘POLYNODE: CYCLES’ is a digital media installation by Lumus Instruments. Conceived as an instrument, it explores cycles through its physical form and a dynamic system of virtual nodes. For this special live AV performance, ‘POLYNODE: CYCLES’ meets the artistry of GiGi FM. A sound artist, DJ, and trained dancer, GiGi FM creates immersive journeys where movement, storytelling, singing, poetry, and sonic textures converge. Influenced by cosmology, philosophy, and movement, her work invites audiences into sensory experiences that expand the relationship between body, sound, and space.
