Go Dutch Arena at Creamfields 2008

5th Aug 2008

They're full of surprises, the Dutch. Just when you think you've got them pegged - windmills, tulips, clogs, etc - they turn around and shock you by doing something like. being surprisingly good at cricket. No, really. Who knew? Likewise, just when you think you've got Dutch music pegged - the Netherlands is after all home to the mighty trance triumvirate that is Tiesto, Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten - they turn around and shock you by secretly being home to a vast array of DJing and production talent from across the spectrum.

Actually, their cricket team aren't THAT good*, so it's just as well their DJs and producers are good enough to make up for them. In 2006, Fedde Le Grand showed the world there was more to the Dutch dance scene than euphoric stadium trance; this year, expect to be hearing a lot, lot more from a whole host of Dutch talent. And the best place to catch them first is without a doubt the Go Dutch stage at this year's Creamfields festival.

Go Dutch is presented by Buma Cultuur, the same people who've turned Amsterdam Dance Event into a landmark on the world dance music calendar to rival Miami. Having succeeded in bringing the cream of the world's dance music talent to Amsterdam, they're now flipping the script and taking the cream of Dutch talent to the rest of the world.

The Go Dutch Arena at Creamfields '08 will be a little bit different from the other tents and stages, in that rather than focusing on a particular style or sub-genre of music, it'll play host to the best the Netherlands has to offer from across a wide spectrum of electronic dance music.

Heading up the bill is a man with whom discerning dance music lovers will already be familiar, Bart B-More. In Holland he's already a huge star. His remix of Sandy Rivera's 'Freak' took the track into the Top 10 and his many releases on his own Secure Records label have been staples in the house and electro clubs of Holland, while lately his remix of 'Do The Monkey'  by Oliver Twizt (of whom more below) has been causing carnage on Dutch dancefloors. Worldwide, he's gained notoriety through his remixes for the likes of Utah Saints, ATFC, Seamus Haji, Ron Carroll and Chocolate Puma, and we predict you'll be hearing much more of Bart's unique slightly deeper shades of electro-house in 2008.

He's joined by fellow countryman Funkerman, who you'll know from his recent club anthem 'Speed Up'. But 'Speed Up' is just the latest in long string of releases from this former hip-hop head turned house junkie, for a variety of labels including Roger Sanchez's Stealth imprint and Flamingo, the label he runs with long-term friend and collaborator Fedde Le Grand. Expect much more chart- and radio-bothering from Funkerman this year!

The other DJs flexing their skills at Go Dutch will be new names to most UK clubbers, but not for long. If it's chunky, jackin' house music you want, then you're in good hands with Oliver Twizt. Picking up props from DJs as diverse as Tigerstripes and Marco V, Twizt is a great ambassador for Holland's very strong house scene, but he's far from the only one. Darko Esser will be on the Go Dutch stage plying the brand of dark, tech-tinged house he's been producing for big-hitting labels like Underwater and Ovum as well as his own much-feted Wolfskuil Records; also on hand to drop those tech-fuelled grooves will be Warren Fellows, whose tracks have been picking up plays from such luminaries as Derrick May, Sven Vath and Jesper Dahlback, while more straight-up house flavas come from rising stars Groovenatics. Fusing house, minimal and techno is the trademark style of Benny Rodriguez, while on a deeper tip you don't want to miss Nuno Dos Santos, whose blend of deep house, deep techno and minimal has found a home at labels like Compost and Dirt Crew Recordings. Finally, and adding a little pan-European flavour to the pot there's Baggi Begovic, a native of Bosnia who moved to the Netherlands 13 years ago while still a teenager, and who's become a fixture on the Dutch circuit with his driving, tribal-infused house sound.

To bring this dazzling array of Dutch talent to this year's Creamfields, Buma Cultuur have teamed up with two of Europe's leading dance industry movers and shakers. 1 Management are Holland's leading DJ agency and management company, and the force behind the successful Sneakerz parties, of which there are now more than 200 a year in Holland. Also joining the party are MN2S, the DJ agency, record label and club brand who over the past decade have made house music in the UK - and far beyond, notably in Ibiza and Miami - their own.

1 Management's Dick Leijen said: "The likes of Fedde Le Grand and Michel De Hey have shown the way: now is the time for the world to see just how much talent there is in Holland. On the Go Dutch stage, we've got a range of DJs showcasing the variety of great music that's coming from the Netherlands these days. The obvious place to do that was at an established, internationally-recognised festival, but we needed a festival whose organisers would understand what we're trying to do, who believed in the concept. Creamfields was the perfect choice."

MN2S boss Sharron Elkabas added: "I think it's fantastic that the Dutch have an organisation like Buma Cultuur to push up-and-coming Dutch talent around the world. We've worked extensively with both Buma Cultuur and Cream before, so Creamfields was the natural place to stage what will hopefully be the first of many Go Dutch events around the world. The timing couldn't be better, because there's just such an amazing buzz about the music coming out of Holland right now."

What's more, with flights between Liverpool and major Dutch cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam quick, plentiful and cheap, the location couldn't be better, either. And as Dutch megastar Tiesto will also be appearing at Creamfields on the 24th and no doubt bringing a travelling orange army with him, perhaps this could be the start of a mutual love affair between the Netherlands and Merseyside! Who knows? In the meantime, this is your chance to catch the cream of Holland's rising talent in action. And if it's cream you're after, then where else to head but Creamfields?

* (they keep getting knocked out of the World Cup in the first round).
 
When: Sunday 24th August
Time: 12:00-23:00
Who: Bart B More
Funkerman
Groovenatics
Baggi Begovic
Oliver Twizt
Benny Rodrigues
Nuno dos Santos
Warren Fellow
Darko Esser

Where: Creamfields