Thuishaven has for years been the place where big outdoor dance parties land. The industrial outdoor venue on the IJ, in Westpoort, has those rough edges you don't mimic with a decorator. Concrete floors, open air, water in the background. SpringBreak Festival fits right in: no plush, just music and people who know what they come for.
The two biggest names on the bill are Marco V and CJ Bolland. Marco V has been a constant in the techno and trance world for decades, from Amsterdam clubs to major stages abroad. CJ Bolland is of a different order: the Belgian is considered one of the pioneers of the European techno movement, someone who already set the tone in the early 1990s. That he is here, at an outdoor venue in Westpoort, feels like a statement. Summer of Love and Lexion, the two parties behind SpringBreak, have clearly not chosen the easiest path.
Thuishaven has something few Amsterdam festival grounds have: space. Not the cramped courtyard of a former factory, but a real outdoor area where you can breathe between sets. The water of the IJ in the distance, the city skyline on the other side. During the day that all starts as a backdrop, but as the day progresses and the music gets louder, it fades into the background. Then there is only the bass.
CJ Bolland is considered one of the pioneers of the European techno movement, someone who set the tone back in the early 1990s.
That the festival is sold out, confirmed via Resident Advisor, says it all. SpringBreak has found its audience. Whether the Thuishaven grounds will be filled with people who saw CJ Bolland spin back in the 1990s, or with a younger generation just discovering him now: it makes little difference on May 30. The IJ spins on, so does the music.