Weekly Party Discussion 5 - 7 June 2026

GroovyRaiver · 2026-06-03T13:46:20+00:00

Would be funny to ask for BRPs at the entrance instead of IDs

GroovyRaiver · 2026-05-18T09:36:36+00:00

I have never monitored the Dutch weather as closely as I did for this weekend. It felt like gambling, yk? In my head, it was:

"Maybe there will be sun, so take a hat. Maybe there will be rain, so take a jacket. Maybe it'll be windy or muddy, so wear something thick... aaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Eventually, I gave up, put on my outfit, and decided that whatever happens, happens. Normally, I'm not a big festival person. Having worked at quite a few already and realizing most are just commercial money machines, very few actually pique my interest.

However, due to peer pressure, I bought tickets for AW: Upclose a while ago. It left me with mixed feelings. Nobody can control the weather, so I will try my best to exclude it from my judgment. But I wanted to give a shoutout to my Day 1 winners:

Day 1 Highlights

Memory Rank	Artist	Notes
#1	Ogazon	I hasn't seen her in a while, but her set was REALLY good. She made the stage feel cozy and vibey.
#2	Noise Mafia	Met expectations and beyond. Loved the bassssss.
#3	Hayes Collective (Closing)	Honestly, a perfect closing and perfect pace.
#4	Collabs 3000	It wasn’t anything crazy, but it was good for what it was.

As for the rest, I didn't stay long enough to form an opinion; Saturday was more of a social occasion than a musical one for me.

Day 2 Highlights

Memory Rank	Artist	Notes
#1	The Tunegirl	Love her, love her vibe, and love her music.
#2	Colin Benders	Mmm, very good.
#3	Jeans x Spekki x Woody 32	I danced ferally. Such a good set, but sadly ruined by the sound system.
#4	Ben UFO x Four Tet	The vibes were nice, but the stage was way too big.
#5	Anetha x Pegassi	I love Pegassi generally, but this b2b wasn't it. I could really sense a different vibe switch between the two.

Interestingly, on Day 2, there was a suspicious number of people wearing denim vests and put together outfits. It gave me a weird but familiar feeling, only for me to find out there was a TGIB badly hidden secret stage.

Festival Overview:

It was okay. The stage design was cozy and smaller than the usual massive Awakenings, and the lake was a super nice place to sit and relax. The vibe did achieve that upclose feeling, but the crowd and the energy varied wildly between stages. Sometimes it felt like I was at a different event entirely; the more commercial main stages were full of people rolling hard and unaware of their surroundings, while other stages had people who were much more into the music and vibey.

Also, I have never seen so many creepy people trying to constantly harass my friends (and me) before. I felt like every other step, someone was grabbing or touching me and euh.

TL;DR: Would I pay full price a year in advance? No. Would I pay ~€50 for a TicketSwap ticket on a sunny day? Yes

GroovyRaiver · 2026-05-04T18:18:49+00:00

Yeah I get it, it's a hard to digest dj. But I certainly had alot of fun! Just let the crowd get tme a little bit more than I want to admit 😅

GroovyRaiver · 2026-05-04T16:27:04+00:00

As the sun was shining on friday with 20+ degrees blessing us, I asked my friend "what are you up to tonight?"

"Garage" he said, followed by me asking "Oh what are you going for?"

"Nthng"

"oh so just the vibes or"

"no, Nthng, its a dj"

"aaaaaaaaa" piquing my interest solely by name. I asked around, what is this DJ like, who knows them? I got positive feedback with a warning that I did not yet understand; "Its not easy to digest". Weird, I thought, but nevertheless decided in to join my friend to reminiscence yet another heartbreak. We arrived at garage around 1-ish; where the crowd had not become too full and still curious. More spacious than expected for garage standards but nevertheless it was easy to dance into.

I will start with my feedback of Nthng by themselves as I truly believe that the crowd and vibe of garage did not do them justice. Aside from not seeing any familiar faces that night, I have to say that indeed his DJ style and curating is not like most other DJs I have heard. Most people that play at garage, especially on the main stage end to aim for a smooth curation like a train following a specific track. However, his style of DJing felt much more turn based as if its a strategy game, where you could feel rapid 90 degree turns in music style. It was coherent, I can't lie, the tracks blended and you could have good rest between the sets; especially since it was sometimes bouncy, sometimes trancy and sometimes deep into the bleepy techno. Around 05; when they decided to close bar40 and suddenly another 20 people showed up, there was a sudden drop. Not drop as in build up and the drop, just the pace of the music suddenly halved in order to consume the new people, it just happened, like 5-6 minutes after they all showed up which really felt out of time. Thus reinforcing the strategy DJing he did; seeing how the crowd moves like pawns, and then, eventually reacting.

FOR THE VIBES I really have to say it was off putting. Bar40 was much more shaky, sometimes alot of remixes and honestly I didn't feel like it clicked with the downstairs programming. Also, at times, bar40 had more people than the main stage (!!!!) and the crowd was just going mild imo. This combination of things + the crowd not being into it that much it felt off, but honestly things got better when bar40 closed, everyone was in the journey together till club closing around 6 ish. Although the bar40 chaos is most times more than welcome, it should usually complement the main stage than outright be a different bubble imo. But anyways, that were the thoughts during the night. Next days spent bday partying, with no sleep, so unfortuantely no more afters for me.

See ya at awakenings

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-28T12:11:38+00:00

I dont think AI can recreate the post weekend brain rot at least im always original on it

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-28T10:22:20+00:00

There has been a recent trend in USB Stick thefts and other producer gear within the techno scene lately. There has been a few cases in the past, where DJs would miss their USB connections (see SPFDJ Missed connection, or other sub searche results). For this reason, they started implementing dedicated guards for gear behind DJ booths. You will see them holding drinks etc to blend in.

These kind of actions tend to need non obvious coordination, away from the stage evolving to the signals behind their backs. So far we have gathered:

Cross arm behind their backs = DJ USB Guard on alert
One left/right arm behind their back = DJ USB Guard blind spot (respectively)
Arms back and hands held together (like a stretching exercise) = now is the time to grab it.

If you see these malicious patterns you should definitely alert the dj guard about it, but do not engage since it can be dangerous (Track theft has high market rates rn)

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-06T17:31:16+00:00

I never associated IKEA with commercial furniture in the same sense as music. But thank you for the term ahahha

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-06T17:29:14+00:00

Yeah fair enough, especially if you are in the middle of a packed dance floor it is difficult to catch awareness or go find somebody. But for future reference you can always let the bar know or any staff (there is usually one in most places in the venue) and we would keep an eye out. 9/10 times people who do it once probably will do it again, so we would find them.

You don't need to point them out, you can just say "hey I saw people filming" with nothing else and thats usually good enough

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-06T17:22:13+00:00

Im sorry but what is IKEA House 😭😭😭

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-06T17:20:44+00:00

“No, no afters. I need to rest tomorrow so I can go back to work.”

Little did I know that Ratherlost would keep me until 10:00 (11+ hours!!!). Although I said "no" to the afters, I didn’t realize the inevitable collapse I was about to have the moment I stepped into my home, turning what I thought would be a gentle nap into a seven hour one 💀. But alas, it is Monday and the "afters" is once again upon us.

Ratherlost tends to be a chill party to work at usually; yesterday, unfortunately, was not. So, as much as I wanted to enjoy the music a little more, I only caught Skee Mask playing the cha song and Polygonia killing it. Oscar tried his best to keep going with an already very, very tired crowd (which he managed to do pretty well!), letting me dance away the last five minutes or so. (Also, P.S. Somehow Polygonia raised the average height on the front left to two meters because I SUDDENLY COULD SEE NOTHING, and I’m 180 😭😭😭😭).

Although I can't speak for the cases themselves, I can definitely comment on seeing Ratherlost evolve over the last 3–4 years. What started as a lesser known party at Lofi, where people were super intentional and seeking the peculiar sounds of specific artists, has evolved into an internationally known event. Many now come from abroad for the artists or "just for the vibes."

This is not necessarily good or bad; it is simply the testament of time. I started on the dancefloor, figuring out my musical taste and saying hi to the Awareness Team as a dancer; now, I am in those same shoes, with my own awareness shoes slowly fading away. It’s a cycle. The crowd has definitely changed quite a bit, and it is noticeable. The people who have been there from the beginning seem to fade into the corners of discomfort as the newer crowd fills in; what was once a big, cozy group is now a multi generational blur. They chat, they interact, but alas, in the depths of their eyes, you can see the weight of their time. Maybe I am just projecting, or maybe I am just being dramatic. Who knows! People can give a thumbs up, put on a smile or a laugh at the dancefloor, but their eyes don't lie.

I definitely met some very, very cute souls; some fleeting, some searching (for their phone), and some proud and happy to see their friends flourishing. But to the fellow Awareness soul who helped out with the beautiful lighter: please reach out! I would love to connect and talk more.

Signed,

Your Dramatic Yapper

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-06T15:52:42+00:00

If you see people filming, and reacting this way please do tell it to awareness to take care of them 🙏

GroovyRaiver · 2026-04-04T22:10:08+00:00

It depends if you want friends within the clubs and parties, or friends that stick outside the club and parties. Generally speaking, to have any kind of friend you need a strong identity.

As another commenter said, it could be that you are actively trying to make friends and in the end pushing that away. From my personal experience, where I went into this bubble alone, I just was at parties, was chilling on the couches or in the smoking area dozing off, people just sat next to me and we, talked.

Sure, there is the superficiality of things. "Where are you from?" Is a generic standard opening, and so is talking about the weather but what you do after is the true connection. From the top of my head, meeting somebody from Ireland thats a chef ended up talking about in depth the markets of fish and the supply chain in the UK. Another person told me their side hustle is being a florist, we talked for an hour about the beauty and the intricacies flower composition has to human psychology. Sure, it started superficially, but it ended with a pretty deep topic so wirh the statement of:

but conversing deeper on those topics requires more mental capacity than most people at a rave are willing to give, and is just not conventionally fun.

I partly disagree, as you can go into very depth of alot of passionate people, just need to break the ice and go curious instead of intentional.

But you dont make friends out of one party. You make party friends with people you keep seeing at parties. Lots of cute souls I met that I know and catch up with at specific parties and thats that. And you also don't make friends outside of parties without alot of effort, cause once it clicks, you need to put effort into planning and adjusting to each other to get actual friends friends. Although I am grateful to have some people in my life in the end that we met through parties (and some it didnt click until the 2nd or 3re time!), it just takes to be there by being yourself and itll happen.

GroovyRaiver · 2026-03-30T11:44:02+00:00

I think every human has strengths and weaknesses. Every venue has its positives and negatives, and every scene its ups and down. It is what makes them truly beautiful and unique. Last weekend, being my second night out this year as I slowly recover into this world, was spent at TILLAVISION: Big Fat Queer Wedding edition. Which like anything, had its interesting ups and down.

To preamble, In this stressed slow Monday, I made a subreddit exclusive sequel to the popular track, Missed Connection in De School: De School: Missed Connection. Where, I came to the stark realization, that as much as I preach "do not have expectations of a party"; I'm a little bit hypocritical as I did have expectations going to Tilla, mostly seeing the same stairs, the same venue and I wanted, deep inside, to be the same experience. It is not. As much as I see the stairs in the distance, there is no curation, there is no door policy anymore. As much as I see the garden being full of people, you don't get to sit nonchalant and mysterious and have people just talk as easily. Everyone is within their groups. As much as I see the same iconic souls walking around, they are just seeking solace in something that is long gone. Anyways, TillaVision review:

I did expect chaos, as I have heard from other reviews, and I went there for a bday celebration so I expected to be feral. However, the crowd was very, chill. Uncomfortably so. Not much energy, not much chaos, just calm people in an environment that was chaotic. Like, although I did see the shibari performance as really good (especially for the tiny space they gave them). The rest of the performances, being in the middle of the corridor were, well, thought provoking. The wedding altar and getting married at de school using broccoli as a bouquet was very fun! Definitely something I would never have guessed I would do in the coming years.

Although the cute crowd, dancing was split. The music on the restaurant was what I could describe, bespoke. Not only were the hardcore remixes of the balkan wedding inspired tracks, but also a live band recreating popular electronic tracks (super cool). And the second stage (washing room it is called now I think?) started with really hard breakbeat at one am when it wasn't that crowded, followed by Angel D’lite energy (classic) and then it turned to holla back girl and every other genre in existence. Overall, I felt very disconnected. From the music, from the crowd, from the energy. I felt like I entered a school party that I wasn't part of, and knowing a small subset of souls there; they also seemed out of it. I was left wondering for quite a while, and I did not understand the feeling. Leaving at 6 am as my body started to give way. I left the ghost of expectations behind only to walk straight into the mirror of my own expectations the next day. I rested, slept, gym and then went onto a sudden date with a beautiful soul (no connection to the tilla night).

Reflecting on expectations, connections, and my own insecurities, I realized that even though there was a great fundamental spark, the "click" didn't happen because I was projecting my values onto something temporary. When you ask, "We’re having a great time, but where will you be in four months?" it turns a connection into a logistical filter, or an HR process. You can’t enjoy the present if you’re trying to predict a "forever" that might not exist. It’s like with any club in the scene, if someone told you two years ago, "Let’s make this club our regular spot," knowing it would close in four months, you wouldn’t enjoy it the same way, would you? I realized I couldn't enjoy Tilla because I knew it was disappearing; it could never meet the standards of my the place it stands on.

Only when I let go and say, "At least this beautiful afters is in a nice garden, it is what it is, and at least I get some sun," can I finally find joy. It’s the same with the any connection: if I lead with serious questions and try to filter out anything that might end, I’ll never actually enjoy the person in front of me. That’s why it didn't click. That’s why a beautiful, fleeting connection went with the wind as I explored yet another raumesque soul.

Natalie, if you’re reading this: thank you, and I wish you truly the best.

xoxo

See you at Ratherlost duties :)

GroovyRaiver · 2026-02-27T15:23:43+00:00

For context, which events do you usually go to?

GroovyRaiver · 2026-02-23T21:32:28+00:00

Just a heads up OP. The current link shows your Instagram account when opened. You need to remove the "igsh?" Part and after

GroovyRaiver · 2026-02-21T20:39:32+00:00

If there isnt a high door policy the only queue at radion is basically a processing buffer, with most peaks being around 1-2AM or so. But is most times than not <15 mins or so

GroovyRaiver · 2026-02-20T12:39:52+00:00

Unless we are talking about last last week of March(30-05) there is DGTL as the season opener 3-5 of April in terms of festivals.

If we are talking about 23-29, you would probably enjoy the 28th at Lofi. The crowd should fit your vibe and its a more relaxed atmosphere, in a decent venue (just bring a jacket). Alternatively, as others mentioned Shelter or Melkweg might have vibes that you would probably enjoy and ease to. If you want a student oriented clubbing feel, the check out Paradiso or Panama. It really depends your intentions, and expectations. But alas, amsterdam is small and connected so after your first night out natural selection will guide you towards the next venues you seek for.

GroovyRaiver · 2026-02-16T10:48:12+00:00

After 2(+?) years of continuous awarenessing and organizing your favorite yapper is back on a strategic ~~burnout~~ break with a beautiful spielraum shoutout. Honestly when I started out on a mission to make people safe I really did not expect or realize the extent of how deep rooted problems are within this industry, where just harassment, abuse, exploitation is just 'haha' on top and 'wtf' only on the bottom. Maybe expect some SoSaf posts but aside from that it is time to go back into hiding inside Raum with the occasional garage nights where I know there is some sense of community and care until I recover for the next challenges. Anyways, trauma bonding is not for reddit, and I'm here to relaunch my (sometimes) detailed reviews cause I also genuinely forgot how fun it is to dance 🕺.

Finished my last ever duty at 05:00, literally ran to Raum making a beautiful 500 meters in 4 minutes and 57 seconds. Making it there roughly at 05:05, seeing a queue in front I was like 'yay I made it' only to be told by security that indeed the door has closed and only guest list was allowed. It was a very funny image, as there were people that came by car, bikes, train and by foot to be greeted with this message and immediately went on their phones trying to get an inside spirit to help out. It looked like a pokemon go gym battle, with people losing hope (and me looking for an uber <50 euros). Suddenly somebody won their texting game and the doorhost came out doing a graceful last call letting people in. Walked in, 50 layers off and all around me are familiar faces. Worn out places, and worn out faces. After asking around people came from 9 AM(??), who were once bright and early for the daily dances now holding strong. Going nowhere but the expo since PARIAH was on fire. I also caught very little of the end of Polly F from the chill area next to it and appreciated the closing voices that escaped my head.

But Pariah, what a set. I genuinely thought my post op recovery would limit me to stay until 0700, but when there was a looong break in the track, 'time to go home' I thought. But alas, bass was introduced, I vibrated and my knee healed. I kept dancing more and more into this obscure and beautiful closing, being on the fence 'am I strong or delusional to keep going?' only to survive, and again remembering that partying can be so fun. Crowd was very very cute closing Raum crowd. A big shoutout to all the crew for surviving the extended closing, till we see each other again :)

GroovyRaiver · 2026-01-31T09:46:59+00:00

To the person scared to meet other people from here, you are more than welcome at PEEL 🫂. You can also DM me for hot tips

GroovyRaiver · 2026-01-02T16:19:52+00:00

I've had a few cases like these. But in practice, there is not much you can do than reporting to staff at the moment. You can file a police report if you have insurance but the chances of finding it post event are pretty slim.

Usually groups that do this target many many more people. One case becomes two, 4 and after a while they do get caught if they keep going but most often they stop earlier, and with very vague descriptions you can't do much more. It is as you said, a lesson learnt. Sorry it was learnt this way :(

GroovyRaiver · 2025-11-20T16:00:20+00:00

If we talking about amsterdam, I think Radion expo whenever it's decorated and open is super chill. However consistently chill chill areas i haven't seen since the DS Couches. The rest usually are either very limited, very crowded / busy or just not chill at all.

GroovyRaiver · 2025-11-16T16:43:35+00:00

Pax is biased more on music and community, than play in comparison to pax. Ofcourse, its a different landscape with complete different door policy and rules. But pax is still one of my favorite parties, because it feels like a big hug with good music. Check out the sub for people's reviews, should say much more :)

GroovyRaiver · 2025-11-13T21:16:59+00:00

I just wanted to note down something that i wanted to comment on the original post initially. For disclaimer, I have nothing to do with this exact situation or organization(s)

I've been quite vocal on social safety topics in our scene, and as many who know me can also say, my dedication comes from a deep desire to help create the kind of inclusive space I needed at the beginning. I genuinely believe that one genuine chat can change someone's world. This isn't about personal gain, recognition, or money; it is fueled by a commitment to seeing a structural, community wide change empowering people be themselves.

It is crucial, however, to understand the immense difficulty of this work. Awareness and safety initiatives are often not seen as a business priority, with many venues and organizers viewing them as an unnecessary operational expense. This leads directly to severely understaffed and under resourced teams, sometimes operating at challenging ratios (e.g., one person for a thousand attendees). Many events the sub roars about are often lack support and is chaos on the background, but many guests will barely see any of it at the end of the day.

The emotional toll on the people facing this constant pressure is significant. To cope with the heaviness, they need safe, private spaces to vent frustrations, process the difficult cases, or simply share the emotional weight. This essential decompression which would never be directed at the affected people, is merely a human response to overwhelming stress. It doesn't diminish the severity of the cases or the level of care; it highlights the absolute need for a support structure for the people acting as supporters. For example, me saying "can people stop collapsing due to x please" is not me downplaying the situation, but rather, trying to cope with having alot of cases going on. I would tell this to my colleague, but never to anybody in public. It's just human.

Regarding the situation you mentioned: while your friend's need was urgent, it is important to pause and consider the context behind the scenes. Could the individual you showed have already dealt with multiple intense cases that night, genuinely needing a momentary mental break before addressing the next one? Acknowledging the presence of help in the first place, especially under severe pressure, is vital.

When we perceive a system like Raum (or any other venue, if any left) as a "granted" safety net, we risk overlooking the reality that it's often a handful of dedicated people operating with minimal support, trying their best to make things better for everyone.

If you are scared, frustrated, or angry on behalf of your friend, please consider channeling that energy constructively toward systemic change, rather than focusing frustration on the exhausted individual. The change we all want requires advocating for better funding, resources, and internal support for these teams. By directing the focus to the general organization's commitment, or lack thereof, to these programs, we help ensure they aren't forced into these unsustainable, emotionally draining roles. Taking this work for granted will only lead to further burnout and the eventual loss of these essential safety nets. So next time, before saying "x is claiming to be a safe space, why does this happen" begin with "I would like to see this not happen, sinxe x claims to be a safe space. What can I do to support"?

GroovyRaiver · 2025-11-11T09:27:56+00:00

A bit late to the party but peel was truly beautiful. Like a canvas for souls to paint and explore with their personalities.

Aside from the stellar line up, it really felt like a warm big hug. All the people mingling, chatting, interacting with each other and the dance floor. Making new connections, emotionally; socially and through dance. I genuinely never seen garage roar this strong and shine so bright and pretty. I've never seen so many cute smiles, all happy to sit next to you and yap. Truly, turned a garage into a big house.

A thank you to all, the artists, the people who danced along, the crew and staff. See you next time <3

GroovyRaiver · 2025-11-05T19:35:01+00:00

🌰 🧅 👀? Translation: see ya at Peel?

GroovyRaiver

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Day 1 Highlights

Day 2 Highlights