It's been ten years since one of the year's biggest parties first took root in Amsterdamse Bos. Across three days, in the sprawling forest on the city's southern perimeter, Dekmantel embarked on its mission to breathe new life into the Netherlands' dance music ecosystem. It was 2015 when I first attended, the festival still in its infancy, and the setup was more bare bones: the main party, plus a pre-festival programme that consisted of a single event at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, featuring Autechre and Manuel Göttsching. From Friday through to Sunday, it seemed like the whole city hopped on their bikes and ventured out to the woods for a dance.

Dekmantel's ambitious streak was apparent back then, but it was still a relatively small operation. The team was headed up by three people from The Hague who, first with parties and then with the festival, wanted to rewire the electronic music scene in Amsterdam. Fast forward to 2024 and Dekmantel is a global powerhouse, connecting the dots between the international dance music community from Amsterdam to São Paulo and Croatia to Naarm (Melbourne). Today, alongside the flagship event, Dekmantel has spread its spores to become a beloved label, editorial platform and series of spin-off festivals, each endeavour only serving to reinforce the collective's reputation for attention to detail and eye-catching programming.

For its tenth year, Dekmantel went bigger than ever before. The extended pre-festival programme unfolded across seven days at venues such as Het HEM, a former munitions factory, and Oude Kerk, an old church in the city centre. With more than 200 acts booked in for the celebrations, it's impossible to get arms around the entire lineup, but highlights included Kali Malone's sublime performance at Oude Kerk; Valentina Magaletti's boundless approach to percussion at BIMHUIS; and Rabih Beani and pianist Tomoko Mukaiyama's mind-expanding symbiosis, at the same venue.

Over at Amsterdamse Bos, the Friday was palpably quiet while the Sunday was absolutely heaving, with long queues at the Radar stage for Young Marco, Job Jobse and Helena Hauff & Marcel Dettmann. DJ Sprinkles played the set of the weekend, with freetekno originator 69db's live show not far behind. And the prize for standout production goes to scenography duo Children of the Light, whose stage The Loop truly came alive after dark with spellbinding light shows that felt almost tactile.

A decade in, Dekmantel is still turning heads, breaking artists and delivering life-affirming festival moments. To celebrate its outsized contribution to electronic music, we asked 11 artists, staff members and fans to share their favourite memories. That their answers are so broad only speaks to Dekmantel's enduring brilliance.

Children of the Light

Scenographers

In our scenography, we always aim to create moments where the music, people and lights feel as one. You have to go deep to get to that, to reach a point where it feels like your hands automatically push the right buttons. The artist for us who has been the most challenging in this regard—but also the most rewarding—was Jeff Mills. In 2015, when he played the closing set on the main stage, something remarkable happened.

We have a special connection to full moons. Though we don't consciously plan around them, it often turns out that our performances coincide with this celestial event. So, nothing strange when we saw a full moon slowly moving up through the sky. What made it so special was that it started to look like it would align with the stage—which it did exactly on the last note. The moon seemed to be a face, with the screens of the main stage below looking like two arms embracing the crowd with their light. It felt like a wink of the universe, like it wanted to say: "I see what you're doing there, I feel your transcending energy, and I want to be part of it. I bless you."

David Cornelissen

Programmer

I'm writing this memory at Oude Kerk, an old church right in the middle of Amsterdam. Kali Malone, together with Stephen O'Malley, is about to present the first of her two performances on a 15th-century organ. It's Tuesday and already the fifth day of Dekmantel's tenth edition. During this moment of introspection, I'm thinking back to 2014 and one of my coming-of-age moments in electronic music. I was just starting to work as a young artist production intern at Dekmantel when I saw Jeff Mills play the main stage in Amsterdamse Bos: being there and, together with the crowd, spiralling deeper and deeper into his wormholes was almost like an out-of-body experience. I knew right there that I wanted to stay close to electronic music and it has since become my path. Over the last ten years, I've ventured into many different musical realms and Dekmantel has done the same: the festival was a great guide, it has pushed its boundaries time and time again, helping create many memories and finding new musical lodestars.

Jasmín

DJ

I have many cherished memories. From the first time while still working at Red Light Radio in 2018, to people dancing in the rain during my set on the Radar stage in 2023. One of the things I appreciate about Dekmantel's lineups is the balance between the regulars, local or smaller artists getting great slots and our scene's pioneers, which you sadly don't get to see that often. After my own set in 2023, I went to see the legendary Cymande play, then listened to my friends upsammy and mad miran going back-to-back. After that, we all danced together at the front at Tzusing. It feels very special that people of different generations can come together through music like this.

dekmantel · Jasmín at Dekmantel Festival 2023

Antal

DJ

About 16 years ago, Dekmantel reached out to us at Rush Hour via mail. They proposed to book Terrence Dixon for a party here in Amsterdam. That's how I initially got to know Dekmantel's founders. We started chatting after this. They came from The Hague and wanted to start throwing parties in Amsterdam. They were really into the techno and house from Detroit and Chicago and disliked the minimal hype that was going on in the city back then. They thought it was boring. Their energy and drive was very welcome in Amsterdam. The original house sound was always popular in the city, championed in the decades before by DJs like Dimitri, Eddy de Clercq and others. However, at that point, it was really at an all-time low. Dekmantel's fresh energy helped in popularising it again. They started small, with parties in NL Lounge, but soon after moved to Studio K, MC Theater and Paradiso, before setting up their first festival ten years ago.

From the beginning, the festival always felt original and music-driven. In the early days, Casper even worked at the Rush Hour store for a couple of months, but soon quit because he wanted to go full force with Dekmantel. During my years, I've met many people with ideas. What I've always admired about Dekmantel is their ambition to level up each year. They've been entrepreneurs with dreams and they kept on moving.

Tom Biddulph

Visual artist and fan

Since arriving in Amsterdam in 2016, the first weekend of August has always been spent in Amsterdamse Bos for Dekmantel (bar pandemic years). My favourite memory is actually from outside the festival grounds. On the Friday afternoon, I'd bike from my apartment to the site, a route that takes you from the hectic, tourist-filled centre, through the city and eventually into the forest. As you pedal through the trees, the sounds of the city melt away and the trees draw in to replace it. Eventually a new sound creeps in, something electronic filtering through the organic; a hint of what's about to happen. This is my favourite moment of every edition, hearing the bass as you transition between the overlapping worlds.

Amid the lockdowns and cancellations of 2020, I felt compelled to go back to the forest during Dekmantel weekend and make a short film to record what happens when the festival doesn't happen. It was surreal to stand in the places usually filled with music and people, now empty aside from the trees, the birds and the insects. Set to an original composition by Oceanic, the film captures what makes Dekmantel so special to me: the fusion of the forest and the music.

BOS from Tom Biddulph on Vimeo.

Eris Drew at Selectors.

CARISTA at Radar.

Cakes da Killa at The Nest.

Quelza at Het HEM.

SPFDJ and SALOME at Radar.

AUNTY RAYZOR at The Nest.

Mala back-to-back James Blake at Greenhouse.

Kali Malone at Oude Kerk

Detroit in Effect at UFO II.

"Artists need to go where the people are—connection is key." - BADSISTA

Elisa Luengo

Programmer

In a way, every Dekmantel is an anniversary for me. I moved to the Netherlands back in late July 2016 to experience my first edition. Since then, I haven't missed a year. Each of them has been a reminder of why I'm here, far from home, doing what I do. From punter to volunteer, stage manager and now programmer, I'm grateful to every Dekmantel team member who passed on their legacy and knowledge and trusted me with their vision. Quality is always subjective but Dekmantel's standards, eye for detail and respect to the art form are things that keep inspiring me and many others ten years later.

Darwin

DJ

This year will be my ninth edition, and it's been so beautiful to watch the festival grow and evolve over the years. I've been chirping to them behind the scenes for ages about putting on more bass music, and to my delight, they added The Nest stage in 2022. I had the honour of playing it that year—and it remains one of my career highlights. This year, I'm returning to close the Greenhouse back-to-back with my absolute hero and the First Lady of drum & bass, DJ Storm. Dekmantel has always been forward-thinking in its programming, and I'm still excited to see the lineups for all the surprises. It's important to continue intergenerational exchange and honour the past, and Dekmantel upholds these principles. I feel really grateful to be a part of the community they've built, and returning always feels like a big family reunion. Happy birthday, Dekmantel!

dekmantel · Darwin at Dekmantel Festival 2022

Parrish Smith

DJ

I've been visiting Dekmantel events for more than 12 years. Originally, I'm from Nieuwegein, a small town in the Netherlands. At home, I was isolated from the music scene, whereas at Dekmantel, I was able to fully experience all pockets of electronic music. I developed my own particular style through this isolation. I took inspiration from the infamous [Dutch experimental artist] Spinvis, who decades earlier grew up in the same area that I'm from.

In 2015, I played the Red Light Radio stage for the first time, unannounced. I filled in for someone and only had 24 minutes. But I used that time to explore my punk and industrial sound. Later in 2017, I opened UFO 1, preaching my own gospel. Including this year, I've been invited eight times. 2024 felt like a full-circle moment, opening UFO 1 once again with a long set. It was inspiring, because the art of the opening seems to be fading away in a world so often only hungry for highlights. My set was a story about building character parallel to your music and that even when it's hard, opportunities arise. And you should take them.

Orpheu The Wizard

DJ

Today, Dekmantel is an institution, but you have to realise it's been a 17-year process during which there have been so many firsts, from the first festival (even before Dekmantel) to the first headliners playing opening slots and the first residents playing headline slots. I'm very happy to have been around for most of these moments and to have witnessed how the team always kept building, always preparing for the next step. This never-settle attitude, combined with a sincere love for music and the culture, makes me certain that this is the first of many decades of Dekmantel we'll be celebrating.

Steve Rachmad AKA Sterac

DJ

Dekmantel has a special place in my heart. I'm proud of the whole team for what they've built. One of my favourite memories is from some years back, when I got to play an '80s-focussed disco set in a very intimate setting. I loved this, since I don't often get the chance to express this musical side of mine.

I'm also honoured to have been asked to add a track of mine to the compilation Dekmantel Ten: A Decade of Dekmantel Festival. And it was an honour to DJ at The Loop last Sunday, in front of an awesome crowd. Shout out to all the beautiful people who came out to hear me play. Good vibes! I spent the rest of the day all over the festival and the vibe was fantastic everywhere. Congratulations to everyone involved! I look forward to doing many more great things over many years together.

BADSISTA

DJ

Definitely one of the best moments this year was seeing the whole crowd at The Nest during the festival's final hours jumping and screaming like they were one big organism. One guy looked at me and screamed, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" And inside I was thinking, "No, it's ME who should say thanks to YOU!" Because none of this would be possible without them. Artists need to go where the people are—connection is key.